The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, says the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) should now close its investigation of the issue of Iran’s development of high explosives detonators the IAEA has said may have been part of a covert...
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the highest Shi'ite cleric in Iraq, urged parliament to begin work on forming a new government that has broad support. In other words, selecting a premier that would be acceptable to all of Iraq's factions, which can't be said of...
"Successful diplomacy requires a measure of mutual accommodation," were the words of former NATO official Michael Stopford at the 31st US-Russia World Forum in Washington, DC this week. Shrilly denounced as "Putin apologists," the participants in...
President Obama’s announcement that the US is sending 300 "advisors" back to Iraq to stave off the rising Sunni insurgency was couched in assurances that "American forces will not be returning to combat in Iraq" – but who really believes that? A...
Originally posted at TomDispatch. As Iraq was unraveling last week and the possible outlines of the first jihadist state in modern history were coming into view, I remembered this nugget from the summer of 2002. At the time, journalist Ron Suskind had a meeting with...
This week the P5+1 and Iranian officials meet again to try to narrow differences over a comprehensive nuclear deal, which is to last for an as-yet unknown duration. Reaching an agreement will be a challenging task because Iran and P5+1 seem to disagree – among other...
"Labeiki ya Zaynab," chanted Iraqi Shia fighters as they swayed, dancing with their rifles before TV news cameras in Baghdad on June 13. They were apparently getting ready for a difficult fight ahead. For them, it seemed that a suitable war chant would be...
When talking of freewheeling domestic spying, it would behoove us to remember that it’s not just the National Security Agency (NSA) that needs reform and a tight leash. Hell, it’s not even just federal agencies who are disinterested in your Fourth Amendment rights....
