Middle East and North Africa

Will sheep fly in Syria if imperial princess Hilary Clinton gets her way?

Despite continued words of caution from the White House about getting into another messy Middle East war, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton is pressing for more intervention.

Robert Fisk: Imagine Bahrain was oppressing a Jewish community demanding democracy

The days have gone when sportsmen and sportswomen can dissociate themselves from the moral values in which we claim to believe in the 21st century.

How Bahrain exposes US claim to be a defender of democracy and human rights

The US is siding with the regime in its campaign against its citizens through its silent complicity over its ally’s crimes and through continuation of arms sales.

Bahrain democracy protester nears death: who cares when there's a car race to worry about

As the Bahrain tyranny cracks down on pro-democracy protests, and hunger-striking protest leader Abdulhadi Alkhawaja nears death, Formula 1 organisers refuse to cancel the 22 April Grand Prix.

Remembering Ben Bella: 25.12.1918 - 11.04.2012

Lindsey German, national convenor of Stop the War Coalition, remembers Ben Bella, who in 1963 became the first president of an independent Algeria after it was liberated from French colonial rule, and who has died at the age of 95.

Be careful what you wish for: the Friends of Syria are no friends at all

What the hell, let's have another intervention. That is the message from the liberal press which has learnt nothing from its craven support for past wars.

The cover up: how many civilians did Britain slaughter in Libya?

NATO refused to look into allegations of the scores of civilian deaths that independent investigations said it caused, so it is impossible for the official tally to rise above zero.

In Syria like anywhere else US humanitarian aid = military intervention

The very idea that an organization principally designed to cause humanitarian disasters — for that is what war truly is — should be used to relieve human suffering is preposterous.

Six ways the media has misreported Syria

As in the case of Libya, this one-sided media coverage of the Syrian conflict is facilitating the escalation of the conflict towards a civil war and foreign military intervention.

Syria and the western media: peddling mythologies in the garden of good and evil

Western journalists have learnt nothing from 10 years of spinning the '9/11' wars and have collectively abandoned their analytical and critical faculties when it comes to Syria.

The blood price behind David Cameron's compassion and concern for the people of Somalia

Oil? Oil driving the ruthless geopolitical strategies of western politicians behind a cynical facade of humanitarian concern? Boy, that's a new one!

History tells us the real motive for western intervention in Syria is not to stop the killing

A ruthless global 'scramble' over energy resources, pipelines, oil supply routes in the Middle East, Central Asia and beyond is being conducted under cover of "humanitarian intervention".

What David Cameron didn't say about UK's next war against Somalia

After Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya -- with maybe Syria and Iran to follow -- you'd think Britain had had its fill of endless war, but here's David Cameron threatening more against Somalia.

Marie Colvin: Our mission is to speak the truth to power: the public have a right to know

We go to remote war zones to report what is happening. The public have a right to know what our government, and our armed forces, are doing in our name.

Why western intervention in Syria is against the interests of the Syrian people

After decades of selling arms to dictators in the Middle East, the western powers are wrapping themselves in the rhetoric of humanitarian intervention.

UK police know-how behind Bahrain's brutal treatment of pro-democracy rallies

Amnesty International wants investigation of killings, torture allegations and other abuses by Bahrain security forces, whose advisor is former Met Police Assistant Commissioner John Yates.