Israel has been subject to some bad publicity recently. In 2008-09, it launched a brutal military campaign in the Gaza Strip that killed over 400 Palestinian children. In May, 2010, bumbling Israeli commandos murdered nine nonviolence activ

    "Another question Israeli planners struggle with: how will they know if their attacks have actually destroyed a significant number of centrifuges and other hard-to-replace parts of the clandestine Iranian program? Two strategists told

    What should a poor warmongering Neoconservative do? This political grouping includes WASPS such as former CIA director James Woolsey and former UN ambassor John Bolton, but at its core is politically active and extremely wealthy Jewish form

    Iraqis now have greater physical security, though violence continues and politics are stalemated. But the years of conflict have corroded trust, entrenched sectarian identities, undermined livelihoods, and ravaged the environment. Zaid Al-A

  There is something in the Arab public space that hampers an objective discussion of Turkey's increasing political involvement in the region, its remarkable stances in favour of Arab causes, and an overall performance record that merits more th

    Reuel Marc Gerecht’s screed justifying an Israeli bombing attack on Iran coincides with the opening the new Israel lobby campaign marked by the introduction of House resolution 1553 expressing full support for such an Israeli attack.

    The founding ideology of the enlightenment was building a “nation” and a “society.” It has achieved this to a certain extent. But the partial success of this project does not mean it is completed or that it has enabl

    Times of crisis are periods when news reporting passes the test. The whole world is in shock due to Israel’s attack in the Mediterranean on May 31, 2010. Human conscience was tested by the attack on the Mavi Marmara ship made in int

    I find the rapprochement between Syria and Turkey important in spite of all the reservations of the Baath regime. This is more than just a regime issue from the perspective of both Turkey and Syria. Before anything else, the walls that were

 In recent days news coming from European countries regarding sanctions against women wearing head covers or chadors have again become more frequent. In recent months first Egyptian Merve Shirbini in Germany and then Turkish Arzu Çakmakçi in Holland

Azerbaijan's active Islamic community may have grown since Soviet times, but most presidential candidates in the upcoming October 15 elections are still sidestepping Muslim believers as a target group of voters.Ninety-six percent of Azerbaijan's populatio

'We Blew Her to Pieces'Aside from the Iraqi people, nobody knows what the U.S. military is doing in Iraq better than the soldiers themselves. A new book gives readers vivid and detailed accounts of the devastation the U.S. occupation has brought to Iraq,

In my previous article I had asked, "Will Hollywood apologize to Muslims?" and I expressed my views about cinema, beliefs, biases and stereotypes by drawing examples from Hollywood productions.Actually, we don't have to go so far in order to ask this ques

Today is President Barack Obama's third day in the White House. I have no idea what he will be doing today or if he has figured out the layout of his home and office for the next four years; but I know that his task of meeting expectations is already weig

My Day Begins at NightNowadays in Gaza, I am no longer an early bird not because I am a pop star or belly dancer. Ever since the Gaza Strip lost most of its electricity supply, I find myself forcibly waking up every morning. .  I am not an early bird

The War in Georgia: Repercussions on the International Order and Impact on the Middle EastSmall wars can change the course of history.President Mikheil Saakashvili clearly blundered when he responded to a minor provocation by ordering his army to move aga

Although the Russo-Georgian military clash is over, its ramifications will be felt for a long time, especially as the political crisis between the two countries remains unresolved. In the Middle East, two major countries, Turkey and Iran, have been direct

The Israeli administration could not have committed a worse mistake than attacking Gaza to block hopes for peace in the Middle East. Like many, the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan blamed Israel for the human tragedy in Gaza. This response may

An argument frequently employed by those groups who in the past volunteered their support for the Feb. 28 postmodern military coup and are now fighting fiercely against the probe into the Ergenekon terrorist organization is, "Ergenekon is revenge for the

There has been a revival in Turkey's relation with Africa after 1998. Initially this revival came as a passive attempt, but after 2005 it became an offensive interest in developing relations with the continent. The recent Turkey-Africa Cooperation Summit

I served in the army for only 24 days. We were of the generation that paid a lot in order to serve less. The "Mehmetçiks" (plain soldiers) used to tease us, calling us "Mehmet Aghas." Though I carried that heavy G-3 rifle (so heavy that it was called "inf

 A few days after the Kremlin recognized the independence of contested territories South Ossetia and Abkhazia last week, an upscale Moscow daily newspaper called Kommersant added a biting video clip to its site. Vladimir Soloviev, whose reporting fro

Seventeen people, 17 lives lost, who is responsible? Is it only those who planted the bombs, or those who provided the bombs to the perpetrators along with instructions? Let us recall that terror is an issue of climate, environment and client; and it is a

In mid-May, President Bush travelled to the Middle East to establish his legacy more firmly in the part of the world that has been the prime focus of his presidency. The trip had two principal destinations, each chosen to celebrate a major anniversary: Is

The Kurdish issue, specifically the matter of establishing a homeland for Kurds, has complicated efforts to stabilize Iraq. Now, there is growing concern among international experts that the Kurdish question could become a source of tension, and possibly

In the parliamentary elections of July 22, 2007, the Justice and DevelopmentParty (AKP) increased its votes from 34% in 2002 to 47%, obtaining a verystrong mandate to take issue with Turkey's outstanding problems. In thepredominantly Kurdish southeast reg

   Kosovo's status has been one of the most contentious issues to arise in theaftermath of the disintegration of former Yugoslavia. For the Milosevic administration in Belgrade, which abolished Kosovo's autonomy in 1989, the province was an

 China and Japan have been reliable enemies for a thousand years. Their leaders have always been able to stir nationalist anger and distract their followers from other problems by trading insults and threats.So an abnormally friendly five-day visit t

Drawing on its close ties with Israel and growing closeness to Syria, Turkey is working to position itself as a key regional mediator in the Middle East. Last week, Israel and Syria revealed that Ankara had stepped in to fill a diplomatic vacuum by facili

Since the beginning of May, the Turkish military has stopped enrolling conscripts as reserve officers in its commando brigades. This is the initial stage of a process that is expected to culminate in the creation of the country's first fully professional