The Top Eight Mideast Stories of 2016 That Shaped Our World

In 2016, the Middle East continued to be a major focus of the US public, and it often came up in the primary and presidential debates. Alas, the Middle East referenced by US politicians and many pundits does not actually exist, and the American fixation on this region has a creepy stalker-like quality to it.

Erdogan vows to ‘destroy threats’ after Istanbul gunman kills 39

Turkey's president vowed to "destroy threats" targeting the nation after a gunman opened fire inside a popular Istanbul nightclub, killing at least 39 people, including 15 foreigners - an act of terrorism that has become grimly familiar in Turkey. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, the latest in a string of assaults that have multiplied as Turkey steps up its war against Islamic State and Kurdish militants.

a Netanyahu’s Chanukah Speech Blasts Obama, Salutes Soldiers

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the following remarks on the first night of Chanukah this evening at an event in salute of wounded IDF and security forces veterans and victims of terrorism: "Citizens of Israel, I would like to reassure you. The resolution that was adopted yesterday at the United Nations is distorted and shameful but we will overcome it.

Suspicious fumes at Florida home leads to FBI-assisted probe

This December 2016 photo provided by the Pasco Sheriff's Office shows Sherif Elganainy. The Federal Bureau of Investigation said Thursday, Dec. 22, 2016, it's assisting a Tampa Bay area law enforcement agency in the potential terrorism activity of Elganainy, who was arrested after his father was taken to a hospital due to suspicious fumes in the family home.

Russia, Syria Turn The Tide In Syrian Civil War

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, in this October 20, 2015 file photo. To match Insight MIDEAST-CRISIS-SYRIA/PUTIN REUTERS/Alexei Druzhinin/RIA Novosti/Kremlin/ Files ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.

A Practical Plan on the Israeli-Palestinian Front The next U.S….

Palestinians walk under show umbrellas used to decorate a street in the Old City of the West Bank town of Nablus, Saturday, June 4, 2016. The incoming U.S. administration has an opportunity to increase stability and advance U.S. security interests in the Middle East by outlining a framework for Israelis and Palestinians to make independent, coordinated, and constructive steps toward a two-state solution.

FBI, US Dept of Justice officials named witness in NIA’s Pathankot charge sheet

The NIA, which named Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar and three others as accused, submitted scientific, oral and technical evidences before the special court. Six protected persons, a jailed terrorist and officials of Federal Bureau of Investigation and US Department of Justice figure as witnesses in the charge sheet filed by NIA in the January 2 Pathankot air base attack.

Emergency trainees mistakenly exposed to deadly ricin

Shipping mistake with bioterror pathogen ricin exposes almost 10,000 trainees over about five years at Alabama terrorism response center. Emergency trainees mistakenly exposed to deadly ricin Shipping mistake with bioterror pathogen ricin exposes almost 10,000 trainees over about five years at Alabama terrorism response center.

Going in would have been a calamity: Michael Burleigh says it is…

Going in would have been a calamity: MICHAEL BURLEIGH says it is nonsense that Britain holds some responsibility for the horrors in Syria after not intervening The endgame in Aleppo was always going to be dreadful. How could it not be after many months of a siege that has generated terrible suffering with heart-rending images being broadcast round the world? But for Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, former chancellor George Osborne and other MPs to say we in Britain bore some responsibility for the horrors now taking place in the ancient Syrian city because we did not intervene in the war is, quite frankly, nonsense.

After Benghazi, incompetent Trump pick Mike Flynn ordered his staff to prove Iran did it

Donald Trump has won the presidency after narrowly carrying a few states to put him above 270 electoral votes.But according... During the Labor Day weekend, when many people are celebrating and preparing for the upcoming school-year, Dakota Access, a... Donald Trump has announced that Steve Bannon-former head of the online racist platform Breitbart-will be a senior adviser in... It is a high bar, but Trump's would-be national security adviser, Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn, may be the single worst Trump pick so far.

Obama Expands 9/11 Authorization to Cover Al-Shabab

Members of Somalia's al-Shabab militant group patrol on the outskirts of Mogadishu, March, 5, 2012. Citing senior U.S. officials, The New York Times reported Monday the administration has deemed al-Shabab to be part of the armed conflict that Congress authorized against the perpetrators of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Trump rethinks need for torture

President-elect Donald Trump, in an interview with The New York Times , suggested a turnabout on the need for torture as a tool in the fight against terrorism, which he repeatedly endorsed during the campaign. Trump suggested that he has changed his mind about the usefulness of waterboarding and other forms of torture after talking with James Mattis, a retired Marine Corps general, who headed the U.S. Central Command.

Analysis: Rising Arab and Jewish-American fears of Trump are ignored in the Middle East

Middle Eastern countries are intent on advancing their own perceived interests regardless of the possible impact of Trump's victory and appointments on the well-being of their brethren in America. Like Jewish-Americans, Arab-Americans are getting more and more concerned about the way the Trump administration is shaping up.

First Hindu Democrat Congresswoman meets Trump, discusses terrorism

New York, Nov 22 - The first Hindu elected to Congress, Tulsi Gabbard, crossed her Democratic party line to meet Republican-elect Donald Trump to discuss Syria, terrorism and national security matters and warn of the risk of a nuclear confrontation with Russia amid speculation he may be checking out the war veteran for a position in his administration. On economic and social issues, Gabbard belongs to the leftist wing of the Democratic Party.