كل عام ونحن كما نستحقّ

مع قليل من النبيذ وكثير من المحبة نحاول تجاوز آلام عام جديد من الخيبة ونعد أنفسنا للعبور إلى عام آخر لا ينذر بما هو أفضل، لكنا مع ذلك نأمل، ونستمر. كل عام ونحن كما نستحقّ ونكسب.

US and Iran’s First Joint Military Venture: Fighting al Qaeda in Iraq

US and Iran’s First Joint Military Venture: Fighting al Qaeda in Iraq.

While Western coverage portrays the Maliki-led operations against the inhabitants of the Anbar Province as a battle against Al-Qaeda, and as the U.S. supplies Maliki with advanced weapons and intelligence information to carry out these operations, the story is far more complex and involves a legitimate grievance by Iraq’s Sunni minority regarding their representation in government and the lack of any serious effort to develop their areas. The Sunnis of Iraq are being punished en masse for the crimes of the Saddam regime. But the West, the U.S. in particular, seems oblivious to that, as a result it has created a void that Al-Qaeda was all too happy to fill, just as it was happy to fill the void in Syria generated by the U.S.’ unwillingness to invest in moderate rebel. In short, and in pure sectarian terms, the U.S. intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan brought misery to the Sunnis, and the U.S. lack of intervention in Syria achieved the same on an even larger scale. Sunnis are beginning to see a pattern, and Islamists are exploiting that. For all its pretension to noninvolvement, the policies of the Obama Administration put it squarely in the camp of Iran in an ongoing identity conflict that is quickly spanning the region. A backlash is bound to happen, and it’s bound to be violent and bloody.

On the Run From War, Syria’s Children Grow Up Fast

On the Run From War, Syria’s Children Grow Up Fast – WSJ.com.

Even in the best of days, it was not easy being a child in Syria, the educational system was obsolete, child labor an omnipresent phenomenon and future prospects in terms of advancement and employment were dim. But as refugees, their living conditions and the challenges with which they had to contend daily have grown increasingly worse. Omar’s story is a case in point.

Anne Applebaum: China and Russia bring back Cold War tactics

Anne Applebaum: China and Russia bring back Cold War tactics – The Washington Post.

Irrespective of what #Russia’s or #China’s intentions are, resorting to Cold War tactics in this globalized world of ours will pave the way for disasters for which no one is prepared: #Syria is a case in point. Unless the need for a serious attitude adjustment on their part is highlighted by a more proactive American administration, the consequences of this development will be dire.