A day after Syrian government troops captured Qara, a small but strategically important village situated on the main road between Damascus and Homs, the rebels have responded: Four suicide car bombs have struck Syrian regime targets in the Qalamoun region north of Damascus, killing at least seven soldiers, a monitor and state news agency SANA … Continue reading Today in “How we know that Bashar Assad is winning”

I'm pretty sure the last time the city of Geneva got this much attention they named a Bible after it. But between the Iranian nuclear negotiations that are about to enter a second round there, and proposed Syrian peace talks that may be taking place there, Geneva finds itself in the news in a big … Continue reading Goin’ down Geneva, give me a helping hand

Oh, Louisiana, will you never stop amusing the rest of the nation with your ridiculous politics? When you're not electing KKK Grand Wizard David Duke to your State House or electing a United States Senator who pays hookers to put him in diapers, you're electing parish council members who push to defund public libraries (via) … Continue reading You get a cookie! Part 9 of ???: Lafourche Parish, Louisiana Council Chair Lindel Toups

Today is the Islamic holiday called Ashura, named after the Arabic number ten, ashr, because it is the tenth day of the new year. If you'd like some background on the holiday, please see my writeups here and here. Ashura is a predominantly Shiʿi holiday; the day is observed by Sunnis for other reasons, but … Continue reading Another violent Ashura

I read a piece at a website called "War on the Rocks" by an Iran analyst named Afshon Ostovar, asking whether Iran is "serious about a deal." It's a pretty good piece, you should check it out, but I think it misses on a few points. The upshot is that Iran is probably serious about … Continue reading If you’re asking whether “Iran” is serious about a deal, you may be asking the wrong question

What the--?Mr. Cohen's column today centers on the prospects that various Republican contenders for the 2016 presidential nomination may have in the Iowa caucus. Iowa, Cohen notes, is a conservative state, which may pose a challenge for Republicans perceived as moderate.Then, out of nowhere, comes this paragraph, which we have bolded for ease of reading:Today's … Continue reading On Richard Cohen’s Gag Reflex

Reuters published part 1 of a major investigative piece on Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's financial dealings today, and the scale at which he's effectively robbing his people blind is rather staggering: Setad has become one of the most powerful organizations in Iran, though many Iranians, and the wider world, know very little about it. … Continue reading Being the Supreme Leader of Iran ain’t a volunteer job, am I right?

I'm very late on this, but the devastation caused in the Philippines by Typhoon Haiyan is enormous, with at least 10,000 killed and hundreds of thousands displaced, most undoubtedly into refugee camps or worse. Please give what you can, if you are able. I gave to UNICEF this evening and also sent an SMS donation … Continue reading Tragedy in the Philippines

I am just shocked--shocked, I tell you!--to find that the potential nuclear deal with Iran isn't being welcomed by the folks at Commentary: What the West is getting in return for beginning the process of dismantling economic sanctions on the Islamist regime is unclear. The New York Times describes it as "a first step that … Continue reading The usual suspects

First Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif suggested that a nuclear deal could be reached this week, and today came a report that the US might be prepared to offer some relief from sanctions in exchange for a temporary nuclear freeze and some targeted rollbacks: The official said that the suspension of Iran’s nuclear efforts, perhaps … Continue reading Maybe somebody gets why negotiations with Iran are important