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West Asia

Ajamu Baraka On Global Conflicts And Social Transformation

September 23, 2024 Margaret Flowers, Clearing the FOG. , , , , , , , ,
In addition to risking a nuclear war with Russia, the United States is stoking greater conflicts in West Asia and China. Ajamu Baraka speaks with Clearing the FOG about his recent tour in Iran where he spoke to a cross-section of people about their concerns and the need for greater international solidarity. Baraka also discusses the responsibility of people, particularly in the collective West, to organize in order to change course away from militarism. He provides an analysis of the upcoming presidential election, the verdict in the case of the Uhuru 3 and why people must avoid aligning themselves with the ruling class, which will stop at nothing to hang onto power.

Lebanon’s UK Envoy Warns Of ‘Doomsday’ Scenario For West Asia

September 21, 2024 News Desk, The Cradle. , , , , , , ,
An Israeli ground invasion of southern Lebanon would be a “doomsday” scenario leading to an all-out regional conflict and the radicalization of Muslims in Europe, a senior Lebanese diplomat warned in an interview with The Times on 20 September. Rami Mortada, Lebanon’s ambassador to the UK, warned that the UK-trained Lebanese army would not “stand idly” by and watch if Israel launches a ground invasion or “heavy aerial attack” on Lebanon. Israel has said it seeks to create a buffer zone in south Lebanon by pushing Hezbollah’s forces some 30 kilometers away from the Israel border to behind the Litani River. Since 8 October, Hezbollah has been striking Israeli military sites near the border with missiles and drones, forcing Israelis in the northern settlements to evacuate their homes. Hezbollah says it will continue targeting Israel until its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza is halted.

US Militarism Is A Leading Cause Of The Climate Catastrophe

September 12, 2024 Marjorie Cohn, Truthout. , , , ,
This week marks 23 years since George W. Bush declared a U.S.-led “war on terror” and the people of Afghanistan and Iraq are still suffering its consequences. After the U.S. invaded Iraq, an estimated half a million Iraqis were killed and at least 9.2 million were displaced. From 2003-2011, more than 4.7 million Iraqis suffered from moderate to severe food insecurity. Over 243,000 people have been killed in the Afghanistan/Pakistan war zone since 2001, more than 70,000 of them civilians. Between 4.5 and 4.6 million people have died in the post-9/11 wars. The U.S.’s “war on terror” also escalated the climate catastrophe, resulting in local water shortages and extreme weather crises that are only getting worse.

As War Widens, US Assets Become Easy Targets

August 8, 2024 Mohamad Hasan Sweidan, The Cradle. , , ,
During a White House press conference on 31 July, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby underscored the US commitment to maintaining readiness to protect its security interests in West Asia. We have and will maintain a level of readiness to preserve our national security interests in the region. It’s not like we take a blind eye to what Iran is capable of doing and has shown their capability of doing in the region. His comments came amid spiked regional tensions, the highest since 7 October. Protecting Washington’s interests in the Levant and the Persian Gulf is a top priority for the Biden administration, especially given Tel Aviv’s dangerous recent provocations, including attacks and assassinations in Beirut, Tehran, and Hodeidah – inside key countries within the Axis of Resistance, which could escalate into a major conflict threatening US interests.

Israel Faces ‘Obliterating War’ If It Expands Aggression On Lebanon

June 30, 2024 News Desk, The Cradle. , , , ,
The permanent mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the UN on 28 June warned that Israel faces an “obliterating war” that could see the “full involvement” of the Resistance Axis if it decides to expand the war against Lebanon. “Albeit Iran deems as psychological warfare the Zionist regime’s propaganda about intending to attack Lebanon, should it embark on full-scale military aggression, an obliterating war will ensue. All options, incl. the full involvement of all Resistance Fronts, are on the table,” the Iranian mission said via social media. The statement from the Islamic Republic came a few hours ahead of comments from Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who also called Israeli threats against his nation "a kind of psychological warfare."

America’s Decline In The Middle East And The Axis Of Resistance

May 29, 2024 Alan MacLeod, MintPress News. , , ,
The Middle East – or what should more accurately be called West Asia – is a pivotal region of the globe. It is home to the primary source of the planet’s most important commodity: oil. Not coincidentally, it is also the epicenter of global conflicts. Since 9/11, the United States has launched a series of attacks on sovereign nations, from Afghanistan and Iraq to Libya, Syria and beyond. These wars have left the region beleaguered and broken. But recently, as American power wanes, a new set of forces has emerged. An axis led by Iran, Syria and Yemen has emerged to counter U.S.-Israeli dominance and global giants, such as China and Russia, are increasingly being drawn into the region.

The Land And Sea Blockade Against Israel Is Working

May 5, 2024 Ahmed Alqarout, Mondoweiss. , , , , ,
Israel’s aspirations to become the region’s transportation hub have taken a hit. The maritime and land blockade against Israel to stop the genocide in Gaza is working, as one of Israel’s main plans for a prospective “land bridge” connecting the Gulf countries with Israel and Europe has suffered an irrevocable setback.  The Israel-centered India Middle East Europe Economic Corridors project (IMEC), which was first proposed by U.S. President Biden in September of last year during the G20 meetings, is facing an existential threat.

The Axis Of Resistance Exposing The Functionaries Of Imperialism

April 17, 2024 Essam Elkorghli, Black Agenda Report. , , ,
Before the Al-Aqsa Flood operation on October 7th, developments in southwestern Asia were progressing in a reactionary fashion, with a number of Arab states normalizing relations with the zionist entity, including Saudi Arabia, whose actions were more furtive. For example, in July 2022, Saudi Arabia began allowing the zionist entity’s airplanes to use Saudi airspace, something the Biden White House called  a “historic decision.” Yet, the resistance in Gaza has unleashed a progression of history that has unexpectedly shifted the fragile dynamics of a region entangled in Western imperialism.

Gulf States Warn United States Not To Launch Strikes On Iran

April 13, 2024 Sean Mathews, Middle East Eye. , , , , ,
Gulf monarchies are urging the US not to use American military bases on their territories to strike in response to any potential Iranian attack on Israel, sources told Middle East Eye. The US's Gulf allies are working overtime to shut down avenues that could link them to a US reprisal against Tehran or its proxies from bases inside their kingdoms, according to a senior US official who spoke with MEE on condition of anonymity. As tensions flare, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman and Kuwait have raised questions about the intricate details of basing agreements that permit tens of thousands of US troops to be stationed across the oil-rich peninsula.

Netanyahu Killed A Top Iranian General To Provoke Regional Conflict

April 5, 2024 James North, Mondoweiss. , , , , , , ,
Benjamin Netanyahu continues to raise the risk of a Mideast regional war which could draw in the U.S. — and the mainstream media is hiding the danger from its audience. Israel’s provocative aerial assassination of a senior Iranian military leader in Damascus on April 1 is only Netanyahu’s latest effort to expand the fighting across the region, partly to put off his own painful day of reckoning. He knows that America has troops stationed all over the Mideast, and he hopes that Iran will retaliate against them, escalating conflict.

Yemen’s Nightmare: The Hidden Consequences Of US And UK Airstrikes

February 10, 2024 Ahmed Abdulkareem, MintPress News. , , , ,
When confronted with international appeals for humanitarian aid due to the ongoing crises in Gaza and Yemen, the United States and the United Kingdom have chosen instead to turn Yemen’s Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden into a combat zone, initiating an ariel bombing campaign against the war-torn country already suffering immensely from nine years of deadly conflict spearheaded by Saudi Arabia and backed by the U.S. For weeks, U.S. and British naval vessels have been perched on the outskirts of Yemen’s territorial waters in the Red Sea, not only to protect ships carrying goods to Israel but to launch a series of airstrikes against Yemen, the poorest country in the world.

Arab World Calls US Top Security Threat, No Peace With Israel

February 9, 2024 News Desk, The Cradle. , , , , , , , , , ,
A new opinion poll conducted in 16 Arab countries shows that Washington's continued support for Israel's campaign of genocide in the Gaza Strip has dramatically hurt its image across West Asia and North Africa, as 94 percent of respondents describe the US position as "bad." At the same time, more than half say the US poses the biggest threat to regional security. Other western states fared almost as poorly, with more than three-quarters of those polled saying the position of the UK, France, and Germany in relation to Gaza is "bad” or “very bad.” In contrast, Iran received a surge in recognition, with 48 percent of respondents expressing a positive view of the Iranian position, while 37 percent held a negative view.

Lost And Fearful In The Middle East

February 8, 2024 Patrick Lawrence, Consortium News. , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Of all the amateurish moments to arise as the Biden regime conducts its foreign policy, the White House’s official statement as B1–B bombers let loose over Iraq and Syria last Friday may be the taker of the cake. As the ordnance fell on 85 targets in seven locations, many of them outposts of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, our addled president felt compelled to insist, “The United States does not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world.” How many times have we heard this since these latest operations in Iraq, Syria and Yemen began? Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, has said the same thing in the same words. Lloyd Austin, the defense secretary, has, too.

Israel Launches Airstrikes Against Syria

February 8, 2024 People's Dispatch. , , , , , , , ,
Israel launched missile attacks on Homs and surrounding areas in Syria in the early morning of Wednesday, February 7 killing scores of civilians and destroying significant civilian infrastructure hours before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to the country. “At approximately 00:30 at dawn on Wednesday, the Israeli enemy launched an aerial attack with missiles from the direction of northern Tripoli” Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported. Citing unnamed sources, SANA also said that some of the Israeli missiles were intercepted by the Syrian air defense. According to Al-Mayadeen, at least four civilians were killed and seven others were wounded in the attacks.

‘Swarming’ The United States In West Asia, Until It Folds

January 29, 2024 M. K. Bhadrakumar, The Cradle. , , , , , , , , ,
Deterrence in defense is a military strategy where one power uses the threat of reprisal to preclude attack from an adversary, while maintaining at the same time the freedom of action and flexibility to respond to the full spectrum of challenges. In this realm, the Lebanese resistance, Hezbollah, is an outstanding example. Hezbollah’s clarity of purpose in establishing and strictly maintaining ground rules that deter Israeli military aggression has set a high regional bar. Today, its West Asian allies have adopted similar strategies, which have multiplied in the context of the war in Gaza.
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