Consequences of IS atrocities disorientate the left Every day news of new atrocities by the Islamic State is making headlines. From the beheading of young journalists to the mass extermination of religious and national minorities in Iraq and Syria, there seems to be no end to the barbarism and brutality of this latest brand of… Continue reading The origins, politics and economics of the Islamic State
Tag: Iraq
Descent into regional chaos, horror and fragmentation
Last week, the leader of the Islamic state (formerly the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or Isis) appeared in Friday prayers in Mosul addressing Muslims worldwide. At least this is what his supporters claimed after a week when the organisation had declared the territory under their control a “caliphate”. On July 3 the… Continue reading Descent into regional chaos, horror and fragmentation
Iraq: A disaster waiting to happen
The US and Iran find themselves on the same side and ready to cooperate, warns Yassamine Mather News from Iraq is getting worse by the hour. Many cities in the north of the country have now fallen to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis), working in alliance with a variety of Sunni… Continue reading Iraq: A disaster waiting to happen
Is it the oil, stupid?
To say that oil figures prominently in the Middle East is to state the obvious. However, does this mean that the politics of imperialism in the region should be solely or mainly explained through attempts to gain control over oilfields and pipelines? That has certainly been the approach of much of the left in Britain… Continue reading Is it the oil, stupid?