Special to WorldTribune.com The United States has deployed B-52 bombers to join the fight against Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL). In the first use of the Cold War-era bombers in the Middle East since the war in Afghanistan in 2006, the U.S. Air Force said the B-52 Stratofortress aircraft arrived in Qatar on […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Al-Jazeera announced on Mach 27 it was cutting 500 positions, most of them at its Doha headquarters. The Qatari state-funded broadcaster has slashed more than 20 percent of its global workforce this year. Earlier this year, Al-Jazeera cut 700 jobs when it closed Al-Jazeera America. The network said Al-Jazeera English would remain […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty A senior Iranian official is reported as saying it would be “illogical” for Tehran to join a proposed oil output freeze. Iranian newspaper Shargh quoted Iran’s OPEC envoy Mehdi Asali as saying Tehran would continue to increase oil production until it reaches presanction levels. The comments […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Qatar’s decision to pull the plug on Al Jazeera America is seen as an indication of its new leader’s “more cautious” approach in the international arena. Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani shut down Al Jazeera America after Qatar pumped some $2 billion into a U.S. network that had abysmal ratings since […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Gregory R. Copley, Editor, GIS/Defense & Foreign Affairs Senior-level sources in numerous Middle Eastern governments have privately expressed bewilderment at recent and current U.S. government strategies and policies toward the region. But a closer examination of U.S. policies, now almost entirely dictated by the Obama White House, shows no cohesive national […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty The Sunni Arab monarchies of the Persian Gulf have expressed support for Saudi Arabia in its diplomatic row with Iran, condemning what they described as Iranian interference in Riyadh’s internal affairs. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia accused Iran of sponsoring terrorism and warned that the kingdom was considering […]
Special to WorldTribune.com GAZA CITY, Feb. 6, 2015 — Hamas is set to challenge Israel and open the Gaza Strip’s port to international traffic. Palestinian sources said Hamas was refurbishing the port south of Gaza City to receive foreign ships for passenger and trade. They said the port would be launched by May 2015 regardless […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Norman Bailey The chaotic, not to say anarchic situation in much of the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region is often compared in complexity to the game of chess. It is nothing like chess, which has set rules and is governed strictly by rational calculation. No, the situation is much more like […]
Special to WorldTribune.com The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) announced on Oct. 19 it would invest $35 billion in the United States by 2020. The QIA’s pledge comes as Qatar’s looks to bolster its strategic alliance with the United States after tensions emerged among Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states over relations with Iran, which the GCC […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Sol W. Sanders President Abdul Fatah Sisi is rapidly resuming Egypt’s role as leader of the Arab world, nosing out U.S. Mideast leadership under President Barrack Obama’s “leading from behind”. Initially snubbed by Obama after his military coup last year against the Morsi Islamicist government, Sisi has moved away from his military […]