Lucy Schouten
Libya’s post-intervention history has been so bleak that it is being compared to Iraq and cited as proof that American interventions make things worse. But that is probably a hasty judgment. The current situation in Libya is tough to explain…
The Iraqi Sunnis who live under ISIS control may be preparing for a second “Sunni Awakening” after ISIS destroyed a treasured site of Mosul’s religious heritage. ISIS concluded a recent campaign of destruction by bombing a shrine at the tomb of…
The World Cup ended weeks ago, but the next competition that has captured the spirit of voyeurism is midway through another round—the Israeli-Palestinian conflict! It’s convenient, in a way, this affair with Gaza coming so close on the heels of…
John Kerry’s most recent trip to the Middle East earned him such discouraging reviews in the local papers, not to mention receptions from Israeli politicians, that American officials have made their diplomatic displeasure known—diplomatically, of course. Kerry spent last weekend…
ISIS have expelled all the Christians from their territory in Mosul and commenced destroying evidence of any faith other than their own twisted brand of Sunni orthodoxy. As predicted, the treasures of Iraq’s past, which are the heritage of the…
A search for the good guys and bad guys of Iraq commenced during a hearing in the House Committee on Foreign Affairs with representatives from the Departments of State and Defense on Wednesday. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was the first…
The cause of religious liberty galvanizes Americans of faith, yet America’s foreign policy has ignored religion to the point of harming her interests and moderate allies in the Middle East. “America is really, by virtue of its foreign policy, distanced…
John Kerry has made a surprise visit to Jerusalem to negotiate a cease-fire between Gaza and Israel, but since the conflict thus far has served only to unify Gazans and Israelis alike in mutual dislike, a more creative solution will…
The most prominent Christian landmark in Iraq was emptied of its Christians on Sunday. Mar Behnam is a Syriac Catholic church that was built by a fourth-century Assyrian king. The church was his penance for killing his son, a Christian…
“Tales of 1001 Nights” (which, ironically enough, is not respected as fine literature in the Middle East itself) is the story of an ancient Persian king. In a fit of disillusioned anger, the king declares he will marry a new…
