As always, there is no lack of events, people and developments to write about. The problem is to choose. Among other good news is that U.S.-Israel defense cooperation continues unabated, with a good allocation of funds on the U.S. part for joint … [Read more...] about The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Islam
Obama, ISIS, the Pope and the Palestinians
While cache of computers, cell phones, and documents that was captured during the raid will provide important information about ISIS financial operations in Iraq and Syria and possibly on its support of its branches in North Africa, South-East Asia … [Read more...] about Obama, ISIS, the Pope and the Palestinians
Stopping the Next Tsarnaev
Left: Boston Marathon bombing, April 15, 2013 The news of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokar Tsarnaev's death sentence made headlines in the American and other Western nation’s media. However, more than two hours later, Abu-Dhabi’s main English-language … [Read more...] about Stopping the Next Tsarnaev
ISIS’s Progress
Left: ISIS's new 5 star hotel in Mosul. No women in swimming pools, playing tennis or any public space unless completely covered, The hotel is patrolled by ISIS's women police brigade. (ISIS-affiliated social networks, May 1, 2015). As ISIS/ISIL … [Read more...] about ISIS’s Progress
Syria breaking up – Lebanon next?*
Left - Members of al Qaeda's Nusra Front in Lebanon. The already extremely complex Middle East may be on the verge of becoming even more so. At this point, the Sh'ia northern arc of Iran, Iraq, Assad and Hezbollah is in confrontation with the … [Read more...] about Syria breaking up – Lebanon next?*
Down the Slippery Slope
Left: Faiza Silmi, a 32-year-old Moroccan, walks past a bakery in a street of Le Mesnil-Saint-Denis, southwest of Paris, April 21, 2010, Credit CHRISTOPHE ENA / AP Michel Houellebecq’s bestselling satirical novel Soumission, was published on January … [Read more...] about Down the Slippery Slope
Legal Rules and Anti-Terrorism Warfare
Mustaffa Dirani, right, and Sheikh Abdel Karim Obeid, left, are seen as they wait at the District court in Tel Aviv Monday, May 29, 2000. (File Photo:AP) The Case of Mustafa Dirani, Revisited: On January 15, 2015, an expanded panel of judges … [Read more...] about Legal Rules and Anti-Terrorism Warfare
Putting the squeeze on Israel
One of the many anomalies of Pres. Barack Hussein Obama’s collapsing foreign policy is Washington’s growing rift with Israel, despite the two countries’ historically intimate ties at every level. Obama’s fundamental antagonism toward Israel was … [Read more...] about Putting the squeeze on Israel
Sharia and the European Union
The attempts by European Muslims to enforce sharia have not been diminished by the European Court of Human Rights affirmation that “sharia is incompatible with the fundamental principles of democracy.” In Refah Partisi v. Turkey, in 2003, the court … [Read more...] about Sharia and the European Union
ISIS Global Advances (March 26 – April 1, 2015)*
Left: ISIS in Yarmouk, the Palestinian refugee camp south of Damscus While the United States and its allies claim their air campaigns are successfully eroding the Islamic State expansion, ISIS took over the Yarmouk refugee camp, home to 18,000 … [Read more...] about ISIS Global Advances (March 26 – April 1, 2015)*