All Backchannels
- Mistaken identity? Top Al Qaeda leader Saif al-Adel probably not arrested in Cairo.So far, reports of the arrest of Al Qaeda's Saif al-Adel, once the group's top military planners, in Cairo don't appear to be correct.
Foreign journalist rescued from Homs...... and a reminder of the risks to everyone when reporters go to war zones.- Rebekah Brooks' gift horseNo word yet on whether she looked in its mouth.
Ominous signs in Homs amid reports that Syrian tanks are rolling inFollowing yesterday's reports of the Syrian government's massacre of civilians seeking to flee the assault on Homs, a large armored column appears to be closing on the city.
EU heaps new sanctions on SyriaThe Council of the European Union is seeking to tighten a financial noose around the regime of Syria's Bashar al-Assad.
Syria approves new Constitution as dozens murdered in HomsThe mounting death toll in Homs and other Syrian cities is far more important than a referendum the Syrian government says showed overwhelmingly public support for a new constitution.- A Syria hit list? A list of regime enemies emerges.News organization Mother Jones has gotten hold of a massive spreadsheet containing names and contacts for thousands of Syrian dissidents.
On Stratfor, Assange and Anonymous just don't get itWikileaks' Julian Assange is trumpeting the release of emails stolen from the security analysis and consulting firm Stratfor as a major coup. Here's why he's wrong.- NATO decides Afghan ministries too dangerous for its personnelAfter what appears to be the latest murder of US personnel by Afghan security services, NATO pulled its people out of Afghan ministries.
Yes, the IAEA is worried Iran is hiding somethingThe latest IAEA report on Iran says that the country is not complying with inspections, is accelerating nuclear enrichment, and isn't being open about past possible weaponization work. Just like the last one.
Looming Iranian missile threat to US? Pshaw.Evidence points to Iran being years away from having missiles that can reach the US 鈥� although it already has missiles that can reach Israel.聽
More on death from the skies in SyriaA little more information on what the Syrian regime is using on Homs.
A message from HomsPaul Conroy, a photographer wounded in the attack that killed reporters Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik, speaks from the devastated Syrian city of Homs.- The Iran war party, Feb. 23Moving that red line.
What burning Qurans in Afghanistan tells usAfter 10 years, US troops still fail to understand the local culture, and Afghans are tired of the occupation.- Syria's Assad is hitting Homs with the heaviest mortars in the worldA Human Rights Watch researcher says video evidence from Homs indicates Syria's Bashar al-Assad is using a Russian-made weapons system against the city.
- The Iran war party and the war skepticsIn one corner, we have the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the heads of the US and Israeli intelligence communities, and the Pentagon. In the other corner, we have TV pundits and politicians.
Syria, Al Qaeda, and cognitive dissonance for fans of interventionWant Bashar al-Assad out of power in Syria? Al Qaeda's on your team.- Indonesia and Egypt separated at birth? No, just completely separate.Indonesia and Egypt are large. They're Muslim. They've thrown off long-standing dictators. These similarities aren't particularly meaningful.
Amnesty International report brands Libya's militias 'out of control'Six months since the Libyan civil war ended in Muammar Qaddadi's death, a new report from Amnesty International says hundreds of militias remain active in the country, extorting money and killing their聽 enemies.
