- April 12, 2025
Middle East
Darker Horizons Ahead: Rethinking the War on ‘IS’
By Ramzy Baroud As much of the Middle East sinks deeper into division between competing political camps, the so-called ‘Islamic State’ (‘IS’) continues its unhindered march towards a twisted version of a Muslim caliphate. Many thousands have lost their lives, some in the most torturous ways, so that ‘IS’ may realize its nightmarish dream. Of […]
A Chance for Arab-Iranian Reconciliation: An Opportunity in the Iran Nuclear Deal
By Ramzy Baroud “The Americans have taken the Shia Muslim side in the Middle East’s sectarian war,” declared Robert Fisk in the “Independent” newspaper on July 15, a day after the US and five major world powers reached a landmark agreement with Iran about its nuclear programs. Fisk’s proclamation is quite cursory. Aside from the […]
The B Vocabulary: The Western Left and Its Sterile ‘Field of Ideas’
By Ramzy Baroud Over the year, I realized that the term ‘left’ is not exclusive to a political ideology, but a mode of thinking championed mostly by self-tailored ‘leftist’ western intellectuals. I grew to dislike it with intensity. But that has not always been the case. My father was a communist, or so he called […]
Just Politics: Iran, Like the Rest, Is Not Blameless
By Ramzy Baroud When the United States government declared its war on Afghanistan in October 2001, thus taking the first step in its so-called ‘war on terror’, following the devastating attacks of September 11 earlier that year, Iran jumped on board. Then Iranian President Mohammed Khatami, dubbed a reformist, provided substantial assistance in the US […]
The Arab Boat: It’s an Arab-Palestinian Nakba, and We Are All Refugees
By Ramzy Baroud In a western capital far away from Gaza and Cairo, I recently shared a pot of tea with an “Egyptian refugee”. The term is familiar to me, but never have I encountered an Egyptian who refers to himself as such. He stated it as a matter of fact by saying: “As an […]
No Arab Bolivars: As Region Implodes, Arab Socialism Fizzles out
By Ramzy Baroud A student group recently asked me to address socialism in the Arab world. This with the assumption that there is indeed such a movement capable of overhauling inherently incompetent and utterly corrupt regimes across the region. But today such a group, or configuration of socialist groups, exists only in name. I recall […]
Stuck in Area A: How We Were Duped into Disowning the Palestinians
By Ramzy Baroud Are you surprised that there has been little mobilisation to help Yarmouk, the Palestinian refugee camp on the outskirts of Damascus, which is overrun by militants, and besieged by the Syrian army? Palestinians – and Syrians – there are killed in a myriad of ways, including starvation. As we stand and watch […]
My Missing Family in Syria: Naming and Shaming in Yarmouk
By Ramzy Baroud Members of my family in Syria’s Yarmouk went missing many months ago. We have no idea who is dead and who is alive. Unlike my other uncle and his children in Libya, who fled the NATO war and turned up alive but hiding in some desert a few months later, my uncle’s […]
¿La guerra del Yemen como oportunidad?
Ramzy Baroud Traducido del inglés para Rebelión por Sinfo Fernández. Sugerir que las políticas de EEUU en Yemen han sido un “fracaso” sería un eufemismo. Implicaría que EEUU habría tratado al menos de conseguir el éxito. Pero “éxito”, ¿en qué? La guerra estadounidense con aviones no tripulados no tenía otro objetivo más que celebrar la […]
The Collapse of the Obama Doctrine: Yemen War as an Opportunity?
By Ramzy Baroud To suggest that the United States policies in Yemen were a “failure” is an understatement. It implies that the US had at least attempted to succeed. But “succeed” at what? The US drone war had no other objective aside from celebrating the elimination of whomever the US hit list designates as a terrorist. But […]
El Estado Islámico, ¿un fenómeno de Occidente?
Ramzy Baroud – Traducido del inglés para Rebelión por Sinfo Fernández. Parece como si los dirigentes del denominado “Estado Islámico” (EI) estuvieran recibiendo consejos de los principales islamófobos del mundo a fin de demonizar a los musulmanes y estuvieran tratando de vivir cumpliendo las expectativas de organizaciones dedicadas a propagar el odio como la American […]
‘Islamic State’ as a Western Phenomenon: Reimagining the IS Debate
By Ramzy Baroud It is as if leaders of the so-called “Islamic State” (IS) are getting tips on demonising Muslims from world leading Islamophobes and as if they are trying to live up to the expectations of hate-mongering organisations like that of Pamela Geller’s American Freedom Defense Initiative, whose latest ads all over San Francisco […]
Islamic State as a Western Phenomenon?
Not only is IS to a degree an alien movement in the larger body politic of the Middle East, it also seems to be a partly western phenomenon, a hideous offspring resulting from western neocolonial adventures in the region, coupled with alienation and demonisation of Muslim communities in western societies. By “western phenomenon”, I refrain […]
Qu’est-il advenu de l’intellectuel arabe ?
By Ramzy Baroud (Traduction : Info-Palestine.eu – Claude Zurbach) C’était un endroit bondé et poussiéreux où les taxis délabrés attendaient des passagers, entourés de vendeurs de poissons et de légumes. La poésie de Darwish était trop énigmatique pour que nous, adolescents d’un camp de réfugiés à Gaza, puissions la comprendre complètement. Mais on essayait malgré tout. […]
The Arab Intellectual is Resting, Not Dead
By Ramzy Baroud Whenever a new poem by Mahmoud Darwish was published in al-Quds newspaper, I rushed over to Abu Aymen’s newsstand that was located in the refugee camp’s main square. It was a crowded and dusty place where grimy taxis waited for passengers, surrounded by fish and vegetable venders. Darwish’s poetry was too cryptic […]
Obama’s Admission Not Enough: US Spin on Middle East Violence Must Change
By Ramzy Baroud Truly, US President Barack Obama’s recent call to address the root causes of violence, including that of the so-called “Islamic State” (IS) and al-Qaeda was a step in the right direction, but it is still miles away from taking the least responsibility possible for the mayhem that has afflicted the Middle East […]
Parking Space Terrorism: Time for Action after Killing of Three US Muslims
By Ramzy Baroud The murder of three American Muslims at a University of North Carolina condominium on Tuesday, 10 February, was no ordinary murder, nor is the criminal who killed them an ordinary thug. The context of the killings, the murder itself and the media and official responses to the horrific event is a testimony […]
Mending ‘Axis of Resistance’: Hamas Goes Back to Square One
By Ramzy Baroud Despite its success in repelling Israeli military advances in Gaza, Hamas’s regional political manoeuvres of recent years are not bearing fruit. Jointly isolated by Israel and other Arab parties, unaided by the Palestinian Authority (PA) of Mahmoud Abbas, the Islamic Resistance Movement is once again facing difficult choices, and it seems to […]
La « Grande Guerre » du Sinaï : comment on perd une « Guerre contre le Terrorisme »
Quittant les marges de la politique égyptienne, la Péninsule du Sinaï est devenue incontestablement centrale, et l’homme fort de l’Egypte, le Président al-Sissi, se retrouve lui-même fortement décrédibilisé par la montée d’une rébellion qui semble se renforcer au fil du temps. Une nouvelle série d’attaques mortelles et coordonnées, le 29 janvier dernier, a brisé la […]
The ‘Great War’ of Sinai: How to Lose a ‘War on Terror’
By Ramzy Baroud The Sinai Peninsula has moved from the margins of the Egyptian body politic to the uncontested centre, as Egypt’s strong man – President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi – finds himself greatly undercut by the rise of an insurgency that seems to be growing stronger with time. Another series of deadly and coordinated attacks, […]
Dear Syria: From One Refugee to Another
By Ramzy Baroud Whenever the word “refugee” is uttered, I think of my mother. When Zionist militias began their systematic onslaught and “cleansing” of the Palestinian Arab population of historic Palestine in 1948, she, along with her family, ran away from the once peaceful village of Beit Daras. Back then, Zarefah was six. Her father […]
‘Dos’ and ‘Don’ts’: Things I Learned Writing about the Middle East
By Ramzy Baroud Writing about and reporting the Middle East is not an easy task, especially during these years of turmoil and upheaval. While physical maps remain largely intact, the geopolitical map of the region is in constant influx. Following and reporting about these constant changes without a deep and compassionate understanding of the region […]
Political Prophecies: Sealing the Fate of al-Aqsa
By Ramzy Baroud Israel’s decision to shut down al-Aqsa Mosque on Thursday, 30 October, is not just a gross violation of the religious rights of Palestinian Muslims. In fact, the rights of Palestinian Muslims and Christians have been routinely violated under the Israeli occupation for decades, especially in Jerusalem, and more recently in Gaza. During […]
Fighting for Survival in the Sinai: Egypt’s Convenient War
By Ramzy Baroud Sinai is both heaven and hell. This triangular desert boasts an arid landscape of hopeless horizons often interrupted by leftover military hardware from previous wars. The land is comprised of breathtaking beaches, incredible history, and a fusion of fascinating cultures that reach back into the past as far as ancient times can […]
The Missing Context: ‘Islamic State’ Sectarianism is Not Coincidental
By Ramzy Baroud Consider this comical scene described by Peter Van Buren, a former US diplomat, who was deployed to Iraq on a 12-month assignment in 2009-10: Van Buren led two Department of State teams assigned with the abstract mission of the "reconstruction" of Iraq, which was destroyed in the US-led wars and sanctions. He […]
What if ‘Islamic State’ Didn’t Exist?
By Ramzy Baroud What if the so-called Islamic State (IS) didn’t exist? In order to answer this question, one has to liberate the argument from its geopolitical and ideological confines. Flexible language Many in the media (Western, Arab, etc) use the reference “Islamist” to brand any movement at all whether it be political, militant or […]
Convenient Genocide: Another Failed War to Re-Arrange the Middle East
By Ramzy Baroud A few months ago, not many Americans, in fact Europeans as well, knew that a Yazidi sect in fact existed in northwest Iraq. Even in the Middle East itself, the Yazidis and their way of life have been an enigma, shrouded by mystery and mostly grasped through stereotypes and fictitious evidence. Yet […]
Fearing Political Islam: Why Arabs Betrayed Gaza
By Ramzy Baroud Ask any Arab ruler, and they will tell you of the great sacrifices their countries have made for Palestine and the Palestinians. However, both history and present reality are testaments, not only to Arab failure to live up to the role expected of them and stand in solidarity with their own oppressed […]
Recruiting to Kill – It Is Not Just an Israeli War on Gaza
To some, US secretary of state John Kerry may have appeared to be a genuine peacemaker as he floated around ideas during a Cairo visit on 25 July about a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian fighters in Gaza. But behind his measured diplomatic language, lies a truth not even America’s top diplomat can easily hide. […]
‘Prince of Darkness’ Disowns Iraq’s Tragedy
By Ramzy Broud As Iraq stands on the verge of a complete breakdown into mini sectarian states, former leading neoconservative and Iraq war advocate Richard Perle has chimed in on the situation on Newsmax TV. His statements in an interview given on Saturday were yet another testimony to the intellectual degeneration of a group that had once promised […]
