Fathom Journal, October 2014 Western bombing of targets in the area controlled by the Islamic State (IS) organisation has commenced. US and allied planes have struck at both military and infrastructural targets in the area controlled by the IS and have had an impact. There are two main problems for Western policy-makers; the first tactical, the second strategic. The first problem is that the West has no ground assets in Syria capable of destroying the IS, but the West also hopes to avoid … [Read more...]
Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada- threats to Saudi Arabia: translation and analysis
By October 18, 2024
Intro and Analysis Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada is an Iranian proxy Iraqi Shi'a militia that first emerged as a participant in the Syrian civil war, fighting against the rebels as part of the 'shrine defence' [Sayyida Zainab] narrative. With the renewal of the Sunni Arab insurgency spearheaded by the Islamic State in Iraq this year, the group has also been participating in fighting alongside the government's regular armed forces and other Shi'a militias against the insurgents. Logo of … [Read more...]
Qatar, Hamas and the Gaza War
By August 11, 2024
Tower Magazine, August 2014. One of the most notable aspects of the current conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is the prominent role being played by the Emirate of Qatar in supporting the terrorist organization, whose genocidal charter calls for the murder of Jews and destruction of Israel. Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani, the leader of the Emirate of Qatar, is acting as Hamas’ “channel of communication” to the international community. Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal is now … [Read more...]
Palestinian Magical Thinking
By May 10, 2025
Palestinian Magical Thinking PJMedia, April 30, 2014. So April 29th has arrived, and the nine month period allotted by the current US Administration for its effort to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian dispute has come and gone. Entirely predictably, it has failed, in its entirety. What can be learned from the failure? And what may be expected to happen now? The failure of the talks was predictable first and foremost because of the irreconcilable positions of the sides. This is not … [Read more...]
Missing Barry Rubin
By May 7, 2025
The Obama administration makes mistake after mistake in Syria and in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Unfortunately, Barry Rubin is no longer around to offer his critiques. It is hard to believe that it has been three months since Barry Rubin passed away. With all going on in the world, and especially in the Middle East, Barry’s absence is pronounced as there are few who saw things as clearly as he did. Barry’s essays and columns are not disposable, like those of some … [Read more...]
The Peace Process Is Dead. Let It Lie Down.
By April 11, 2025
The April 29th deadline has not yet been reached, but it may be said with confidence that the initiative by Secretary of State John Kerry to revive the ‘peace process’ between Israelis and Palestinians has already reached its final destination: failure. The failure of this initiative was obvious from the beginning. To everyone except, apparently, Kerry himself. This reality lent an element of low farce to the entire proceedings. By now, it should really be obvious to any serious … [Read more...]
The End of the “Wrong Side of History”
By March 7, 2025
President Barack Obama, in criticizing Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s conquest of the Crimean Peninsula, described Putin as standing on the "wrong side of history." This curious and arresting phrase has become a common usage among western liberals. It is testimony to their self-confidence, and to their belief that they have accurately read the deeper currents and inevitable direction of human affairs. These, in the view of the president and his supporters, point … [Read more...]
U.S.-Israel Relations Tense
By January 16, 2025
After Secretary of State John Kerry made a statement that was critical of Israel’s Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, Ya’alon issued a statement implying that Kerry should just get his Nobel Peace Prize and find something better to do. Ya’alon suggested that the proposed peace plan set too narrow parameters for Israel. Ya’alon’s statement gained widespread, multi-partisan support from rabbis, starting with about 350 backers. This was an unprecedented level of support for a public … [Read more...]
The Hopelessness of Victory
By January 12, 2025
"So, let me just say, it went bad for us over there, but that was our job. That's what we did. We didn't complain about it." –Former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell The Obama administration is engaging in over a dozen failed operations in the Middle East, and reason shows just why they're failing: The Islamist philosophy is totally different from theirs. The Islamists are indifferent to the cost of victory, but this makes them not give up. "Hopelessness really never came into it," Luttrell … [Read more...]
The Gates of Hell: Obama and Clinton Are Cooked
By January 12, 2025
For the last five years, I have waited for the other shoe to drop.In 2008, the American people elected an incompetent and foolish president, Obama. President Obama knew that he could only trust such a hand-cuffed politician and loyalist, Hillary Clinton, as secretary of state. He then later appointed the pompous John Kerry to fill this capacity. Yet this "gang that couldn't shoot straight" was a ticking time bomb.Three strikes and you're out. Let me list them:Obama incompetent and disinterested … [Read more...]
