Month

Archives: April 2016

‘Monstrous’ violence in Aleppo as ‘Regime of Calm’ begins in rest of Syria

by Juan Cole: The US and the Russian Federation agreed Friday that from Saturday there would be a "regime of calm" in most of Syria. Two areas where clashes have broken out…

ISIL Digging in Against new US Troops in Syria

By By James Miller| ( RFE/RL ) | - - On June 29, 2014, when Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi gave a speech from the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul, Iraq, announcing the…

Ted Cruz turns away delegation of own Muslim Constituents, Smears them as ‘Extremists’

Written by Bridge Initiative Team | Bridge | - - If anything is part and parcel of American democracy, it’s the idea that voters can, and should, communicate their ideas and concerns…

Will it ever be ‘Mission Accomplished’? Why Baghdad is Still Insecure

By Mustafa Habib | (Baghdad) | (Niqash.org) | - - The outskirts of Baghdad are very dangerous these days. Islamic State fighters hide here, mounting attacks on the city. A security barrier…

Could Hillary Clinton’s promise of a gender-equal cabinet change US Politics forever?

By Dee Goddard | (The Conversation) | - - At a recent “Town Hall” debate Hillary Clinton announced that she would appoint a cabinet that is half female if she is elected…

Syria: As fierce Fighting reignites, Aleppo on brink of ‘Humanitarian Disaster’

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Syria's largest city, Aleppo has seen a worrying outbreak of violence in the past week that could fatally undermine the cessation of hostilities…

Chomsky: Sanders Mobilizes Force That Could Change the Country

TeleSur | - - During a public event on Tuesday, renowned professor Noam Chomsky took time to reflect on the political impact of the Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign. Internationally renowned professor Noam…

Seven members of Israeli ‘terror cell’ indicted for dozens of attacks on Palestinian civilians & property

By Celine Hagbard | (IMEMC) | - - Updated. On Monday, an Israeli court indicted seven Israelis, including two sons of a leading rabbi, a soldier, and two minor teens, for participating…

Boehner: Ted Cruz is Lucifer, most miserable SOB I’ve worked with

New York Daily News | (Video News Report) Ada Statler-Throckmorton of The Stanford Daily reported: "When specifically asked his opinions on Ted Cruz, Boehner made a face, drawing laughter from the crowd.…

The Collapse of the Old Oil Order

By Michael T. Klare | ( Tomdispatch.com) | - - Sunday, April 17th was the designated moment. The world’s leading oil producers were expected to bring fresh discipline to the chaotic petroleum…

Trump’s Foreign Policy is just GOP Boilerplate, only more Confused

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Donald Trump tried his hand at foreign policy on Wednesday, and the results weren't any prettier than his incessant forays into domestic policy.…

Egypt arrests Hundreds to Stop Protest, including Journalists, Lawyers

Human Rights Watch | - - (Beirut) – Egyptian security forces arrested at least 382 people in the days leading up to and during the dispersal of mostly peaceful protests on April…

Big Money in Politics Doesn’t Just Drive Inequality. It Drives War.

By Rebecca Green | ( Otherwords.org) | - - Military contractors have shelled out over $1 million to the 2016 presidential candidates — including over $200,000 to Hillary Clinton alone. The 2016…

Globally, deaths from explosive weapons rise 54%, and 3/4s Victims are Civilians

Globally, deaths from explosive weapons rise 54%, & 3/4s are Civilians

TeleSur | - - Civilian casualties from explosive weapons rose by 54 percent in 2015 compared to 2011. More than three-quarters of those harmed by explosive weapons in 2015— bombs, missiles and…

Trump culture: threat, fear and the tightening of the American mind

By Michele Gelfand and Joshua Conrad Jackson | (The Conversation) | - - For the past 10 months, Donald Trump has been a political enigma. Against the predictions of journalists, policy wonks…

Winning in Losing: How Sanders pushed Clinton to the Left

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Bernie Sanders' path to the nomination as the Democratic Party standard bearer in 2016 was all but closed off by Clinton's four big…

Not just Trump: Anti-Muslim Hatred becomes GOP Orthodoxy

Bridge | (Infographic) - - Via Bridge

Syrian Kurds: True Revolution must Liberate Women

By Rahila Gupta | ( OpenDemocracy ) In less than four years, the women’s umbrella organisation, Kongira Star, has set up an autonomous, grassroots, democratic structure which has resulted in shifting patriarchal…

Trump: Candidate of American Decline

By Tom Engelhardt | ( Tomdispatch.com | - - "Low-energy Jeb." "Little Marco." "Lyin’ Ted." "Crooked Hillary." Give Donald Trump credit. He has a memorable way with insults. His have a way…

Majority of Palestinian Youth support Violent Resistance to Israeli Occupation, despair of state of their own

Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Palestinian youth in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank have widely disparate opinions on the ongoing wave of attacks by Palestinians,…

Reinventing Saudi Arabia after Oil: The Prince’s $2 Trillion Gamble

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, 30, the deputy crown prince of Saudi Arabia laid out his vision for Saudi Arabia on Monday in a…

Are Cruz And Kasich smart enough to stop Trump?

By Ana Kasparian, John Iadarola, Jimmy Dore | (The Young Turks Video Report) | - - "Ted Cruz and John Kasich are doing their best to stop Donald Trump from winning the…

Inclusive Governing key to preventing 5th Wave of Violent Radicalism

By Carl Bildt | (Project Syndicate) | - - STOCKHOLM – Muscular language has become increasingly prevalent in the debate about how to counter the threat of jihadist terrorism. Television talk-show hosts…

Over 80 senators push Obama to increase military aid to Israel; but not Bernie

Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- More than 80 percent of American senators signed a letter addressed to US President Barack Obama urging him to reach an agreement on…

Now the 1% Live 15 yrs longer than the Poorest: The Death Gap’s Increasing

By Sam Pizzigati | ( Otherwords.org) | - - Rich people live longer than poor people. No big news there — we’ve known that health tracks wealth for quite some time now.…

ISIL Endgame: Obama to send 250 more US Troops into Syria

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - President Obama is announcing Monday morning in Hanover, Germany, that he will send another 250 US troops, likely mostly special operations, into Syria,…

It’s Possible: Koch Brother Says Hillary Clinton Might Be Best Choice for Him

By Jon Queally, staff writer | (Commondreams.org) | - - Asked if he could actually see himself supporting Hillary Clinton in a hypothetical general election against Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, or John…

Defeating ISIL in Iraq while Protecting Civilians: Don’t destroy Mosul to “Save” It

Human Rights Watch | - - (Beirut) – Iraqi government forces gearing up to drive Islamic State fighters from Mosul should prioritize protection of civilians. Hundreds of thousands of civilians remain in…

Not al-Qaeda: Abu Zubayda as Bush’s Mengele Experiment

By Rebecca Gordon | ( Tomdispatch.com) | - - Intro: Rebecca Gordon catches the nightmarish quality of those [Bush] years, now largely buried, in the grim case of a single mistreated human…

US finally acknowledging al-Qaeda factor in breakdown of Ceasefire

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - One of the frustrations of following the Syria conflict from the Arabic press is that when you then turn to the English language…

Trump’s Bad ideas are just our Current Practices on Steroids

By Janine Jackson | ( Otherwords.org) | - - Mass deportations? Attacks on innocent [non-]combatants? Punishing abortion restrictions? They’re all happening already. Readers of The Boston Globe were recently treated to an…

Caravan Schools and educating Syrian Refugee Children

By Samantha Schmidt | ( Yes | - - In response to overcrowded public schools in countries neighboring Syria, caravan schools provide refugees with free education to keep them from falling behind.…

Berlin Pirate Party Leader Arrested for Erdogan Insult

TeleSur | - - Bruno Kramm was arrested while protesting against a German law allowing the prosecution of citizens for insulting foreign leaders. The head of Berlin's Pirate Party branch has been…

NYU grad student union votes to boycott, divest from Israel

Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- A graduate student union at New York University on Friday voted in favor of joining the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement against Israeli…

After Paris COP21: Top 6 Green Energy good News Stories Today

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - World leaders signed the COP21 Paris climate accord on Friday, Earth Day. Whether it will be meaningful in stopping carbon dioxide emissions and…

US confused over Russia’s real intentions in Syria

By EurActiv.com | - - Russia’s latest military moves in Syria have sharpened divisions within the US administration over whether Russian President Vladimir Putin genuinely backs a UN-led initiative to end the…

Why Burqa Veils Are Illegal In Some Countries

Laura Ling | (TestTube Video Report) | - - "Face veils are often viewed as a symbol of modesty in Islam, but many governments have put restrictions on them. So where are…

Love and Wine (Poem of the Day: Abu Nuwas of Baghdad)

Abū Nuwas al-Hasan ibn Hanī al-Hakamī (756–814) | Love and Wine | - - Ho! a cup, and fill it up, and tell me it is wine, For never will I drink…

Israel Forcibly closes More Bedouin Villages in Negev Desert

By Silvia Boarini | (Inter Press Service) | - - UMM AL-HERAN, Southern Israel, Apr 22 2016 (IPS) - Despite ostensibly freezing the Prawer Plan — a proposed bill to ‘regulate Bedouin…

The Iraq War Never Ended: An Interview with Anand Gopal

By Charles Davis | ( TeleSur | - - The U.S. is at war with the same extremist group it claimed to have defeated five years ago, and it’s relying on sectarian…

Prince’s Islamophilia as a Problem: “It’s fun to be in Islamic Countries”

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - in a 2011 interview in The Guardian, the late musician Prince said something that surprised his interviewer, Dorian Linskey: “It’s fun being in…

In Fascist Turn, Thousands Demonstrate for Israeli Soldier who shot Dazed Palestinian in Head

AJ+ | - - "An Israeli soldier was charged with manslaughter for shooting and killing a wounded Palestinian man. Now, thousands are still demanding his release." AJ+: "Israelis Demonstrate In Support Of…

Israeli security agency exposes ‘Jewish terror ring’

By Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- Israel’s Shin Bet security agency recently uncovered a “Jewish terrorist ring” which carried out a number of acts of violence targeting Palestinians…

The Future of the Mideast: A decentralized, Networked Pan-Arabism transcending Sykes-Picot?

By Parag Khanna | (Informed Comment) | - - While embedded with U.S. Special Operations Forces in 2007, I witnessed firsthand America’s incredible ability to apply technology to the battlefield. The digital…

Murdering Civilians: US Drone Whistleblowers Step Out of the Shadows

By Pratap Chatterjee | (Tomdispatch.com) | - - In a trio of recent action-packed movies, good guys watch terrorists mingling with innocent women and children via real-time video feeds from halfway across…

Top 7 ways Harriet Tubman is the most Badass Spy & Warrior ever to grace US Currency

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Despite US schools' tendency to give students several years of American history, over and over again, most of us probably have only a…

Poll: Most Russians Prefer Return of Soviet Union and Socialism

TeleSur | - - A recent poll revealed that most Russians would like to see the return of the Soviet Union and socialism. The majority of Russians polled in a recent study…

Israeli Terrorist convicted of Murdering, Burning Palestinian Teen

By IMEMC | - - After nearly two years of delay, the leading suspect in the brutal death of 16-year-old Palestinian Mohammad Abu Khdeir was convicted of murder, this Tuesday. The Abu…

Press Freedom in ‘Deep And Disturbing’ Decline in New Age of Propaganda

By RFE/RL | - - A leading journalism advocacy group says media freedom experienced a sharp decline around the world over the past year, citing increasing government restrictions in places like Turkey,…

Iran after Nuclear Deal: Renewed Isolation or a pay-off for Pres. Rouhani?

By Shahram Akbarzadeh | (Informed Comment) | - - President Hasan Rouhani’s honeymoon period is over. He faces mounting opposition in Iran, and very difficult questions abroad. How can he respond to…

What GOP New Yorkers just voted for: Torture, Syria Intervention, murder of innocents

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - In the wake of his big win in New York, I want to push back once more against the normalization of Trump as…

Jailed without trial for Life? Guantanamo’s Lawlessness may outlast the Obama Administration

By Karen J. Greenberg | (Tomdispatch.com) | - - Can you believe it? We’re in the last year of the presidency of the man who, on his first day in the Oval…

Activists Ask IRS why Jewish National Fund gets Tax Break for Illegal Squatter Support

by IMEMC | - - On Tuesday, Tax Day, activists delivered a petition with more than 5,000 signatures to IRS offices across the United States demanding the tax-exempt status of the Jewish…

Is Climate Change drying out the Middle East even More?

By Baher Kamal | (Inter Press Service) | - - CAIRO (IPS) - There is an oil producing country situated in the Gulf region, made of a cluster of islands. It is…

Earth Day 2016: The Onslaughts of Mal-Development

By H Patricia Hynes | (Informed Comment) | - - In June 1969, the Cuyahoga River caught fire from floating oil and combustible debris as it wound through Cleveland. While not the…

12% Greenland Ice Sheet Melt Earliest on Record: “This is Epic!”

Ed Schultz | (RT America) | - - "Environmentalists are calling attention to record-high temperatures at 41 degrees above normal in Greenland, causing a rapid melting of ice. For more on the…

Israeli police: Explosive device on bus in Jerusalem bus causes 21 injuries

Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- An explosive device caused an Israeli bus to catch fire on Monday evening in southern Jerusalem, injuring 21, Israeli security sources said. Israeli…

Will Climate change make the Middle East Uninhabitable?

By Baher Kamal | (Inter Press Service) | - - CAIRO (IPS) - This is not about any alarming header—it is the dramatic conclusion of several scientific studies about the on-going climate…

Who are the Syrian Refugees, really, and where are they? Hint: Mainly women and children, & not in the West

By Jeffrey H. Cohen | (The Conversation) | - - Editor’s note: This article is part of our collaboration with Point Taken, a new program from WGBH that will next air on…

5 Policies Obama wants Saudi Arabia to Change

6 Policies Obama wants Saudi Arabia to Change

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - After his critical comments in an interview in The Atlantic last month, Barack Obama's visit to Saudi Arabia is going to be awkward,…

Top 7 Reasons Israel must give back the Occupied Golan to Syria

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The far right wing regime of Binyamin Netanyahu pulled the stunt of holding its first cabinet meeting in the Occupied Golan Heights on…

Anti-Muslim Bigotry @ Idaho State to cost Pocatello $400 mn./ yr

Jay Hidlebrandt, Karole Honas, Misty Inglet | - KIFI Local News 8 | - - "The Idaho U.S. Attorney Wendy Olson held a press conference in Pocatello Thursday to address the recent…

Israel has Kidnapped (“Detained”) a million Palestinians since 1967: Occupation as Imprisonment

By Saed Bannoura | (IMEMC) | - - The Palestinian Detainees’ Committee and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) have reported that Israeli soldiers have kidnapped around 1.000.000 Palestinians, including tens of thousands…

Gas Prices to stay Low? Saudi-Iran Tensions Block Oil Output Freeze

TeleSur | - - Oil producing countries meeting in Doha failed to reach an agreement to freeze output. They may meet again in June. OPEC and non-OPEC producers on Sunday failed to…

Then they took the “Info” out of Infotainment; Corporate ‘News’ Cashes in on Fascism

By Tom Engelhardt | ( Tomdispatch.com) | - - Think of the 2016 presidential campaign as the political equivalent of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. It’s loud; there are plenty of…

What’s behind Egyptian Protests over Islands given to Saudi Arabia?

By Ebrahim Shabbir Deen | (Informed Comment) | - - The recent return of the islands of Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia by the Egyptian government signals that the Sisi regime…

Arab-Americans, including ‘Watan’ Newspaper, Endorse Bernie Sanders

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Many Arab-Americans want the Jewish candidate to be president. The prominent Arabic-language newspaper for that community in Southern California, Watan ("A Nation"), has…

Canada’s Trudeau explains Quantum Computing, as GOP candidates boast science illiteracy,

CBC | (Video News Report) | - - "Justin Trudeau responds to a flip question from reporter with a good-natured, not-so-flip answer." CBC News: "PM schools reporter on quantum computing during press…

Do Donald Trump’s ‘Terrifying’ Nuclear Threats endanger You?

By Michelle Bentley | (The Conversation) | - - Donald Trump has once again violated all mainstream thinking to advance a dangerous and deviant policy, this time on nuclear weapons. The wannabe…

In rebuke to Europe, Pope brings 3 Syrian Muslim Refugee Families to Vatican

Rome Reports | (Video News Segment) | - - "In total, he is taking 12 people with him. They are all from Syria." Rome Reports: " Pope takes three refugee families with…

Saadi on Impatient Love (Poem of the Day)

By Muslih al-Din "Saadi" Mushrif ibn Abdullah Shirazi | Trans. Reynold A. Nicholson | - - The heart that loves with patience — a stone 'tis, not a heart; Nay, love and…

Saudis warn they will withdraw $750 Bn. from US economy if 9/11 Bill Passes

TeleSur | - - The Saudis threatened selling off almost a trillion dollars in U.S. assets if Congress makes it legal to hold Saudi citizens accountable for 9/11. Saudi Arabia has threatened…

Israel has detained 43 Journalists since October in Palestine, incl. 2 Westerners

Ma'an News Agency | - - GAZA (Ma'an) -- The Committee to Support Palestinian Journalists said on Saturday that Israel has detained 43 journalists in the occupied Palestinian territory since October 2015,…

Thousands protest Gov’t in Egypt over Saudi Hegemony

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Thousands of Egyptians came into the streets Friday in the first major demonstrations in 2 and a half years, to protest the bestowal…

Walt Whitman: Purpose of the US to found Friendship between East and West

Walt Whitman | Leaves of Grass | - - To the East and to the West To the East and to the West, To the man of the Seaside State and of…

Bernie Sanders at Vatican: Pope has played historical Role in trying to Create a new World Economy

Rome Reports in English | (Video News Report) | - - Rome Reports: "Bernie Sanders speaks at the Vatican"

Is Exxon a James Bond Villain? Hiding from us its knowledge of Climate Change for Decades

Dena Takruri | (AJ+ Video Report) | - - "Melting ice caps, rising sea levels, global warming – Exxon was aware of the risks of climate change well before much of the…

Israeli Parliamentary committee debates racial discrimination in maternity wards

Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- A meeting of a Knesset committee held Wednesday debated the issue of segregation between Palestinian and Jewish women in Israeli maternity wards, following…

Daesh and Territorial Control Reconsidered

By Michael Degerald | ( History X ISIS ) | - - It might seem strange to open this essay by speaking about circulation and vitality in regard to Daesh [ISIS, ISIL].…

IS GOP aiming for 21st Century White Apartheid in America?

Arun Gupta | ( TeleSur ) | - - To compete on a national level the Republican right is creating a system of intersectional apartheid. No matter what happens with Donald Trump’s…

The Bernie Sanders Miracle: American Crowd in Brooklyn Cheers Palestinian Dignity

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The Democratic debate in Brooklyn last night took an unusual turn when a grumpy old Jewish American upbraided a slightly younger Illinois Methodist…

This Muslim American Life, between Trump and Aziz Ansari: Moustafa Bayoumi Is a Scribe on a Quest

by Neda Simaika and Raihan Faroqui | (informed Comment) | - - The award-winning author and professor of English at Brooklyn College (CUNY), Moustafa Bayoumi, discusses the fight to protect American values…

The Euphemisms of War and Covering up American Military Failure

By William J. Astore | ( Tomdispatch.com) | - - Introduction | By Tom Engelhardt | - - At the moment, there are a maximum of 3,870 U.S. military personnel (or 7,740…

US Slams Israel over Extrajudicial Killings, Torture & Racism then Meekly offers extra Billions

TeleSur In a rare move by Washington, the 2016 U.S. report on human rights said Israel unlawfully killed over 70 Palestinians and tries minors in military courts. The United States accused Israeli…

Fall of Iraq, Rise of Sunnistan? Sunni Politicians In Washington Promote Idea of Partition and a Sunni Region

Mazin Sahib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) | - - Leading Sunni Muslim politicians have opened an office in Washington to represent Sunni interests. There’s talk of an autonomous Sunni region again as…

Michigan faculty Support Muslim Students on Campus in face of Trumpian Hate-Chalking

Dear Members of the U-M [University of Michigan] community We stand with our friends/students/colleagues and with the Central Student Government (CSG), Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs (SACUA), and Senate Assembly in…

Negotiations, “Elections,” and al-Qaeda’s assault on Syrian Ceasefire

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - There were five major stories in the US and European press about Syria today: 1. The cessation of hostilities is in danger of…

Turkey’s Pres. Erdogan demands Germany prosecute comedian over satirical poem

RT | (Video News Report) | - - "Turkey has made a formal request to the German government to prosecute a TV comedian over a crude poem about the Turkish President." RT:…

American Muslims Challenge #AboutUsWithoutUs by Running for Office

Written by Bridge Initiative Team | - - An important hashtag has been circulating on Twitter for the past few weeks. #AboutUsWithoutUs. #AboutUsWithoutUs seeks to reorient national conversations about Muslim Americans to…

As Sanders Joins 40,000 Workers Striking Against ‘Greedy’ Verizon, He says of CEOs “I welcome their Contempt”

Sanders joins Striking Verizon Workers: says to CEOs, “I welcome their Contempt”

TeleSur The senator from Vermont thanked the striking workers for "standing up for justice against corporate greed." Nearly 40,000 Verizon Communications workers walked off the job Wednesday and were joined by U.S.…

Erekat: Escalation of Israeli squatter settlement construction a ‘war crime’

Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat denounced on Wednesday recent Israeli plans to expand illegal settlement construction in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem,…

5 Years After Revolution, Egyptians See #PanamaPapers as Further Vindication of Mubarak’s Ouster

By Salma Essam | (Global Voices) | - - Among the names contained in the Panama Papers, the enormous trove of confidential documents revealing how the world's elite exploit tax havens, is…

Arab Youth view ISIL as major Mideast Obstacle, want less Religion

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The annual Arab Youth survey conducted by pollsters Burson-Marsteller is out, reporting on 3500 interviews with Arabs 18-24 years of age in 16…

Is Hillary Clinton vulnerable to Trump over her 2002 vote for the Iraq War?

Tom F.A Watts | (The Conversation) | - - To the horror of almost everyone in mainstream US politics, it seems increasingly likely that by the close of the Republican National Convention…

Forget the Trump/Cruz Circus: Why Liberals are the Future of America

By James A. Haught | (Informed Comment) | - - In the chaotic presidential campaign, the remarkable popularity of Democratic Socialist Bernie Sanders spotlights a large, not-always-recognized vein of liberal political sympathy…

Lebanon: Over 70% of Syrian Refugee Children Forced into Child Labor

Lebanon: Over 70% of Syrian Refugee Children Forced into Exploitative Child Labor

TeleSur | - - A report by an anti-slavery group also details how Syrian refugee girls are being forced into child marriage and sex slavery. Up to 70 percent of Syrian refugee…

Watchdog: Israeli approval for settler units more than doubles in 2016

Watchdog: Israeli approval for squatter units more than doubles in 2016

Ma'an News Agency | (Informed Comment) | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israel has advanced plans for 250 percent more settler homes in the first quarter of 2016 than it did in…

Saudi’s King Salman in Turkey signals thaw in Ankara-Riyadh Tensions

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Saudi Arabia's King Salman is visiting Turkey today, after his trip to Egypt this past weekend (I wrote about that at The Nation).…

Billionaire buying Election & Given Free Airtime sulks that System is Rigged

CBSN | (Video Report) | - - "Donald Trump is slamming the Republican party after losing more delegates to Ted Cruz in Colorado this weekend. And on Sunday, Trump's convention manager likened…

The Young Turks’ Cenk Uygur ARRESTED At Democracy Spring Protest In Washington D.C.

Ben Mankiewicz, Ana Kasparian, and John Iadarola | (The Young Turks Video) | - - "The Democracy Spring rally was held today in Washington, D.C. to protest government corruption and money in…

Syria won’t have Peace until there is Accountability for War Crimes

By Neil Sammonds | (Inter Press Service) | - - GENEVA (IPS) - The negotiations on April 11, 2016 in Geneva and the recent reduction of hostilities in Syria may represent important…

Do you have to be Affluent to be Democratic?

By Pippa Norris | (The Conversation) | - - Africans recently went to the polls in Benin, Cape Verde, the Republic of Congo, Niger and Zanzibar. The outcome was decidedly mixed. In…

Israeli Police, going into Palestinian West Bank, Detain & Abuse Children

Human Rights Watch | - - (Jerusalem) – Israeli security forces are abusing Palestinian children detained in the West Bank. The number of Palestinian children arrested by Israeli forces has more than…

How Americans Hate: 8-fold increase in Islamophobic Crime since 2000

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Congress passed the Hate Crime Statistics Act in 1990, and since then the FBI has been issuing annual reports on crimes of bias…

Is Cruz even Worse re: anti-Muslim Hate Speech than Trump?

By Dan Dinello | (Informed Comment) | - - With his policies of bombing, bigotry and banning, Ted Cruz-ader fuels Islamophobia at home and promotes an anti-Muslim religious war abroad. “We will…

Visualization: How ISIL vastly exaggerated its Influence and Everyone Bought it (The Atlantic)

By Kathy Gilsinan, Caitlin Cadieux, Daniel Lombroso | (The Atlantic Video Report) | - - "Americans are constantly being told that ISIS is a massive threat—but what does that mean? Are there…

It Begins: Increased flooding, accelerated sea-level rise in Miami since 2006

By The Watcher | - - A new study found that Miami Beach flood events have significantly increased over the last decade due to an acceleration of sea-level rise in South Florida. The…

Israel’s Nuclear Weapons Program and the Displacement of Palestinian Bedouins

By IMEMC | - - Fahwad Al-Khadoumi (nsnbc) : Lance Bartholomeusz, Director of UNRWA Operations in the West Bank condemned Israel’s latest round of large scale demolitions of homes in the Palestinian…

Syria: Is al-Qaeda rising as ISIL is rolled Back? Is the US de facto Allied with it?

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The cessation of hostilities in Syria never included Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) or al-Qaeda (the Nusra Front or Support Front), but it did include…

Bernie Sanders’ remarks on winning 8 of last 9 States, b/c it’s not like you’ll see it on Corporate TV

Reuters | (Video News Report) | - - "U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders wins the nominating contest in Wyoming, besting rival Hillary Clinton, and says 'history has outpaced her' over the…

In an Age of Global Terror, do Failed States endanger you, too?

By Joseph Chamie and Barry Mirkin | (Inter Press Service) | - - NEW YORK, Apr 9 2016 (IPS) - Regardless of whether they are called fragile, failed, or failing states, scores…

Palestinians mark 68th anniversary of their massacre at Deir Yassin by Jewish Terrorists

Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Palestinians on Saturday marked the 68th anniversary of the massacre of more than 100 Palestinians civilians carried out by Zionist paramilitary groups in…

Which Country was the world’s largest Arms Purchaser last Year?

TestTube News | (Video Report) | - - TestTube News: "What Countries Are Buying The Most Weapons?"

With Iraq’s Shiite Gov’t in Collapse, Can Country finally get past US-crafted Sectarianism?

Niqash.org | Baghdad | - - Iraq’s Crises Highlight Major Divide Between Country’s Shiite Politicians The Shiite political alliance that dominates Iraq is cracking under pressure from the country’s crises. But some…

If ISIL falls before November, how will it affect the US Election?

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - GOP frontrunner Donald Trump openly attributes his success at the polls to the terrorist attacks on Paris last fall, in which Daesh (ISIS,…

How American Green Energy created 2.5 million Jobs and saved you from Bronchitis

The Tree | - - As renewable jobs skyrocket in the US, so do their immense health benefits. According to a recent report from Environmental Entrepreneurs, the clean energy industry currently employs…

Far-Right Israeli Government ‘At Risk of Collapse,’ as Electorate feels Buyer’s Remorse

TeleSur | - - The right-wing coalition may collapse if the Zionist Union fails to join the government. A key Israeli minister said Thursday that the government is at risk of collapsing…

124 Palestinians made homeless by Israeli demolitions in 1 day

Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- Multiple demolitions in the occupied West Bank left 124 Palestinians homeless in a single day, 60 of them children, the United Nations Office…

Is Hillary Clinton responsible for rise of ISIL, as Bernie’s Campaign Manager Alleged?

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Bernie Sanders' campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, alleged on Thursday that Hillary Clinton's policies are responsible for the 'rise and expansion of ISIS throughout…

American Bombs Killing Civilians in Yemen, Report Finds

By Nika Knight, staff writer | (Commondreams.org) | - - "One of the deadliest strikes against civilians in Yemen's year-long war involved U.S.-supplied weapons" The year-long campaign of Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen…

Ad for Honey Maid Graham Crackers Challenges Hatred of Muslim Women

Written by Bridge Initiative Team | - - Honey Maid, the famous Graham cracker brand behind such delectable pleasures as “Morning Sticks” and “Teddy Grahams,” has thrown its cap in the ring…

Panama Papers: Snowden Calls on the UK to Demand Prime Minister Cameron’s Resignation

TeleSur | - - Snowden's call comes after Cameron was implicated in the Panama Papers leak that exposed the offshore dealings of international elites and their fortunes. Edward Snowden called on the…

Are Sanders’ Criticisms of Israeli Occupation Policies unprecedented in Presidential Campaign?

Are Sanders’ Criticisms of Israeli Occupation Policies unprecedented in a Presidential Campaign?

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Bernie Sanders is being attacked for comments on the Middle East in his interview with the editorial board of The New York Daily…

ISIL and the New Sex Slavery

Human Rights Watch | - - (Beirut) – The extremist armed group Islamic State should urgently release Yezidi women and girls they abducted in 2014, Human Rights Watch said today, following new…

Sanders Surges Ahead of Clinton in National Poll

Via TeleSur | - - A McClatchy-Marist poll, conducted at the end of March, puts Sanders ahead of Clinton by two percentage points in the Democratic presidential race. Presidential hopefuls Bernie Sanders…

Activism v. Stereotypes: Women fighting Extremism aren’t just Victims or Amazon Soldiers

By Sanam Naraghi Anderlini | (Inter Press Service) | - - WASHINGTON DC, Apr 6 2016 (IPS) - Violent extremism is the topic du jour, as government officials are busy developing plans…

Israeli forces have killed 2,000 Palestinian Children, wounded 13,000, jailed 12,000 since 2000

By IMEMC | - - About 2,070 Palestinian children have been killed, and more 13,000 injured since the outbreak of Al-Aqsa Intifada in 2000, until this past March, official sources have reported,…

Could Trump losing Wisconsin halt his successful ride?

Ed Schultz | (RT America) | - - "Ted Cruz is expected to win the Wisconsin primary on the heels of what many are calling a bad week for frontrunner Donald Trump.…

Syria: Al-Assad Family’s Massive Stolen Wealth in Panama Papers helps explain Revolution

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The revelation in the leaked Panama Papers that Mossack Fonseca and Swiss bank HSBC serviced the companies of corrupt Syrian billionaire Rami Makhlouf…

Why Are there no Iranian Suicide Bombers? Evolving Islamic Democracy Matters!

By Ali R. Abootalebi | (Informed Comment) | - - The emergence of political Islam in the mainstream politics in the Middle East and across other Muslim countries since the 1970s has…

One Reason the GOP Bigwigs hate Trump: He told the truth about Bush WMD Lies

By Brian Glyn Williams | (Informed Comment) | - - Recently Donald Trump broke with Republican convention and roiled the party base by boldly stating “You call it whatever you want. I…

Right-wing Israelis caught trying to enter Al-Aqsa disguised as Muslims

Ma'an News Agency | - - JERUSALEM (Ma’an) -- Israeli police arrested two right-wing Jewish Israelis on Tuesday after they attempted to sneak into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound disguised as Muslims, locals…

Unconstitutional: How the Imperial Presidents went to War all by themselves

By Andrew J. Bacevich| ( Tomdispatch.com ) | - - Let’s face it: in times of war, the Constitution tends to take a beating. With the safety or survival of the nation…

What’s at Stake for Israel in al-Sharif Killing: Japanese Officers were Executed for Killing POWs

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The Israeli military and security forces have a problem. They are fairly obviously being ordered to commit summary executions of prisoners. The problem:…

Family of Assailant suing Israeli Army over summary execution of Son

Ma'an News Agency | - - HEBRON (Ma’an) -- The family of Abd al-Fattah al-Sharif said they would file legal procedures against the Israeli army in front of an Israeli court, after…

Panama Papers Expose Massive Global Corruption Scandal (TYT)

Cenk Uygur | (The Young Turks Video Report) | - - "We’ve got a new bunch of leaked papers on some of the most prominent politicians and leaders worldwide. They are laundering…

Occupied by ISIL, Besieged by Iraq & US: People of Fallujah lack Food, Firewood

By Kamal al-Ayash | (Niqash.org) | - - In Islamic State-run Fallujah, locals say they’re running out of everything, including food and medicine. They’re running out furniture too now, as most households…

Dear GOP: Top Myths about Syrian Refugees, refuted by Actual Facts

By Jeffrey H. Cohen | (The Conversation) | - - Following the March 2016 bombings in Brussels, Donald Trump stated: We have to be smart … We’re taking in people without real…

The Panama Papers and Middle East Leaders’ Secret Bank Accounts

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - An anonymous source has handed over to a German newspaper massive amounts of data from the Panama-based, German-run law firm Mossack Fonseca. The…

Autopsy confirms bullet fired by Israeli Soldier at point-blank range killed al-Sharif

Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM- (Ma’an) – The autopsy conducted on the body Abd al-Fatah al-Sharif on Sunday confirmed that the 21-year-old Palestinian was still alive before a bullet fired…

Is Trump Right on Torture?

Written by Bridge Initiative Team | ( Bridge) | - - In the wake of the Belgium terrorist attacks, Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has double-downed on his position in favor of…

Israel’s “chained women” fight for right to divorce

By Michael Blum | ( Your Middle East | - - Israel's "chained women" fight for right to divorce. She is one of Israel's "chained women" -- the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of…

After the Youth Revolts: Can the Arab Thug-ocracies ever be Reformed?

By Yezid Sayigh | (Project Syndicate) | - - WASHINGTON, DC – Experience across the Arab world demonstrates that when it comes to security-sector reform, technocratic approaches are inadequate. Simply put, a…

Now that Trump has mainstreamed White Supremacists, are they in Politics to stay?

By Peter Montgomery | (Otherwords) | - - The GOP frontrunner has turned white nationalists into political players. The staying power of Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy has surprised and unsettled people across…

Why ISIL/ Daesh attracts Convicts and Felons, not the Pious

By Anne Aly | (The Conversation) | - - Media outlets were quick to note the criminal backgrounds of the perpetrators of last week’s Brussels terror attacks. Drawing comparisons with those who…

Sanders Promises Economic Justice for Muslim, Black Communities

TeleSur | - - The Vermont senator fielded questions on social justice from members of the the African-American and Muslim communities at a Town Hall in Milwaukee. Democratic hopeful Bernie Sanders held…

Syrian Ceasefire in Tatters as al-Qaeda & allies attack in South Aleppo

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The London pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat reports that the rebel opposition allied with al-Qaeda broke the ceasefire Saturday morning, taking several villages and towns…

3 Surprising reasons Saudi Arabia may be getting out of the Oil Business

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Saudi crown prince Muhammad bin Salman announced Friday that Saudi Arabia would use its oil assets to back a $2 trillion sovereign wealth…

Anti-choicers condemning Trump while pushing laws that punish women (Seth Myers)

Anti-choicers condemning Trump while pushing laws that punish women (Seth Meyers)

Seth Meyers | (NBC Late Night Video) | - - "Seth takes a closer look at Donald Trump's controversial statement that there should be "some form of punishment" for women who seek…

Palestinian rights group submits Israeli war crimes report to Int’l Criminal Court

Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- In ongoing efforts to hold Israel accountable for gross violations of international law, Palestinian legal rights group Badil has published key findings on…

Greenpeace: Hillary Clinton Should Reject Fossil Fuel Money

TeleSur Hillary Clinton told Greenpeace she was going to reject fossil fuel donations yet her campaign has received over US$4.5 million from the industry. The Greenpeace USA activist who rattled Democratic party…

Turkey’s Erdogan exports Press crackdown to US as his guards manhandle Journalists in DC

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Turkish President Erdogan visited Washington DC this week to participate in the deliberations on nuclear weapons. He brought with him some bad habits…

Iraq: Shiite Militias issue threats against US Troops going to Iraq to fight Salafi ISIL

By Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) | - - Recently US troops started fighting the [so-called] Islamic State in Iraq [ISIL], with ‘boots on the ground’. But is keeping a distance…

Is Trump, wrong on everything else, Right on US Foreign Policy?

By John Feffer | ( Foreign Policy in Focus) | - - It might take someone of Trump’s vapid visibility to drive home the point that "world’s policeman" is not a viable…

Palestine: It’s not the Economy, Stupid

By Yossi Alpher | ( OpenDemocracy) | - - By all means, give the Palestinians development aid. But let us not delude ourselves that this will facilitate a two-state solution anytime soon.…

The Ted Cruz solution won’t stop terrorism in the U.S.

By Robert Pape and Walker Gunning | ( Chicago Tribune) | - - Most Americans felt the Brussels bombings in the pits of their stomachs. That's natural. Terrorism's greatest weapon is not…