List of Middle East and North Africa articles
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President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq Masoud Barzani poses for a portrait at the presidential palace at Masif, Iraqi Kurdistan on 12 June 2016 (Campbell MacDiarmid) ‘I Want to Die in the Shadow of the Flag of an Independent Kurdistan’
President Masoud Barzani plans to hold a referendum to declare a sovereign Kurdish state. But will Iraq — and the United States — allow it to happen?
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Afghan security forces personnel are seen at the site of a car bomb attack in Kabul on May 31, 2017. At least 40 people were killed or wounded on May 31 as a massive blast ripped through Kabul's diplomatic quarter, shattering the morning rush hour and bringing carnage to the streets of the Afghan capital. / AFP PHOTO / SHAH MARAI (Photo credit should read SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images) The New, Old War in Afghanistan
Sixteen years into a war Washington refuses to walk away from, a new strategy, led by the Pentagon, is about to start the effort anew.
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barzani Masoud Barzani: Why It’s Time for Kurdish Independence
The president of Iraq's Kurdistan Region tells FP why, despite obstacles at home and abroad, he's determined to hold a referendum on independence later this year.
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A general view taken on June 11, 2017 shows portraits of Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on the back of vehicles and text reading in Arabic: "Tamim the glorious" in Doha after the diplomatic crisis surrounding Qatar and the other Gulf countries spilled from social media to more traditional forms of media -- all the way back to billboards. The diplomatic crisis surrounding Qatar and other Gulf countries has remained a peaceful one for now, but open warfare has been declared in the media -- both traditional and social. / AFP PHOTO / KARIM JAAFAR (Photo credit should read KARIM JAAFAR/AFP/Getty Images) Qatar Doesn’t Need a Blockade. It Needs an Audit.
This is Doha's chance to curtail its financial support for Al Qaeda – as long as it keeps the receipts.
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A general view taken on June 11, 2017 shows portraits of Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on the back of vehicles and text reading in Arabic: "Tamim the glorious" in Doha after the diplomatic crisis surrounding Qatar and the other Gulf countries spilled from social media to more traditional forms of media -- all the way back to billboards. The diplomatic crisis surrounding Qatar and other Gulf countries has remained a peaceful one for now, but open warfare has been declared in the media -- both traditional and social. / AFP PHOTO / KARIM JAAFAR (Photo credit should read KARIM JAAFAR/AFP/Getty Images) Qatar Doesn’t Need a Blockade. It Needs an Audit.
This is Doha's chance to curtail its financial support for al Qaeda – as long as it keeps the receipts.
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US Secretary of Defense James Mattis arrives prior to testifying during a US House Armed Services Committee hearing on the Fiscal Year 2018 budget on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, June 12, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) SitRep: Mattis’ War; U.S. To Ship $12B Worth of Fighter Planes to Qatar; American Commandos Targeted By ISIS Drones
North Korea Hacks; Civilian Losses in U.S. Air Campaign; Iran targets U.S. Ships, Helos in Persian Gulf; ISIS Grabs Tora Bora
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raqqa U.N. Notes ‘Staggering’ Loss of Civilian Life Caused by U.S.-led Strikes in Syria
Relatedly, reports emerge of use of white phosphorous around civilians.
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US President Donald Trump speaks during the Arab Islamic American Summit at the King Abdulaziz Conference Center in Riyadh on May 21, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images) How Trump’s Black and White World View Met Reality in the Middle East
Trump’s uncritical embrace of Saudi Arabia is not advancing U.S. interests — it is escalating regional tensions and instability, and providing more room for America’s adversaries to gain influence.
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gcc-536014978 The Middle East’s Crisis Factory
The Iran-Qatar-Saudi conflict shows that the sclerotic, unpredictable, petulant dictatorships of the region produce nothing but endless conflict and brutal repression.
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A US soldier stands guard near the site of a US bombing during an operation against Islamic State (IS) militants in the Achin district of Nangarhar province on April 15, 2017. Afghan authorities April 15 reported a jump in fatalities from the American military's largest non-nuclear bomb, declaring some 90 Islamic State fighters dead, as US-led forces conducted clean-up operations over their mountain hideouts. Dubbed the "Mother Of All Bombs", the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast was unleashed in combat for the first time April 12, hitting IS positions in a remote area of eastern Nangarhar province. / AFP PHOTO / NOORULLAH SHIRZADA (Photo credit should read NOORULLAH SHIRZADA/AFP/Getty Images) SitRep: Trump Letting Mattis Run Afghan War; Senate Barely Approves Saudi Arms Deal; White House Watching Moscow and Pyongyang
North Korean Drone Crashes; Tillerson on the hot seat; more on military intel spending, more U.S. firepower heads to Syria
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Jet fighters of the Saudi Royal air force performs during the graduation ceremony of the 83rd batch of King Faisal Air Academy (KFAA) students that was attended by Saudi Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz (not pictured) held at the Riyadh military airport, on January 1, 2013, in Riyadh. AFP PHOTO/FAYEZ NURELDINE (Photo credit should read FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images) Saudi Arms Sale Clears Contentious Senate Vote
A deal for thousands of precision munitions kits wins approval, but opponents of Washington’s support for Riyadh’s war in Yemen claim moral victory
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US President Donald Trump is seated during the Arab Islamic American Summit at the King Abdulaziz Conference Center in Riyadh on May 21, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images) Why Trump Should Stand Down in the Gulf Crisis
The best course of action is for Washington to take a back seat to Kuwait’s efforts to negotiate an end to the Gulf impasse.
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US Secretary of Defense James Mattis (R) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford, Jr., (L), testify during a US House Armed Services Committee hearing on the Fiscal Year 2018 budget on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, June 12, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) SitRep: SecDef Says North Korea Biggest Threat; Saudi Arms Deal Under Fire
Russia Sanctions On The Way; ISIS Calls For Ramadan Attacks; al Baghdadi Still On The Run
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US President Donald Trump (R) and Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah take part in a bilateral meeting at a hotel in Riyadh on May 21, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images) The Saudi-Iran War Comes to Washington
In the battle for Middle East supremacy, Tehran and Riyadh are pulling out all the stops.
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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is seen in silhouette while addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council on February 27, 2017 in Geneva. The United Nations Human Rights Council opens its main annual session, with the US taking its seat for the first time under President Donald Trump's leadership. / AFP / Fabrice COFFRINI (Photo credit should read FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images) U.N. Secretary-General Holds His Tongue on Human Rights Violations
António Guterres bets resolving conflict through quiet diplomacy will do more to end atrocities than naming and shaming abusers.
