Month

Archives: June 2016

Livni Slams Netanyahu, Calls for Israeli Referendum on Two-state Solution

By IMEMC | - - Zionist Union member of the Israeli parliament of the Knesset, Tzipi Livni, called for a referendum, Saturday afternoon, over what she reduced to a “problem” with Palestinians.…

After Trump bashed Brown Immigrants all Year, it’s the British White Guy who tries to Kill Him

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Donald Trump's blatantly racist attacks on immigrants have all along had as their subtext the implication that there is something wrong with those…

The Palmer Raid: When Trump’s Grandfather and Wives could have been Profiled

The Palmer Raids: When Trump’s Grandfather and Wives could have been Profiled

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Marx said that every great event in history happens twice, the first time as tragedy and the second time as farce. In this…

Israel approves $18.6 mn in new funding for Squatter settlements in Palestinian West Bank

Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- The Israeli government approved on Sunday the allocation of an additional 72 million shekels (about $18.6 million) to settlements in the occupied West…

Why don’t Technocrats think the cure for Iraqi Corruption more Democracy? It is Everywhere Else!

Usman W. Chohan | (The Conversation) | - - The tragedy of modern Iraq is often studied with a humanitarian, moral, religious, political or military lens, but fiscal perspectives are much harder…

Other Acts of Terror get Media Anniversaries, but not White Terrorists like Dylann Roof

By Bryan van Hulst Miranda | ( TeleSur) | - - A year after Roof was charged over the mass-killing of nine Black people in an African Methodist church, it is worth…

Pyrrhic Victory? As Iraq rolls back Daesh, can it stay together as a Country?

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - From all accounts, most people in Fallujah are very happy about being out from under the murderous and puritanical rule of Daesh (ISIS,…

FBI Director Schools Trump On American Muslims

Ana Kasparian, Brett Erlich, Kenny Hamilton, & Meredith Planko | (Young Turks Video) | - - "FBI director, James Comey, says that Donald Trump has it wrong about Muslims. The Republican presidential…

How ISIL is losing al-Anbar Province: Corruption, Reckless Driving, Carelessness w/ Secrets

Niqash.org | Baghdad | - - "Newsletters sent to Islamic State fighters in Anbar indicate the group’s problems with bad drivers and corruption. It also shows a decentralized command structure that ensures…

The rise and fall of Turkey’s progressive opposition

By Nick Ashdown | ( OpenDemocracy) | - - Turkey's pro-Kurdish opposition party, the HDP roared into parliament on the back of a rainbow coalition of alienated progressives and minorities. Now, armed conflict…

The end of the Beginning: The Fall of ISIL in Fallujah

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - After Montgomery and his troops defeated the Germans and Italians at El Alamain in northern Egypt in 1942, Winston Churchill was relieved finally…

Kochs’ Victory: House of Reps. Votes to Protect Anonymous ‘Dark Money’ Donors

TeleSur | - - The House of Representatives approved a bill that campaign finance refomers say will open the door to illegal influence on political campaigns. The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives…

Who Was the mystic Jalaluddin Rumi, and Whose Rumi Is He?

By Bismellah Alizada | (GlobalVoices.org) | - - As all the countries that call the work of Jalaluddin Rumi their own rise up against the idea of Leonardo Di Caprio playing the…

PM: Israeli cut-off of West Bank water supplies in Ramadan ‘inhumane and outrageous’

Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- The Palestinian Prime Minister’s office on Thursday slammed Israel’s decision to cut off water supplies for tens of thousands of Palestinians in the…

Did the FBI Tell Orlando Shooter’s ex-Wife Not to reveal He Was Gay to Media?

TeleSur | - - In an interview with Brazilian TV, the ex-wife of Omar Mateen claimed the U.S. agency told her to keep quiet about his homosexuality. The U.S. Federal Bureau of…

British Trumpism? Anti-Immigrant “Britain First” White Terrorist kills Member of Parliament

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The assassin shouted "Britain First!" as he repeatedly stabbed Jo Cox in the stomach with a hunting knife and then shot her with…

The over-teched over-priced Weapons that Ate the Pentagon

By Andrew Cockburn | ( Tomdispatch.com) | - - These days, lamenting the apparently aimless character of Washington’s military operations in the Greater Middle East has become conventional wisdom among administration critics…

US still in Conventional War in Afghanistan via . . . Drones?

By Jack Serle | ( Bureau of Investigative Journalism) | - - US drones hit Taliban more than terrorist networks despite end of Afghan war The majority of US airstrikes in Afghanistan…

Trump’s response to Orlando massacre proves just how dangerous he is

By Adam Quinn | (The Conversation) | - - Those who’ve been wondering when Donald Trump would switch from the wild bombast of his primary campaign to the sober mode traditionally demanded…

In further Move to Far Right, Israel passes Draconian Terrorism Law

Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- A controversial new anti-terrorism law passed the Israeli Knesset on Wednesday, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, which will grant the Israeli state far-reaching…

Despite Terrorism fears, 59% of Americans Welcome Syrian, Iraqi Refugees

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | "American attitudes on refugees from the Middle East": A Public Opinion Poll by Shibley Telhami is just out. Despite the raft of Republican mayors who…

Orlando and the Future of Terrorism

By John Feffer | ( Foreign Policy in Focus ) | - - It’s tempting to use a harsh epithet like “terrorism” to describe the actions in Orlando. Perhaps “mass hate crime”…

Obama: Hating on Muslim-Americans makes you an ally of ISIL, & Unamerican

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - President Obama is clearly concerned about the direction of the country and the mainstreaming of anti-Muslim hate speech, especially in the context of…

Three LGBTQ Muslims offer their thoughts on the Orlando shooting and dismiss right-wing attempts to Appropriate their cause.

AJ+ | (Video News Report) | - - "Three LGBTQ Muslims offer their thoughts on the Orlando shooting and dismiss right-wing attempts to pay lip service to their cause." AJ+: "Gay And…

Should President Obama have Apologized to the Victims of Hiroshima?

Vicente Medina | (Informed Comment) | - - While President Obama did not formally apologize for the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japanese civilians at the end of WWII, by visiting…

In consumer victory over Telcoms, Fed Appeals court Upholds Net Neutrality

By Kit Walsh | (Electronic Frontier Foundation) | - - In a crucial win for Internet users, today a federal appeals court upheld [PDF] clear net neutrality rules that will let us…

Top 7 ways to tell if Someone is lying about being a ‘Salafi Jihadi’

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Regulars at Pulse Nightclub are saying that Omar Mateen, the alleged shooter in the early Sunday morning massacre there, was himself a regular!…

Al-Qaeda Speaks The Language Of Syrian Sectarianism

By Sam Heller | ( RFE/RL) | - - As the extremist group Islamic State (IS) and its rival Al-Qaeda have captured pieces of Iraq, Syria, and other countries in the region,…

Is Greece about to recognize Palestine?

Ma'an News Agency | - - RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- Syriza, the ruling party in the Greek parliament, told Palestinian lawmakers Saturday that the government was set to officially recognize the state of…

Chomsky: Nuclear Weapons, Climate Change, and the Prospects for Survival

By Noam Chomsky | ( Tomdispatch.com) | - - [This essay is excerpted from Noam Chomsky’s new book, Who Rules the World? (Metropolitan Books).] In January 2015, the Bulletin of the Atomic…

Omar Mateen and Rightwing Homophobia: Hate Crime or Domestic Terrorism?

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - US law enforcement is at least initially categorizing the horrific Orlando shootings as "domestic terrorism." I don't think it probably was terrorism in…

Thousands Protest Drone Wars at US Air Force Base in Germany

TeleSur | - - Protesters say the base is being used to coordinate U.S. drone strikes in several countries which they argue violates German constitution. Several thousand demonstrators formed a human chain…

The Taliban Threat to Northern Afghanistan

By Bruce Pannier | ( RFE/RL) The security problems in northwest Afghanistan continue despite several trips to the region by Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum, a former general who comes from…

Abuses of Fallujah Sunnis Raise Question: Does Iraq Gov’t Control of Shiite Militias

Human Rights Watch | - - (Beirut) – The announced investigation into allegations of abuse of civilians around Fallujah by Iraqi government forces is a test for the government’s ability to hold…

Is Tel Aviv Mayor Right that Israel is unique in Occupation & denying Civil Rights?

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Ron Huldai, the mayor of Tel Aviv, reacted with enormous sadness to Thursday's terrorist attack on the Sarona Market restaurant district in Tel…

‘Security Moms’: A Constituency for Hillary Clinton’s Hawkish Foreign Policy?

by Dinesh Sharma | (The Conversation) | - - Both conservatives and progressives have argued Hillary Rodham Clinton is more “hawkish” than President Obama. Robert Gates, the secretary of defense under both…

Under Israeli Blockade and Running out of Water, Gaza turns to Solar

AJ+ | (Video News Report) | - - "People are struggling to find clean drinking water in Gaza, but one resident has a solution. Fayez al-Hindi has built a solar power system…

Muhammad Ali Understood the Racist Roots of War and Militarism: And he called them out fearlessly.

By Phyllis Bennis | (Foreign Policy in Focus) | - - With all the discussion and debate these days about intersectionality and the need for progressives to link our movements against racism…

America’s First Communal Muslim Funeral: Muhammad Ali

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The funeral of Muhammad Ali, attended by a throng of 20,000, was the first national funeral for a national hero of the United…

Suicide Bombers + Secret Tunnels: ISIL Tactics On Fallujah’s Front lines

Mustafa Habib | | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) | - - The battle for Fallujah will be long and hard. The Islamic State has prepared for a siege, is relying on foreign fighters…

Besieged Syrian Town Gets First Food Aid Since 2012

TeleSur | - - "We call for unconditional, unimpeded and sustained access to all people in need," said a U.N. spokesperson. An international aid convoy reached Daraya—a Syrian town under siege by…

Israel’s Continuous Implementation of Apartheid Policies in Hebron

IMEMC | International Solidarity Movement | al-Khalil Team For more than seven months, Israeli forces have kept a staircase leading to Qurtuba school and the surrounding neighbourhood in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron), under…

World More violent in past Year, but Middle East drives Deterioration

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The 2016 Global Peace Index has been released, with the bad news that the world is slightly more violent this year than last.…

Nile Valley Water Conflict: Can Egypt live with Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam?

By Dale Whittington | (The Conversation) | - - The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, or GERD, under construction on the Blue Nile near the Ethiopian-Sudanese border, is now approximately 50% complete. Initial…

The Iraq War isn’t Over; it is waged here, in our Hospitals every Day

By Mark Wilkerson | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | - - Memorial Day is over. You had your barbeque. Now, you can stop thinking about America’s wars and the casualties from them for…

How Trump’s Real and Actual Racism has Thrived

By Todd Gitlin | ( BillMoyers.com) | - - Dana Milbank’s June 6 article in The Washington Post was aptly headlined, “Republicans finally discover that Trump is an actual racist.” Not a…

Trump ‘a thin-skinned racist bully’: Elizabeth Warren’s Full Evisceration

Sen. Elizabeth Warren | (Video of American Constitution Convention Speech) | - - "Elizabeth Warren Endorses Hillary Clinton - VP Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren Remark at National Constitution Society Conference Dinner…

UN: Return Saudi-led Coalition to ‘List of Shame’ Secretary-General’s De-Listing Opens Door to Political Manipulation

Human Rights Watch | - - (New York) – The United Nations secretary-general should immediately return the Saudi-led coalition to his “list of shame” for violations against children in Yemen, Human Rights…

Why doesn’t Syria’s biggest city have any Windows?

AJ+ | - - "Five years of war has had a devastating effect on the Syrian city of Aleppo. With the constant threat of shelling and the soaring price of glass, people…

Clash Looming? Russia-backed Syrian Army heading for ISIL’s al-Raqqa in race with US-backed Kurds

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The Syrian Arab Army is advancing toward al-Raqqa city, the capital of the phony ISIS "caliphate," with Russian air support. US Pentagon spokesman…

4 Israelis dead, multiple injured in Tel Aviv market shooting

Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- At least four Israelis were killed and 10 injured in a shooting at the Sarona Market in Tel Aviv around 9:30 p.m. on…

EU: Israeli Squatter Settlements in Palestine could Lead to all-out War

Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- An EU high representative said during a UN Security Council briefing on Monday that the prospective of a viable two-state solution was getting…

Welcome to the Party, America! 11 Muslim women who have been PM or President

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Hillary Clinton gave a victory speech Tuesday night positioning herself as the logical conclusion of the first women's rights meeting at Seneca Falls…

Sen. Lindsey Graham: Can’t Support Trump b/c of ‘Un-American’ Racism re: Latino Judge

NBC News | (Video News Report) | - - "The former GOP presidential hopeful and current Senator form South Carolina speaks with NBC News' Hallie Jackson about the "flawed choices" he and…

Turkey’s Foreign Policy: From ‘Zero Problems’ To ‘Nothing But Problems’

By Abbas Djavadi | ( RFE/RL ) | - - For years, former Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's policy of "zero problems with neighboring countries" was a flagship concept of the ruling…

France: White Terrorist not investigated for Terrorism even when he Vows attacks

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - So Gregoire Moutaux, 25, was arrested last month by Ukraine. The French national had a large cache of deadly weapons. Ukraine Intelligence chief…

Media calls Election for Hillary before California: Superdelegate System under Fire

TeleSur | - - The prediction is likely to stir controversy among Sanders supporters and critics of the superdelegate system, which has been branded "anti-democratic." The race between Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders…

Dear Graduates: We’re Leaving you a Trumpian America; Please Fix It

By Tom Engelhardt | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | - - I’ve long had a weakness for commencement addresses, or at least for what they might be rather than what they usually are,…

Crisis and Climate Change Driving Unprecedented Migration

By Manipadma Jena | (Inter Press Service) | - - Manipadma Jena interviews the director general of the International Organization for Migration, Wiliam Lacy Swing. Owing to demographic drivers, countries are going…

Turkish President: Muslims who use Birth Control are Traitors

By Arzu Geybullayeva | (GlobalVoices.org) | - - In the past 72 hours, international media coverage of Turkey has been replete with headlines such as “Go forth and multiply: Turkey President Erdogan…

Stymied by Syrian regime Sieges, UN planning Food Airdrops to 600K Civilians

By Lyndal Rowlands | (Inter Press Service) | - - UNITED NATIONS (IPS) - The UN has begun plans to deliver aid to besieged Syrian towns by air but says there are…

Israel-First McCarthyism: Cuomo’s vow to spy on, punish BDS Activists in long Tradition

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - After New York governor Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order directing the state to monitor and sanction activists in the Boycott, Sanctions and…

Will Fracking & the Environment decide Californians between Clinton and Sanders?

TeleSur _ - - California is in its fifth year of a severe drought. While Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump lied to a crowd in Fresno on May 27 declaring that there…

Syrian Gov’t Troops enter ISIL-held al-Raqqa Province, racing against US Allies

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Syrian troops, aided by a Homs-based pro-government militia the 'Falcons of the Desert' and under the cover of Russian air support, entered al-Raqqa…

Not the Onion: US asks Russia not to Bomb al-Qaeda in Syria

TeleSur | - - The Russian foreign minister said his Washington counterpart asked Moscow not to target the extremist groups out of fear of hitting moderate rebels. The United States has asked…

UN Rebukes Saudi Arabia: Yemen’s Children Victims of Shocking Violations

By Kristine Beckerle, Finberg Fellow | ( Human Rights Watch) | - - Every year, the United Nations secretary-general releases a “list of shame” of government forces and armed groups that have…

Fueling Sanders’ Turnout Hope, California Reports Record Surge of New Voters

By Jon Queally, staff writer | ( Commondreams.org | - - Said one energized supporter: 'California loves a comeback story.' Nearly 6,000 North Coast residents cheered Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders in…

Sufi Boxer Muhammad Ali’s last fight was against Extremism & Politicians’ Islamophobia

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Boxer Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Marcellus Clay in Louisville, Kentucky, on 17 January 1942, is dead at 74. Ali was on the US…

Hillary Clinton roasts Donald Trump on Foreign Policy

AJ+ | (Video News Report) | - - "During her foreign policy speech, Hillary Clinton roasts Trump's ideas – or what she calls “bizarre rants.” She talks about how a Trump presidency…

How The US, Iraqi Army And Shiite Militias United – Then Split – In Fallujah

By Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) | - - Anti-extremist forces have been fighting in Fallujah for a week. But before they began, there were serious negotiations between the partners-in-battle. And…

Israel’s future is terrifying: Moshe Yaalon and Harbingers of Extremism

By Ramzy Baroud | (Ma'an News Agency) | - - Israeli society is constantly swerving to the right and, by doing so, the country’s entire political paradigm is redefined regularly. That Israel…

Baghdad advances on Fallujah but “slows down” for fear of Civilian Casualties

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Iraqi Prime Minister Haydar al-Abadi said Thursday that his troops were in position to move into the city of Fallujah from the south,…

Holy Lands: Reviving Pluralism in the Middle East

by JOSEPH RICHARD PREVILLE and JULIE POUCHER HARBIN | ( ISLAMiCommentary) | - - Column » ‘By the Book’ with Joseph Preville How did the rise of nation-states in the 20th century…

Trump University Was Textbook case of Fraud (TYT)

Cenk Uygur | (The Young Turks Video) | - - "Donald Trump is in a lot of trouble since a judge unsealed the documents of the Trump University case. This has the…

Inside ISIL’s looted antiquities trade

By Fiona Rose-Greenland | (The Conversation) | - - For excavators – archaeologists, but also looters like the [so-called] Islamic State, or ISIL – the opportunity for discovery in modern Iraq and…

As US/ Kurdish force Moves on ISIL at Manbij, Turkey goes Ballistic

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The left-leaning Beirut daily al-Safir (Ambassador) points out that less than two weeks after the Syrian Democratic Forces announced their campaign against al-Raqqa,…

Trumping Terrorism with Torture?

By Rebecca Gordon | (Informed Comment) | - - Why do Republican candidates for the presidency keep promising to commit war crimes? GOP standard-bearer Donald Trump guarantees he’ll torture terrorists and “take…

Tired of living in fear of the Muslims next door? Easy Breathalyzer Fix (Bassem Youssef Satire)

Dr. Bassem Youssef | (Fusion Comedy Satire Video) | - - "Tired of living in fear of the Muslims next door? Bassem Youssef has a solution! SUBSCRIBE for more Democracy Handbook (Bassem's…

The Gaza Strip: The Political Economy of De-development: Sara Roy

Paige Brownlow | (Institute for Palestine Studies) The Gaza Strip: The Political Economy of De-development Third and Final Edition by Harvard Scholar, Sara Roy “The De-development of the Gaza Strip has arguably…

ISIL counter-attack in Fallujah: can Iraqi Forces maintain momentum?

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The London pan-Arab daily al-Hayat [Life] reports that Iraqi troops are advancing on Fallujah despite facing fierce resistance from Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) .…

Koch Bros. Shill Glenn Beck suspended for agreeing with Brad Thor that Trump might have to be Taken Out

Joya Mia Italiano and Elliot Hill | (TheLipTV Video Report) | - - "Glenn Beck has been suspended from satellite radio company SiriusXM after one of his guests made a threat against…

US domestic extremists a bigger risk than foreign terrorism, but guess who Trump & GOP Coddle?

By David Alpher | (The Conversation) | - - Take America back from those who have stolen it. Protect America from those who want to destroy it. Restore the principles that these…

Multi-Trillion Dollar Bridge to Nowhere in the Greater Middle East

By Andrew J. Bacevich | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | - - We have it on highest authority: the recent killing of Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour by a U.S. drone strike…