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Women Have High Profile in Kurdish Struggle

Voice of America – The killing earlier this month of three female Kurdish activists in Paris highlighted the powerful role women play both politically and militarily in the Kurdish struggle. Ozlem Ozen is attending a local women’s group meeting. As a senior member of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party , or BDP, in Turkey, she says gender equality is at the heart of the movement…

Commentary: Erdogan’s Kurdish Issues

The National Interest – Turkey’s political discussion changes quickly. Yesterday it was mostly Syria. Today it is making peace with Kurds. That has been a boon to prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s political standing—at least for the moment…

Raised on Hatred

The New York Times – EGYPT’S newly elected president, Mohamed Morsi, was caught on tape about three years ago urging his followers to “nurse our children and our grandchildren on hatred” for Jews and Zionists. Not long after, the then-leader of the Muslim Brotherhood described Zionists as “bloodsuckers who attack the Palestinians,” “warmongers” and “descendants of apes and pigs.”

Richard Cohen: Obama’s failure in Syria

The Washington Post – There are two kinds of wars, we are told — wars of choice and wars of necessity. The former is to be avoided and the latter fought with appropriate reluctance. World War II was a good and necessary war but Vietnam was not. The war in Iraq was a matter of choice (also of imbecility) but Afghanistan was not — although it now may be.