The squeeze between Iraqi, Syrian and international forces and the conflict between armed groups in the region is the gamble that the Islamic State has made. In return for this gamble, global jihadist recruitment from an ever growing list of nationalities and pledges of allegiance are the prizes.
An excerpt from an interview with a Palestinian Christian in Bethlehem, who isn't a politician or a militant, just a normal man trying to live his life under occupation, introduced by the interviewer.
Outside the shop in Ramallah there are a few who stand holding posters that express their condemnation for the situation in Gaza, but not enough to block the streets or cause any real problems.
Arab Awakening's columnists offer their weekly perspective on what is happening on the ground in the Middle East. Leading the week: Ghassan's memories.
Though attention may have shifted away from Darfur, the conflict is far from over. The internally displaced are being pressured to 'return' when the issues from which they fled have yet to be resolved.
To continue our examination of the Syrian army, a contesting view to that of Kamal Alam in an excerpt from Gilbert Achcar's 'The People Want: A Radical Exploration of the Arab Uprising', identifying a complex manipulation of sect and clan in the maintenance of the Syrian regime and its apparatuses
Those internally displaced by the ISIS takeover in Iraq may seek refuge in KRG territory, but there future is uncertain as decisions are made about whom will be included in an independent Kurdistan.
Seeing rocket fire from Gaza as a counter-discourse. This method of resistance is less about fatalities than undermining privilege structures in an anti-colonial context.
Something must be done about Israel’s number one ally, the Palestinian Authority, otherwise what we are witnessing today will be merely another flare-up, as opposed to a turning point for decolonization and the beginning of an end to the occupation.
The Arab revolts have blown away the last figleaf of current regimes, which has resulted in them revealing their true colours. The uprisings can be seen as the final step of a process of hegemonic decay that has been in progress for several decades, which can be used to the revolutionary movements
The roots of the most recent crisis in Iraq can be traced to the US-led invasion of 2003 and western meddling in Syria. At stake, is the neoliberal blueprint of post-invasion Iraq, now defended in an effort coordinated between the Baghdad government and its western backers.
Israel hopes that any Islamist extremists planning to infiltrate its borders will come up against a brick wall.
