The Middle East

Since the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan last August and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, the White House has been desperate to showcase U.S. strength on the world stage. But the Biden administration has struggled to rally traditional Middle Eastern allies against Russia, raising questions over U.S. influence in the region.

When almost all of Gaza's water is not fit for human consumption because of a deliberate Israeli strategy, one can understand why Palestinians continue to fight back as if their lives are dependent on it; because they are.

The ghastly blockade and bombardment of Yemen, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, is now entering its eighth year.

Frieda Afary: Unlike some other imperialist powers who have tried to put a humanitarian or feminist cover on their brutal invasions, Putin finds no need to hide the intentions of Russian imperialism.

Eric Cheyfitz: Increasingly, it appears there is an open-season on Palestinian lives, including children, both by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and settlement vigilantes.

Robert Koehler: Afghanistan in 2022 is shaping up to be one of the worst, possibly the worst, humanitarian catastrophe on record, for any country.

Ariel Gold: To reach the goal of a just and durable peace in Israel/Palestine, it will be imperative to dismantle the JNF, a provocative agent in the dispossession of Palestinians.

Phyllis Bennis: The international movement for Palestinian rights and justice laid the ground for recent declarations by Amnesty International and other human rights organizations. Now we have to follow up.

Phyllis Bennis: U.S. foreign policy everywhere should be based on human rights, international law, and equality for all—including when it comes to Israel.

Ramzy, Baroud: Not only is Israel not held accountable at all for the continued detention of thousands of Palestinian men, women, and children, it is actually dictating American foreign policy.

Ramzy Baroud: While the vote in Congress to 'monitor and combat Islamophobia' is a positive step, the urgency of the situation demands not just symbolic gestures.

Ariel Gold and Medea Benjamin: One would think that Israel, which receives $3.8 billion annually from the U.S., would feel obligated not to drag the U.S. and their own people into such a disaster. But that doesn't seem to be the case.

Mel Gurtov: For a number of years, going back to the Obama administration, the US has been Saudi Arabia’s silent partner in war making in Yemen.

Ramzy Baroud: With little electricity and with bombed-out sewage plants, Palestinians have been forced to dump their unprocessed sewage into the sea.

Mel Gurtov: Israeli settlements on land in East Jerusalem claimed by Palestinians are increasing alongside evictions and demolitions of Palestinian homes.

Marjorie Cohn: Israeli leaders are upset with the groups due to their support of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigation of Israeli war crimes as well as the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement against the illegal Israeli occupation.

Nadia Ahmad: The series of events which led to the sentencing of MIT-trained Dr. Siddiqui draw attention to the fumbling efforts of American and Pakistani counterintelligence to target Muslims who oppose U.S. imperial ambitions.

Kathy Kelly: Intensified fighting has led to large waves of displacement within the governorate, and sites populated by soaring numbers of refugees are routinely impacted by shelling and airstrikes.