How Imperialism Crushed Syrian Secularism With Sectarianism

Politician Antoun Saadeh was a champion of Syrian secularization, advocating the separation of religion and politics to create greater national unity. But his secular society would be demolished by Western powers that sought to divide and conquer the country.

Steven Sahiounie
By Steven Sahiounie
A Syrian woman with the words "hands off" painted on her face takes part in a protest against US military action in Syria across the road from the entrance of Downing Street in London, Aug. 28, 2013.

SYRIA (Analysis) -- The philosopher and politician Antoun Saadeh was a true visionary.  He died in 1949; but before he perished, he foretold of the sorts of conflicts and wars that we are seeing today in Syria and the Middle East. He is perhaps best known for founding the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) in 1932, which would result in his

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The Kurdish Connection: Israel, ISIS And US Efforts To Destabilize Iran

Syrian Kurds claim to be fighting against terror as they strive for autonomy, a goal that they have yet to achieve even after decades of effort. But their efforts are being co-opted by Western powers that are using them to achieve their own ends in the Middle East.

Sarah Abed
By Sarah Abed
Ethnic Kurdish Israelis protest outside the Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel, July 8, 2010.

Washington and Tel Aviv's geopolitical plans for dominating the Middle East can only be dismantled if voters understand the intricate behind-the-scenes mechanisms driving their geopolitical designs. Ultimately, their goal is not only to destabilize Iraq and Syria and divide them into statelets but also to weaken Iran's global presence - objectives

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The Kurds: Washington’s Weapon Of Mass Destabilization In The Middle East

In this three part series, MintPress contributor Sarah Abed analyzes the role that some Kurdish factions have played throughout history in helping major powers create chaos in the Middle East – from the Kurdish uprising in Iraq in the 1960s to the ongoing conflict in Syria today.

Sarah Abed
By Sarah Abed
Kurdish fighters from the People’s Protection Units, (Y.P.G), stand guard next to American armored vehicles at the Syria-Turkey border, Apri, 2017. (Youssef Rabie Youssef/EPA)

Historical accounts of the Kurds have been a subject of mystery and perplexity for years and have been seldom discussed by major Western media outlets until recently. Since the U.S. invasion of Iraq and the ongoing conflict in Syria, Kurds have been romanticized by mainstream media and U.S. politicians alike to justify a Western interventionist

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Mapping A Geopolitical Future: America’s Adventures In Divvying Up Iraq

“Just like the Arab Spring was exploited to serve imperialistic agendas, this new wave of nationalism we see rise among ethnic groups has been weaponized to serve Tel Aviv’s neocons’ grand hegemonic ambitions,” a political analyst tells MintPress News.

Catherine Shakdam
By Catherine Shakdam
Iraqi Kurdistan Regional President Masoud Barzani, left, walks to West Wing of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, May 5, 2015, where he is scheduled to meet with Vice President Joe Biden.

Iraqi Kurdistan Regional President Masoud Barzani, left, walks to West Wing of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, May 5, 2015, where he is scheduled to meet with Vice President Joe Biden. WASHINGTON --- When Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani reaffirmed in an interview with PBS in March that he would continue to push for secession from

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The Stars Have Aligned For Kurdistan

With the support of not only Turkey, but also Israel and the U.S., the time is right for the establishment of a Kurdish state in the despotic Middle East.

Jeffrey Cavanaugh
By Jeffrey Cavanaugh
Geopolitics And Corporate Profits Push Iraq And Syria Towards Partition

In the modern Middle East there are two stateless peoples that have been oppressed and terrorized by an occupying power, risen up in failed rebellions, and generally been the subject of intrigue and geopolitical manipulation by outside powers. The first is the Palestinians, whose struggles against the Israeli state are well known. The second is the

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‘Unprecedented Peace’: Kurdish Militants Withdraw, While Turkey Drafts Minority Rights

PKK fighters will gradually withdraw, while Turkish authorities will draft a new constitution that is expected to enshrine rights for minorities, including Kurds.

Suzanna Koster
By Suzanna Koster

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey — Reaci Caner was just 5-years-old when he saw, from his window, Turkish soldiers humiliate his father, grandfather and other village men just because they were Kurdish. The soldiers called the men donkeys, then climbed on their backs and “rode” them in the streets. Episodes like this stopped only when guerrillas from the

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