In sub-zero winter temperatures, these trainees at a derelict army base outside Beijing wake before dawn to practice martial arts and evasive driving. It’s all part of preparations to provide security for the growing number of …
Middle East
Syrian Kurds Find Refuge in an Erstwhile Homeland
Tens of thousands of Syrian Kurds have fled their country’s brutal and increasingly sectarian civil war for refuge across the border in the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan. The conditions at the Domiz camp may be squalid, …
Morsi’s Moment
Egypt’s Mohamed Morsi: Peacemaker, savior, tyrant?
Facing Hamas, Israel Rolls the Dice: Will There Be Another Gaza War?
A few parallels exist between Israel’s current Gaza operation and the 22-day war that began in December 2008. But the Middle East is a much different place in late 2012, with the risks more complicated and the politics more charged.
What Should the Middle East Expect from Obama’s Second Term?
“This is my last election,” President Barack Obama told then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in comments picked up by a mike in Seoul last March. “After my election, I have more flexibility.”
Syria’s Tribes Will Rise Again: An Exiled Chief Remains Unbowed
The leader of the 1.2 million strong Baggara believes in an eventual resurgence despite the Assad regime’s systematic destruction of the underpinnings of tribal society
Turkey Rattles Its Saber at Syria but Remains Unlikely to Invade
Ankara feels compelled to respond to shelling that killed five Turks but is in no position to intervene alone in Syria’s civil war
How Many Civilians Would Be Killed in an Attack on Iran’s Nuclear Sites?
No one in Iran is — and few in the West are — talking about the potential death toll, but it could rival the catastrophes of Bhopal and Chernobyl
What the Salafis Want: An Interview with the Blind Sheik’s Son
He wants his father freed and Shari‘a imposed unquestioningly on Egypt. Other than that, Mohammed Abdel-Rahman doesn’t want to cause trouble
The Damascus Double Bombing: Is the Syrian Capital Back in Play?
With Aleppo still being battled over, the rebels may just be signaling to Assad that he is well within their sights
Why the Benghazi Consulate Attack Will Blind the U.S.
The instinct to protect U.S. spies and diplomats will mean limiting their access to human intelligence throughout the restive Middle East
Don’t Expect a Romney Intifadeh, the Palestinians Are Used to Disappointment
Even before Romney revealed his cards, it was clear to a growing number of Palestinians that their fate is in their own hands
The Agents of Outrage
The deadly attacks on U.S. diplomatic outposts in Egypt and Libya raise the question, Did the Arab Spring make the Middle East more dangerous?