Here's a little "this day in Middle East history" combined with an Arabic lesson, if you're interested. Construction on the Aswan Dam started in 1960 and was one of Gamal Abdel Nasser's great plans for the modernization/industrialization of Egypt. Built with Soviet aid (the US and UK both withdrew their support over Nasser's neutrality and, … Continue reading In the (very old) news: the Aswan Dam

These people belong in a Bravo reality show, not running for president: If Lindsey Graham has to change cellphone numbers, he has Donald Trump to thank. On Tuesday, Trump ramped up his attacks on the South Carolina senator — who made headlines Monday for calling the Donald a “jackass” — and even gave out Graham’s … Continue reading Call it “Real Candidates of the Republican Party”

Burundians have voted in their disputed presidential election, amidst gunfire and explosions that killed at least three people in the capital city of Bujumbura. Incumbent President Pierre Nkurunziza will presumably win a third term in office, in spite of the  questionable constitutionality of that third term, if for no other reason than that opposition candidates … Continue reading All over but the fighting

I've told this story before, but please bear with me. Bernard Lewis has long been one of the most celebrated scholars of all things Middle East (he's literally been called the "doyen of Middle East studies" by a NYT reviewer who apparently meant it sincerely), but he's got a problematic record. His career has included … Continue reading Use your imagination

I wonder if this guy is on LinkedIn; I'd love to see his resume: The April disappearance of Gumurod Halimov, the American-trained head of Tajikistan’s elite security force, sent shudders through Dushanbe, the capital of Afghanistan’s impoverished northern neighbor. His May reappearance in an ISIS video shocked not just Tajikistan, but all of Central Asia. … Continue reading You might as well throw the money out of a helicopter

Two bombings attributed to ISIS today suggest that the group might be expanding its operations into some new territory. First, a number of explosions targeted vehicles belonging to members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza, reportedly injuring a couple of bystanders. As far as I know there's been no formal claim of responsibility for … Continue reading ISIS branches out

The firestorm over leading Republican presidential contender Donald Trump's ugly comments on John McCain's military service has been telling. There's no doubt that what Trump said about McCain was disgusting, particularly coming from somebody who spent his war-eligible years taking deferments. But what does it say about the Republican Party that a guy who has … Continue reading Donald Trump and the real Republican Party

Whatever you think of Cuba or the recent thaw in US-Cuba relations, you have to admit that this is a pretty momentous day: Diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba have been officially restored, with Cuba’s foreign minister taking the hugely symbolic step of raising his country’s flag at a newly designated embassy in Washington … Continue reading Pretty momentous

Eid al-Fitr got off to a horrific start in Iraq, where a car bombing in a Shiʿa town in Diyala Province killed at least 115 people, and in Nigeria, where multiple suicide bombers in the northern part of the country killed at least 64 people. ISIS took responsibility for the bombing in Iraq, while Boko … Continue reading Violent Eid in Nigeria and Iraq

Today marks the 812th anniversary of the day that the Fourth Crusade, fourth of a series of pan-Christian military expeditions meant to drive Muslims out of the eastern Mediterranean and bring its holy sites under Christian control while also providing breathing room for the hard pressed Byzantine Empire, captured Constantinople and sent the Byzantine Emperor … Continue reading Today in History: the Crusades approach their ironic apogee (1203)