Donald Trump just made one of the most hypocritical speeches in American political history: and that's saying something. The same person who told the American electorate that Islam was a religion of violence and evil, and that America must close its doors to all Muslims because, as far as he was concerned, they were all likely terrorists--this same guy … [Read more...]
Rouhani Victory Crimps Trump-Israel-Sunni Axis
Two remarkable events coincided this week in the Middle East. Donald Trump made his first presidential visit abroad and Iran held its presidential election. Until yesterday, no one knew whether Iran would give a second term to an embattled moderate who'd had some success normalizing relations with the west, but less in improving the economy; or a clerical … [Read more...]
Israeli Minister Calls for Assassinating Assad, ‘Cutting Head Off’ Iranian ‘Snake’
The surest path to advancement in Israeli politics is either to kill Arabs with your own hands or advocate murdering the leaders of Arab nations. Israeli housing minister, Yoav Galant, has made a remarkable call for the assassination of Syrian Pres. Bashar al-Assad. He did so supposedly in response to the horrific news that Syrian forces may have … [Read more...]
First Foreign Visit of Trump Presidency is to Mideast, in Shadow of Major ISIS-Russia Intelligence Scandal
Today, Middle East Eye published an earlier version of this article. After publication, Washington seemed to explode with stories making portions of my earlier piece obsolete. So I've updated it here: As U.S. Pres. Donald Trump prepares for the very first foreign visit of his presidency, a major intelligence scandal and another controversy hang over his … [Read more...]