ANDREW DAHI WRITES — Imagine quarantining in the middle of a civil war for an entire year. Never leaving your house or having outside human interaction. Your wife, who is healthier and a good 10 years younger, goes out for necessities, giving you no good reason to leave the house. Still,…
NAWAF Al-SABAH WRITES — Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, the Emir of Kuwait, died September 29. Why should the world, not just Kuwaitis, care? The Sheikh left behind him a force for peace and stability as well as improved relationships with allies across the globe. For example, he helped…
ROSE RTEIMEH WRITES – In this time of an international public health crisis, with the emergence of COVID-19, it’s all too easy to feel hopeless while quarantined, but medical professionals don’t have that option. The major problems now faced by healthcare systems and professionals are similar to those of war-torn…
SINGAPORE-BASED SOUTHEAST ASIA EXPERT DERWIN PEREIRA WRITES (courtesy of the Business Times of Singapore) — The terrorist attack in Jakarta last week achieved little but foretells much. It signifies the renewal of an implacable religious insurgency that could cost Indonesia and the rest of the region dearly. From the point…
ROBERT DYLAN FIELDS WRITES- Since its partial takeover of Iraq and Syria in the summer of 2014, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, better known as ISIS, has committed various acts of barbarism, including a series of live beheadings of international hostages. Most recent were the deaths of two…
NICK ARMER WRITES – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced earlier this week that the U.S. strategy to defeat the Islamic State is “working”. It is hard to imagine how funding the organization’s expansion into Iran and Pakistan is helping to achieve national goals. Unfortunately, the American campaign to…
America’s 44th president is often cruelly hit, if sometimes quietly and behind his back, with the wicked “w” word. For many angry or disappointed people — here and abroad — that word is: “wimp.” It is hurled in the direction of the White House of Barack Hussein Obama as an…
ELODIE INTROIA WRITES – On October 23, three Asian and Middle-Eastern women were recognized for their journalistic bravery. It is well known that being a reporter is one of the most dangerous professions. But for women, the risks are even greater. The women who were honored with the Courage in…
NICOLE SABA WRITES – What is the easiest way to stay safe? For Lebanese, the answer has just become clear: mobile app warnings. Lebanese people have been encompassed by instability for decades. Now, with war across the border in Syria, it has become even harder to envision what obstacles people…
TOM PLATE WRITES IN HIS SYNDICATED NEWSPAPER COLUMN: I used to find flying on a Chinese carrier a dreadful experience. No more. A recent nonstop from Los Angeles to Guangzhou on China Eastern was as smooth as silk; and the return to Los Angeles from Beijing on Air China was…
TOM PLATE WRITES – You have to admit that the timing of the Russian ploy to trip up (or at least drag President Obama’s feet on) any U.S. bombing of Moscow ally Syria was exquisite. I for one would now not only want to avoid playing Russian roulette with Vladimir…
Lebanon is no stranger to electronic revolutions. It has become quite common for government websites to serve as platforms for hackers to raise their concerns. Last year, a group of Lebanese hackers known as Raise Your Voice (RYV) hacked approximately fifteen Lebanese government websites with demands for change, calling for…
Last month the United Nation Security Council took up a resolution that called for the Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, to step down. As one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, China voted against it, along with Russia. China remains adamant in its decision despite the outcry from…
LOS ANGELES — Intellectual precision is especially vital in times of geopolitical passion. The full totality of evil of the Syrian government is now on display for the entire world to see. The brutality of President Bashar Assad is beyond immense. And so the blame game has begun. The obvious…
Anthony Shadid, plagued much of his life by asthma, fell to a fatal asthma attack Feb 16 while on dangerous assignment in Syria. This acclaimed New York Times correspondent, who had previously worked at The Associated Press and The Boston Globe, had garnered many journalistic awards, including a Pulitzer Prize…
