The Great Malaise continues
At PJ Media, my old friend Richard Fernandez muses about the current upheaval: Bloomberg editors have noticed that the world is on fire. There are demonstrations and unrest in Lebanon, Chile, …
Read MoreTag: the middle east
Who’s your Baghdaddy? A tale in five obituaries
Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that the ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead, having blown himself and his three children up while being chased …
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The worst take on the Kurds
Debate continues to rage about the rights and wrongs of Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw a handful of US troops from their posts along the Syrian-Turkish border, where they have …
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The Decline and Fall of Robert Fisk
If you have been wondering whatever happened to Robert Fisk (I know you haven’t; this is just a rhetorical set-up), he is still alive and writing. His most recent effort …
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Pardoning Turkey for Thanksgiving
Donald Trump is withdrawing the American troops from northern Syria, where they had previously fought against ISIS and subsequently acted as a trip wire against a major Turkish attack on …
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What if you built a synagogue and no one came?
The United Arab Emirates is engaging in a commendable exercise in fostering inter-faith tolerance and understanding: A new UAE’s landmark, featuring a church, mosque and synagogue, will be built in …
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Pity they can’t both lose, part II
In case you’re not a Middle Eastern politics nerd, I borrowed the title of this post from Henry Kissinger’s famous (at least in the Middle Eastern politics nerd circles) comment …
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One day in September
It’s impossible to write anything new about September 11. From the human stories of courage and tragedy of victims, survivors and responders, and fanaticism and hatred of perpetrators, to the …
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Arabs beat Jews in Poland, Poland gets the blame
An ugly incident in Warsaw: Several Israelis were brutally assaulted in Poland after the assailants asked where they were from, the brother of one of the victims alleged on Sunday. …
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The heart-warming story of a lingerie refugee
A case of bootylicious persecution, followed by down-and-out, but now with a happy ending: Negzzia, 29, has been fleeing the Revolutionary Guards in Iran since 2017 after photos surfaced of …
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Dire Straits of Hormuz
What if Iran wanted to provoke a war and nobody came? A growing consensus among smart people* seems to be that Donald Trump should not let himself be drawn into …
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Just like Lent, only compulsory
It’s good to live in societies where religion is a private matter, isn’t? Though as a substitute, a whole range of secular ideas about everything from gender to the environment …
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The End of the Caliphate
It seems to be over: The caliphate has crumbled, and the final offensive is over. While the official announcement hasn’t yet been made – Fox News has been told that …
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Talking Turkey
“The Washington Post” thinks that “democracy dies in darkness”, but in Turkey it has been under a slow and steady assault by the ruling party in broad daylight for the …
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Worst homophobe ever
Not satisfied to have personally tied a noose around Jussie Smollett’s neck and poured some MAGA bleach on the gay “Empire” sort-of-a -star, Donald Trump now goes and does this: …
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Refugee, yes, but in Australia? (Updated)
The saga continues: A Saudi teenager has claimed she had been granted asylum in Australia after she fled her “abusive” family and was detained in Bangkok. Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun captured …
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Cirque di Shariai
Perhaps rejoicing at Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the US forces from Afghanistan, Taliban are working hard not to become Talitubbies when the time for the next offensive comes: Taliban …
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Don’t throw the Kurds with the Baath water
One thing about Trump – he is consistent in his policies, or perhaps better call them political instincts. If not strictly speaking an isolationist, Trump has always believed that the …
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The Daily Chrenk’s Best Proverbs From Around The World, Part 3
Dedicated to my uncle Stanislaw from Lodz, Poland, who is the biggest fan of the series so far. Nevertheless, I hope that all of you will find something insightful and …
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