![Can a Loose Federal system save Syria and Iraq?](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/can-a-loose-federal-system-save-187x137.jpg)
Category
- Africa (96)
- Asia (528)
- Authoritarianism (99)
- Cats (1)
- Culture (333)
- Dehydration (1)
- Democracy (152)
- Dissent (259)
- Economy (431)
- Education (50)
- Elderly (2)
- Energy (729)
- Environment (850)
- Europe (467)
- Featured (1,369)
- fiction (5)
- Food (5)
- Guns (8)
- History (142)
- Human Rights (802)
- Immigration (13)
- International (467)
- Islamophobia (193)
- Juan Cole (264)
- Latin America (28)
- Latinos (3)
- leisure (21)
- media (278)
- Middle East (4,781)
- Arab World (3,517)
- Iran (416)
- Israel (575)
- Israel/ Palestine (1,096)
- Israel/Palestine (8)
- Kurds (173)
- Turkey (282)
- military (101)
- Modernism (1)
- nationalism (86)
- NATO (3)
- Natural Disasters (7)
- nuclear weapons (22)
- Peace (51)
- Persian mythology (1)
- Popular Culture (22)
- Poverty (3)
- privacy (19)
- racism (181)
- religion (584)
- Rights (107)
- Romance (1)
- science (75)
- Secular (West) (7)
- Secularism (18)
- South Pacific (1)
- Spirituality (18)
- Statelessness (14)
- Surveillance (239)
- Terrorism (940)
- Tolerance (2)
- Uncategorized (7,998)
- United Nations (54)
- Urbanization (2)
- US Foreign Policy (388)
- US politics (2,031)
- Anti-War Movement (4)
- Campaign Finance (21)
- Censors (18)
- Central Intelligence Agency (49)
- Civil Rights (74)
- Constitution (205)
- Democratic Party (406)
- Domestic Terrorism (14)
- Drone Warfare (17)
- Espionage (99)
- Ethnicities (183)
- Far Right (106)
- FBI (26)
- Foreign Policy (154)
- Gay Rights (11)
- Guns (39)
- Immigration (90)
- Israel Lobbies (58)
- Militarization (180)
- National Security State (306)
- Native Americans (12)
- Nuclear arsenal (5)
- penitentiaries (5)
- Pentagon (145)
- Police (17)
- prison reform (1)
- Reproductive Choice (7)
- Republican Party (1,085)
- Supreme Court (17)
- Voter suppression (14)
- Whistleblowers (3)
- Xenophobia (4)
- Veterans (15)
- Voting Rights (4)
- War (170)
- Western Religion (295)
- White Supremacists (20)
- wikileaks (8)
- women (171)
- workers (99)
- Writing (5)
- Youth (94)
Archives: August 2015
![Can a Loose Federal system save Syria and Iraq?](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/can-a-loose-federal-system-save-187x137.jpg)
![Islamic Declaration on Climate Change Turns Up Heat Ahead of Paris Talks](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/islamic-declaration-on-climate-c-187x137.jpg)
Islamic Declaration on Climate Change Turns Up Heat Ahead of Paris Talks
By Kitty Stapp | (Inter Press Service) | - - NEW YORK (IPS) - Following in the footsteps of Pope Francis, who has taken a vocal stance on climate change, Muslim leaders…![‘We Must Face Reality. Iraq Can No Longer Be Ruled In A Centralised Way’ – Former VP Salih](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/we-must-face-reality-iraq-can-no-187x137.jpg)
‘We Must Face Reality. Iraq Can No Longer Be Ruled In A Centralised Way’ – Former VP Salih
Zhyar Mohammed | Niqash.org | Sulaymaniyah | - - Senior Iraqi Kurdish politician Barham Salih doesn't pull his punches: The Iraqi army is over, as is the national Iraqi project. And extremists…![Palestinians Christians Clash with Israeli Soldiers after Sunday Mass over Bethlehem Confiscations](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/palestinians-christians-clash-wi-187x137.jpg)
Palestinian Christians Clash with Israeli Soldiers after Sunday Mass over Bethlehem Confiscations
by IMEMC News | - - Palestinian Christians clashed with Israeli forces, following mass on Sunday, when priests and demonstrators marched to protest renewed work on the apartheid wall in the Christian…![Top 5 Green Energy Breakthroughs Today](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/top-5-green-energy-breakthroughs-187x137.jpg)
Top 5 Green Energy Breakthroughs Today
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) - - Switching to green energy sources like wind and solar is necessary to save the planet from increased concentrations of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide,…![“You Stink!” Movement Gives Lebanese Gov’t 72 Hours to Meet Protesters Demands](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/you-stink-movement-gives-lebanes-187x137.jpg)
“You Stink!” Movement Gives Lebanese Gov’t 72 Hours to Meet Protesters Demands
By Amira Al Hussaini | (Global Voices Online) | - - Lebanese protesters at Martyrs’ Square in Beirut earlier today. Photo credit: You Stink Movement official Facebook page Lebanese protesters today gave…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/RTX1GZCO-750x423-187x137.jpg)
Campaign of fear: Donald Trump’s battle against birthright citizenship
By Anthony J Gaughan | (The Conversation) | - - Donald Trump is a man of extraordinary self-confidence. Since launching his presidential bid in June, he has boasted of his immense wealth,…![Louisiana Muslim-Haters call 911 in Panic over Hebrew Sign](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/louisiana-muslim-haters-call-911-187x137.jpg)
Louisiana Muslim-Haters call 911 in Panic over Hebrew Sign
Cenk Uygur | (The Young Turks Video Report) | - - "Some Louisiana residents panicked when they found a sign written in what they thought was Arabic. It turned out to be…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/West_Bank_Dec_2012-679x960-187x137.jpg)
Palestine overwhelmed by Illegal American Immigrants
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - If there were a Palestinian Donald Trump, he'd be fulminating against illegal immigrants swamping the Palestinian West Bank. And he'd be complaining that…![Ghoul’s Glossary: “Migrants” or “Refugees”](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/ghouls-glossary-migrants-or-refu-187x137.jpg)
Ghoul’s Glossary: “Migrants” or “Refugees” or “Anchor Babies”?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Migrants: Those who voluntarily go to another country to live and work, seeking a better life. Refugees: Those who are forced out of…![Appeals Court Falls for Government’s Shell Game in NSA Spying Case](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/appeals-court-falls-for-governme-187x137.jpg)
Appeals Court Falls for Government’s Shell Game in NSA Spying Case
By Cindy Cohn | (Electronic Frontier Foundation) | - - The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit’s opinion today in Klayman v. Obama is highly disappointing and, worse, based on…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/imagescms-image-000023822-187x137.jpg)
Missing, Believed Murdered: ISIL in Mosul Releases 1st ‘Death List’ of 2,070 Victims
Khales Joumah | Mosul | (Niqash.org) The Islamic State group in Mosul has released lists of locals whose families thought they were missing, but who have been executed. The extremists are also…![Tahrir Square](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2011/02/Tahrir.jpg)
Are Turkish Pres. Erdogan’s anti-PKK Campaign, Snap Elections Backfiring?
By Kubilay Yado Arin | (ISLAMiCommentary) | - - Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. (photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons) Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan this week called for new elections on November 1, after his…![Austrian Truck Tragedy echoes Palestinian Story, reminding us of 7 mn still stateless](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/austrian-truck-tragedy-echoes-pa-187x137.jpg)
Austrian Truck Tragedy echoes Palestinian Story, reminding us of 7 mn still stateless
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The gruesome discovery of an abandoned truck in eastern Austria with 71 dead refugees in it, 4 of them children, has horrified the…![Can Donald Trump Become President Without Latinos?](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/can-donald-trump-become-presiden-187x137.jpg)
Can Donald Trump Become President Without Latinos?
AJ+ | (Video Report) - - "After attacking immigrants, Mexicans and other Latinos, can Donald Trump become president without their votes? We look at the numbers and come up with an answer."…![What if it were your kids’ School the Israelis were demolishing?](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/what-if-it-were-your-kids-school-187x137.jpg)
What if it were your kids’ School the Israelis were demolishing?
By: Fadwa Baroud | (Ma'an News Analysis) | - - On July 12, 2015, Israel announced that it would seek to carry out demolition orders of structures in the Palestinian village of…![Fighting at Funerals: Turkey plunges back into Conflict](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/fighting-at-funerals-turkey-plun-187x137.jpg)
Fighting at Funerals: Turkey plunges back into Conflict
T. Deniz Erkmen | (Informed Comment) | - - It has been a month since the government of Turkey has ended the tenuous peace process with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK),…![Egypt’s al-Sisi and Putin Pledge Common Front against Terrorism](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/egypts-al-sisi-and-putin-pledge-187x137.jpg)
Egypt’s al-Sisi and Putin Pledge Common Front against Terrorism
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Egypt's president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met Wednesday for the third time in a year with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Putin is…![Germany decides to Accept Syrian Refugees, Waives EU Rule](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/germany-decides-to-accept-syrian-187x137.jpg)
Germany decides to Accept Syrian Refugees, Waives EU Rule
Der Tagesspiegel by Andrea Dernbach translated by Samuel Morgan [NB Germany is expecting 800,000 asylum seekers this year, 40% of the EU total.] Germany has ceased applying the rules of the Dublin…![Turkey’s Snap Elections: Erdoğan is forcing his people to take sides](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/turkeys-snap-elections-erdogan-i-187x137.jpg)
Turkey’s Snap Elections: Erdoğan is forcing his people to take sides
By Bahar Baser and Ahmet Erdi Öztürk | (The Conversation) | - - Ever since the June 2015 elections, which thwarted the proposed presidential system that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has long…![Major World Aid Groups & 150,000 people demand end to Israel’s Gaza blockade](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/major-world-aid-groups-150000-pe-187x137.jpg)
Major World Aid Groups & 150,000 people demand end to Israel’s Gaza blockade
Oxfam | (Press Release) - - Oxfam Press Release : More than 150,000 people from around the world have today joined 35 aid, faith, development and human rights organizations in backing an…![Water Being Used as Weapon of War in Syrian Conflict, UN Warns](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/water-being-used-as-weapon-of-wa-187x137.jpg)
Water Being Used as Weapon of War in Syrian Conflict, UN Warns
By Lauren McCauley, staff writer. | (Commondreams.org) | - - Compounded by scorching heat wave, Syrians are experiencing 'deliberate' water cut-offs, often for weeks at a time The United Nations on Tuesday…![Defending Natalie Portman on Holocaust: Sometimes it can be subverted to fear-mongering](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/defending-natalie-portman-on-hol-187x137.jpg)
Defending Natalie Portman on Holocaust: Sometimes it can be subverted to fear-mongering
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Actress Natalie Portman has kicked off a controversy with remarks about how to remember the Nazi Holocaust against the Jews, in which the…![Jorge Ramos explains what happened after he was escorted out of Trump’s press conference](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/jorge-ramos-explains-what-happen-187x137.jpg)
Jorge Ramos explains his ejection from Trump’s press conference
Jorge Ramos | (Univision Noticias) (Video Interview)| - - Univision Noticias: "Jorge Ramos explains what happened after he was escorted out of Trump's press conference"![ISIL’s Assault on History: Blows Up 1st Century Baal Shamin Temple in Palmyra](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/isils-assault-on-history-blows-u-187x137.jpg)
ISIL’s Assault on History: Blows Up 1st Century Baal Shamin Temple in Palmyra
RFE / RL | - - Gunmen from the Islamic State (IS) militant group have blown up a first century A.D. temple in the ancient city of Palmyra, Syrian government officials and…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/jwaug_25a_15-187x137.gif)
Jeb Bush’s Torquemada Platform (Political Cartoon)
Paul Jamiol | (Jamiol's World) Via Jamiol's World![Coal Industry Collapsing in Appalachia, leaving behind Blighted Landscape](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/coal-industry-collapsing-in-appa-187x137.jpg)
Coal Industry Collapsing in Appalachia, leaving behind Blighted Landscape
By Laura Gottesdiener. | (Tomdispatch.com) | - - In Appalachia, explosions have leveled the mountain tops into perfect race tracks for Ryan Hensley’s all-terrain vehicle (ATV). At least, that’s how the 14-year-old…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/Only-a-Handful-of-Reasonable-Muslims-641x960-187x137.png)
GOP Islamophobia: Scott Walker thinks there are only “a Handful” of “Reasonable Muslims”
Via Bridge Project Tracking islamophobia![President of Israel declares Israeli Squatting in Palestinian West Bank a “Right”, key to Zionism](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/president-of-israel-declares-isr-187x137.jpg)
President of Israel declares Israeli Squatting in Palestinian West Bank a “Right”, key to Zionism
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Monday declared Israeli squatting on the Palestinian West Bank a "right" and as an essential Zionist principle. Reuven,…![A CIA Eyewitness blows the Whistle on Bushie Torturers still Justifying Crimes](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/a-cia-eyewitness-blows-the-whist-187x137.jpg)
A CIA Eyewitness blows the Whistle on Bushie Torturers still Justifying Crimes
By John Kiriakou | (Foreign Policy in Focus/ Otherwords.org) | - - They can call it anything they want, but the CIA tortured its prisoners. And that's a crime against humanity. The…![Trump in Alabama: Playing George Wallace & making Latinos the new N-Word](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/trump-in-alabama-playing-george-187x137.jpg)
Trump in Alabama: Playing George Wallace & making Latinos the new N-Word
Margaret Howell and Jo Ankier | (TheLipTV Video News Commentary) | - - "Donald Trump held a pep rally at the Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Alabama on Friday night drawing around 30,000 people.…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/imagescms-image-000023711-187x137.jpg)
Can Iraq’s Shiite Militias save the Country from Sectarian Division? Qais al-Khazali thinks So
By Mohammed al-Zaidi | Najaf | (Niqash.org) | - - NIQASH meets Qais al-Khazali, head of one of Iraq's most feared militias. The cleric and soldier answered critics, talking about what to…![Israel: Surge in Unlawful Palestinian Home Demolitions: 126 in West Bank Left Homeless](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/israel-surge-in-unlawful-palesti-187x137.jpg)
Israel: Surge in Unlawful Palestinian Home Demolitions: 126 in West Bank Left Homeless
Human Rights Watch | - - (Jerusalem) – The Israeli military unlawfully demolished at least 39 structures in Bedouin Palestinian communities in the West Bank on August 17 and 18, 2015. The…![They’re Baaack! Neoconservatives, Netanyahu, and the GOP set up US-Iran War of 2017](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/theyre-baaack-neoconservatives-n-187x137.jpg)
They’re Baaack! Neoconservatives, Netanyahu, and the GOP set up US-Iran War of 2017
By David Bromwich | ( Tomdispatch.com ) “We’re going to push and push until some larger force makes us stop.” David Addington, the legal adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney, made that…![ISIS Desecrates, Razes Ancient Christian Monastery in Syria](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/isis-desecrates-razes-ancient-ch-187x137.jpg)
ISIS Desecrates, Razes Ancient Christian Monastery in Syria
Iraq-Syria News | (Video News Report) | - - "Yet again, ISIS violated the sanctity of Christianity in the Middle East and in Syria in particular. This time, the target was the…![NOAA: July 2015 was most Torrid Month on Record, caused by burning Fossil Fuels](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/noaa-july-2015-was-most-torrid-m-187x137.jpg)
NOAA: July 2015 was most Torrid Month on Record, caused by burning Fossil Fuels
IBTimes UK | (Video News Report) | - - IBTimes UK: "Global warming: July 2015 was the hottest month ever recorded" Addendum: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports: "The July average…![Israel’s Illegal blockade of Gaza based on “made-up laws”; resistance outlawed](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/israels-illegal-blockade-of-gaza-187x137.jpg)
Israel’s Illegal blockade of Gaza based on “made-up laws”; resistance outlawed
By Azeezah Kanji | (OpenDemocracy) | - - Israel invokes the privileges of engaging in international armed conflict but denies Palestinians their corresponding entitlements under the same body of law. This is…![Is Israeli military using Barak in struggle w/ Netanyahu over Iran Deal?](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/is-israeli-military-using-barak-187x137.jpg)
Is Israeli military using Barak in struggle w/ Netanyahu over Iran Deal?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) - - The revelations from former Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak's memoir keep coming. Another excerpt was broadcast by Israel's Channel 2 on Sunday. Barak gave…![Youth Revolts are back– Lebanon, Iraq Shaken by demand for Services, end to Corruption](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/youth-revolts-are-back-lebanon-i-187x137.jpg)
Youth Revolts are back– Lebanon, Iraq Shaken by demand for Services, end to Corruption
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The master narrative of much Western journalism is that the youth protests of 2011 have been replaced by civil war and terrorism. But…![Slovakia Will Only Accept Christian Migrants](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/slovakia-will-only-accept-christ-187x137.jpg)
Slovakia Will Only Accept Christian Migrants
Jo Ankier and Jose Marcelino Orti | (TheLipTV Video News) | - - "Slovakia announced Thursday that it will only accept Christians when it takes in refugees fleeing conflict in Syria under…![Israel issues demolition order for mosque in Palestinian East Jerusalem](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/israel-issues-demolition-order-f-187x137.jpg)
Israel issues demolition order for mosque in Palestinian East Jerusalem
Ma'an News Agency | - - JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli municipality officials delivered a demolition order Friday to the al-Qaaqaa Mosque, a house, and a studio apartment in the Silwan neighborhood of…![American Heroes on French Train show Courage, not Billions, needed to Face down Terrorism](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/american-heroes-on-french-train-187x137.jpg)
American Heroes on French Train show Courage, not Billions, needed to Face down Terrorism
Deutsche Welle | (Video News Report) | - - "Three Americans are being hailed as heroes, after overpowering a gunman aboard a European high-speed train. Reports say the suspect was armed with…![How Islamic State is moving its Egyptian battle from Sinai to Cairo](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/how-islamic-state-is-moving-its-187x137.jpg)
How Islamic State is moving its Egyptian battle from Sinai to Cairo
By Natasha Ezrow | (The Conversation) | - - Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for a powerful car bomb detonated outside a state security building in northern Cairo which injured 29…![Barak– Netanyahu was on verge of Attacking Iran 3 Times 2010-12 (Why Listening to him on Iran Diplomacy is Daft)](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/barak-netanyahu-was-on-verge-of-187x137.jpg)
Barak– Netanyahu was on verge of Attacking Iran 3 Times 2010-12 (Why Listening to him on Iran Diplomacy is Daft)
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - In a radio interview, former Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak revealed that the government of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was on the verge…![Momentum growing for Iran Deal: Obama Wins Over Jewish Democrat Nadler](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/momentum-growing-for-iran-deal-o-187x137.jpg)
Momentum growing for Iran Deal: Obama Wins Over Jewish Democrat Nadler
Wochit News | (video News Report) | - - "President Barack Obama seeking to reassure a Democratic congressman who represents the most Jewish district in the nation calls the nuclear agreement negotiated…![Syria: Impose Arms Embargo on Regime Following Deadly Airstrikes](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/syria-impose-arms-embargo-on-reg-187x137.jpg)
Syria: Impose Arms Embargo on Regime Following Deadly Airstrikes
Human Rights Watch | - - (New York) – The United Nations Security Council should impose an arms embargo on the Syrian government following the government’s repeated air attacks on Douma’s popular…![Iran Pres. Rouhani criticizes Hardliners, is slapped down by Revolutionary Guards](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/iran-pres-rouhani-criticizes-har-187x137.jpg)
Iran Pres. Rouhani criticizes Hardliners, is slapped down by Revolutionary Guards
By Golnaz Esfandiari | ( RFE/RL) | - - Iran's Guardians Council, long accused of being a tool for hard-liners in factional power struggles, is at the center of a new war…![Global Warming: Humans made California drought 15-20% worse by Burning Coal, Gas, Oil](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/global-warming-humans-made-calif-187x137.jpg)
Global Warming: Humans made California drought 15-20% worse by Burning Coal, Gas, Oil
By Park Williams | (The Conversation) | - - With each passing year, human-caused global warming bullies California for more water. Each year, the heat squeezes more moisture from soils and ecosystems.…![Crisis in Iraqi Kurdistan: Attacked by ISIL & Turkey; and Now Leaderless](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/crisis-in-iraqi-kurdistan-attack-187x137.jpg)
Crisis in Iraqi Kurdistan: Attacked by ISIL & Turkey; and Now Leaderless
Honar Hama Rasheed | Erbil | (Niqash.org) | - - As the issue of Iraqi Kurdistan's vacant presidency heats up, delegations from the US, Turkey and Iran have all visited to have…![Huge ISIL Blast at Cairo Security Bldg. Injures 29; Sisi Security Claims in Tatters](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/huge-isil-blast-at-cairo-securit-187x137.jpg)
Huge ISIL Blast at Cairo Security Bldg. Injures 29; Sisi Security Claims in Tatters
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - An enormous explosion damaged a building housing secret police in a northern district of Cairo (Shubra al-Khayma) on Thursday early morning, wounding nearly…![Israel and the BDS debate: two scholars respectfully agree to differ](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/israel-and-the-bds-debate-two-sc-187x137.jpg)
Israel and the BDS debate: two scholars respectfully agree to differ
By Ingrid Matthews and James Arvanitakis | (The Conversation) | - - From Australia, we watch Israel at a great distance, safe in the knowledge that the regular and horrific levels of…![“The Iranian Threat”: Who Is the Gravest Danger to World Peace?](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/the-iranian-threat-who-is-the-gr-187x137.jpg)
“The Iranian Threat”: Who Is the Gravest Danger to World Peace?
By Noam Chomsky | ( Tomdispatch.com) | - - Throughout the world there is great relief and optimism about the nuclear deal reached in Vienna between Iran and the P5+1 nations, the…![Trump Takes on the World](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/trump-takes-on-the-world-187x137.jpg)
Trump Takes on the World
By John Feffer | (Foreign Policy in Focus) | - - It was 1972. The flamboyant rock star Alice Cooper, not quite a household name at that point in England, was booked…![No, AP, Iran doesn’t get to Inspect its own Nuclear Facilities under Deal](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/no-ap-iran-doesnt-get-to-inspect-187x137.jpg)
No, AP, Iran doesn’t get to Inspect its own Nuclear Facilities under Deal
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Eminent Iran and security expert Gary Sick pointed out in an email late Wednesday that the Associated Press just ran a shamefully inaccurate…![Syria: Daesh/ ISIL Kills aged Archeologist who refused reveal hidden Palmyra Antiquities](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/syria-daesh-isil-kills-aged-arch-187x137.jpg)
Syria: Daesh/ ISIL Kills aged Archeologist who refused to reveal hidden Palmyra Antiquities
AJ+ | (Video News Report) | - - "ISIS beheaded 82-year-old Khaled Al-Asaad on August 18, 2015, in the 2,000-year-old city he spent his life restoring. Syria's most prominent antiquities scholar is…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/BarnettShaleDrilling-9323-638x960-187x137.jpg)
To Contain Carbon Bomb, US Must End Fossil Fuel Leasing on Public Lands
By Deirdre Fulton, staff writer | (Commondreams.org) | - - 'Each new lease puts us farther down the path toward climate catastrophe,' says Friends of the Earth If the U.S. government wants…![70 Top nuclear Experts: Iran Deal a ‘Net-Plus’ for Non-Proliferation Worldwide](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/70-top-nuclear-experts-iran-deal-187x137.jpg)
70 Top nuclear Experts: Iran Deal a ‘Net-Plus’ for Non-Proliferation Worldwide
By S. Chandra | (Inter Press Service) - - WASHINGTON (IPS) - As the U.S. Congress prepares to vote next month on the landmark Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was…![Huckabee’s virtual Genocide: erases Palestinians from West Bank, declares it “Israel”](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/huckabees-virtual-genocide-erase-187x137.jpg)
Huckabee’s virtual Genocide: erases Palestinians from West Bank, declares it “Israel”
IMEMC | - - US presidential contender Mike Huckabee said during a visit to Jerusalem, on Wednesday, that he did not consider the West Bank occupied by Israel. The Republican and Baptist…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/Screen-Shot-2015-08-19-at-2.31.11-AM-187x137.png)
Defying Saudis, Iran: Muslim thinkers call for Action on Climate Change at Istanbul Conference
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Attendees at the International Islamic Climate Change Symposium in Istanbul from 20 countries produced, and 60 of them signed, a declaration this week…![Despite Sordid Past, Nuclear Deal can Repair US-Iran Relations: An open letter to Congress and the White House](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/despite-sordid-past-nuclear-deal-187x137.jpg)
Despite Sordid Past, Nuclear Deal can Repair US-Iran Relations: An open letter to Congress and the White House
Francis A. Mlynarczyk, Jr. and Walter M. Cadette | (Informed Comment)| - - Washington has an opportunity to repair its tattered relations with Iran. The opportunity is there on the premise that…![Iran’s Support for Syria Pragmatic, not Religious (or, Who are the Alawites?)](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/irans-support-for-syria-pragmati-187x137.jpg)
Iran’s Support for Syria Pragmatic, not Religious (or, Who are the Alawites?)
By Ari Heistein | (Informed Comment) | - - The Shia government in Teheran and the Alawi regime in Damascus have had warm relations since Iran’s Islamic Revolution, and many attribute that to a…![Hard to get Good Help: Are US Generals just Incompetent?](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/hard-to-get-good-help-are-us-gen-187x137.jpg)
Hard to get Good Help: Are US Generals just Incompetent?
By William J. Astore | (Tomdispatch.com) | - - Thomas Jefferson Hall, West Point’s library and learning center, prominently features two quotations for cadets to mull over. In the first, Jefferson writes George Washington…![As Oil Prices Crater, Algeria needs an Actual Economy or big Trouble Looms](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/as-oil-prices-crater-algeria-nee-187x137.jpg)
As Oil Prices Crater, Algeria needs an Actual Economy or big Trouble Looms
By Allan Christelow | (Informed Comment) | - - Like other oil producers, Algeria faces difficulties with the sharp decline in prices since 2014. But unlike oil producers in the Gulf region,…![How many thousands US troops would GOP Hopefuls send to Iraq and Syria?](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/how-many-thousands-us-troops-wou-187x137.jpg)
How many thousands US troops would GOP Hopefuls send to Iraq and Syria?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Bill Barrow of the Associated Press took a look at the specifics of plans for US troop deployments in the Middle East put…![Young Muslim-American entrepreneurs Fight ISIL Online](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/young-muslim-american-entreprene-187x137.jpg)
Young Muslim-American entrepreneurs Fight ISIL Online
Ayman Mohyeldin | (NBC News Video report) "Startups are launching to help young Muslims, who might fall to ISIS’ luring appeal, grapple with issues of identity and religion." NBC News: "Young Entrepreneurs…![How Black Lives Matter is making Bernie Sanders a better candidate](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/how-black-lives-matter-is-making-187x137.jpg)
How Black Lives Matter is making Bernie Sanders a better candidate
By Kate Aronoff | ( Waging Nonviolence) If you spent any time in the progressive blogosphere this past week and a half, chances are that you have some feelings about activists in…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/8449255653_e28bb935eb_z-573x472-187x137.jpg)
Egypt’s “Terrorism” Law Violates “Fundamental Freedoms”
By Kitty Stapp | (Inter Press Service) | - - NEW YORK (IPS) - Egyptian authorities are already holding a record number of journalists behind bars, and a draconian new anti-terror law…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/jwaug_18a_15-187x137.gif)
First Time at the Rodeo? (Political Cartoon)
Paul Jamiol | (Jamiol's World) | - Via Jamiol's World![The Long Knives Come out in Baghdad](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/the-long-knives-come-out-in-bagh-187x137.jpg)
The Long Knives Come out in Baghdad
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - In principle, the idea of streamlining the Iraqi government and making it more efficient is a capital one. But the reforms being pursued…![Gaza: Managing the Disaster isn’t Enough; not one of 11,000 buildings repaired](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/gaza-managing-the-disaster-isnt-187x137.jpg)
Gaza: Managing the Disaster isn’t Enough; not one of 11,000 buildings repaired
By Charlie Hoyle | (Inter Press Service) | - - The rubble of twisted concrete and metal bakes in the hot Mediterranean sun of a regional heat wave. A year on from…![California at the Cutting Edge of our new Mega-Drought Normal](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/california-at-the-cutting-edge-o-187x137.jpg)
California at the Cutting Edge of our new Mega-Drought Normal
By William deBuys | ( Tomdispatch.com) - - Long ago, I lived in a cheap flat in San Francisco and worked as the lone straight man in a gay construction company. Strangely…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/wind-power-leaders-001-579x960-1-187x137.jpg)
Is Wind Energy taking over the Planet and Saving it?
By Nicole Jewell | (Fix.com) | - - Renewable energy has come a long way in a relatively short time. But there are still many questions about the cost effectiveness and feasibility…![Is Syria doomed to become Sunni version of Theocratic Iran?](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/is-syria-doomed-to-become-sunni-187x137.jpg)
Is Syria doomed to become Sunni version of Theocratic Iran?
By Hakim Khatib | ( Your Middle East ) - - War in Syria The Syrian upheaval has, increasingly, been fixed in a religious framework – Sunnis against the rest, writes Hakim…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/ForeignPrioritiesGraph3-750x347-187x137.jpg)
New Poll: only 1 in 4 in US want more American involvement abroad; Cuba & Iran lower on List
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) - - A new NORC/ AP poll, done before the Iran deal was announced by President Obama, shows how out of touch most of the presidential…![Israeli troops Suppress Demo for Hunger-Striker Allan, in Coma](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/israeli-troops-suppress-demo-for-187x137.jpg)
Israeli troops Suppress Demo for Hunger-Striker Allan, in Coma
By Saed Bannoura - (IMEMC News) Dozens of Palestinians suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation, Saturday, after Israeli soldiers assaulted hundreds of residents marching in solidarity with hunger striking detainee Mohammad…![ISIL: What nonviolent steps could the US take to defeat it?](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/isil-what-nonviolent-steps-could-187x137.jpg)
ISIL: What nonviolent steps could the US take to defeat it?
By Adil E. Shamoo | (Foreign Policy in Focus) | - - There may be a responsible way to fight the Islamic State, but the U.S. will have to leave its boots…![New Proof: AT&T and NSA’s Long Surveillance Partnership shredded 4th Amendment](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/new-proof-att-and-nsas-long-surv-187x137.jpg)
New Proof: AT&T and NSA’s Long Surveillance Partnership shredded 4th Amendment
By Mark Rumold | ( Electronic Frontier Foundation) | - - Reports today in the New York Times and ProPublica confirm what EFF’s Jewel v. NSA lawsuit has claimed since 2008—that the…![Is al-Zawahiri’s oath to Taliba a sign al-Qaeda is finished? Will ISIL step In?](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/is-al-zawahiris-oath-to-taliba-a-187x137.jpg)
Is al-Zawahiri’s oath to Taliban a sign al-Qaeda is finished? Will ISIL step In?
By Joanna Paraszczuk | ( RFE/ RL ) - - After almost a year of silence, Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri has released an audio message swearing bay'ah -- an oath of allegiance…![How the Israel Lobbies hurt U of Illinois-UC and damaged our 1st Amendment (Salaita Case)](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/how-the-israel-lobbies-hurt-u-of-187x137.jpg)
How the Israel Lobbies hurt U of Illinois-UC & 1st Amendment (Salaita Case)
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - There is no honor among thieves or ideologues, and it is sad to see a great university's leadership descend into petty squabbling and…![Brothers in Arms: Jeb Bush Won’t Say ‘No’ To Future Torture](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/brothers-in-arms-jeb-bush-wont-s-187x137.jpg)
Brothers in Arms: Jeb Bush Won’t Say ‘No’ To Future Torture
By Jon Queally, staff writer | ( Commondreams.org | - - 'This is what happens when you don't prosecute officials for illegally torturing people.' While also foregoing the opportunity to condemn the…![Turkey Hit by Wave of Attacks as It Continues Mideast Military Strikes](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/turkey-hit-by-wave-of-attacks-as-187x137.jpg)
Turkey Hit by Wave of Attacks as It Continues Mideast Military Strikes
By Anne Koopman | ( Global Voices Online) | - - At least nine people fell victim to a spate of attacks in the Turkey's largest city Istanbul and the south-eastern province…![Israeli Lawmaker: Palestinians ‘preventing expansion’ of settlements](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/israeli-lawmaker-palestinians-pr-187x137.jpg)
Israeli Lawmaker: Palestinians ‘preventing expansion’ of settlements
Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- An Israeli Knesset member this week convened a meeting to stop Palestinians from "preventing the expansion" of Jewish-only settlements in the occupied West…![Syria: Kurdish YPG Expels “bloodthirsty” ISIL “gangs” from Hasaka (VICE News)](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/syria-kurdish-ypg-expels-bloodth-187x137.jpg)
Syria: Kurdish YPG Expels “bloodthirsty” ISIL “gangs” from Hasaka (VICE News)
VICE News | (Video Report) | - - "The northeastern city of Hasakah is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse in Syria. Its population of Kurds, Sunni Arabs, and Christians…![Putin pitches Grand Alliance against Daesh/ ISIL, but Syria Rebels want al-Assad Gone](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/putin-pitches-grand-alliance-aga-187x137.jpg)
Putin pitches Grand Alliance against Daesh/ ISIL, but Syria Rebels want al-Assad Gone
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The Russian Federation is a key player in Syria, and backer of the dictatorial government of Bashar al-Assad. Moscow on Wednesday and Thursday…![GOP Hopefuls Get $62M From Fossil Fuel Donors: Origins of Climate Denialism?](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/gop-hopefuls-get-62m-from-fossil-187x137.jpg)
GOP Hopefuls Get $62M From Fossil Fuel Donors: Origins of Climate Denialism?
Elliot Hill and Mark Sovel | (TheLipTV Video Report) | - - "Eight out of the 17 Republican presidential candidates have received at least $62m in donations from a small number of…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/settlements-629x472-187x137.jpg)
Settlement Expansion Largely Responsible for Violence in Occupied West Bank
By Kanya D'Almeida | (Inter Press Service) | - - UNITED NATIONS (IPS) - Just weeks after an 18-month-old baby was killed in an arson attack in the Palestinian village of Duma,…![Good Earth News: Are Tar Sands & Fracking Doomed by Long Oil Glut?](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/good-earth-news-are-tar-sands-fr-187x137.jpg)
Good Earth News: Are Tar Sands & Fracking Doomed by Long Oil Glut?
By Michael T. Klare | (Tomdispatch.com | - - The plunge of global oil prices began in June 2014, when benchmark Brent crude was selling at $114 per barrel. It hit bottom at $46…![Did Ayatollah Sistani just save Iraq from Iran-backed militias by pushing Gov’t Reforms?](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/did-ayatollah-sistani-just-save-187x137.jpg)
Did Ayatollah Sistani just save Iraq from Iran-backed militias by pushing Gov’t Reforms?
Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org)| - - During last week's protests, secret plans were made to use demonstrations to topple the government. But a senior Shiite spiritual leader seems to have…![Why Partitioning Iraq is a Terrible Idea](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/why-partitioning-iraq-is-a-terri-187x137.jpg)
Why Partitioning Iraq is a Terrible Idea
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - I think the remarks of outgoing US Army chief Gen. Ray Odierno on the possible partition of Iraq have been reported in a…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/NesjavellirPowerPlant_edit2-750x500-187x137.jpg)
GOP Pres. Candidates AWOL on Clean Power Plan
The Tree | - - Exactly one week after the United States government finalized its historic Clean Power Plan, the traditional opponents of the transition from dirty energy to clean renewables have…![Bernie Sanders Surges Past Hillary In N. Hampshire](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/bernie-sanders-surges-past-hilla-187x137.jpg)
Bernie Sanders Surges Past Hillary In N. Hampshire
Cenk Uygur and John Iadarola | (The Young Turks) | - - "Up until this week we were asking the question, “Can Bernie Sanders ever catch up to Hillary Clinton?" After today…![Saudi-led war in Yemen provokes Humanitarian Crisis, 1.2 mn. displaced](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/saudi-led-war-in-yemen-provokes-187x137.jpg)
Saudi-led war in Yemen provokes Humanitarian Crisis, 1.2 mn. displaced
By Kitty Stapp | (Inter Press Service) | - - UNITED NATIONS (IPS) - Doctors Without Borders . . . is warning that the violence in Yemen “has radically increased” since March,…![Petition Calling For Israeli PM Netanyahu’s Arrest Goes Viral](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/petition-calling-for-israeli-pm-187x137.jpg)
Petition Calling For Israeli PM Netanyahu’s Arrest Goes Viral
By IMEMC | - - A British petition demanding the arrest of the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, upon his arrival in the UK next month, went viral in just a few…![Memo to Jeb Bush: It was the Surge that created ISIL, not Hillary](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/memo-to-jeb-bush-it-was-the-surg-187x137.jpg)
Memo to Jeb Bush: It was W’s Surge that created ISIL, not Hillary
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Jeb Bush very unwisely went after Hillary Clinton last night on the grounds that her Iraq policies gave us Daesh (ISIS, ISIL). Bush…![Straws in the Wind: Obama has likely already won re: Iran Deal](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/straws-in-the-wind-obama-has-lik-187x137.jpg)
Straws in the Wind: Obama has likely already won re: Iran Deal
By Carlyn Meyer | (Informed Comment) | - - Republicans have derided President Obama as weak and incompetent for years. Summer 2015 is shaping up to be pay-back time. As President Obama…![Trump: My Iran Deal would be 100x Better, I’d Make World Obey](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/trump-my-iran-deal-would-be-100x-187x137.jpg)
Trump: My Iran Deal would be 100x Better, I’d Make World Obey
CNN | (New Day Video Report) | - - "Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump talks to CNN's New Day about the nuclear agreement with Iran." CNN: "Donald Trump: My Iran nuclear deal…![Why is the GOP listening to Netanyahu on Iran? They just hate Obama & anything he does](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/why-is-the-gop-listening-to-neta-187x137.jpg)
Why is the GOP listening to Netanyahu on Iran? They just hate Obama & anything he does
Hamid Zangeneh | (Informed Comment) | - - We have been bombarded with a great deal of punch and counterpunch with regard to the nuclear deal reached between Iran and 5+1 countries.…![Where did the anti-War Movement go?](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/where-did-the-anti-war-movement-187x137.jpg)
Where did the anti-War Movement go?
By Tom Englehart | ( Tomdispatch.com) Let me tell you a story about a moment in my life I’m not likely to forget even if, with the passage of years, so much…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/J-Street-poll-on-Iran-Nuclear-Agreement1-187x137.jpg)
If it’s going to push us to War, is it time for AIPAC to register as foreign Agent?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Most polls show that Jewish Americans are the Americans most enthusiastic about the diplomatic deal reached at Vienna between Iran and the UN…![Hillary v. Bernie on Student Debt: Whose Plan is more Progressive?](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/hillary-v-bernie-on-student-debt-187x137.jpg)
Hillary v. Bernie on Student Debt: Whose Plan is more Progressive?
AJ+ | (Video report) | - - "Hillary Clinton announced on August 9 her New College Compact plan to tackle America's $1 trillion student debt problem. Clinton worked with education experts on…![Turkey: As Violence hits Istanbul, southeast, Can Pres. Erdogan turn it to Political Advantage?](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/turkey-as-violence-hits-istanbul-187x137.jpg)
Turkey: As Violence hits Istanbul, southeast, Can Pres. Erdogan turn it to Political Advantage?
By Alpaslan Ozerdem | (The Conversation) | - - Armed attacks on the US consulate and a police station are the latest in a wave of bloody violence in Turkey that has…![Don’t Sit Tight: Congress Can Still Tank the Iran Deal](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/dont-sit-tight-congress-can-stil-187x137.jpg)
Don’t Sit Tight: Congress Can Still Tank the Iran Deal
By Phyllis Bennis and Kevin Martin | (Foreign Policy in Focus) | - - Lawmakers need to hear from their constituents who support diplomacy over war. Members of Congress are fleeing Washington’s…![The Nuclear Deal has turned Tehran into Diplomatic Capital of Mideast](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/the-nuclear-deal-has-turned-tehr-187x137.jpg)
The Nuclear Deal has turned Tehran into Diplomatic Capital of Mideast
By Javad Heirannia / Farhang Jahanpour | (Tehran Times) | - - TEHRAN - Farhang Jahanpour, a former Senior Research Fellow at Harvard University, says the confirmation of the nuclear deal between…![Game of Groans: How focus on Trump Taunts hides GOP war on Middle Class, Workers](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/game-of-groans-how-focus-on-trum-187x137.jpg)
Game of Groans: How focus on Trump Taunts hides GOP war on Middle Class, Workers
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The condition of late capitalism produces a press discourse strangely devoid of any mention of class. Last Thursday we had 10 rich males,…![Is ISIL/ Daesh biggest threat to Saudi Arabia: Mosque of Secret Police Bombed](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/is-isil-daesh-biggest-threat-to-187x137.jpg)
Is ISIL/ Daesh biggest threat to Saudi Arabia?: Mosque of Secret Police Bombed
By Mohammed Al Nemer | ( Global Voices Online) | - - Another suicide bomb hit Saudi Arabia on Thursday, this time at a mosque inside a Special Forces headquarters in Asir,…![Offshore Wind in Europe Surges, Powers 7 mn. Households](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/offshore-wind-in-europe-surges-p-187x137.jpg)
Offshore Wind in Europe Surges, Powers 7 mn. Households
The Tree | - - Europe’s offshore wind industry is set for a record 12 months, as new analysis from the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) reveals a bumper start to the…![Controversy: Did Turkish anti-PKK Airstrikes hit civilian Kurdish village of Zargeli?](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/controversy-did-turkish-anti-pkk-187x137.jpg)
Controversy: Did Turkish anti-PKK Airstrikes hit civilian Kurdish village of Zargeli?
BBC | (Video News Report) | - - "Turkey may have joined the air war against Islamic State militants across the border in Syria. The nation has also been taking action against…![Obama Says Netanyahu’s Interference in American Politics “Unprecedented”](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/obama-says-netanyahus-interferen-187x137.jpg)
Obama Says Netanyahu’s Interference in American Politics “Unprecedented”
By IMEMC | - - US President Barack Obama, in an interview with CNN, said that Israeli prime minister Benyamin Netanyahu’s interference in American politics is "unprecedented", especially following the Iran deal.…![Top Iran General Endorses Nuclear Deal with US, UNSC](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/top-iran-general-endorses-nuclea-187x137.jpg)
Top Iran General Endorses Nuclear Deal with US, UNSC
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Iranian Chief of Staff Major-Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi said Saturday that despite some reservations, he saw 16 major advantages to the Iran deal. He…![How Iran Deal Could Change the Middle East](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/how-iran-deal-could-change-the-m-187x137.jpg)
How Iran Deal Could Change the Middle East
By Benjamin Tua | (Foreign Policy in Focus) | - - Washington's rapprochement with Iran has opened the door for major realignments from Israel to Afghanistan. Similar to the dissolution of Yugoslavia…![If Germany can get 27% of its Energy from Wind/Solar, why can’t US?](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/if-germany-can-get-27-of-its-ene-187x137.jpg)
If Germany can get 27% of its Energy from Wind/Solar, why can’t US?
Germany Trade & Invest | (Short Video Documentary) | - - "Germany Trade & Invest presents its short film about Germany’s Renewable Energy Revolution, the so called Energiewende (energy transition). Voices from…![Palestine: Funeral-Protest for father of burned Baby draws Thousands](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/palestine-funeral-protest-for-fa-187x137.jpg)
Palestine: Funeral-Protest for father of burned Baby draws Thousands
By IMEMC | - - Thousands of Palestinians participated, on Saturday evening, in the funeral procession and ceremony of Sa’ad Dawabsha who died Saturday of serious burns and injuries resulting from the…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/342669C-187x137.jpg)
The Real Palestine: Bethlehem festival celebrates diversity of culture and faith
By: Anna Kokko | (Ma'an News Agency) | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- At the end of Star Street in the Old City of Bethlehem, turquoise metal doors that are usually locked…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/Screen-Shot-2015-08-08-at-3.26.55-AM1-187x137.png)
Daesh/ ISIL takes 250 Captive, including 60 Christians in Syria
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - In more bad news for the Baath regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) fighters have taken the town of Al…![Senior Iranian Official Reveals Details About Secret Talks With U.S.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/senior-iranian-official-reveals-187x137.jpg)
Senior Iranian Official Reveals Details About Secret Talks With U.S.
By Golnaz Esfandiari | (RFE/ RL) | - - "When Rohani learned about the details of the talks, he couldn’t believe it," says Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran's head of its Atomic Energy…![nd the Winner of the Fox News GOP Presidential Debate?… Bernie Sanders](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/nd-the-winner-of-the-fox-news-go-187x137.jpg)
And the Winner of the Fox News GOP Presidential Debate?… Bernie Sanders
By Jon Queally, staff writer | ( Commondreams.org) | - - Sen. Bernie Sanders took on the entire top-tier of the GOP field from his Twitter account on Thursday night... and for…![Can Obama’s CO2 reductions set pace at Paris world Climate Congress?](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/can-obamas-co2-reductions-set-pa-187x137.jpg)
Can Obama’s CO2 reductions set pace at Paris world Climate Congress?
By Nora Happel | (Inter Press Service) | - - UNITED NATIONS (IPS) - This week, U.S. President Barack Obama formally unveiled the details of his Clean Power Plan (CPP), a comprehensive…![Water Wars from the Pharaohs to the West Bank in 2 mins. via Lego Animation](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/water-wars-from-the-pharaohs-to-187x137.jpg)
Water Wars from the Pharaohs to the West Bank in 2 mins. via Lego Animation
AJ+ | (Video report) | - - We wanted to tell the story of water wars throughout history. We also wanted to play with Legos. Here's the result. The programs conducted by…![Top Cringe Worthy Foreign Policy Moments in GOP Debate](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/top-cringe-worthy-foreign-policy-187x137.jpg)
Top Cringe Worthy Foreign Policy Moments in GOP Debate
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Well we had the primetime GOP debate, so the 2016 election season has formally begun. Trump declared himself more or less an independent.…![Iran Deal: Can Schumer still succeed Reid after taking Netanyahu’s side against his Party Leader?](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/iran-deal-can-schumer-still-succ-187x137.jpg)
Iran Deal: Can Schumer still succeed Reid after taking Netanyahu’s side against his Party Leader?
Wochit News | (Video report) | - - "New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, the No. 3 Senate Democrat, is breaking with President Barack Obama and will oppose the Iran nuclear deal. Schumer…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/imagescms-image-000023798-187x137.jpg)
Losing Hope, Iraqi Youth become Illegal Immigrants to ‘Save Themselves’
Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) | - - Previously it was the unemployed or those threatened who tried to leave Iraq for good. But a new wave of would-be immigrants is…![Leader of extremist Israeli organization calls for torching churches](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/leader-of-extremist-israeli-orga-187x137.jpg)
Leader of extremist Israeli organization calls for torching churches
Ma'an News Agency | - - JERUSALEM (Ma'an) --The leader of a Jewish extremist group in Israel allegedly called for arson attacks on churches in front of Israeli students, Israeli media reported…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/Screen-Shot-2014-02-09-at-12.40.03-AM-187x137.png)
In Honor of Jon Stewart’s Finale, that time he showed a Juan Cole clip re: al-Qaeda
By Juan Cole | (informed Comment) | - - Jon Stewart is the most brilliant man on television, and Steve Colbert said it well, that we've all learned from him "how to…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/Atomic_bombing_of_Japan-750x445-187x137.jpg)
Hiroshima and Nagasaki: the single greatest acts of terrorism in human history?
by Akil Awan | (The New Statesman) - - Surely 70 years is long enough for us to put to rest the tired canard of the atomic bombings on Japan being "the…![Obama: Opponents of Iran Deal are Warmongers](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/obama-opponents-of-iran-deal-are-187x137.jpg)
Obama: Opponents of Iran Deal are Warmongers
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Lame duck Obama pulls no punches. In his major address Wednesday on the Vienna deal reached with Iran, Obama let his critics have…![Despairing of 2-State Solution, E. Jerusalem Palestinian apply for Israeli Citizenship](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/despairing-of-2-state-solution-e-187x137.jpg)
Despairing of 2-State Solution, E. Jerusalem Palestinians apply for Israeli Citizenship
VOA | (Vidoeo Report) | - - "Most Palestinians living in East Jerusalem have long rejected the option of full Israeli citizenship, seeing it as a betrayal to their political cause -…![Deep South, biggest Climate Deniers, will be among worst hit by Global Warming](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/deep-south-biggest-climate-denie-187x137.jpg)
Deep South, biggest Climate Deniers, will be among worst hit by Global Warming
Tan Copsy | ( Risky Business) | - - Atlanta, Georgia – The Southeastern United States and Texas are uniquely at risk from climate change, according to a new report by the…![Could Scott Walker’s Legal Victory Expand PAC Superpowers?](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/could-scott-walkers-legal-victor-187x137.jpg)
Could Scott Walker’s Legal Victory Expand PAC Superpowers?
By Robert Faturechi | (ProPublica) - - A Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling on Gov. Scott Walker's campaign practices clears the way for state candidates to work more closely with legally independent political…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/10406707_566932396762536_8581498878699343446_n-615x346-187x137.jpg)
A demolished Palestinian village comes back to life
By Melanie Nakashian | (Waging Nonviolence) | - - Among the hundreds of Palestinian villages that were evacuated between 1947 and 1951, there is one whose descendants are actually getting close to…![How Likely are the GOP Presidential Candidates Top 10 to drag us into War?](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/how-likely-are-the-gop-president-187x137.jpg)
How Likely are the GOP Presidential Candidates Top 10 to drag us into War?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Fox Cable News announced its pick for the 10 Republican presidential candidates it will allow in its Thursday debate. These are candidates who…![Iran Moves To Silence criticism of Nuclear Deal by Hard Line Media](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/iran-moves-to-silence-criticism-187x137.jpg)
Iran Moves To Silence criticism of Nuclear Deal by Hard Line Media
By Golnaz Esfandiari | ( RFE/RL) | - - Iran’s state media watchdog has suspended a hard-line publication and warned two other like-minded outlets for criticizing the nuclear deal reached last month…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/hiltzik-187x137.jpg)
How Dropping the A-Bomb on Japan initiated the Military-Industrial Complex
By Michael Hiltzik | (Author, Big Science) | - - This summer -- August 6 and 9, to be precise -- marks the 70th anniversary of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/ScreenShot2015-08-02at2.35.54PM-187x137.jpg)
Why Israelis have cut down 800,000 Palestinian Olive Trees
Text by Elle Kurancid, photos by Bryony Dunne | (Jadaliyya) | - - Olive tree felling is a longtime strategy of Israel’s occupation regime in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Since…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/J-Street-poll-on-Iran-Nuclear-Agreement-187x137.jpg)
Support for Iran Nuclear Deal: L. A. Jews for Peace Statement
L.A. Jews for Peace | The agreement negotiated between the P5+1 (United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, Germany, and the European Union) and Iran is a good deal because it diplomatically…![Major Indirect Benefits of Obama’s Climate Plan that could save the World](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/major-indirect-benefits-of-obama-187x137.jpg)
Major Indirect Benefits of Obama’s Climate Plan that could save the World
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - President Obama spoke on Monday on his plan to use the Environmental Protection Agency to pressure states to close high-carbon power plants and…![Russia Condemns US Mission Creep, New Bombing Plans for Syria](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/russia-condemns-us-mission-creep-187x137.jpg)
Russia Condemns US Mission Creep, New Bombing Plans for Syria
Russia Today | (Video Report) | - - Editorial note: Russia Today is an organ of the Russian government, so this report is not independent, critical analysis. On the other hand, Russia…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/CLaHdkQUkAMjxOt-187x137.jpg)
Pic of the Day: Palestinians shield Israeli policewoman from stone-throwers
Striking photo of Palestinians shielding Israeli policewoman from stones thrown by settlers. https://t.co/gburzyw8jP pic.twitter.com/8N6hDqgaFl— Gregg Carlstrom (@glcarlstrom) August 2, 2015 N.B. A reader wrote in to say that they were protecting her…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/342079C-187x137.jpg)
Rebuilding destroyed Palestinian homes: Resistance one house at a time
By: Anna Kokko | (Ma'an News Agency) | - - ANATA (Ma’an) -- In the northeastern corner of the Palestinian village of Anata, between the separation wall and Israel's illegal settlement of…![Grandson of Meir Kahane arrested for burning baby; part of extremist network](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/grandson-of-meir-kahane-arrested-187x137.jpg)
Grandson of Meir Kahane arrested for burning baby; part of extremist network
By Celine Hagbard | (IMEMC News ) As Israeli investigators release their findings that a right-wing Jewish terrorist network is gaining power throughout Israel and illegal West Bank settlements, an arrest has…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/trump-swiftboats-mccain-the-way-187x137.jpg)
Top 5 Ways Obama’s ‘All of the Above’ Politics led to Sanders & Trump
By Juan Cole - (Informed Comment) - It is said that one of the things President Obama wanted to talk to comedian Jon Stewart about was his occasional cynicism. "Obama scolded him…![Turkey’s AKP strikes back: the Politics of attacking both KurdS & ISIL](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/turkeys-akp-strikes-back-the-pol1-187x137.jpg)
Turkey’s AKP strikes back: the Politics of attacking both KurdS & ISIL
By Tristan Dunning - (The Conversation) - - Tristan Dunning, The University of Queensland Stemming from a presumed Islamic State (IS) suicide bombing killing 32 leftist Kurdish university students in Suruc and…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/george-w-george-w-bush-started-w-750x422-187x137.jpg)
America’s Mass Killings and our National Security State
By Karen J. Greenberg - Tomdispatch.com Imagine that you’re in the FBI and you receive a tip -- or more likely, pick up information through the kind of mass surveillance in which…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/isil-and-the-middle-east-generat-750x422-187x137.jpg)
It’s Dictatorship & Sectarianism, Stupid! – Rethinking the war on Daesh/ ISIL
By: Ramzy Baroud - (Ma'an News Agency) - - As much of the Middle East sinks deeper into division between competing political camps, the so-called ‘Islamic State’ (‘IS’) continues its unhindered march…![Another Bush Legacy in Iraq: Barzani asks PKK to Leave](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/another-bush-legacy-in-iraq-barz-187x137.jpg)
Another Bush Legacy in Iraq: Barzani asks PKK to Leave
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - On Sunday morning, Kurdish separatist guerrillas launched a suicide-bombing strike on Turkish forces in Angri province, using a tractor laden with explosives. On…![World already halfway to Climate Point of No Return](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/world-already-halfway-to-climate-187x137.jpg)
World already halfway to Climate Point of No Return
The Tree | - - The world may already have warmed more than halfway to the limit governments have agreed to contain warming to, according to a new analysis commissioned by the…![Can the Iran Deal be defeated by Rhetoric likening it to the Holocaust?](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/can-the-iran-deal-be-defeated-by-187x137.jpg)
Can the Iran Deal be defeated by Rhetoric likening it to the Holocaust?
by SHALOM GOLDMAN for ISLAMiCommentary Opinion polls and election results indicate that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s rhetoric — which compares the Islamic republic of Iran to the Nazi regime and the recently-signed…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/Akron_Skyscraper-750x563-187x137.jpg)
Does Climate Change spell the end of glass-box Skyscrapers?
By David Coley | (The Conversation) | - - How do we go about designing buildings today for tomorrow’s weather? As the world warms and extreme weather becomes more common, sustainable architecture…![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2016/04/341824C-187x137.jpg)
Thousands mourn as Israeli attacks in Palestinian West Bank mount
By Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Thousands of Palestinians on Saturday attended the funeral of Laith al-Khaldi, 17, who was killed by Israeli forces during clashes near the…![Thousands Protest in Baghdad against Lack of Electricity, Services & demand end of Corruption](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/thousands-protest-in-baghdad-aga-187x137.jpg)
Thousands Protest in Baghdad against Lack of Electricity, Services & demand end of Corruption
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - It seems extraordinary, but in a country where Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) has advanced to within an hour's drive of the capital, Baghdad, civil…![Jimmy Carter: US “Now is just an Oligarchy . . . Subversion of our System”](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/jimmy-carter-us-now-is-just-an-o-187x137.jpg)
Jimmy Carter: US “Now is just an Oligarchy . . . Subversion of our System”
Thom Hartmann | (Video Interview) | - - "Thom Hartmann talks with President Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States (1977 to 1981) / Humanitarian / Awarded Nobel Peace Prize in…![Ted Cruz: “Obama Is Funding Terrorists via Iran Deal!” (Forgets Reagan, Cheney)](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/ted-cruz-obama-is-funding-terror-187x137.jpg)
Ted Cruz: “Obama Is Funding Terrorists via Iran Deal!” (Forgets Reagan, Cheney)
Cenk Uygur, John Iadarola, and Jimmy Dore | (The Young Turks) | - - "Mitt Romney may be the only major Republican not running for President right now, but that’s not going…![After ISIL? Shiite Militias begin Entering Iraqi Politics](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/after-isil-shiite-militias-begin-187x137.jpg)
After ISIL? Shiite Militias begin Entering Iraqi Politics
By Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) | - - Once they were focused on fighting extremists. Now Iraq's controversial volunteer Shiite militias seem to be preparing the ground for their political…![Autopsy confirms Palestinian infant was ‘burned alive’ by Israeli Squatters](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630222350im_/https://media.juancole.com/images/2015/08/autopsy-confirms-palestinian-inf-187x137.jpg)