Paul Mutter is a contributor to the Arabist, Foreign Policy in Focus, and Mondoweiss.
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Washington Post Keeps Administration’s Secret About Drone Base in Saudi Arabia
Major media outlets once again sit on a big story at an administration’s request.
Foiled Coup Against Sudan’s President Bashir Exposes Growing Islamist Dissent
Sudan President Omar al-Bashir detains “elbow lickers” in “ghost houses.”
Gaza: The Light Doesn’t Get Much Greener
The Obama administration gave Israel the go-ahead to escalate in Gaza.
Bahrain Sought to Divide and Conquer Protestors by Blaming Shias
Thanks to the crackdown, Bahrain is increasingly riven by sectarianism, with a more energized Sunni minority and a discredited Shia parliamentary bloc.
Obama Administration May, in Fact, Have Let Its Guard Down on Benghazi
Whither Libya after the attack on the American consulate in Benghazi?
Freedom and Bondage in North Korea
Researcher David Hawk explains how people escape North Korea — and what happens to those who don’t.
Syria: The End of the Beginning
Defectors are leaking from the Assad regime as if it were a sieve.
North Korean Gulag Story Gains Traction — and Opposition — in Social Media
North’s Korea’s gulag revealed in its all its horror and immensity.
Netanyahu Has Little to Fear From Kadima’s Desertion
Kadima and Likud part ways over the military draft in Israel.
Palestinian Demonstrators Underscore the Palestinian Authority’s Legitimacy Problem
The PA has total control over neither its own funds nor its security forces.
Islamist Militias More Popular — or Less Unpopular — in Mali Than Native Tuaregs
Islamist militias have defeated Tuaregs struggling to establish a homeland in Mali.
Israeli Border Police Conduct Surveillance on Israeli Protesters and Journalists
To paraphrase Leon Trotsky, “You may not be interested in the Occupation, but the Occupation is interested you.”
U.S., Russia Continue to Jockey for Influence in Syria
The U.S. is trying to pressure Russia to put pressure on Syrian President Assad.
Sudan on Verge of Bankruptcy — Militarily, Economically and Politically
Arrests and demonstrations in Sudan will coincide with the anniversary of the coup that brought Omar al-Bashir to power.
Conflicting Sudans Have Corruption, Militias, and China in Common
Conflict over oil fields is ongoing between Sudan and South Sudan.
The Court Politics of Russia’s New Shale Oil Drive
Russia has solicited the help of ExxonMobil and Norway’s Statoil to develop a field of oil shale in Siberia.
If the NTC Can’t Control Tripoli’s Airport. . .
Tripoli International Airport was seized by an National Transition Council-aligned militia to protest the kidnapping of its commander.
Counterterrorism Calculus in Yemen Shortchanging Political Solutions
Drone strikes in southern Yemen are radicalizing the population.
Syria’s Atamans
Still, it remains an extremely destabilizing choice.
U.S. Thinks Road to Bahrain’s Heart Is Through Its Appetite for Weaponry
This month the United States lifted restrictions on a host of sales to the moderate Crown Prince of Bahrain in hopes of increasing his influence in the government.