Month: September 2014
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News and Analysis (9/29/14)
Notwithstanding claims that the air strikes have helped Iraqi ground forces to halt IS militia advances, civilian deaths from American led attacks on economic targets like grain silos and oil refineries can’t be winning any hearts or minds … U.S-led Raids Hit Grain Silos in Syria, Kill Workers: Monitor (Reuters) US-led Coalition Strikes Oil Refinery…
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News and Analysis (9/26/14)
The Constitutional scholar says the U.S. Constitution disfavors war and 126 Islamic scholars say Islamic law prohibits injustice. Who knew? FEIN: Why the Constitution Disfavors War (Washington Times) An Open Letter to Baghdadi (lettertobaghdadi.com) “Six weeks of bombing hasn’t budged ISIS in Iraq, but it has caused ISIS recruitment to soar“ … Syria Becomes the 7th…
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News and Analysis (9/23/14)
Will the IS’s war against Islam in the name of Islam reconcile the Saudis and the Iranians? Minds Focused by IS, Saudis and Iranians Think About Making Up (Reuters) Iran’s Rouhani Says Ties with Saudis Deserve to Be Warmer (Reuters) “Few people join IS out of religious belief. Most are in it for power, money,…
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Dynamics of Regional Crises Run Amok: Implications for Arab and U.S. Interests and Policies
The success of the terrorist group formerly known as ISIL or ISIS (acronyms for translation of its Arabic name, Islamic State in the Levant, or Iraq and Syria) in occupying much of eastern Syria and western Iraq has set the stage for renewed American intervention. Last month, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations and the…
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News and Analysis (9/21/14)
“Tribal leaders hold the town up as an example of how the conflict with the Islamic State can be won, as the war brings together unusual allies against a common enemy…. Sunni tribesmen, the police and the Iraqi army fight side by side on the front lines of Thuluyah … joined by Shiite militias that are…
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News and Analysis (9/19/14)
“You’re thinking, ‘He’s only doing this because he’s a prisoner. He’s got a gun at his head and he’s being forced to do this.’ Right…? Well, it’s true. I am a prisoner…. I have nothing to lose…. Maybe I will live and maybe I will die, [b]ut I want to take this opportunity to convey some…
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News and Analysis (9/17/14)
Among Edward Snowden’s most shocking revelations is “that the N.S.A. was routinely passing along the private communications of Americans to a large and very secretive Israeli military organization known as Unit 8200” that has been accused by 43 of its veterans of startling abuses: Israel’s N.S.A. Scandal (NY Times) “With the word ‘injustice’ often on their…
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News and Analysis (9/15/14)
As world leaders back America’s muddled policy to intervene in Iraq (where previous intervention paved the way for ISIS’s invasion) but not Syria (where Arab intervention enabled ISIL’s initial successes) … Washington Wins Diplomatic Support for Campaign in Iraq; Syria Trickier (Reuters) … while “the most effective opponent of the Islamic State group” have been the…
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News and Analysis (9/13/14)
“‘Muslim Americans are very troubled by the images they have seen of beheading innocent people, especially our fellow Americans,’ said Imam Magid. U.S. Muslim leaders have been quick to condemn videos like this one released by IS. Rizwan Jaka says Islamic State fighters are terrorists”: US Muslim Leaders Condemn Islamic State (VoA) “Forty-three past and…
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News and Analysis (9/10/14)
Like a number of his predecessors, Pres. Obama refuses to be reigned in by Article One, Section Eight of the U.S. Constitution (“Congress shall have power to … declare War”): US President Obama Says He ‘Has Authority’ to Widen IS Fight (BBC) “Usually nonprofit and charitable organizations are scared to publicize such things. I’m not going to be…
