Tag Archives : sunni

Governments that keep secret their nuclear weapons may be understood in terms of the sensitivity of the security strategy. However, Iran’s secretiveness as to the whole truth behind its nuclear capability has something to do with the Shiite doctrine of deceit called ‘taqiyya.’ This lies deep within the Iranian belief systems. The teachings [...]

Iran could be the ‘savior’ of the Middle East. If it wants to, that is. The conflict between Sunni and Shia, ‘dating back to the seventh-century dispute over who was meant to be the Prophet Muhammad’s rightful successor, is the most consequential in the Middle East because it is so profound and elemental. But precisely because it is so intractable, [...]

Hurriyah, a neighborhood in Baghdad, will soon be turned over by US troops to their Iraqi counterpart. This place was the scene of some of the fiercest fightings three years ago between the Shiite and the Sunni factions. While the Iraqi battalion that will take over the place is purported to be one of the best in the force, members of the battalion [...]

President Barack Obama acknowledges that the US is not winning the war in Afghanistan. He concedes to the difficulty of the Afghan scene just as he ordered last month the deployment of 17,000 additional troops to Afghanistan. When asked whether the US is winning the war in that country, his response is a resounding “No.” He is now considering the [...]

A prisoner from Basra voting in the provincial Elections taking place in Iraq today. Early voting has been calm apart from Tikrit, where three mortar shells were fired into areas near voting booths. No one was injured. Not bad for a war ravaged country like Iraq. As Iraq’s Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told reporters gathered at the polling station, [...]