Middle East

Many observers are correct in noting that the Middle East is undergoing yet another seismic shift – that the Russian-brokered destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal, a US-Iranian rapprochement, the diminished strategic value of Saudi Arabia and Israel, and a…

AMY GOODMAN and NERMEEN SHAIKH for Democracy Now! To discuss the role of foreign powers fueling the ongoing conflict in Syria, we are joined by Patrick Cockburn, Middle East correspondent for The Independent. “It is clearly a proxy war. This…

 Syria is entrapped in a mesmerizing and unusual conflict these days. Fighters from more than 80 countries, mostly the European and Arab allies of the United States, have taken up arms against the Syrian government and persistently push for the…

American national security journalist Jeremy Scahill and leftist British columnist Owen Jones announced recently that they would not share a platform with a Palestinian-Lebanese nun at the Stop The War Coalition’s November 30 UK conference. Neither Scahill nor Jones provided…

The United Nations has set a January date for peace talks between the Syrian government and rebel opposition. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the gathering on Monday. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: “The Geneva conference on Syria will take place on Wednesday,…

Analysis by Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, Nov 26 2013 (IPS) – Despite strenuous objections by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and mostly Republican lawmakers here, the new accord between the Iran and the U.S. and five other major powers on Tehran’s…

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says Iran and the world powers have finally agreed on a long-awaited deal on Tehran’s nuclear energy program, after days of intense talks in Geneva. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and European Union foreign…

The recent high-drama nuclear negotiations in Geneva were riveting, to be sure. Old foes shuttled between conference rooms, chatted amiably in corridors, colluded to guard the sensitive details of their discussions from an eager global media. Every utterance from officials,…

A member of the Iranian delegation in nuclear talks with six world powers says Tehran did not block an agreement in last week’s negotiations in Geneva. “The Islamic Republic of Iran did not prevent a final deal in Geneva,” Iran’s…

The Palestinian Authority says its delegation of peace negotiators has resigned over continued Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank. U.S.-brokered talks resumed this year after a three-year lull. But Israel has continued to expand West Bank settlement homes, recently announcing…