Dale Gavlak

Dale Gavlak is a former Middle East correspondent for MintPress. Gavlak has been stationed in Cairo, Egypt Amman, Jordan for over two decades. An expert in Middle Eastern Affairs, Gavlak currently covers the Levant region of the Middle East from Amman for Associated Press (AP), National Public Radio (NPR) and Mint Press News writing in various topics including politics, social issues and economic trends. Dale holds a M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Chicago. Contact Dale at [email protected]

Revolution Or Coup? Whatever It Is, Egypt’s Crisis Is Deepening

Violence is on the rise following an increasingly divided opposition’s ousting of controversial President Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Dale Gavlak
By Dale Gavlak

AMMAN, Jordan-- “Revolution or coup?” seems to be everyone’s question as Egypt’s political crisis deepens following the military overthrow last week of the country’s first democratically elected president in modern times. At least 40 people were killed and 300 more were injured in Cairo on Monday, medical sources said, after gunmen opened fire on

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US Mulls Its Options As Syria Conflict Threatens To Escalate Into Proxy War

It’s still unclear what the plan is after Obama announced that the U.S. will arm certain Syrian rebels fighting the Russia-backed Assad government.

Dale Gavlak
By Dale Gavlak

AMMAN, Jordan -- President Barack Obama’s decision to arm Syrian rebels will deepen U.S. involvement in a regional proxy war increasingly taking on sectarian overtones of pitting Sunni Muslims against Shiite Muslims. “From now on, every suicide bombing in Damascus -- every war crime committed by the rebels -- will be regarded in the region as

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Is The Syria Conflict Inching Toward A Political Solution — Or Toward Military Intervention?

Even as U.S. and Russian officials discuss new peace talks, a U.S. senator sneaks into Syria to call for new arms shipments to the opposition.

Dale Gavlak
By Dale Gavlak

AMMAN, Jordan -- A fierce critic of the Obama administration’s policy on Syria, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Monday became the highest-ranking U.S. official to enter the war-ravaged country via Turkey in the company of the Free Syrian Army’s top commander, Gen. Salem Idris. Rebel military and civilian leaders came from all over Syria, including

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International Allegiances Spotlighted In Syria Conflict Ahead Of Talks

The “Friends of Syria” conference will gather mainly international supporters of those who oppose the Assad government.

Dale Gavlak
By Dale Gavlak

Amman, JORDAN-- Wednesday, Jordan will host the latest Friends of Syria meeting that will gather mainly international supporters of those who oppose the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Curiously, the meeting -- now one of more than a half dozen over the past year -- is expected to have no participation from the Syrian opposition itself.

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A Whodunit In Jordan: Attack On A Shiite Hotel

Sectarian conflicts between Sunnis and Shiites are spilling across the Syrian and Iraqi border into neighboring moderate countries like Jordan.

Dale Gavlak
By Dale Gavlak

The recent burning of a Shiite pilgrim’s hotel in mainly Sunni Muslim Jordan has raised more questions than answers about who carried out the attack. Authorities, be it the Jordanian interior ministry, police or government officials, have been reluctant to identify publicly those responsible, possibly pending investigation of the May 3

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Is Hezbollah Israel’s Real Target — Not Syria?

The attack, which Syrian officials argue struck a research center, occurred just days after another airstrike against Syria last Friday.

Dale Gavlak
By Dale Gavlak

BEIRUT - While a top Syrian government official has called Sunday’s bomb attack in a Damascus suburb a "declaration of war" by Israel, some Arab political analysts believe the intended targets were weapons — whether conventional or chemical — destined for Lebanon’s Shiite Hezbollah organization and not Bashar Assad’s beleaguered regime. They say

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Will U.S. Discovery Of Chemical Weapons Use In Syria Signal War?

AMMAN, Jordan – U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has announced there is U.S. intelligence showing “with some degree of varying confidence” that the Syrian regime has used sarin gas against its people. Reportedly, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon and the Israeli government knew that Syria was using the chemical agent sarin gas, but only released […]

Dale Gavlak
By Dale Gavlak

AMMAN, Jordan - U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has announced there is U.S. intelligence showing "with some degree of varying confidence" that the Syrian regime has used sarin gas against its people. Reportedly, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon and the Israeli government knew that Syria was using the chemical agent sarin gas, but only

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