All Backchannels
Manaf Tlass: Being groomed as the Syrian Ahmed Chalabi?Manaf Tlas, a defector from the Assad regime, has it all: money, foreign friends, and a secular outlook. Now he's being pushed forward by foreign groups as Syria's strongman in waiting.
From the people who brought you the Iraq war...... a call for US military intervention in Syria that's straight out of the neocon playbook. What could go wrong?
Does the CIA really have no idea about the nature of Syria's rebels?It's hard to believe, but so say anonymous officials in a Washington Post article published yesterday.
Deadly Iraq bombings and a reawakening insurgencyThe Iraq war is over for the US, and the country is a more stable place than at the height of its civil war. But the Sunni insurgency never really died, and Syria is adding some fuel.- Lobbyists for listed Iranian terror group face new scrutinyRetired US聽politicians, generals, and officials have been lobbying on behalf of the Iranian group MEK, listed as a terrorist group by the State Department.聽
Mass hysteria blamed for Afghan schoolgirl 'poisoning,' not the TalibanThe Afghan school girl 'poisonings' bear a striking resemblance to past cases of mass hysteria, particularly one in Palestine in 1983.
In Libya election, joy and purple fingers: But also big questionsLibya's first election in 60 years began today amid joy and purple fingers. But militia violence, an absence of strong institutions, and a tussle between Federalism and a strong central government, loom large.
Yasser Arafat killed by radiation poisoning?An Al Jazeera report argues that's likely, sparking a renewed flurry of speculation about how the Palestinian leader died.
July 4 calumny! Hotdogs and hamburgers blamed for making Kuwaitis fatIs nothing sacred?
Lies, damned lies, and LIBOR: Barclays, Diamond, and a devalued benchmarkThe story of how Barclays tried to rig an interest rate benchmark called LIBOR, which cost CEO Robert Diamond his job today, may seem obscure. But it's the latest evidence of bankers taking every inch regulators leave to them.
Egypt's first Islamist president takes oath of officeEgyptian president-elect Mohamed Morsi addressed a throng of adoring supporters in Tahrir Square today. He is from the Muslim Brotherhood, the oldest Islamist organization in the world. So what does that mean, exactly?
What war in Syria looks like: journalist killings, deadlier IEDsWhatever restraint that was being exercised by the parties to Syria's civil war appears to have been cast aside.
For Egypt's new president, getting elected was the easy partPresident Morsi is the first freely elected president in Egypt's history. Now he has to form a government, forge a working relationship with the military, and address a shrinking economy.聽- Chemical weapons raise the stakes in SyriaSyria's civil war is ugly, and outside intervention could make it uglier. But Syria's alleged chemical weapons stockpiles argue for a major US and international role if the Assad regime collapses.
The political circus and spin after Muslim Brotherhood's Egypt presidential winSpin, double talk, and attempts at partisan gain following the victory of the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi in the first free presidential election in Egyptian history.
Egypt has a new president: Let the fear mongering begin!Fox News put up video that identified a speech by hard-core preacher Safwat al-Hegazy as being delivered by Egypt's new President Mohamed Morsi within hours of Morsi's victory.
Greece vs. Germany: Schlegel, Beckenbauer, Socrates, and other footballing greatsThe Euro 2012 quarterfinal between Greece and Germany has been played before, thanks to Monty Python.- Syria shoots down a Turkish fighter jetIt's evidence of how tense the situation has grown along the Turkish border of war ravaged Syria. But early indications are a major escalation won't result.
CIA aiding Syria rebels: Usually, that's just the beginningThe US is wading into ever murkier waters in Syria with unpredictable consequences.- Reactions to the Egyptian military's power grabIn the past week, Egypt dissolved parliament, gave a constitutional super-vote to its generals, and reinstated sweeping powers of detention over security concerns. A roundup of reactions.
