Saudi, UAE Proxies Clash in Southern Yemen, as UAE Plots Partition

At least 2,400 citizens have been forcibly expelled from Aden, while over 1,600 shops have been burned and damaged, more than 1,700 shops closed and 76 cars confiscated. 

Ahmed Abdulkareem
By Ahmed Abdulkareem

ADEN, YEMEN -- Following the recent announcement by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that it would begin withdrawing its forces from many areas of Yemen, the oil-rich Gulf monarchy is now positioning itself to play a role in post-war Yemen. The UAE government in Abu Dhabi announced it would form a new southern state in Yemen, clearly to serve its own

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From “Bring Our Troops Home” to “Sykes-Picot on Acid”: Neocons Get Their Way on Trump’s Syria Policy

Everything seems to suggest that this new condition upon which troop withdrawal now hinges was intentionally set up to fail in order to ensure the enduring presence of a U.S. military occupation in a sizable portion of Syria, while saving face for the flip-flopping Trump.

Whitney Webb
By Whitney Webb
Lindsey Graham | White House

WASHINGTON -- Since it was announced a few weeks ago, President Donald Trump’s plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria has now -- unsurprisingly – morphed from an “America First” policy move into yet another “Israel First” and neoconservative-supported initiative likely to continue the U.S.’ illegal occupation Syrian territory for the foreseeable

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Chomsky Among “Progressives” Calling for US Military Involvement in Syria

Since most progressive figures would never publicly call for extending a U.S.-led military occupation, this petition shows that the war propaganda in Syria – particularly as it relates to the Kurds – has been highly effective in subverting the progressive anti-war left as it relates to the Syrian conflict.

Whitney Webb
By Whitney Webb
Noam CHomsky

NEW YORK – On Monday, the New York Review of Books published an open letter and petition aimed at securing Western support for putting pressure on Turkey to end its occupation of Afrin, opposing further Turkish incursions into Syria, and backing autonomy for Rojava -- the region of Northern Syria that has functioned autonomously since 2012 after

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Trump Should Ask Israel to Fund America’s Occupation of Syria

Israel will play a role in the invasion and occupation of Syria, the Saudis will lead it — with US weapons. And taxpayers everywhere will lose from it.

Eric Zuesse
By Eric Zuesse
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, with members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee before the start of their meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 6, 2018. With Netanyahu, are from left, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., Sen. Ron Johnson, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Chairman Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., Ranking Member, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del. (AP/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

On 16 April 2018, the internationally respected analyst of Middle-Eastern affairs, Abdel Bari Atwan, headlined about Trump’s increasingly overt plan to break Syria up and to establish permanent US control over the parts it wants, “Attempting the Unachievable”. He stated that “The coming few months are likely to prove very difficult for the

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Regime Change, Partition, and “Sunnistan”: John Bolton’s Vision for a New Middle East

Bolton is likely to push for the creation of a new sectarian state out of Syrian and Iraqi territory, now that the groundwork has been laid and the path largely cleared to building a “new Middle East.” Iran is currently the only country in the region with the potential to foil that plan.

Whitney Webb
By Whitney Webb
Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton speaking at the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland. (Photo: Gage Skidmore)

This article is Part II of a series exploring the past of soon-to-be National Security Adviser John Bolton and what his appointment will mean for U.S. foreign policy, with a focus on the Middle East, Latin America, and the Koreas. Part I examined Bolton’s past advocacy for Israel, often at the U.S.’ expense. Part II details how that same commitment

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Trump’s Latest “Deal”: Sell Syria to Saudi Arabia for $4 Billion

It’s no secret that Saudi Arabia has funneled weapons, fighters, and funds into Syria, now Trump is looking to sell off chunks of the embattled nation to the Saudi monarchy, making Saudi Arabia de facto arsonist and firefighter.

Whitney Webb
By Whitney Webb
Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis stands in front of a map of Syria and Iraq ISIS, during an update to the media, Friday, May 19, 2017, at the Pentagon. (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)

WASHINGTON DC – This week, as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) meets with top White House officials, reports have surfaced that Syria will be a key part of foreign policy discussions between the Trump administration and Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler. According to the Washington Post, President Trump – in a bid to remove

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