Jun 19 2013
Russia's President Putin prevailed over his Western counterparts, where Syria is concerned, at yesterday's concluding G8 sessions, even though he was seriously outnumbered. The final communiqué included three basic points to confirm this hypothesis: 1. It did not contain any clear indication that his ally Bashar would be required to step down as [...]
Jun 18 2013
Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement, is in a quandry these days; and the Syrian war, which has been raging for two years and two months, is the cause. Before the war, Hamas's situation was close to ideal. It enjoyed special status in “the axis of resistance,” benefiting financially, military and politically. But when the popular [...]
Jun 17 2013
Without question, the crisis in Syria is the most dominant force in global politics today. Even the Iranian election results, which are considered to have major significance in terms of regional and international diplomacy, are being scrutinized from the perspective of their implications for Syria in one way or another. Whatever the outcome in Syria, [...]
Jun 15 2013
Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, has been forced to issue statements denying two important claims: the first, that it is riven with internal conflicts between competing wings; the other that some of it fighters are engaged in the Syrian uprising. Hamas has been at pains to emphasize that it is a Palestinian movement which exists [...]
Jun 15 2013
As a group of Muslim scholars, led by Shaykh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, calls for jihad in Syria, the US Administration announces its intention to send advanced weapons to the "moderate" Syrian opposition and maintain a troop presence (3,000 soldiers), aircraft (F-16) and Patriot missile systems in Jordan. The American move comes in response, it says, to [...]
Jun 12 2013
Nobody moved to intervene when Syrian regime troops, backed by some 2000 Hezbollah fighters, surrounded Qusayr and conquered it within 17 days. Despite French statements to the contrary, we do not believe that help is at hand for the citizens of Aleppo when the deadly battle to secure control of it begins. The Syrian [...]
Jun 11 2013
Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has resumed his disdainful tone when talking of the widespread protests currently taking place across the nation, describing the protestors as 'rabble' and 'extremists'. These provocative remarks, on the 12th day of the Turkish protests, may well add fuel to the fire. There is no doubt that the continuation [...]
Jun 10 2013
Egypt can still bank on a nationalist spirit The inability of secular liberals and the Islamists to cooperate is a political handicap that the fledgling democracy can well do without By Abdel Bari Atwan | Special to Gulf News Published: 20:00 June 10, 2013 Image Credit: Niño Jose Heredia/©Gulf News Last week, I visited [...]
Jun 10 2013
Yesterday, Jordan saw the start of a large-scale US-led international military exercise called 'Eager Lion'. Nineteen countries, including Britain, France, and most Gulf countries are taking part. At a joint US-Jordanian press conference, Brigadier General Muhammad al-Udwan, head of operations in the Jordanian Armed Forces' general command, and Brigadier General Robert Catalanotti, commander of the [...]
Jun 6 2013
After weeks of fierce fighting, the Syrian Army, backed by Hezbollah and other Shi'a fighters, captured Qusayr – a strategic city near the Lebanese border in western Syria. The 'celebrations' which marked the event in suburbs of Beirut and in the heart of Damascus may see the 'mercy killing' of Geneva 2 [next month's peace [...]
