Robert Fisk is the highly respected Middle East correspondent for the London based The Independent and has specialised in the region for over 25 years. He is also a regular contributor to radical American publications such as Z Magazine and The Nation, and a regular on the flashpoints and Democracy Now! radio programs. He is based in Damascus.

He is scathing of American and Israeli policies, and has received death treats due to his writing (most famously John Malkovich, see Why John Malkovich wants to shoot me). A notable example of his journalistic style is to refuse to use the term settlements but instead colonies. He is also scathing of the actions of all Arab governments in the region, and condemns suicide bombings outright.

His best (IMHO) work was done on the massacres at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps by Christian militias during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon.

If you want to be informed about the Middle East, his articles are a must. I strongly suggest that all Americans read some of his work, he expresses opinions and presents information that is censored by the major US media organisations.

All his articles are available online at http://news.independent.co.uk/