Author: DWD

writer, blogger, lover, fighter

Did Saddam Hussein Create the Islamic State?

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Middle East analyst Kyle Orton has an op-ed in The New York Times today, called "How Saddam Hussein Gave Us ISIS," that, as you might imagine, is raising some eyebrows on the internets. I have to say, though, as somebody who has read Orton's work (the growth of ISIS out of the wreckage of Saddam's … Continue reading Did Saddam Hussein Create the Islamic State?

Today in European history: the Siege of Rhodes ends (1522)

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The feud between the Knights Hospitaller (aka the Knights of Rhodes and, later, the Knights of Malta) and the Ottoman Empire follows the standard big budget movie trilogy playbook, assuming you’re OK with casting the Knights as the protagonists. The saga begins with the Ottoman siege of Rhodes in 1480, from which the heavily outnumbered … Continue reading Today in European history: the Siege of Rhodes ends (1522)

Death toll mounts in Ethiopian violence

~ DWD

Protests have continued among Ethiopia's Oromo community, and while the government is still insisting that only five people have been killed, independent estimates have put the rising death toll at somewhere around 75 people. The State Department interjected itself into the situation on Friday, expressing its "concern" over the deaths and "urg[ing] the government of … Continue reading Death toll mounts in Ethiopian violence

Yemen: the ceasefire that wasn’t, but progress at peace talks

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Last week's Yemen peace talks in Switzerland have ended without making much progress, in part due to the fact that the ceasefire that was to accompany those talks never actually took hold. Saudi-Yemeni government forces today advanced closer to Yemen's capital, Sanaa, than they've been since the Houthis captured the city last fall, in spite … Continue reading Yemen: the ceasefire that wasn’t, but progress at peace talks

Today in Middle Eastern history: the Battle of Konya (1832)

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The Battle of Konya, fought on December 21, 1832, was the decisive battle in the 1831-1833 Ottoman-Egyptian War, and in that sense it serv—I’m sorry, you had a question? Yes, the Ottoman-Egyptian War of 18—yes? Oh, right. We’re skipping over a very important detail. The Ottomans conquered Egypt and ended the Mamluk Sultanate in 1517, and in … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Battle of Konya (1832)

Maybe the problem is your poll, not the people who answered it

~ DWD ~ 2 Comments

Earlier today, this hit lefty Twitter: https://twitter.com/ppppolls/status/677871578281984002 HAHAHAHA, Jesus, what a bunch of blockheads, am I right? People immediately started having fun with this tidbit of information, and I'm sure there are 1500 word thinkpieces being typed up even now. Yours truly got in on the act, wondering what would happen to all the Disney … Continue reading Maybe the problem is your poll, not the people who answered it