All Backchannels
Charlie Hebdo: Can 'moderate' Muslims sway an extremist few?A German jihadi cheerfully extolling the virtues of slavery and beheading is an example of how difficult that task would be.
What's the evidence Al Qaeda in Yemen organized the Paris attacks?Their word alone. Nasr al-Ansi, a militant commander, made the claim in a video released this week.
Charlie Hebdo's cover and the more complicated truth of depictions of MuhammadCertainly the three murderers in Paris were offended. But should they be allowed to speak for all Muslims?
#Foxnewsfacts, fiction, and hysteria in the wake of Paris terrorist attacksOnce again, perspective is being lost in the wake of a tragedy.
The Afghan war that didn't really end yesterday ended in defeatNone of the claimed long term objectives for the war in Afghanistan, either from the Bush or Obama administrations, have been achieved.
What has US spending done for Afghan women? US doesn't know.It's a common theme when it comes to US spending in Afghanistan. One official said accounting for spending on women was more of an 'optimistic, aspirational statement.'
On Arab uprising anniversary, US back to business as usual with Egypt's militaryFour years after the start of the so-called Arab Spring, the US is back to business as usual with a military regime in Egypt.
Bitcoin pips ruble as worst currency investment of 2014The ruble may be having a bad year, but it's not the worst.
Does the ruble's rocky past foretell its future?Perhaps. But at least it shows that the ruble's current woes shouldn't be a surprise to bankers and policymakers.- Who was Sydney hostage taker 'Sheikh Haron'?The Iranian immigrant to Australia has had an erratic and violent past.
'Shami Witness': Twitter's top Islamic State 'jihadi' outed as a fakeA major English language, pro-Islamic State Twitter account turns out to be run by a Hawaiian-shirt-wearing executive in Bangalore, India.
Palestinian official's career mirrored triumphs and failures of Oslo peace dealZiad Abu Eid died Wednesday after a scuffle with Israeli security forces. His funeral was held Thursday amid an ongoing dispute over the exact cause of his death.
Senate torture report: What you have to believe to think it will endanger livesFor starters, you have to ignore the fact the people have known about this for a long time.
Failed hostage raid in Yemen: why there'll be more rescues to comeThere's been a growing use of Special Forces to try to rescue American hostages from Islamist militants. Given the difficulties, the track record is unavoidably mixed.
Is Obama considering 'sanctions' on Israel?A lot of partisan media outlets and Republican politicians appear to believe so.
US 'terrorism?' What's not being said about Kansas City, Austin attacks.The adoption of slogans like the 'war on terrorism' since Al Qaeda's attacks on 9/11 was supposed to be about the tactic, not about the underlying beliefs of the attacker.
From Egyptian judges: conspiracy theories, mass death sentences, and freedom for MubarakSpace for dissent in Egypt is shrinking fast, as impunity for the powerful appears to be, once again, on the rise.
Israel elections loom: Why now, and will it mean anything for the peace process?A date hasn't been set, but early Israeli elections are all but a lock.
In Iraq oil deal with Kurds, a ray of light for compromiseThe agreement between Baghdad and the Kurdish Regional Government is the first major sign of compromise since the self-described Islamic State began its major advance in Iraq in June.
Mubarak's release: proof of Egypt's newly confident military orderFormer President Mubarak was cleared of criminal charges related to the uprising that unseated him in 2011. As young activists filled Tahrir Square at the time, few imagined that just three years later a new military regime would again chain the press and civil society.
