Iraq

Qaedists lose ground in Syria; gain in Iraq

Syrian rebels launched an offensive against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)—just as the Qaeda-inspired army has seized the Iraqi towns of Fallujah and Ramadi.

Watching the Shadows

Lynne Stewart wins ‘compassionate release’

A federal judge granted the Bureau of Prisons' request for the compassionate release of Lynne Stewart, the imprisoned activist attorney now suffering from cancer.

jordanvalley2

Jordan Valley: annexation?

A Palestinian child gives the victory salute in the occupied Jordan Valley. An Israeli bill to formally annex the Valley, decried as "a red line" by Mahmoud Abbas, seems intentionally designed to sabotage the renewed peace process. The day after Israel's… Read moreJordan Valley: annexation?

Southeast Asia

Golden Triangle opium boom

The UN in its new Southeast Asia Opium Survey finds that opium production in Burma soared in 2013—along with renewed insurgency wars in the country's north.

The Andes

CIA covert action in Colombia revealed

The Washington Post runs an in-depth report exposing CIA oversight of the Colombian government's campaign of targeted assassinations of guerilla leaders.