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Archives: January 2012
Syria’s Crisis Deepens: Does Internationalization Loom?
The events of the past five days in Syria may be a game changer, both domestically and internationally. Last Thursday, opposition forces said, 100 people were killed. Massacres were alleged in two…Tomgram: Engelhardt, Iran Through the Looking Glass
Tomgram: Engelhardt, Iran Through the Looking Glass Posted by Tom Engelhardt at 5:57pm, January 29, 2012. Tom Englehardt writes at The Nation Institute's Tomdispatch.com: "Iranian Aircraft Carriers in the Gulf of Mexico…Can Obama Prevail against a Romney-Netanyahu Ticket? – Robertson
John Robertson writes in a guest column for Informed Comment CAN OBAMA PREVAIL AGAINST A ROMNEY-NETANYAHU TICKET? Paul Pillar and Leslie Gelb - both of them well-respected and largely mainstream commentators on…The Way Forward in the Middle East — Peled & Peled
Yoav Peled and Horit Herman Peled write in a guest column for Informed Comment The Way Forward in the Middle East Reversing a bi-partisan US policy in effect for the last two…Béji: “We are all Tunisian Jews”
Hélé Béji, a prominent woman writer from an old notable family in Tunis, was outraged by an incident in early January when a small crowd of religious extremists at the airport in…GOP Candidates Harm Israeli Security by Pushing for Impractical “Greater Israel”
The Republican candidates for president once again tried to out-do the Likud Party in their devotion to the doctrine of the Iron Wall and their attempt to erase the Palestinian people from…
Egyptian Crowds in Tahrir Insist the Revolution will Continue
Perhaps 100,000 Egyptians came out on Wednesday in Tahrir Square in Cairo to mark the anniversary of the first massive protest that led to the overthrow of dictator Hosni Mubarak. There was…SOTU and a Destabilized Middle East
President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address treated the Middle East at several points, underlining the unusual importance of this region to the United States. Obama began by celebrating the end…
Graphic of World Military Spending (Iran’s too Small to Show up)
World military spending in 2010. Note that Iran's is not a big enough proportion of world arms spending to show up on this graph, which doesn't show countries that are lower than…
Mohamed Bouazizi (d. 2011) from Tunisia to San Francisco to SOTU
Graffiti from Mission Street, San Francisco in honor of Mohamed Bouazizi, whose self-immolation kicked off the Tunisian Revolution, inspired the Tahrir Square demonstrations, and the Arab Spring: OWS San Francisco demonstration, California…Tomgram: William Astore, Confessions of a Recovering Weapons Addict
William J. Astore writes at Tomdispatch: "Weapons ‘R’ Us Making Warbirds Instead of Thunderbirds By William J. Astore Perhaps you’ve heard of “Makin’ Thunderbirds,” a hard-bitten rock & roll song by Bob…Can Europe’s Oil Boycott Really Sink Iran?
The European Union threatened Iran on Monday with cutting off petroleum imports into the 27 EU member states, and announced sanctions on Iranian banks and some port and other companies. Iran sells…Tomgram: Ellen Cantarow, An Environmental Occupy Fracks Corporate America
Ellen Cantarow writes at Tomdispatch.com Shale-Shocked Fracking Gets Its Own Occupy Movement By Ellen Cantarow This is a story about water, the land surrounding it, and the lives it sustains. Clean water…Sharp-Elbowed Politics in the New Arab World
What are the big stories in the Arab world today? A newly elected parliament is being seated, and a deposed president is leaving the country. But beyond that, the remarkable thing is…South Carolina & Gingrich, Egypt & the Muslim Brotherhood
The election results for Egypt's lower house have been announced, and the Muslim religious parties appear to have gained over 70% of the seats. The Muslim Brotherhood is claiming its Freedom and…Can Solar Energy in Mideast Stop a Gas War?
The Emirates Solar Industry Association says that solar energy is competitive with natural gas already, without the need for more subsidies. Solar panels are rapidly falling in price, making solar ever more…SOPA goes Down: Moulitsas on Olbermann
Markos Moulitsas of Daily Kos discusses (with Keith Olbermann of the cable Current TV network) the Netroots' victory over the Draconian SOPA bill that would have criminalized the internet.Israel: No Iranian Nuclear Weapons Program; Barak: Any decision to Strike Iran “Far off.”
As Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Israel Thursday, the left-leaning Haaretz newspaper dropped its own atomic bombshell. Israeli intelligence agencies have worked up an intelligence…To avoid War, Obama Should Offer Iran Renewable Energy Aid: Buonomo
Thomas Buonomo writes in a guest column for Informed Comment: As Iran proceeds ahead with its nuclear program, its tensions with the United States continue to heighten over concerns that it is…
God’s Way of Teaching Americans Geography
With all the talk of Iran and Israel among the GOP presidential candidates, it is worth remembering that in this poll of a few years ago, three quarters of Americans could find…Scotland to the Rescue: Seeks 100% Renewable Energy by 2020
On the same day that President Obama rejected the keystone pipeline, BP issued a report sees an oil-dominated future, especially in China and India, for decades to come. It is a nightmare…Schmidt: The Freedom and Democracy Struggle in Syria
Søren Schmidt writes in a guest column for Informed Comment The Struggle for Freedom and Democracy in Syria The nineneteenth-century German chancellor Otto von Bismarck is said to have remarked that the…
SOPA & PIPA Blackout Day
Informed Comment is on strike on Wednesday January 18, 2012, to protest the so-called "Stop Online Piracy Act" (SOPA) and "Protect IP" or "Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft…
Perry talks Crazy about Turkey, but is Par for GOP Course
As an American, I'm deeply relieved that Gov. Rick Perry of Texas is highly unlikely to be president of the United States. As a blogger who occasionally enjoys a bit of satire,…Petition against the Murder of Iranian Scientists
Scholars, Academicians, Journalists, and Activists Condemn Murder of Iranian Technical and Scientific Experts On January 12, 2012, a bomb ripped apart a car in Tehran, killing Iranian scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan and…Tomgram: Nick Turse, Drone Disasters
Nick Turse writes at Tomdispatch: "The Crash and Burn Future of Robot Warfare What 70 Downed Drones Tell Us About the New American Way of War By Nick Turse American fighter jets…Obama warns Israel against Iran Strike, Cancels Joint Military Exercises
Here are two signs that the Obama administration is attempting to dial down tensions with Iran, sending powerful symbolic signals that Washington does not want to see the crisis with Iran militarized.…Elbaradei Quits Egyptian Presidential Race
Mohammad Elbaradei has withdrawn from the Egyptian presidential election. He is the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and was a thorn in the Bush administration's eyes because of his…Omar Khayyam (6)
When I die, prepare my body in wine, and in place of a eulogy lift a glass! On Resurrection Day you'll find my dust stirring beneath the threshold of the bar. translated…Israeli Mossad Agents allegedly Impersonated CIA in fostering Baluch Terrorism against Iran
Mark Perry reveals that Israeli Mossad intelligence operatives pretended to be American field officers when contacting members of the Baluch Jundullah terrorist group, presumably in Pakistan, and funding and encouraging Jundullah to…
Will Pakistan’s Crisis affect US in Afghanistan
Pakistan is an important country and a key US partner, and so it is bad news that it is lurching from political crisis to political crisis. There is a crisis between the…
Cole Interview on the Iran and Iraq Crises
Interview of Juan Cole by Rick Schenkman of the History News Network at the American Historical Association meeting on the Iran and Iraq crisis.Tomgram: Engelhardt, Superpower Adrift in an Alien World
Tom Engelhardt writes at Tomdispatch.com "Obama's Mission Accomplished Moment? And a Military-First Policy on a Destabilizing Planet By Tom Engelhardt Here’s the ad for this moment in Washington (as I imagine it):…Good Nuclear Iran, Bad Nuclear Iran
An ad for the nuclear industry from the 1970s, depicting pro-Western Iranian dictator Mohammadd Reza Pahlavi:A Murder in Tehran
Reuters makes a good point that Iran is having difficulty getting the international community to condemn the terrorist attacks against its scientists, which over time have left four of them dead in…
The Arab Spring, Pt. 3
Part 3 of Juan Cole's talk on the Arab Spring at the American Historical Association: Parts 1 & 2 are hereIran Hype undermined by Obama Administration Admissions
The announcement of the Iranian government that it will activate its Fordow nuclear enrichment site has predictably drawn forth a new round of war propaganda from the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.…
The Arab Spring Part 2
Part 2 of my talk at the American Historical Association on the Arab Spring. Part 1 is hereTomgram: Michael Klare, Energy Wars 2012
At Tomdispath, Michael Klare writes: " Danger Waters The Three Top Hot Spots of Potential Conflict in the Geo-Energy Era By Michael T. Klare Welcome to an edgy world where a single…
Majid: Why America Matters to Muslims
Anouar Majid writes in a guest column for Informed Comment: "Why America Matters to Muslims One thing that is striking about the recent revolts in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Bahrain…
Arab Spring Pt. 1
Part 1 of my presentation on the Arab Spring at the 2012 American Historical Association conference in Chicago. Thanks to Roger Owen and the National History Centerfor the kind invitation, and to…Ahmadinejad in Latin America
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has begun a four-nation tour in Latin America that will include Nicaragua, Cuba, Venezuela and Ecuador. In part, the trip is for propaganda purposes. With the European Union…Omar Khayyam (3)
This world that was our home for a brief spell never brought us anything but pain and grief; its a shame that not one of our problems was ever solved. We depart…Tomgram: Thomas Frank, Why the Tea Party Needs Mitt
Thomas Frank writes at Tomdispatch "Pity the Quarter-Billionaire Take a Ride on the RINO in 2012 By Thomas Frank Dear Tea Party Movement, For the last few months, the world has been…Dear Republican Candidates, You Have us all Wrong
Dear Republican candidates: You are campaigning on talking points that do not actually appeal to us. Why are you doing that? Who told you we want these things? Dear Rick Perry: We…Omar Khayyam (2) [Whinfield 1]
At dawn a shout awoke us in that watering hole... you crazed carousing drunk! Get up and grab that bottle let's finish what we started before fate starts to finish us. Trans…Why the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood’s Victory at the Polls May not be Decisive
The Muslim Brotherhood received a little over a third of the votes in the third round of elections for the lower house of parliament. Since the fundamentealist Nur (Light) Party, backed by…World’s Stupidest Guerrillas Kill over 70 Shiite Pilgrims in Iraq
Guerrillas in Iraq staged a serious of bloody bombings targeting Shiites on Thursday. Shiite Muslims are on the move, meeting and going on pilgrimage to commemorate the 40th day after the anniversary…
Jahanpour: As US and Iran Confront Each other, where is the Diplomacy?
Dr. Farhang Jahanpour writes in a guest column for Informed Comment : The war of words between Iran and the West has reached dangerous proportions, and it may easily get out of…Tomgram: Bill McKibben, Buying Congress in 2012
Bill McKibben writes at Tomdispatch: "My resolution for 2012 is to be naïve -- dangerously naïve... I’m aware that the usual recipe for political effectiveness is just the opposite: to be cynical,…
Turkey Warns against Sunni-Shiite Civil War in Mideast
Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu Ahmet Davutoglu warned Wednesday in Tehran against a Sunni-Shiite civil war in the Middle East, which he said was being encouraged by some (unnamed) forces. Among the flashpoints…Omar Khayyam (1) [Whinfield 26]
In these one, two, three days a lifetime has passed, like cascading waters or a desert squall. But regret for two days never comes to mind: the one…US sees Iranian Military Spending as Threat
courtesy Ben Adler @ ReutersThree Republican Bears and none Just Right
Why did Mitt Romney win Iowa? Not because he is the ideal candidate, but because the Republican faithful will just have to settle. That the turnout was not impressive, despite grassroots exasperation…Reading in the New Millennium: Cole at Truthdig
My essay, "Reading in the New Millennium: Forward to the Past?" is out at Truthdig. Excerpt: "I have been rereading Ralph Waldo Emerson’s two-volume “Essays” on my iPad via Google Books. His…Tomgram: Engelhardt, Lessons from Lost Wars in 2012
Tom Engelhardt writes at Tomdispatch.com: "It was to be the war that would establish empire as an American fact. It would result in a thousand-year Pax Americana. It was to be “mission…Will his New Sanctions on Iran Cost Obama the Presidency?
A sharp drop in the value of the Iranian currency as a result of new American sanctions may sound like good news to hawks in the US. But actually this development may…
Conservative White People’s Primary
What Iowa looks like with regard to ethnicity (2010 Census): What the United States looks like (2010 Census)Top 5 Foreign Policy Challenges for US, 2012
My list of challenges last year this time more or less nailed it, especially my concerns about the Mubarak era ending in Egypt. Many of the dangers to which I pointed still…On the end of Newt Gingrich’s Campaign
"Passion often makes a madman of the cleverest man, and renders the greatest fools clever." - François de La Rochefoucauld (d. 1680)Iraqis Celebrate being Free of US Troops, Fear US Meddling
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of Iraq held a rally in a sports stadium on Saturday to celebrate Iraq being free of US troops. He declared a national holiday, and thousands of Iraqis…
New Year’s 2012 in Tahrir Square, Egypt
New Year's in Tahrir Square, Cairo: The leftist crowd begins by singing the national anthem. Then a woman revolutionary calls out, "Bread, Freedom and social justice!" "A civil state, civil state!" "May…