If things continue in the same vein that we are witnessing today, Iraq as we know it will not exist for long. There are strong indications that this is not being said to intimidate people, exaggerate facts or reiterate old conspiracy theories. The reality on the ground is deepening the division betw
Security forces in the town of Tameer, north of Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh, said they arrested eight citizens following appeals by locals to intervene and rid the town of them. The story is that more than 17 men from the town have disappeared and are believed to be fighting in Iraq and Syria with
Abu Dhabi, Asharq Al-Awsat—A high-level Saudi delegation concluded its tour of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, meeting with UAE leadership to unite Gulf stances ahead of a critical GCC meeting on Saturday. The Gulf tour, which included visits to Doha and Manama,
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemen’s Presidential Commission has resumed efforts to reach a deal with the Houthis to end the ongoing protests in the capital Sana’a, a high-level Yemeni official told Asharq Al-Awsat. The latest mediation efforts come after talks between the government and Shi’
Beirut, AP—The Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS) killed more than 160 Syrian government troops seized in recent fighting, posting pictures Thursday of terrified young conscripts stripped down to their underwear before meeting their deaths in the arid Syrian countryside. The slayings were
Moscow/Donetsk, Reuters—Pro-Moscow rebels fighting in Ukraine said on Friday they would comply with a request from the Kremlin and open up a ‘humanitarian corridor’ to allow the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops they have encircled. It was not clear how the government in Kiev would re
Istanbul, Asharq Al-Awsat—Making yourself comfortable in the same chair where a head of state once reclined at table would be a rather unique experience. At the Beyti restaurant in Istanbul every customer gets to rub shoulders with famous personalities from the past and present. Since it was f
At the same time it was revealed that Iran had decided to keep Gen. Qassem Suleimani away from the Iraqi file and instead assign to him the Syrian one, the president of Iraqi Kurdistan Region, Massoud Barzani, revealed that Tehran had provided the Kurdish forces with weapons and ammunition to face t
Like most events in history, the current crisis in Iraq has had several unintended consequences which are likely to impact regional politics for some time to come. On the ideological front, the emergence of the so-called Islamic State and its “caliphate” has highlighted the tragicomic aspect of poli
Ramallah,Asharq Al-Awsat—After five failed attempts on his life, the military commander of Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades, Mohammed Deif—known as “Abu Khaled”—has become a legendary figure in the eyes of fellow Palestinians, who see in him the de facto minister of defense—though he is
Ramallah, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Palestinian Authority is set to use the permanent ceasefire deal with Israel recently reached in Cairo to secure a comprehensive deal leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state on 1967 borders, a senior Fatah official told Asharq Al-Awsat on Wednesday. “Now tha
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Amid growing tensions in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a, President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi launched a vehement attack on the Houthi movement occupying protests sites across the capital on Wednesday. Speaking at a meeting in the capital, President Hadi denounced the Houthis as “r
Washington, Reuters—The United States is intensifying its push to build an international campaign against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) jihadists, including recruiting partners for potential joint military action, Obama administration officials said on Wednesday. Britain and Australia are p
Riyadh, Kuwait, Manama and Doha, Asharq Al-Awsat—A high-level Saudi delegation, including Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, arrived in Doha on Wednesday and held discussions with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani. Prince Saud was joined by Saudi intelligence chief Prince Khali
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—An Egyptian government spokesman on Wednesday denied rumors that the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections would be postponed until 2015. The spokesman, Hossam El-Kawish, said: “The government did not discuss this issue at all, and the issue has not been suggested to it.”
Freetown, Sierra Leone, AP—A third top doctor has died from Ebola in Sierra Leone, a government official said Wednesday, as a leading American health official warned that the outbreak sweeping West Africa would get worse. The disease has already killed more than 1,400 people in Guinea, Liberia
Many of my friends dislike the term “Arab Spring,” which was created and made famous by the Western media. The oldest “spring” I remember is the “Prague Spring” of 1968, when the then-leader of Czechoslovakia, Alexander Dubček—a Slovak—led a reformist wave that challenged the traditional
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iraq’s outgoing Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki said on Wednesday he was prepared to form a new government from among Iraq’s Shi’ite parties if ongoing talks on the shape of the new government fail. Speaking in his weekly national address, Maliki claimed that the Shi’ite-led N
“It is often forgotten that ever since the Iranian revolution, and the ousting of the Shah in 1979, there have been several occasions when the Iranians have been working, informally, with the Americans, though neither side found it convenient to draw attention to it. Whenever this has happened it ha
Ankara, Reuters—In a farewell speech to supporters of his Justice and Development Party (AKP), Turkish President-elect Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the AKP’s mission to reshape the nation would go on after he left party politics and took office as head of state. Erdoğan, who is due to be inaugurated as
