U.S. to build ‘strategic partnership’ with Lebanese army
A senior Pentagon official said last week that the U.S. military would like to see a strategic partnership with Lebanon's army to strengthen the country's forces so that...In Israel raid’s wake, Syria turns defensive
President Bashar al-Assad met with North Korean officials this week as Damascus hardens against the West after a September Israeli airstrike. Damascus — The peace...Prisoner swap: Marwan for Gilad?
Ramallah — More than 11,000 Palestinian prisoners are in Israeli jails. One Israeli soldier, captured 16 months ago, is being held by Palestinians in Gaza. Behind the......
Will Lebanon get a next president?
It is presidential election countdown time in Lebanon but the parliament that votes is a divided house. Will the legislature finally vote or will it demolish the house...In Lebanon, a comeback for cannabis
Bekaa Valley — Ali plucks a sprig of the cannabis sativa plant and sniffs its distinctive leaves with appreciation. This Lebanese farmer's field of marijuana, a splash......
Briton killed while clearing IDF cluster bombs in southern Lebanon
BEIRUT — A British man was killed on Thursday while clearing cluster bombs dropped on southern Lebanon by Israel during its war with Hizbullah guerrillas last year, a...Evaluating the Iraq war
This week marks the fifth anniversary of Congress's vote to authorize the Bush Administration to overthrow the government of Iraq by military force. The Nation opposed......
Secular Tunisia may face Islamist challenge
Analysts say a growing number of young fundamentalists are increasingly restless in a country that bans all religious parties. Zarzis, Tunisia — While a potent Islamic...U.S. aid dependency: The road to ruin
Since Israel's July 2006 war on Lebanon, and up to the current deadlock over electing Lebanon's next president, the Bush administration has gone out of its way to......
As Mideast realigns, U.S. leans Sunni
October 12th, 20070 The White House is re-embracing Sunni authoritarian regimes to counter the rise of Shi'i Iran. WASHINGTON — Americans are hearing much less from the Bush...External meddling complicates Lebanon’s election
BEIRUT (IRIN) — Lebanon's tussling factions are headed for a stalemate, settlement, or war, and international actors as much as local ones will decide which, analysts......
MSU expands global presence with Dubai agreement
EAST LANSING — Michigan State University is moving forward to forge a strong Middle East presence by signing an agreement that will put into action the next steps toward...Mourning two Palestinian giants
When I began seeing e-mails with the name "Dr. Haidar Abdel Shafi" in the subject line, I figured he must be speaking somewhere. In August 2002, I saw him speak at the......
The wider dilemma of Iraq
The intense political focus on Iraq in the United States continues to revolve around the theme of how soon the U.S. might be able to substantially withdraw its troops....U.S. Senate votes to partition Iraq. Softly.
On 26 September 2007 the United States Senate voted 75–23 in favor of an amendment to the defense spending bill for 2008 that authorizes the U.S. government to......
Bush’s fake sheik whacked
Did you see George all choked up? In his surreal TV talk two weeks ago, he got all emotional over the killing by Al Qaeda of Sheik Abu Risha, the leader of the new Sunni...Gaza youth killed by IDF bulldozer
GAZA — A 17-year-old Palestinian was crushed to death by an IDF bulldozer in the central Gaza Strip on Thursday, Palestinians sources reported. The youth was......
First cholera case confirmed in Baghdad
Baghdad — The World Health Organization on Thursday confirmed the first cholera case in Baghdad, raising fears the disease is spreading. A 25-year-old woman from...UNICEF urges Egypt to stop female circumcision
GENEVA—The UN children's fund this week called for pressure to be maintained to stop female circumcision in Egypt, where more than three quarters of 15- to 17-year-old......
Maliki blasts Blackwater firm for other attacks
BAGHDAD — Blackwater security guards who protect top U.S. diplomats in Iraq have been involved in at least seven serious attacks, some of which resulted in the deaths of...The Palestinian Mandela
The division of the Palestinian territories into a "Hamastan" in the Gaza Strip and a "Fatahland" in the West Bank is a disaster. A disaster for the Palestinians, a......
Gunpowder dialogue in Lebanon
The explosion of September 19 targets the Christian community in Lebanon. The Christians of this country have become a demographic minority over the last few decades as...
Beirut blast kills lawmaker
September 22nd, 20070 BEIRUT — An anti-Syrian Lebanese lawmaker was killed Wednesday in a large car-bomb explosion in east Beirut, just six days before parliament is scheduled to elect a new......
