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Archives: March 2014
Musharraf indicted in treason case
ISLAMABAD: The special court constituted to try former military ruler Pervez Musharraf for high treason indicted him on Monday, DawnNews reported.The three judge court headed by Justice Faisal Arab of the Sindh…
Will the US side with Saudi or Qatar in the Great Gulf Civil War?
(By Omar Ali) The Saudi strategy of offering military support to the US while exporting Muslim militancy and portraying itself as the protector of the two holiest sites in the Islamic world…
Despite Twitter ban, Corruption Charges, Turkey PM claims victory, warns Islamist rivals ‘will pay price’
Turkey PM claims victory, warns rivals 'will pay price' (via AFP) Turkey's Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed victory for his Islamic-rooted party in Sunday's key local elections and warned his foes they…
Walmart Admits that its Business Model Requires Employees to Depend on Food Stamps
Critics cite irony of annual report filing: 'This is a company that everywhere it goes it creates poverty' (By Lauren McCauley) [ Walmart employees are known to be among biggest Medicaid and…
Pace Sheldon Adelson: Top 5 Signs West Bank is Occupied Territory
(By Juan Cole) New Jersey governor and presidential hopeful Chris Christie used the term "Occupied Territories" to refer to Gaza and the West Bank in his talk this weekend to Sheldon Adelson's…Circumcision and its discontents
For a male Jew, ‘brit milah’ brings together past, present and future; family, Jewish people, and humanity
Whether Princesses or Paupers, Long Road to Saudi Women’s Rights
(By Rothna Begum and Adam Coogle) When the story broke earlier this month of four Saudi princesses allegedly confined to their Jeddah home by members of their own family, the kingdom soon…
Ukraine wouldn’t be as much a Crisis if Europe had adopted Green Energy Faster
(By Sonja van Renssen) Ukraine Crisis Is Connected To Climate & Energy Policy (via Clean Technica) Originally published on EnergyPost.eu.By Sonja van Renssen Decisions on a new European climate and energy policy for…
We’re not Envious, we’re Disappointed: US Firms Stash $2 Trillion in Foreign Tax Havens, Costing us Billions
(By Michael Winship) Here on our whimsical island off the coast of the Eastern Seaboard, we have a company called Manhattan Mini Storage that is as famous for the semi-snarky wit of…
Tea Party Opponents of Muslim Cemetery Claim Islam is not a Religion
TN Tea Partiers freak out on TV reporter for covering their effort to block Muslim cemetery (via Raw Story ) Tempers flared in a confrontation between anti-Islamic activists and proponents of a…
The Shame of American Politics: GOP Presidential Hopefuls now Trek to Las Vegas seeking Adelson Blessing
(By Juan Cole) A series of pro-corporation Supreme Court decisions and the latter's disingenuous equation of money with speech, including "Citizens United", have turned the United States from a democracy to a…
Michelle Malkin-Led Twitter Horde Attacks Stephen Colbert Over Out-Of-Context Joke
(By John Prager) Michelle Malkin-Led Twitter Horde Attacks Stephen Colbert Over Out-Of-Context Joke (Screenshots) (via Americans Against The Tea Party) Yesterday, Stephen Colbert masterfully made a point about Redskins owner Dan Snyder…
After Karzai: Do Afghanistan’s Presidential Elections Matter?
(By Julie Poucher Harbin for IslamiCommentary) March 19 Ashraf Ghani campaign rally in the Awden desert in northern Kunduz province, Afghanistan.Photo: Twitter feed of Habib Khan Totakhil (@HabibKhanT) Afghanistan Goes to the…
Why not Just take Syria to the International Criminal Court?
(By Mark Kersten) This week marks the third anniversary of the Syrian civil war. Fragile peace talks aimed at finally bringing the war to an end sputter on in Geneva. Report after…
Iraqi-American Artist seeking Liberty in US Murdered for being Muslim in Sacramento
(By Eric W. Dolan) Conservative Iraq refugee who painted patriotic art gunned down for looking Muslim (via Raw Story ) A Muslim man who was gunned down in the parking lot of…
Saudi King channels John McCain, demands Obama Take Hard Line on Iran, Syria, Muslim Brotherhood
(By Juan Cole) President Barack Obama met late Friday with King Abdullah b. Abd al-Aziz of Saudi Arabia at the latter's desert camp, flying out from Riyadh by helicopter. The tensions between…
Is Paul Ryan a Racist? Or Just Exponent of the “White Man’s Party”?
So, IS Paul Ryan a Racist? (via Moyers & Company) Our political class is feuding about whether Rep. Paul Ryan is a racist. Rather than fearing that this donnybrook degrades political discourse,…
I am Yemeni and I refuse to be a target of drones
(By Christine Petré) A street art project aims to show the world there is more to Yemeni people than terrorism. Black and white portraits of everyday Yemenis are now decorating the walls…
Crimea, Egypt, Syria: Cole Interview on Ian Masters’ “Background Briefing”
My radio interview with Ian Masters at KPFK on developments in Egypt, Ukraine and Syria is now available on the web: Play it above or if it doesn't display (it takes 20…
Is Pope Francis good for the Democrats? Obama in the Vatican
(By Juan Cole) Could enormous popularity of Pope Francis spill over into American politics? Pope Francis is worried about inequality, a Democratic Party issue, and his statements and actions on the subject…
Obama White House Operatives Plumping for Hillary Clinton over Joe Biden (TYT)
"The Young Turks' Cenk Uygur reacts to a CNN report that "Obama White House Operatives Plumping for Hillary Clinton over Joe Biden"
Israel Guilty of Apartheid, Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinians: UN Rapporteur
(By César Chelala) Richard Falk, United Nations rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories accused Israel last week of “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians. Speaking at a press conference, he said that…
Twitter strikes Back at Turkish Gov’t Ban in Courts
Twitter tackles Turkish takedown (via The Inquirer) TWITTER HAS LAUNCHED a legal challenge against the block placed on its services in Turkey. Turkey effectively put up a wall between it and Twitter…
Iraqi Women’s Rights Under Threat
(By Erin Evers) Few disagree that the Iraqi government’s increasingly Shia character has alienated its Sunni population—but what has mounting sectarian division meant for the rights of women and girls? Last October,…
Egypt: Al-Sisi’s run for President: Bonapartism and Gulf Oil Money
(By Juan Cole) Egypt's Brig. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, 59, on Wednesday resigned his military commission and announced that he will run for president. He was given a long spot on Egyptian…
Donald Rumsfeld: A “Trained Ape” would be better at U.S. diplomacy than Obama
Donald Rumsfeld: U.S. diplomacy would be better if Obama was a ‘trained ape’ (via Raw Story ) Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on Monday blasted President Barack Obama’s diplomacy, saying…
Invasion of the Corporate Data Snatchers: The Internet of Things
(By Catherine Crump and Matthew Harwood) Estimates vary, but by 2020 there could be over 30 billion devices connected to the Internet. Once dumb, they will have smartened up thanks to sensors…
The Rise of the Drones (Infographic)
Source: SecurityDegreeHub.com RT America: "New drone steals smartphone contents"
Israeli Kibbutz uses Robots To Combat Desert Dust that obscures Solar Panels
Kibbutz Recruits 100 Solar Panel Robots To Combat Desert Dust (via Clean Technica) The humble chore of cleaning solar panels plays a key role in solar cell efficiency, especially in desert regions…
Is Russia a “Regional Power” or “Geopolitical Threat”? Obama argues with Romney from the Hague
(By Juan Cole) The peculiar American two-party system followed President Obama to the Hague on Tuesday, where he gave a joint press conference with the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, leader of…
Climate Change is hitting us Now & will only Worsen: When will We Start Acting Like Adults?
(By Tom Giesen) Americans tell us through a recent Gallop poll that upward of 65% of them know global warming is happening. However, only 36% feel that it will pose a serious…
Creationists to Neil deGrasse Tyson: Evolution isn’t scientific, but the Book of Genesis is
Creationists to Neil deGrasse Tyson: Evolution isn’t scientific, but the Book of Genesis is (via Raw Story ) Creationist Ray Comfort complained that Neil deGrasse Tyson had misrepresented the Bible. The astrophysicist…
Rep. Mike Rogers Says Snowden’s To Blame For Russia’s Aggressive Actions Against Ukraine
Mike Rogers Says Snowden's To Blame For Russian's Aggressive Actions Against Ukraine (via Techdirt) Mike Rogers is still willing to spread his stupidity to any new outlet that will have him. Despite…
Turkey: Is Twitter Mightier than Prime Minister Erdogan?
(By Erdağ Göknar via IslamiCommentary) Erdağ Göknar Claiming that Twitter has not responded to Turkish court requests to suspend specific accounts, the Turkish communications ministry blocked Twitter last Friday. Ruling Prime Minister…
Egypt Shocks the World with Plan for Mass Execution of 528 Muslim Brothers
(By Juan Cole) An Egyptian court in the provincial center of El Minya on Monday shocked the world by sentencing 528 persons to death in the killing of a policeman and engaging…Pakistan for global efforts against nuclear terrorism
THE HAGUE: Pakistan assured world community that it is considering ratification of the 2005 Amendment to the Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM) and are actively conducting a review to…
Jimmy Carter: I send Landmail because of NSA Surveillance “Abuse”
NBC's Meet the Press interviewed former president Jimmy Carter on Sunday, and he complained that the National Security Agency probably has him under electronic surveillance. He said that when he communicates with…
The Frightening Israeli Army used on Palestinian Children (Australian TV)
Australian Broadcast Co. and Journeyman Pictures: "The Frightening Israeli Army Used On Palestinian Children": For more on Israeli arrests and abuse of Palestinian children see this post from February.
Gaza’s Palestinians, Besieged by Israel, turn to Solar Power
Here's an excellent AFP film clip and article from a couple weeks ago that I think deserves a wider audience. Gazans turn to solar power as fuel crisis bites (via AFP) On…
Why Romney is Wrong that Obama’s Syria Policy Emboldened Putin
(By Juan Cole) On Face the Nation on Sunday, Mitt Romney slammed President Obama's policies toward Russia as "naive" and called the country a "geopolitical adversary" of the US. He also seemed…
Saudi Arabia Again Fails Human Rights 101 (UNHRC)
The [United Nations'] Human Rights Council’s review of Saudi Arabia comes at a time of serious concern about the rights situation in the country. Authorities have intensified efforts to repress and silence…
Coal, Gas & Oil are Huge Water Hogs; Solar is a Water Saver
Solar Power Is A Huge Water Saver (World Water Day Infographic) (via Clean Technica) Every year on this day since 1993, the community of nations has focused on the importance of fresh…
Pakistani Sufi Anthem: Jhule Lal Dam Mast Qalandar by Nusrat Fateh Ali
Qawwali is the South Asian Muslim equivalent of African-American Gospel music. This particular song celebrates the thirteenth-century Sindhi mystic, Sayyid `Uthman Marwandi, known as Lal Shahbaz Qalandar (1177 – 1274 AD), a…
ABC: Bush’s Neocon Spokesman for Illegal US Occupation of Iraq Slams Russia for Crimea
It just baffles me that failed Neocons like Dan Senor are still given a hearing inside the Beltway. ABC News actually interviewed Senor, the spokesman for the Bush administration's illegal invasion and…
TYT: MSNBC’s Chuck Todd Rips CNN for “Breaking News” Malaysia Plane Fraud, Discovers MSNBC Doing it Too
Ana Kasparian of The Young Turks says when she was a guest on another cable news channel, the producer told her, "remember: our viewers are stupid." The Young Turks: "MSNBC Host Rips…
Are Some Iraqi Politicians being Disqualified because they Criticized PM Nouri al-Maliki?
(From a Niqash Special Correspondent in Baghdad) A number of high profile MPs have been banned from running in Iraq’s upcoming general elections – allegedly because they contravene an electoral rule about…
Big Oil and Gas Wants your Drinking Water, Too: UN
(By Jacob Chamberlain) An unrelenting increase in energy production, including unconventional methods such as tar sands extraction and fracking, will severely damage the world's already dwindling water supply, the UN warned on…
India’s Massive Youth Vote tilting to Right Wing Hindu Nationalist
(By James Tapper) 100 million new voters are about to transform India (via GlobalPost) NEW DELHI, India — With only a few weeks until India elects its next prime minister, the country’s…
5 Signs Solar Power is Taking over the World
(By Juan Cole) Burning fossil fuels (coal, natural gas and oil) is putting 32 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide annually into the atmosphere. Since CO2 is a greenhouse gas that traps…
Maddow: Duke Energy busted in N Carolina for Toxic Dumping as Enviro Groups Targeted
Rachel Maddow follows up on a report from earlier in the week about environmental activists who accused a Duke Energy power plant of dumping toxic liquid into public waterway, that has prompted…
Egypt: Military Rule, Arbitrary Jailing of Protesters, and… Public Silence
(By Daniel Nour) This article will probably annoy you. Telling the truth about Egypt, speaking frankly – not appropriately, or prudently, but just plain honestly – is fraught with danger. Doing so…
Google Follows Snowden’s Advice, Encrypts All Gmail Messages
Google Follows Snowden’s Advice, Encrypts All Gmail Messages (via BestTechie) Whether you think former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden is a hero or a traitor, at the very least you now…
Massive increase in Israeli Squatter settlements in West Bank blamed for Collapsing Peace Talks
Israel settlements led to peace talks impasse: Palestinians (via AFP) US-sponsored peace talks with Israel have reached an impasse because of Jewish settlement activity, a Palestinian spokesman said, as plans for over…
Top attempts by Dictators to Shut down Twitter in Mideast (including Turkey’s PM Erdogan)
(By Juan Cole) Trying to close down social media such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube has been a desperate ploy of dictatorial regimes throughout the world. It doesn't work very well, since…
US Special Interest Groups in the Middle East Peace Process
(by Mahmoud M.A. Abdou) In this post, Mahmoud Abdou presents a summary of his book The Middle East Peace Process and U.S. Special Interest Groups. The Middle East Peace Process and U.S.…
Google’s Larry Page: We can’t Have NSA Spying and a Functioning Democracy
Google's Page says US online spying threatens democracy (via AFP) Google co-founder Larry Page on Wednesday condemned US government snooping on the Internet as a threat to democracy. His comments came during…
Climate Change: ‘Abrupt,’ ‘Unpredictable,’ ‘Irreversible’ and ‘Highly Damaging’
Climate Change: ‘Abrupt,’ ‘Unpredictable,’ ‘Irreversible’ and ‘Highly Damaging’ (via Moyers & Company) In a rare move, the world’s largest scientific society released a report nudging the public to wake up to the…
Col. Manners on the Protocols of CIA Torture and his Love for the NSA’s Aunt Zelda
(By Tom Engelhardt for Tomdispatch) [Editor's note]: Our old friend Colonel Manners (ret.) made his first appearance at TomDispatch last October. Today, he’s back for the third time. We have yet to run into anyone…
On Iranian New Year, Russia hints it May Swing Support to Tehran over Crimea Sanctions
(By Juan Cole) Iran may have gotten a New Year's gift via the Crimea crisis, as Russia threatens to play the Iran card over proposed US sanctions. As I argued in the…
The Northern Storm Brigade: It’s History, Current Status, and Why It Matters By Chris Looney
The Northern Storm Brigade: It’s History, Current Status, and Why It Matters By Chris Looney [clooney@colgate.edu] reporting from Turkey For Syria Comment, March 18, 2014 The Northern Storm Brigade (NSB: Arabic…
Climate Change and the Rise of Genghis Khan
Mild weather may have propelled rise of Genghis Khan (via AFP) A pleasantly warm and wet spell in central Mongolia eight centuries ago may have propelled the rise of Genghis Khan, according…
Look who’s Complaining about BP being allowed back into the Gulf (Editorial Cartoon)
(By Paul Jamiol) From Jamiol's World
East African countries are dealing with the impacts of climate change
East African countries are dealing with the impacts of climate change (via Skeptical Science) By Guest Author, John Abraham As I have written before, I have a particular interest in smart energy…
Russian Annexation of Crimea, Israeli Annexation of Palestine
(By Juan Cole) Russia's annexation of Crimea on Tuesday is among the few significant territorial acquisitions since the end of World War II by one country from another, more or less by…
Nancy Pelosi Admits That Congress Is Frightened of The CIA
Nancy Pelosi Admits That Congress Is Scared Of The CIA (via Techdirt) Over the past few months, one thing we keep hearing over and over again from defenders of the intelligence community…
Global Warming has made Greenland Ice Sheet unstable, increasing Sea Rise (Plus Spectacular Video)
Warming melts last stable edge of Greenland icesheet (via AFP) The last edge of the Greenland ice sheet that had resisted global warming has now become unstable, adding billions of tonnes of…
Mapping Palestine in the Struggle for Palestine
(By Andrew Beale) Map of Palestine from late 19th century. (Flickr/T.H. McAllister) Lior Amihai didn’t grow up knowing the location of the internationally recognized border between his native Israel and the West…
As Putin recognizes Crimea, his other Client, Syria, Goes on the Offensive
(By Juan Cole) Russian President Vladimir Putin is on a geopolitical roll these days, despite US and EU sanctions against some of his closest associates. On Monday he recognized Crimea in the…
Celebs to UN: Protect Palestinian Refugees in Syria (Alfonso Cuaron, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Sting & 25 Others)
Celebrities press UN on Palestinian refugees in Syria (via AFP) Some 30 celebrities have petitioned the UN demanding they take action to protect civilians, notably Palestinian refugees, caught up in the Syria…
Iraq’s Freedom Agenda shouldn’t Include Child Marriage and Summary Divorce
(Human Rights Watch) (Baghdad) – Iraq’s Council of Ministers should withdraw a new draft Personal Status Law and ensure that Iraq’s legal framework protects women and girls in line with its international…
Has Consumerism forever Killed the American Revolutionary Spirit?
(By Lewis Lapham) [This essay will appear in "Revolution," the Spring 2014 issue of Lapham's Quarterly. This slightly adapted version is posted at TomDispatch.com with the kind permission of that magazine.] In case…
Crimea Vote provokes fear of Domino Effect in Eurasia: Turkish FM
(By Juan Cole) Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Sunday warned that Crimea's referendum on seceding from Ukraine pose the threat of a "domino effect" in Eurasia. Will Russia's rush to referendum…
BP Permitted back into The Gulf Despite all the Damage Done
(By Sarah Lazare) Four years after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, oil still washes up on the Gulf Coast shore, and residents and cleanup workers face health hazards from the millions of gallons…
RIP: Tony Benn – “We’ll never have Democracy as long as Big Business can buy Both Parties
British socialist stalwart Tony Benn dies at 88 (via AFP) Political foes and allies paid tribute to Tony Benn, the totem of the British left who spearheaded the movement against the Iraq…
Irony Alert: Climate Change Threatens delivery of Energy from Oil and Gas
GAO: Climate Change Threatens Energy Infrastructure (via Climate Central) By Bobby Magill Follow @bobbymagill Oil refineries and drilling platforms in the U.S. are vulnerable to sea level rise and greater storm surge.…
Turkey’s PM Erdogan can weather Corruption and Islamic Politics: But Can he Weather Twitter?
(By Ahmet T. Kuru) Erdoğan has consolidated the executive, legislative, and the judicial powers under his authority; yet he has been unable to control another source of power— Twitter. When the Arab…
Israelis slam Kerry over “Jewish State” Remarks as Abbas Rejects Demand
(By Juan Cole) Right wing Israeli officials over the weekend expressed rage at US Secretary of State John Kerry for saying that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu should "drop" his demand that the…
Has the US lost Iraq to Iran over Arms Deal?
(By Mustafa Sadoun in Baghdad) Documents indicating that Iraq was going to buy almost US$200 million worth of armaments from neighbouring Iran have had foreign policy analysts fizzing. Is it a reward…
Clean Energy Created Nearly 80,000 Green Jobs In America During 2013 Alone
Clean Energy Created Nearly 80,000 Green Jobs In America During 2013 (via Clean Technica) America’s clean energy economy created nearly 80,000 green jobs in 2013, benefitting virtually every state across the country…
Four Reasons Syria Refugees are a Bigger Story than Malaysian Air MH 370
It is a tragedy that the 239 passengers on Malaysian Air MH 370 never made it to Beijing, and appear to have been the victims of a hijacking that went horribly wrong.…
Dear Arab Liberals: The Enemies of your Enemies aren’t Necessarily your Friends
(By Karim Emile Bitar) One of the principal reasons the revolutionary impulse unleashed in 2010 proved so inspiring was that it finally gave full voice to liberals, democrats and progressives of the…
Crimean Tatars fear Russian Rule
Crimean Tatars fear a future under Russia (via GlobalPost) BAKHCHYSARAI, Ukraine — Crimean Tatars know a few things about oppression. In the past two or so centuries, this tight-knit Muslim group has…
Syria: Kurdish Women Soldiers take on Extremist Jihadis
DW writes, "According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have died in the civil war in Syria so far. The real number of dead is probably much higher. Many "Free…
What Ukraine Means to the U.S. 1% and to the 99% (Editorial Cartoon)
(By Paul Jamiol) Courtesy Jamiol's World
A Russo-Iranian Bloc against the United States?
(By Juan Cole) Russian President Vladimir Putin called his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani on Thursday, according to PressTV. The Russian press added that "A Kremlin statement said Putin had underlined to Rouhani…
Climate Change Is Increasing Extreme Heat Globally
Climate Change Is Increasing Extreme Heat Globally (via Climate Central) By Brian Kahn Follow @blkahn Despite reports of a global warming "hiatus," a new study shows that the number of areas being…
The US isn’t a Police State, but it is a Managed Democracy
Source: SecurityDegreeHub.com ------ Related video: TheRealNews: "Obama Expands Militarization of Police" )
The Theater of Conspiracy in the Run-up to Turkey’s Elections
(By Erdağ Göknar) The novel Snow by Nobel-prize-winning Turkish author Orhan Pamuk exposes the logic of Middle Eastern nationalism. Not surprisingly, political conspiracy has a prominent role to play in it. Turkish…
Tens of Thousands in Turkey Protest Tyranny of the Majority
(By Juan Cole) Tens of thousands of Turks demonstrated in Istanbul and other cities on Wednesday coming off the funeral of 15-year-old Berkin Elvan. Elvan had been in a coma since last…
Cole @ C-Span: Egypt and the Birth of al-Qaeda (video lecture)
(By Juan Cole) My class lecture, "Egypt and the Birth of al-Qaeda," was filmed by C-Span in February and has been shown on television; it is now available on the web (click…
Renewable Energy Boom coming to the Middle East
Middle East North Africa Area To See Renewable Energy Boom (via Clean Technica) The trade association behind the DESERTEC Concept of the same name has said that the Middle East and North…
President Obama zings Zach Galifianakis on “Between Two Ferns”
President Obama on funnyordie.com plugging the Affordable Health Care Act: Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: President Barack Obama from President Barack Obama ----- Related video: The Young Turks: "Anger Over Obama…
By the Way, Your Home Is On Fire: The Climate of Change and the Dangers of Stasis
(By Rebecca Solnit via Tomdispatch) As the San Francisco bureaucrats on the dais murmured about why they weren’t getting anywhere near what we in the audience passionately hoped for, asked for, and…
When it is Feinstein being Spied on, Suddenly she Squawks
(By Juan Cole) Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) took to the senate floor on Tuesday to denounce the Central Intelligence Agency for spying on her staff as it undertook an investigation into the…
Libya’s Parliament dumps PM Zeidan, Elects al-Thinni, over Oil Tanker Crisis
(By Juan Cole) In a series of dramatic political moves, the Libyan General National Congress on Tuesday carried out a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Ali Zeidan. Zeidan, identified as…
“Normalizing” Suicide Bombing: What the Assassination of Abu Khaled al-Soury Says about Jihadism Today
(Jeffrey William Lewis) On February 23 the Winter Olympics in Sochi Russia concluded peacefully. A terrorist attack by Chechen Black Widow suicide bombers—much feared and highly anticipated by many in the American…
Edward Snowden: The US is Undermining its own Cybersecurity
SXSW: Snowden Touts Encryption, Swipes at NSA (via slashdot) In a Google Hangout with an auditorium full of South by Southwest attendees, government whistleblower (and former NSA employee) Edward Snowden suggested that…
Obama’s Rules: US Drones in Yemen – ‘Psychological Torture’ from Above
(By Sarah Lazare) As the United States steps up covert drone strikes on Yemen, with three suspected U.S. drone attacks killing at least four people in Yemen early this week, campaigners on the ground…
The War on Terror Jumps the Shark as Everyone in the Mideast accuses everyone else of Terrorism
(By Juan Cole) In early December of last year, Lebanese Shiite leader Hassan Nasrallah of Hizbullah accused Saudi Arabia of being behind the bombing of the Iranian embassy in Beirut, i.e. charged…
Ukraine Muslims wary of Crimea Referendum on Joining Russia
Crimean Tatars wary of Russia referendum (via AFP) Victims of Stalin's mass deportations in 1944, Crimea's Tatar Muslim minority look warily on next week's referendum on joining Russia, which could well bring…
Can Int’l Community help stop Libya’s Slide into Chaos?
(By Sarah Leah Whitson) (Tripoli) – The international community should agree to provide assistance to Libya’s flailing judicial system, Human Rights Watch said . . . following the international ministerial conference on…
Journalists should stop ‘balancing’ stories with Science Denialists: Cosmos’s Neil DeGrasse Tyson
(By David Edwards) Neil deGrasse Tyson tells CNN: Stop giving ‘equal time to the flat Earthers’ (via Raw Story ) Neil deGrasse Tyson, host of Fox’s documentary series Cosmos, said on Sunday…
A New Arab Cold War: Saudi Arabia Pressures Qatar on Muslim Brotherhood, American Think Tanks
(By Juan Cole) Saudi Arabia's listing of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization and the withdrawal of the Saudi, Kuwaiti United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain ambassadors from Qatar signal a big…
Can the Neoconservatives make a comeback via the Ukraine Crisis?
(By Robert Parry) President Barack Obama has been trying, mostly in secret, to craft a new foreign policy that relies heavily on cooperation with Russian President Vladimir Putin to tamp down confrontations…
In Illinois, 91 Communities are now Powered 100% By Green Electricity
91 Illinois Communities Powered 100% By Green Electricity (via Clean Technica) Article by the WWF. WASHINGTON, DC, March 7, 2014 – Illinois has embraced renewable electricity on a massive scale not seen anywhere else…
Cheney: With Smaller Military how Could my Accomplishments be Repeated? (Editorial Cartoon)
(By Paul Jamiol) Courtesy Jamiol's World
Will Russell Crowe as Noah help Egypt Separate Religion and State?
(By Juan Cole) Darren Aronofski's biblical epic "Noah" is already provoking controversy in the Muslim world, and has been preemptively banned in three Gulf states. Biblical figures, such as Abraham, Noah, David,…
Bill O’Reilly says Muslims will Diss Hillary; but 8 Muslim Countries Chose Female Leaders
(By Juan Cole) Bill O'Reilly maintains that one downside of having a woman president is that Muslims won't respect her. For Mr. O'Reilly's information, here are the women leaders of Muslim-majority countries,…
CIA: Only Spied On Senate Because They Took Documents Proving We Lied
CIA: We Only Spied On Senate Intelligence Committee Because They Took Classified Documents That Prove We're Liars (via Techdirt) Earlier this week, we wrote about the accusations that the CIA was spying…
Sunni Representation Imperiled in Iraq if al-Anbar can’t/ won’t Vote
(By Mustafa Habib) Events in Anbar mean that it will be very difficult for the people of the province to vote in the upcoming general election. Logistics are one problem, the fact…
India’s Elections: Religious Nationalism and the Future of Democracy
(via The Economist) Elections in India: Carnival of democracy (via The Economist) LET the contest begin. On March 5th India’s electoral commission, at last, set the dates for the largest democratic exercise…
Censorship: Turkish PM, President tangle over Bruited ban on Facebook, Youtube
(By Juan Cole) President Abdullah Gul has rejected a suggestion by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan that Turkey might ban Facebook and Twitter. Nearly half of Turkey's 77 million people use Facebook at…
The Tea Party Congress Slashed Childrens’ Food Stamps but secretly Protected Pentagon Budget
(By Mattea Kramer) Washington is pushing the panic button, claiming austerity is hollowing out our armed forces and our national security is at risk. That was the message Secretary of Defense Chuck…
Israel West Bank Squatter population grows over 4%
Israel West Bank settler population grows over 4% (via AFP) Israel's settler population in the occupied West Bank increased by 4.2 percent in 2013, interior ministry figures show, as US-backed peace talks…
US Drone Kills 5 Allied Afghan Troops, mistaking them for Taliban
NATO air strike kills five Afghan soldiers (via AFP) A NATO air strike in eastern Afghanistan accidentally killed five Afghan soldiers on Thursday, officials said, the latest incident likely to worsen already…
US Hypocrisy on Crimean secession move: Washington Supported Break-up of Sudan, Yugoslavia, Iraq
(By Juan Cole) Russia has arranged for its supporters in the Crimean state parliament to vote to secede from Ukraine and join Russia, and has announced that there will be a popular…
The Tea Party Just Turned Five — Is it Winning its War on Workers and Minorities?
The Tea Party Just Turned Five — and It’s Not Going Away (via Moyers & Company) Some date the advent of the tea party to 2007, when then-presidential candidate Ron Paul held…
Rachel Maddow: CIA spying on Congress ‘is death of the Republic stuff’
(Via RawStory) Rachel Maddow: CIA spying on Congress ‘is death of the Republic stuff’ (via Raw Story ) A dispute between the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Senate Intelligence Committee may…
The New Cold War and the Middle East
(By Victor Argo) Cold War times are back in Europe. Russian troops are standing in Crimea. The peninsula in southern Ukraine is known for its sparkling wine and the conference of Yalta…
Ukraine Crisis Shows Urgency of Green Energy: Russian Nat’l Gas Blackmail
(By Juan Cole) Hawks are complaining that Europe has been insufficiently belligerent in its response to Russian moves in the Crimea, blaming the declining military budgets in most European countries. But this…
Least Transparent Administration Ever: A New Front in Obama’s War on Whistleblowers
(By Peter Van Buren) The Obama administration has just opened a new front in its ongoing war on whistleblowers. It’s taking its case against one man, former Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Air Marshal…
Kerry on Invading other Countries on a Trumped Up Pretext (Editorial Cartoon)
(By Paul Jamiol) courtesy Jamiol's World
McCain’s Mind-Boggling Hypocrisy on Crimea at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee Conference
John Hickman, author of Selling Guantanamo, writes in a guest column for Informed Comment That the Crimean Crisis would be exploited by Republican Congressional leaders to criticize President Obama was inevitable. Politics…
Obama to Netanyahu: Israel faces Int’l Sanctions over “Permanent Occupation of West Bank”
(By Juan Cole) Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington, D.C., this week was even more of a disaster for him than might have been expected. It did not help that the…
Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs Workers Launch Strike to Protest Low Wages
Employees of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs have gone on a major strike protesting low wages and working conditions. Click here for the rest of the article...Libyan business confederation to be set up
By Michel Cousins. Tripoli, 4 March 2014: Plans are in motion to set up an organisation as the voice of the Libya private sector. The creation of a Libyan Confederation of Trade,…
Fracking Ban Momentum Builds On Both Sides Of The Atlantic
Fracking Ban-memtum Builds On Both Sides Of The Pond (via Clean Technica) Local communities that are pushing for a ban on fracking will get a helping hand from the British green energy…
AI Calls for Int’l Sanctions on Israel over Systematic Violence against Civilians
(By Sarah Lazare) Israeli forces are killing Palestinian civilians in the West Bank — including children — with "callous disregard for human life," enjoying near impunity for likely war crimes, and should be…
Paranoia strikes Deep: Russian Media Propaganda Feeds Ukraine Crisis
(By Dan Peleschuk) Russian TV beats war drum on home front (via GlobalPost) MOSCOW, Russia — Ukraine’s new authorities are an ultranationalist, neo-fascist gang who’ve seized power with covert Western support and…
What today’s GOP gets Wrong about Leadership: Obama & Eisenhower, Russian & Israeli Recklessness
(By Juan Cole) The usual suspects have been slamming President Obama for an alleged lack of leadership. Trolls for the military-industrial complex like Charles Krauthammer, and megalomaniacs from tiny states like Sen.…
Massive Protest by Israel’s Ultra-Orthodox against Conscription
Israel's Haredim, an Eastern European branch of Judaism emphasizing strict religious adherence, were a tiny minority at Israel's founding in 1948 and were given an exemption from conscription. Many Haredim rejected Zionism…
Will a Multi-Polar World be more Peaceful? The Failure of the Project for a New American Empire
(By Tom Engelhardt) There is, it seems, something new under the sun. Geopolitically speaking, when it comes to war and the imperial principle, we may be in uncharted territory. Take a look…
Don’t Let the Global 1% off the Hook: Obama should Press Saudi State on Human Rights when he Visits Riyadh
(By Sarah Leah Whitson) President Barack Obama The White House Dear President Obama, As you prepare for your upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia, we write to urge you to include critical…
The Crimean Crisis and the Middle East: Will Syria & Iran be the Winners?
(By Juan Cole) The Russian intervention in the Crimea is more direct and dramatic than the one in Syria, with actual troops deployed. But there are similarities. One of the little-noted rationales…
Solar Power In Movies (In honor of the Oscars)
Solar Power In Movies (via Clean Technica) Originally published on Mosaic. By John Steller. From sci-fi to drama and adventure, movies capture our attention and spur imagination like no other medium. In…
From Ben Affleck and George Clooney to Madonna and Bono: A scorecard for celebrities in Africa
From Ben Affleck and George Clooney to Madonna and Bono: A scorecard for celebrities in Africa (via GlobalPost) NAIROBI, Kenya — This Wednesday, Ben Affleck testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee…
Expelled from their homes by Israel, Palestinian Refugees in Syria’s Yarmouk Camp now Starving in midst of War
Israeli negotiators repeatedly refuse to consider a right of return for Palestinians Israelis expelled from Palestine to refugee camps in the region. But refugees are without rights and open to serial catastrophes,…
A New Crimean War? (Update: Stuff’s Getting Real)
(Juan Cole) Tensions have continued to build in Ukraine's Crimea since I wrote about it a few days ago. On Saturday, The Russian parliament authorized President Valdimir Putin to send troops into…
Assad Regime’s Drought Response Triggered Syrian War
Assad Regime’s Drought Response Triggered Syrian War (via Environment News Service) NIJMEGEN, The Netherlands, February 28, 2014 (ENS) – The long drought that gripped Syria from 2006 through 2010 was a trigger…
The Real Scientists: CO2 higher than in past 800,000 Years & World is Getting Hot!
(By Jacob Chamberlain) Climate change is accelerating full steam ahead and immediate action is neccessary, leading scientists from two countries clarified in an educational guide released Thursday.According to the The U.S. National…
One Million Afro-Iraqis say “Yes We Can” in Next Election
(By Mustafa Sadoun for Niqash, in Basra) There are an estimated 1.5 million African Iraqis in Iraq today and with these coming elections, the group has not yet given up on the…