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Archives: November 2015
What does ISIL/ Daesh actually want?
By Amalendu Misra | (the Conversation) | - - Every religious community, at some point in its history, has harboured a vision of the apocalypse. It reminds us that the world periodically…
The GOP Race as America’s Hunger Games
Nomi Prins | (Tomdispatch.com) | - - Fact: too many Republican candidates are clogging the political scene. Perhaps what’s needed is an American Hunger Games to cut the field to size. Each…
Muslims are our Scientists, Physicians, Philanthropists & are critical to American progress
By Dalia Mogahed and John L. Esposito | (Progressive Media Project) | - - While the world mourned the savage and senseless loss of innocent life, some capitalized on the attacks in…
Angered that EU labels Squatter W. Bank Products, Israel suspends EU from “Peace Process”
Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israel said Sunday that it would suspend diplomatic contacts with European Union bodies involved in the Palestinian peace process, following an EU decision…
Turkey reels as Putin imposes Stiff Economic Sanctions
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The Russian sanctions announced by President Vladimir Putin on Saturday could have a severe impact on the Turkish economy. It is not clear…
Poll: Muslims actually HATE ISIL/ Daesh
Ana Kasparian, John Iadarola, Jimmy Dore & Francesca Fiorentini | (The Young Turks) | - - N. B. Charts courtesy Pew Research Center [N.B. 6% of Buddhists in Malaysia think well of…
Are Putin’s Economic Sanctions on Turkey the end of a Golden Age in Moscow-Ankara Relations?
By Alexander Titov | (The Conversation) | - - In locking horns over Syria, Russia and Turkey are playing out the latest chapter in a rivalry that has spanned centuries. Since the…
Israeli squatters in Palestine storm Palestinian activist center in Hebron
Ma'an News Agency Israeli settlers sitting at tables and chairs they brought into the garden of the Youth Against Settlements activist center. HEBRON (Ma'an) -- Dozens of Israeli settlers stormed the headquarters…
Hundreds of Thousands in Global Climate Marches as COP21 begins in Paris
The Tree | - - The Global Climate Marches have commenced with over 60,000 people marching for action in Melbourne today – the largest climate event of its kind ever held in…
Abortion Clinics, White Christian Terrorism and GOP Candidates
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Americans are more at risk from violence by armed white Christian fanatics than they ever were from Muslims. Abortion clinics have been targeted…
Top Ten differences between White Terrorists and Others
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Reprint edn. 1. White terrorists are called "gunmen." What does that even mean? A person with a gun? Wouldn't that be, like, everyone…
Did Turkey send a deliberate message to Russia & was the US involved?
By Deniz Çifçi | ( Your Middle East ) | - - Two Turkish F-16 fighter jets shot down a Russia warplane . . . This will most probably have serious consequences…
Women Refugees from radical groups like Taliban suffer Psychological Disorders
By Ashfaq Yusufzai | (Inter Press Service) | - - PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Nov 26 2015 (IPS) - “My two sons were killed by Taliban militants mercilessly three years ago. My husband died…
Pres. Obama refuses to recognize new Israel Squatter Settlements on Palestinian Land
By IMEMC | - - In a press conference this week, the Obama administration rejected Israel’s government request to recognize the construction of new [illegal] settlements in the occupied West Bank. The…
Annual Informed Comment Fundraiser: Support Indie Journalism
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - It is that fundraising time of year again, folks. This year everyone who contributes $100 or more to Informed Comment by Paypal will…
As French Pres. Hollande meets Putin, France considers alliance w/ Syrian Army
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - French President Francois Hollande met Thursday with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow, in his marathon search for a "Grand and Unique…
Dear Saudi Arabia: Executing People for Atheism is in fact ISIL-Like; #Sosuemesaudi
Boom Live | - - Poet Ashraf Fayad has been sentenced to death by a Saudi Arabian court. He was charged with accusations of public 'blasphemy' and has less than 30 days…
Armed White Shooters Scarier than Syria Refugees: Dallas Mayor
Mark Sovel and Nik Zecevic | (TheLipTV Video Report) | - - "Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said he is “more fearful” of white men who commit mass shootings than people fleeing civil…
Iraq: Eastern front against ISIL slowed by Internal Divisions, Unenthusiastic USAF
By Mustafa Habib | (Niqash.org) | - - Iraqi fighters in Anbar are waiting to push the Islamic State group out of cities like Ramadi. But they wonder when it will happen,…
Big Rise in Terrorism *outside* West linked to Refugee Crisis
By Tharanga Yakupitiyage | (Inter Press Service) | - - UNITED NATIONS (IPS) - In 2014, the number of lives lost to terrorism around the world increased by 80 percent, the highest…
Israel To Coordinate With Google, YouTube, To Censor Palestinian Videos Of Conflict
By Saed Bannoura | ( IMEMC) | - - The Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister, Member of Knesset Tzipi Hotovely, held meetings this week with representatives of YouTube and Google, to find ways…
Putin: Turkey supports Radicalism & We may have to Respond, hence Tourism Ban
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday explained his rationale for asking Russian tourists to leave Turkey, and it is ominous. He anticipates that…
Struggling Syrian Refugees are being failed by Int’l Aid System
Dawn Chatty | (OpenDemocracy) | - - "As the war is prolonged, families are exhausting their savings. Without a massive re-thinking of how aid is delivered and distributed, refugees in the region…
Boycotts as Russia seethes against Turkey after Shootdown
By Tom Balmforth | ( RFE/RL) | - - MOSCOW -- Vladimir Putin said there would be "serious consequences" after Turkish fighter jets shot down a Russian warplane on November 24. True…
Jewish-Only Cities to Evict Thousands of Palestinians
By IMEMC News | - - Thousands of Palestinians will be displaced as part of a new Israeli plan to build several Jewish-only communities in the Negev region, in south of the…
This Year Thanksgiving overlaps Paris Climate Summit: Let’s be Thankful we can Do Something
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) --- Reprint edn. The popular story about Thanksgiving is an environmental parable that we would do well to remember today. It was a harvest festival in…
Why did Turkey dare shoot down a Russian Plane? The Proxy War in Syria
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The Turkish government decision to down a Russian jet operating in the north of the Syrian province of Latakia is breathtaking in its…
Can France forge a grand alliance against ISIL that includes Putin & Obama?
Shelby Holliday | (WSJ Video Report) | - - "In the wake of the Paris attacks, French President Francois Hollande is traveling to Washington and Moscow to build support for a new…
Kabul on the Potomac: How America became the most Corrupt Society in the West
By Rebecca Gordon | ( Tomdispatch.com) | - - A top government official with energy industry holdings huddles in secret with oil company executives to work out the details of a potentially…
Putin, Furious, calls Turkey ‘accomplices of terrorists’ after Russian jet downing
EurActiv.com | - - Russian President Vladimir Putin called Turkey's downing of a Russian fighter jet today (24 November) a stab in the back administered by "the accomplices of terrorists," saying the…
Americans’ views of Islam depend on whether they’re at war overseas
The Bridge Initiative | - - Washington, DC The Bridge Initiative, a Georgetown University research project on Islamophobia, releases today its inaugural report which traces 20 years of polling data on Americans’…
Saudi Arabia: Poet Sentenced to Death for Apostasy
Human Rights Watch | - - (Beirut) – A Saudi court sentenced a Palestinian man to death for apostasy on November 17, 2015, for alleged blasphemous statements during a discussion group and…
From Putin To Khamenei: A Koran Copy With Its Own History
By RFE/RL | - - It may not be the original version of the first . . . edition of the Koran, dating back 1,500 years, but it’s still quite a book.…
Muslims are integrated in France, but the bad guys want a clash of civilizations.
By Sebastian Rotella | ( ProPublica PARIS — Ten days after the Paris terror attacks, Europe remains on edge. Police in Belgium, anticipating a similar assault, are on highest alert as they…
Pushing back against ISIL/ Daesh: How the Kurds Reclaimed Sinjar
VICE News | (Video report) | - - "Islamic State (IS) fighters swept into the Iraqi city of Sinjar in August 2014, forcing Kurdish peshmerga forces to retreat. The city, primarily made…
Against Trump: 9/11 Muslim Candlelight vigils Sympathizing with US
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The meme that Muslims celebrated the attacks of 9/11 has always been mostly a piece of false propaganda. Most people in the Muslim…
8,855 Murders by Firearm in US in 2012 vs. 30 (Equiv. 164) in UK
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Reprint edn. The United States continues to be peculiar in handing out powerful magazine-fed firearms to almost anyone who wants one and not…
‘Very Soon’ US forces will Arrive in Syria; Russia bombs near Turkey
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Turkey's government is very unhappy today about developments in Syria. President Obama's special envoy, Brett McGurk, said Sunday that the some 50 men…
Muslims Respond To Trump Muslim ID Card Idea With #MuslimID
AJ+ | (Video Report) | - - "Donald Trump suggested Muslim ID cards, resulting in backlash which has yet to deter the 2016 Republican Presidential candidate. Some folks concocted an interesting hashtag…
Israeli protesters demand separate roads for Palestinians, Israelis
Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- Dozens of Israelis protested in front of an Israeli government building in Jerusalem on Sunday, demanding Palestinians be barred from using the same…
Dragon v. Eagle: China & the US compete for Eurasia
By Pepe Escobar | ( Tomdispatch.com ) - - The U.S. is transfixed by its multibillion-dollar electoral circus. The European Union is paralyzed by austerity, fear of refugees, and now all-out jihad…
“A Profile in Cowardice” (Political Cartoon)
Paul Jamiol | Jamiol's World | - - Via Jamiol's World
“Give us Your Huddled Masses.” But Syrians “Need Not Apply.”
By Brian Glyn Williams | (Informed Comment) | - - Perhaps no words more beautifully define who we are as a people than those etched in that emblem of American freedom that…
Trump’s call for Spying on US Muslims recalls FBI bugging of MLK, Black Churches
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - As Donald Trump supporters beat a 'Black Lives Matter' protester at his rally in Birmingham, Ala., Trump himself reminded us of the dark…
Bernie Sanders: “Turning our backs on refugees destroys the idea of America”
Gwen Ifill/ Bernie Sanders | (PBS News Hour Video) | - - "Sanders: Turning away refugees destroys the idea of America Blurb: How would Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders handle terror…
Paris Attackers: What radicalized one Brussels Neighborhood?
By Martin Conway | (The Conversation) | - - Just as during the German invasions of 1914 and 1940, war, it seems, is coming to France through Belgium. If one follows the…
In Bipartisan display of Bigotry, 47 Democrats Join with House GOP to Refuse Syrian Refugees
By Jon Queally, staff writer | (Commondreams.org) | - - "Not much is bipartisan these days, but apparently bigotry is something both sides of the aisle can come together on." "Speaker Ryan…
US think tank says Israel has around 115 nuclear weapons
Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- A Washington-based think tank published a study Friday reporting Israel’s possession of around 115 nuclear weapons, despite the country's ongoing policy of ambiguity…
“For Paris” on Russian Missiles hitting Syria as ISIL Oil Facilities Targeted
By Juan Cole | (Informed Coment) | - - the Syrian observatory said that the Russian strikes on the eastern province of Deir al-Zor killed 36 on Friday. Meanwhile, Russia also bombed…
How to lose the war on terror: panic and feed ISIL’s narrative
By Daniel Baldino | (The Conversation) | - - Terrorism’s goal is principally psychological. So, in the wake of events like those in Paris, a good starting point is to refuse to…
The ISIS Trap – Will You Fall Into It?
AJ+ | (Video Report) | - - "ISIS has a pretty black-and-white view of the world. Either you're with them, or you're with people they consider infidels. But what about people in…
American Traitor who spied on US Navy for Israel Released; Netanyahu ‘longed for this day’
Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday addressed American Jonathan Pollard who was released on parole after serving 30 years in prison for…
Lessons for the West on Immigrants & Exclusion from the Age of the ‘Bomb-throwing Anarchist’
By Akil N. Awan | (The National Interest) | - - The bearded young terrorist furtively slipped amongst the oblivious theatergoers. Glancing around to ensure he had not aroused suspicion, he looked…
Ben Carson compares Syrian Refugees to Rabid Dogs
Don Dahler | CBSN | (Video News Report) | - - "GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson stirred up controversy after he likened Syrian refugees to rabid dogs. CBSN's Don Dahler has more."…
If Trump can track Muslims, close Mosques, what can he do to You?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump, having said earlier that he might seek to close down mosques if he were president, on Thursday went…
Dear GOP: France is still Taking in Syria Refugees so who is the Coward?
AJ+ | (Video report) | - - "While U.S. governors say no to refugees in response to the Paris attacks, France says it will take in 30,000 Syrians." AJ+: "France Still Welcoming…
After Paris, it’s good detective work that will keep us safe, not mass surveillance
By Pete Fussey | (The Conversation) | - - Before the dust has even settled from the attacks on Paris, familiar calls for greater surveillance powers are surfacing. The desire for greater…
Can European Union, Russia & US team up to defeat ISIL?
By Georgi Gotev & Aline Robert | (EurActiv.com) | - - Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has teamed up with French President François Hollande in seeking a 'rapprochement' with Russia to fight [the…
Why the National Security State Relishes our being Trolled by Muslim Radicals
By Tom Engelhardt | Tomdispatch.com) | - - Honestly, I don’t know whether to rant or weep, neither of which are usual impulses for me. In the wake of the slaughter in…
Did Daesh/ ISIL’s Paris attacks bolster al-Assad? Spain calls him ‘lesser of evils’
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Spanish foreign minister José Manuel García Margallo said Wednesday in the course of a television interview: "At the end of the day, the…
Sowing fear of Refugees is playing into ISIL’s Hands: HRW
Human Rights Watch | - - (New York) – Governments should not allow the recent attacks in Paris and similar mass casualty attacks elsewhere to undermine the responsibility to protect refugees around…
Obama: GOP afraid of little Syrian Girls; Cruz: ‘You want a piece of me?’
John Iadarola and Elliot Hill | (The Young Turks Video) | - - "President Obama is speaking out against Republican politicians and members of the media demonizing Syrian refugees, implying that we…
Arrest Warrants for Israeli PM Netanyahu for War Crimes in Spain, South Africa
IMEMC | - - South Africa issued, on Tuesday, an arrest warrant against four Israeli officials over their role in deadly attacks on pro-Palestinian international activists. Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Against the…
Grand Alliance against ISIL: Can Putin come in from the Cold?
By Brian Whitmore | ( RFE/RL ) | - - He wasn't ostracized. He wasn't isolated. And certainly nobody threatened to shirtfront him. In the space of a year, Vladimir Putin has…
A New Yalta? Can France Craft an alliance of Putin & Obama against Daesh/ISIL?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - French President Francois Hollande is seeking a new relationship with Russia after the attacks on Paris by Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) and the Russian…
2003: Iraqi Governors who did not want Americans in their Country
"Could we have a prudent pause?"
Obama to Hawks: You can’t Occupy all the Countries in the Middle East
By John Hickman | (Informed Comment) | - - There was something very reassuring about President Obama’s delivery of a carefully reasoned explanation for his Middle East foreign policy during Monday’s Press…
Swedish FM worries about Muslim & Palestinian Youth Despair, draws Israeli Rebuke
By IMEMC | - - Following the Paris attacks on Friday, Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom made a connection between Islamic State extremism and the Israeli occupation, causing a feud between the…
Paris attacks: how effective has the military response been?
By Scott Lucas | (The Conversation) | - - Even as Parisians were trying to assess the scale of the attacks by Islamic State (IS) which killed 132 people on November 13,…
Top 10 Reasons Governors are Wrong to Exclude Syrian Refugees
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Some half of US governors have announced their opposition to their states taking in Syrian refugees after the Paris attacks. Although they can…
Whether Jewish Refugees in ’30s or Syrians today, USA Falls Short of own Ideals
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Reprint ed., slightly revised. More than half of US governors have abruptly announced that they will not welcome Syrian refugees. Governors cannot actually…
After Paris, Rights Groups warn against Police State Tactics
By Nadia Prupis, staff writer | (Commondreams.org) | - - 'Whilst closed oppressive societies breed hatred and barbarism, open reflective states built on rights, freedoms and the rule of law ultimately prevail.'…
Trump: We Should Strongly Consider Closing Mosques
Cenk Uygur | (The Young Turks Video) | - - "Who’s going to step in after Paris to demagogue? Donald Trump of course. He would hate to do it, but he would…
Exxon investigation: A warning shot for fossil fuel companies as climate lies unveiled
The Tree | - - In the first concrete legal action against ExxonMobil’s web of climate lies, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has announced he will investigate whether the oil giant…
How Islamic law can take on ISIL
By Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im | (The Conversation) | - - The media coverage of the terrorist atrocities of Friday November 13 in Paris would seem to promote an almost mythical image of…
Is Daesh/ ISIL a modern Raiding Pirate state?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Some analysts trying to understand Daesh (ISIL, ISIS) had suggested that it differs from al-Qaeda in its emphasis on taking and holding territory,…
Can we Take another Year of GOP Candidates’ ‘Bright Ideas’?
By Martha Burk | (Otherwords.org) | - - Can we really take another year of nasty rhetoric and nonsense proposals? We’re officially just under a year away from Election Day 2016. We’ve…
No, Sending thousands of US Ground Troops won’t Fix the ISIL Problem
by DAVID SCHANZER for ISLAMiCommentary David Schanzer Last night’s attacks will increase calls for more vigorous military action than the coalition has mustered to date. But despite the horrific attacks, the reasons…
Paris: ending immigration to France won’t stop terrorism – resisting hatred of foreigners might
By Durukan Kuzu | (The Conversation) | - - When Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks in Paris that have killed at least 129 people, it warned that more would follow.…
From Beirut, this is Paris: in a world that doesn’t care about Arab lives
Elie Fares | (Open Democracy) | - - There is a stark contrast in the reaction of the world to the horrific terrorist attacks in Lebanon and France. But in the world…
Dem Candidates reject War Talk, Islamophobia in wake of Paris Attacks
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - At the CBS Democratic Party debate on Saturday night, the Paris attacks dominated as a concern. Unlike the Republican field, which is somewhat…
Terrorism and the Other Religions
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Reprint edn. slightly revised. Contrary to what is alleged by bigots like Bill Maher, Muslims are not more violent than people of other…
Paris terrorist attacks: Can France avoid trap of fear and exclusion?
By Aurelien Mondon | (The Conversation) | - - The attacks that took place at a series of venues in Paris on November 13 are already the deadliest on French soil since…
Fair Weather Friends: GOP says ‘We’re all French’ Now; but remember Freedom Fries?
By Brian Glyn Williams | (Informed Comment) | - - France has been hit twice by radical Islamist terrorism in the last year to punish it for its strong military support for…
Palestinian leadership in solidarity with France after deadly attacks
Ma'an News Agency | - - RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas on Friday expressed his solidarity and sympathy with France in a statement after a series of attacks left over…
ISIL imposes Harsh Loyalty tests on Fighters at Mosul
Special Correspondent | (Niqash.org) | - - Locals in Mosul say the Islamic State group has started a campaign to “test the loyalty” of their members. Those who joined for money or…
Paris at Midnight: Attempt to push France out of anti ISIL coalition in Syria?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Update: Daesh (IS, ISIS, ISIL) has said they were behind the attack. Paris was hit by at least two well-trained and -equipped terrorist…
ISIL Reels from major loss to Kurdish Forces at Sinjar
Wall Street Journal | (Video News Report) | - - "Kurdish forces on Friday retook control of the strategic Iraqi city of Sinjar from Islamic State militants, Kurdish officials said, as a…
The life of ‘Jihadi John’: how one man became the symbol of ISIL
By Scott Lucas | (The Conversation) | - - Dubbed “Jihadi John” by the British media after video footage of his murderous exploits was seen around the world, Mohammed Emwazi became a…
Top Ten Ways Islamic Law forbids Terrorism
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Reprint edn. (Slightly rearranged & revised): 1. Terrorism or hirabah is forbidden in Islamic law, which groups it with brigandage, highway robbery and…
What’s Wrong with Asking Muslims to Condemn Terrorism?
Written by Bridge Initiative Team | (Bridge) | - - Last [September], Vox journalist Max Fisher recounted a interesting story about an exchange between Larry King and a Muslim fan seeking a…
Trump’s “Deportation Force” Too Nuts For Even Bill O’Reilly
Ana Kasparian and John Iadarola | (The Young Turks Video Report) | - - "Donald Trump has elaborated on his immigration policy. He plans on assembling a “Deportation Force” to deport 11…
Kurdish Fighters cut Road between ISIL centers of Raqqa and Mosul
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Al-Arabiya reports that the Security Council in Iraqi Kurdistan has announced that their paramilitary, the Peshmerga have taken 150 square kilometers of the…
Jerusalem Tensions: It’s how the Israelis are Ruling Palestinians There
Brian K. Barber | (Informed Comment) | - - Once again violence has spiked between Palestinians and Israelis; a surge that might well be hard to quell given the chaotic, random, crude,…
Afghanistan: America’s Military Money Pit
By Tom Engelhardt | (Informed Comment) | - - Let’s begin with the $12 billion in shrink-wrapped $100 bills, Iraqi oil money held in the U.S. The Bush administration began flying it…
Beirut: ISIL claims twin Suicide Bombs in Shiite Area that kill over 41, injure 200
Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- At least 41 people were killed and nearly 200 injured in two suicide bombs targeting a Hezbollah stronghold in the south of the…
Are 2,000 Gulf fighters in Syria a terrorist threat to . . . the Gulf?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - A Saudi preacher has given a press briefing on young men from the Gulf fighting against the al-Assad regime. Although the Hizbullah fighters…
Is the Iraqi army a lost cause?
By Jon Moran | (The Conversation) | - - Building an army in a short space of time is a very difficult task. To be sure, there are some impressive examples. Cromwell’s…
Climate Change to throw 100 mn. People into Poverty
By Thalif Deen | (Inter Press Service) | - - UNITED NATIONS (IPS) - The UN’s heavily-hyped Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were approved by more than 160 world leaders at a…
EU approves labeling of Israeli Squatter products
Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The European Union on Wednesday adopted measures to label products from Israeli settlements, considered illegal under international law, in a move welcomed by…
Syria: The Other Front, not ISIL or Assad: al-Qaeda al-Nusra
Medyan Dairieh | VICE News | (Video Report) - - "VICE News filmmaker Medyan Dairieh gains exclusive access to the Syrian branch of al Qaeda, al Nusra, a jihadist group fighting against…
Why EU Labeling of Israeli Squatter Goods could Affect Israeli Economy
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The European Union will probably issue a ruling today that goods produced in the Occupied Palestinian West Bank by Israeli squatters must be…
Jeb Bush Wants A Time Machine To murder a Baby — Hitler
Cenk Uygur | (The Young Turks) | - - "Jeb Bush has been trying to prove he’s a tough guy. He said he eats nails before breakfast. He recently proclaimed he would…
After the AKP Victory in Turkey: Elective Dictatorship?
T. Deniz Erkmen | (Informed Comment) | - - The results of November 1st snap elections in Turkey were a surprise; not just for the left or liberal opposition who were hoping…
Forgotten: How US put Oil, Cold War above Peace & Palestinian Rights
By Irene Gendzier | Author, Dying to Forget | (Informed Comment) | - - For journalists and politicians alike, the recurring violence in the Middle East is commonly viewed as the lamentable…
Splintering World: Looking Back on the Great Collapse from 2050
By John Feffer | (Tomdispatch.com) | - - Let me start with a confession. I’m old-fashioned and I have an old-fashioned profession. I’m a geo-paleontologist. That means I dig around in archives…
Syria: Christian Militia to the Rescue as 1000s of Christians flee ISIL approach
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Despite Russian airstrikes, Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) has made some advances in November. One place it has had some success is Homs province, which…
Egypt: Free Journalist Hossam Bahgat, Facing Military Prosecution
Human Rights Watch | - - (New York) – Hossam Bahgat, a journalist and one of Egypt’s most prominent human rights figures, could be charged in military court after being detained on…
How a Web of Lies hoodwinked the American Public and delivered Iraq to ISIL
By Bryan Glyn Williams | (Informed Comment) | - - Last week one of the major architects in the construction of the Iraqi WMD myth, Iraqi politician Ahmad Chalabi, died of heart…
400,000 Syrian Refugee Children Can’t Go To School In Turkey
AJ+ | (Video Report) | - - "Even though Syrian refugee children can legally go to school in Turkey, language barriers and economic struggles make it hard for them to actually attend."…
Israel Approves Plan to ‘Legalize’ Colonial Outposts and Construct 1000s More Units
By Saed Bannoura | (IMEMC News) | - - In yet another decision that violates International Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Higher Construction and Planning Committee of the Israeli ‘Civil…
Can Ben Carson be Commander in Chief if he Lied about West Point?
New York Daily News | (Video News Report) | - - "Ben Carson claims he was a troubled child and violent teenager who once tried to hit his mother with a hammer…
What Obama should tell Netanyahu this Week (But won’t)
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Far right Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is arriving in Washington, D.C., Monday, and will apparently ask the US to almost double its…
GOP Candidates’ Clown Car hides Deadly intent to Enrich the Rich
By Karen Dolan | (Otherwords.org) | - - The GOP race may be a circus, but the candidates are dead serious about padding the pockets of the rich. Is it me or…
No, Neocons: US isn’t facing ‘Flood’ of Syrian Refugees
By Bridge Initiative Team | - - In the wake of the Syrian refugee crisis, which has forced more than four million people to flee that country’s civil war, fears over the…
Israel Requesting Over $5 Billion in US Military Aid
By IMEMC News | - - The Israeli government has made an initial request for its annual U.S. defense package to increase by as much as $5 billion when its current aid…
How can Iraqi PM al-Abadi defeat ISIL if his own Party has Turned on Him?
Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) | - - Nobody in Iraqi politics appears to like Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi much anymore. Some dislike him for his proposed reforms, others for not…
In ‘Spectre,’ James Bond becomes Edward Snowden
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The latest entry in the Daniel Craig reboot of the James Bond film franchise, Spectre , turns Bond into more muscular version of…
How Climate Activists derailed Keystone XL Pipeline: Lessons for the Future
Luis Hestres | (The Conversation) | - - Contrary to predictions from energy industry insiders, President Obama has rejected TransCanada’s application to build the Keystone XL pipeline across the United States-Canada border.…
In Palestine’s Hebron district Israeli Occupation troops impose ‘draconian’ measures
Ma'an News Agency | - - HEBRON (Ma’an) -- As Hebron remains at the center of violence in the occupied Palestinian territory, Israeli rights group B’Tselem on Friday condemned Israeli actions there…
Keystone XL Cancelled: 8 yrs Later Obama finally moves against Tyranny of Oil
National Sierra Club | (Video Clip) | - - " VICTORY! President Obama just announced that he will reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.. After more than seven years of hard…
Obama gives up on Israeli-Palestinian peace during his Administration
Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- United States president Barack Obama concluded that a peace treaty or direct talks between Israel and Palestinian leadership would not be carried out…
Putin’s Dilemma: How To Respond If A Bomb Caused Sinai Air Crash
By Steve Gutterman | ( RFE/RL ) | - - Mounting evidence that an onboard bomb brought down the Russian jet that crashed on Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, killing 224 people, poses a…
Netanyahu taps Squatter who called Obama Muslim hate sympathizer, as he demands $5 bn./yr. from U.S.
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu appointed West Bank squatter Ran Baratz to be his director of communications on the eve of his procession…
Russian Branch of Syria’s al-Qaeda appeals for Funding from Russian Muslims
By Joanna Paraszczuk | ( RFE/RL "Do you think you're safe from the fires of hell? Give yourself a chance -- help mujahedin on the path of God!" Thus reads a new…
#ExxonKnew Escalates as NY Att’y Gen. Subpoenas Oil Giant Over Climate Crimes
By Deirdre Fulton, staff writer | (Commondreams.org) | - - "'Exxon Knew' just joined the category of truly serious scandals," said 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben "Just as New York’s Teddy Roosevelt took…
Bush Sr. Blames Neocons for Ruining W.’s Presidency: Is he Warning Jeb?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - In interviews given for a new biography, George H. W. Bush, 91 lets loose against Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, whom he clearly…
Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and the wider fallout from the Iraq invasion
By David Morrison | (OpenDemocracy) | - - Tony Blair was warned by his intelligence chiefs that invading Iraq would increase the terror threat facing Britain. If MPs had known this, would…
America’s Never-Ending Wars: #1
By Ann Jones | (Tomdispatch.com) | - - Ten months ago, on December 28, 2014, a ceremony in Kabul officially marked the conclusion of America’s very long war in Afghanistan. President Obama…
Bernie Sanders wants Ban new Drilling Offshore, on Fed. Land
John Iadarola | (The Young Turks) | - - "Bernie Sanders is taking a strong stand against climate change. He proposed an aggressive plan to curb the United States consumption of fossil…
Will Turkey’s winning Justice & Development Party seek Imperial Presidency?
By ERDAĞ GÖKNAR | (ISLAMiCommentary) | - - Erdağ Göknar The Nov. 1 parliamentary elections in Turkey resulted in an outcome that few commentators or polls had predicted: Another outright parliamentary majority…
Has Slain Israeli Peacemaker Yitzhak Rabin been denied his Legacy?
By Brent E Sasley | (The Conversation) | - - On November 4 1995, Yitzhak Rabin, the prime minister of Israel, was murdered by Yigal Amir, an extremist religious Jew opposed to…
Palestinians in own city of Hebron live in Fear of Israel Squatters, Soldiers
By: Charlie Hoyle | Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- Israel’s response to an upsurge in violence since the beginning of October has seen unprecedented closures of Hebron’s Old…
In Rare Victory, Syrian Army breaks ISIL siege of West Aleppo
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The extensive Russian bombing campaign in support of the Syrian Arab Army of the Bashar al-Assad regime has yielded fewer victories than Moscow…
With Ahmad Chalabi’s Death, Passing of an Age of Lies
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Ahmad Chalabi (1944-2015) died of a heart attack in Iraq on Tuesday. Clarence Darrow, the great trial lawyer and orator, said, "I’ve never…
Why the Paris Climate Summit Will Be a Peace Conference
By Michael T. Klare | (Tomdispatch.com) | - - At the end of November, delegations from nearly 200 countries will convene in Paris for what is billed as the most important climate…
The “Bridge” Project: Fighting the anti-Muslim Machine
By Inas Younis/ John Esposito | (Interview of Esposito in OnIslam) SALT LAKE – The Wall Street journal called Professor John L. Esposito “American’s foremost authority and interpreter of Islam.” With over…
Defending Gaza Using Social Media’s Double-Edged Sword
By Omar Ghraieb | (Global Voices Online) | - - To say that both technology and communication have been experiencing a steady advancement until the past few years is something of an…
Obama makes fun of GOP Candidates: “That’s Crazy!”
Barack Obama | (Associated Press Video) | - - "Obama roasts Republican presidential candidates while speaking at a Democractic National Committee fundraiser in New York City Monday night. (Nov. 3)" AP: "Obama:…
Shimon Peres doubts Israel can win Permanent war or Survive Annexation of West Bank
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Former Israeli president Shimon Peres, 92, gave an interview with the Associated Press Monday in which he spoke bluntly about the mistakes of…
Fearing Obama Veto, TransCanada Suspends Keystone Pipeline Review, Hoping for GOP Win
Wochit News | (Video Report) | - - TransCanada Seeks to Suspend Keystone Pipeline Review Appendix Last winter at The Conversation Peter Erickson and Michael Lazarus of the Stockholm Environment Institute took…
Syria: al-Qaeda, Army of Islam Cage Hostages in Street as Human Shields
Human Rights Watch | - - (New York) – Syrian armed groups are endangering civilians, including women, and detaining soldiers by placing them in metal cages throughout Eastern Ghouta. The armed groups…
An American Citizen Apologizes to the Iraqi People
By Jeffrey Ruoff | (Huffington Post) | - - "In the middle of the journey of our life I came to myself within a dark wood where the straight road was lost."…
Which Presidential Candidates Have ‘Shown Backbone’ Against Islamophobia?
Robert McCaw | (ISLAMICommentary) | - - Robert McCaw Last Friday, former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley denounced the socially-corrosive evils of “Islamophobia and xenophobia” at a conference held by the Arab American…
Al-Zawahiri Calls for al-Qaeda- ISIL Axis against Russia & US
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - al-Hayat [Life] reports that on Sunday, al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, called for unity between al-Qaeda and Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) in the face of…
Who are the ISIL Fighters in Egypt’s Sinai, claiming to down Plane?
By Joanna Paraszczuk | ( RFE/RL ) | - - A [so-called] Islamic State [group] (IS) affiliate in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula has claimed that it downed a Russian charter plane that crashed…
Fury as Probe Demanded into Exxon’s Historic Climate Crime
By Jon Queally, staff writer | (Commondreams.org) | - - A broad coalition of community groups along with prominent leaders from the nation's top civil rights, environmental, and indigeneous people's movements on…
Israeli Forces shot 2600 Palestinians with live, rubber Bullets in October: Red Crescent
Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces shot and wounded at least 2,617 Palestinians with live and rubber-coated steel bullets through October, the Palestinian Red Cross said Sunday,…
Turkey election: Erdoğan and the AKP get majority back amid climate of violence and fear
By Bahar Baser and Ahmet Erdi Öztürk | (The Conversation) | - - Turkey’s president, Recep Tayip Erdoğan, appears to have strengthened his grip on the country after the Justice and Development…
Why ISIL is a Vast Exaggeration: & No, it can’t Shoot down Planes
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) in the Sinai Peninsula made a big deal of claiming they shot down a Russian airliner Saturday morning. They did…
Dr. Ben Carson fears for his Life from Militant Liberals
Cenk Uygur | (The Young Turks Video Report) | - - "Ben Carson has asked for Secret Service protection. He believes secular progressive hoards are coming to destroy him. Cenk Uygur, host…
Regime Market Bombing Kills 100: Don’t Syrian Lives Matter?
Majed Aboali | (Foreign Policy in Focus) | - - Hospital workers in Syria, barely able to keep up with demand, are desperate to reduce the supply. Their plea: stop the killing.…
Turkey: Can a pro-Feminist, pro-Kurdish Party get out the Women’s Vote?
By Mona Tajali | (OpenDemocracy) | - - The Turkish HDP's egalitarian gender ideology played a key role in the election of a record number of women to parliament in June's election.…