World Watching Politics

Yemen, The Perfect Storm Of Middle East Peril

The palace has fallen. The fighters of the Houthi militia have occupied the presidential seat in Sana’a. This is the last symbolic act of a virtu…

In Syria, Casualties Of War Include Loss Of Place

LATAKIA — “I hope to God we’ll go back to Aleppo,” 13-year-old Muhammad writes whenever he has a chance to express his longing for his home…

Where Sharia Law Reigns In Europe, And The Muslim Woman Fighting It

KOMOTINI — In the privacy of a cosy flat in this city in northeastern Greece, Shatitzeh Molla Sali speaks to us softly, so softly that she …

KILLING HOPE

RUSSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER MURDERED

What Russia wants

From cold war to hot war

Russia’s aggression in Ukraine is part of a broader, and more dangerous, confrontation with the West

As the world waits reactions around the world to Bibi’s speech, we thought this might provide some context…

The President vs. Prime Minister

MARCH IN MOSCOW

Thousands Gather To Mourn The Slain Opposition Figure Boris Nemtsov.. Marching Along The Bridge Where He Was Murdered.. A Chill In Russia..Dangerous Times To Be A Kremlin Critic

IDENTIFIED

‘THEY KNOCKED FIVE TIMES.’
‘We Kept Quiet And Prayed To God.’

No Better Place Than Germany To Ask Muslims The Hardest Question Of All

-OpEd- BERLIN — The tears had barely dried after the French terror attacks when citizens there began looking towards their philosophers fo…

Why China Is Suddenly So Interested In The Arctic

TROMSO — Officials in China, now the second-largest economy in the world and a major global emitter of greenhouse gasses, now ack…

Greeks Still Have Their Logic Upside Down

-OpEd- MUNICH — Talk to a Greek person about the difficult situation their country faces and you’re likely to hear some pretty astounding …

Has ISIS Really Wormed Its Way Into The West Bank?

HEBRON — A piece of broken glass rests on the windowsill next to a pink brush and some hair gel. Nearby is a small mirror. Brushing his hair, Ah…

Israel Befriends Rebels As Hezbollah Leads Syria’s Pro-Assad Offensive

AMMAN — After having helped the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad regain ground in northern part of the country around Aleppo, and…

Greece now faces a mess

Moscow’s flagship $12 billion financial district is a half-empty disaster

ISIS ATTACKS IN LIBYA

Ukraine crisis: Rebels ‘agree’ weapon pullout dates

Full Article BBC News

22 Feb 2015

Rebels in eastern Ukraine have agreed to begin a pullout of heavy weapons, aRussian general involved in implementing a truce deal has said. Gen AlexanderLentsov said the pro-Russian rebels had signed the orders to complete the withdrawal over the next two weeks, starting from Sunday. It is not clear whether the move will be reciprocated by…

Russia-backed rebels guard a bus carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war in Luhansk, Ukraine, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015.

Why The Egypt-Russian Alliance Is Mere Symbolism

CAIRO — Much has been made about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Cairo. There has been speculation since the 2013 coup that Egy…

China’s Attempt To Bring Safe Drinking Water To All Runs Dry

BEIJING — Ten years after launching a national campaign to provide hundreds of millions people with clean drinking water, many residents of Chin…

Brothers Divided, Iconic Ukrainian Miners Torn By War

MAKIIVKA — It’s easy to forget there’s a war going on when you’re 480 meters underground. The crash of explosions and deton…

Contradictions Of Caracas: Supermarket Shortages, Busy Restaurants

-OpEd- CARACAS— This is not a city of traffic jams, but of queues. Until recently, residents of the Venezuelan capital, your average car-conges…

Italy Must Lead Against ISIS Northward Threat Via Libya

-OpEd- TURIN — Geography is inexorable: Italy can never be isolated from Libya, which is just 300 miles from the coast of Sicily. Still,…

Once Again, Everything Is At Stake For Europe And Her Jews

BERLIN — The Islamist terror continues, but rest assured that we will defeat it. But first, we must dispense with our indifference towards …

The Mortal Danger Of Being Egyptian In Libya

CAIRO — After the release of a graphic video showing 21 Coptic Egyptians beheaded by ISIS terror forces, some activists are holding the Egyptian…

In Denmark, Shock Gives Way To A Vow To Carry On

COPENHAGEN — Niels Ivar Larson, a Danish journalist and one of the organizers of last Saturday night’s debate on Islam and free s…

ISIS In The Sinai: Terror Group Takes On Egyptian Regime

CAIRO — Muneim (not his real name) remembers every detail of the encounter: the frightening masks; the uniforms as dark as night; the Kalashniko…

A World Losing Faith In Politics As Usual

-OpEd-SAO PAULO — Dilma Rousseff’s troubles grow by the day. Even talk of impeachment has begun to spread amid ongoing revelations of …

New Lessons For Women Teachers In Pakistan: How To Shoot Terrorists

PESHAWAR — Schools in Peshawar now look like police stations, equipped with barbed wire, surveillance cameras and snipers after the Taliban…

Meet The Vigilantes On The Front Line Fighting Boko Haram

YOLA — A few hours after the electoral commission decided to postpone the presidential elections scheduled for Feb. 14, the air here in t…

Indonesian President Joko Widodo inspects an honor guard during a visit to Manila, Philippines, on Feb. 9. Widodo's supporters see him as very different from the strongmen who have long run Indonesia. But he has dismayed some of his backers with his strong support of the death penalty.

Indonesia’s President: Fan Of Megadeth, Defender Of Death Penalty

Indonesia’s recently elected President Joko Widodo is a heavy metal fan seen as an advocate for human rights and political change. But his strong stance on the death penalty has dismayed many.