Month

Archives: May 2016

Dear Mr. Holder: Why Ed Snowden can’t get a Fair Trial in your National Security State

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Former US Attorney General Eric Holder said in an interview that what NSA whistle blower Edward Snowden did was illegal but added ""We…

Let’s Fight ISIL, but Without Help of Any Kurds: Turkey to US

Via TeleSur | - - Ankara is angered by Washington's support for Kurdish fighters in Syria in the fight against [the so-called] Islamic State group [IS]. Turkey is offering to "join forces"…

Israeli cabinet confirms far, far Right Lieberman as minister of defense

Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- The Israeli Cabinet unanimously confirmed the appointment of far-right politician Avigdor Lieberman as defense minister on Monday, the Israeli prime minister’s office reported…

ISIS and Israel on the Golan Heights

By Sam Brennan | ( Open Democracy ) | - - The Yarmouk Valley is run by ISIS – and left alone by Israel. This is a testament to the complex, cynical…

On Memorial Day, US Troops at War with ISIL near Mosul

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - On Memorial Day, it is as well to remember that US troops are still at war. Afghanistan is our nation's longest such military…

Corruption: Israeli Police recommends prosecuting wife of PM Netanyahu

Israel Broadcast Authority news | (Video Report) | - - "Israel Police submits file to Jerusalem district attorney: enough evidence for Prime Minister's wife to be indicted for graft. IBA News: "Police…

Does billionaire-funded lawsuit against Gawker create playbook for punishing press?

By Clay Calvert | (The Conversation) | - - Word last week that Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel bankrolled wrestler Hulk Hogan’s invasion-of-privacy lawsuit against Gawker added a wrinkle to a case…

Not the Onion: Trump: ‘No California Drought & I will Solve it’

TeleSur | - - The presumptive GOP nominee told supporters in Fresno, California on Friday that he does not believe the state is currently facing drought-like conditions. During an electoral campaign speech…

In Fight against ISIL, does US have to Choose between Turkey & YPG Kurds?

By James Miller | ( RFE/ RL ) The fight against extremists from the Islamic State (IS) militant group is heating up on two fronts. Since May 23, a coalition consisting of…

Modern Mongols: Sunni Arabs outraged at Iran role in Iraqi Gov’t Fallujah Campaign

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - BBC Monitoring surveyed the Arabic press on 27 May for the issue of the Iranian role in the Iraq government campaign to take…

ISIL Advance Traps 165,000 Syrians at Closed Turkish Border

By Gerry Simpson | ( Human Rights Watch ) | - - There are two walls on the Turkey-Syria border. One is manned by Turkish border guards enforcing Turkey’s 15 month-old border…

Solar Surges: Renewable Energy Jobs Topped 8 Million in 2015

By Andrea Germanos, staff writer | ( Commondreams.org ) | - - In the U.S. alone, solar grew nearly 22% since the previous year On the heels of clean fuel milestones in…

After Obama in Hiroshima: Israel’s Gigantic Nuclear Elephant

TeleSur | - - The criminalization of truth when it comes to Israel’s nuclear capabilities means that its arsenal has been converted into a gigantic elephant in the room. The online version…

Kurdish lawmakers Depart Baghdad: “Straighten up or We Won’t Be Back”

By Histyar Qader | Erbil | (Niqash.org) | - - After protestors invaded Baghdad’s Green Zone, Iraqi Kurdish politicians fled home. Despite the fact that their absence could paralyse Parliament, they say…

Obama in Hiroshima, Memorial Day and the Iran Deal

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - President Obama in Hiroshima gave an anti-war speech. He said, " But among those nations like my own that hold nuclear stockpiles, we…

Sanders: “Tough Guy Trump” is afraid to Debate me

TeleSur | - - Trump initially told reporters he would "love to debate Bernie." The Republican nominee flip flopped from his initial openess to debating the democratic socialist senator from Vermont. Donald…

Israel’s demolition orders against West Bank water wells ‘atrocious’: PM

Ma'an News Agency | - - Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah gestures during an interview at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah on September 7, 2014 (AFP Photo/Abbas Momani)…

US Spec Ops Troops on Front Line in Syria with Leftist Kurdish Insignia: AFP

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Agence France Presse got the scoop on Thursday, with their reporters in Fatisa just 19 miles from Daesh territory in northern al-Raqqa Province,…

Israel of Accused of Whitewashing Soldiers’ Abuses

TeleSur | = = Human rights group B’Tselem said it will continue to document human rights violations carried out by Israel and to report on them. The Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem…

Iran’s Pres. Rouhani may have parliamentary backing, but can he remake Iran?

By Nader Habibi | (The Conversation) | - - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his policies are set to get a boost this week after voters elected a parliament that favors reform.…

Future of Petro-States Dim as Oil Prices sink and Teslas are on Horizon

By Michael T. Klare | (Tomdispatch.com) | - - Pity the poor petro-states. Once so wealthy from oil sales that they could finance wars, mega-projects, and domestic social peace simultaneously, some of…

Iraq’s Fallujah: Grand Ayatollah Sistani Calls on Shiite Forces to protect Civilians

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani on Wednesday called on both regular Iraqi army forces and the popular mobilization units (Shiite militias) to avoid killing…

Afghanistan: New Taliban leader between Drones, ISIL & Negotiations

By Michael Semple | (The Conversation) | - - The May 21 drone strike that killed Taliban leader Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor was no ordinary assassination; it was an act of armed politics…

Time to end the ‘hasbara’: Palestinian media and the search for a common story

By: Ramzy Baroud | (Ma'an News Agency) | - - Merely being in the company of hundreds of Palestinian journalists and other media professionals from all over the world has been an…

Trump too Horrifying for Stephen King

TeleSur | - - The writers condemn Trump's appeals to the most violent elements of society, while encouraging aggression, intimidating his opponents and promoting racism. Stephen King, the master of horror, is…

US-Backed Kurds begin Campaign against ISIL in Northern Syria

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The left-leaning Beirut daily al-Safir (The Ambassador) discusses the beginning of a new campaign by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against Daesh…

Why total Victory for Russia and Assad is a Pipedream: ISIL strikes in deep in Regime Territory

By Scott Lucas | (The Conversation) | - - Months after Russia spectacularly entered the Syrian conflict, [the so-called] Islamic State (IS) is still thumbing its nose at both Moscow and the…

Trump accepts Climate Change threat . . . to his Golf Course

By Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian | ( The Young Turks Video Report) | - - "Donald Trump has said that he believes climate change is a hoax. That contradicts his company’s…

The Pentagon’s War on Accountability: At $600 Bn a Year, Why aren’t any Wars being Won?

By William D. Hartung | (Tomdispatch.com) | - - Now you see it, now you don’t. Think of it as the Department of Defense’s version of the street con game, three-card monte,…

ISIL hits Syrian Regime in Shiite northwest, killing 150

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The leftist Beirut daily al-Safir reports that security in Syria broke down dramatically on Monday, as seven bombs timed to go off simultaneously…

Israel: Netanyahu reiterates opposition to French peace initiative

Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on Monday his rejection of a French initiative for an international peace conference to solve the Israeli-Palestinian…

Fruits of Perseverence: Dem Platform Committee to Feel the Bern

TeleSur | - - The Democratic Party will allow Sanders to have a prominent say in writing its platform this year. The Democratic Party said on Monday it will give U.S. presidential…

As they Liberate Villages from ISIL, Kurds drawing Syrians into Feminist Democracy

By Rahila Gupta | ( OpenDemocracy | - - Rojava is a fast moving, dynamic place where things change by the minute. What are the material conditions which support this woman-centred revolution…

US Centcom Commander in Syria to Coordinate Kurds, Arabs against ISIL

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Robert Burns of AP reported on the visit inside Syria of the head of the US Middle East Command (Centcm), Army Gen. Joseph…

New Turkish PM Firmly Behind Erdogan on Executive Presidency

TeleSur | - - Binali Yildirim was unanimously selected by members of Turkey's ruling party to be the country's next prime minister. Turkey's incoming prime minister says his government's top priority will…

Student Protest, Black Lives Matter, & the Corporate University

By Aviva Chomsky | (Tomdispatch.com) | - - During the past academic year, an upsurge of student activism, a movement of millennials, has swept campuses across the country and attracted the attention…

UN Overwhelmed: Climate & Conflict have created 60 mn Refugees, Half of them Children

By Baher Kamal | (Inter Press Service) | - - ROME, May 20 2016 (IPS) - “We cannot keep jumping from crisis to crisis. We have to invest in long-term development that…

The Hottest Year on Record: 12th month in a row of unprecedented heat

Cenk Uygur | (The Young Turks) | - - "The planet keeps getting warmer. The level of destruction from natural disasters is also climbing. Cenk Uygur, host of The Young Turks, breaks…

Palestinians Capture Israeli Extremists Who Attacked Farmers

By IMEMC | - - Palestinian members of local neighborhood watch committee, in Talfit village, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, managed to capture two armed fanatic Israeli colonists,…

Baghdad on Lockdown not from fear of ISIL but of poor Protesters

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Baghdad was a ghost town on Saturday,, as security forces fanned out, blocking key roads into the Green Zone, the area downtown, closed…

Egyptians “shocked” at Lieberman Appointment, note Barak’s accusation of “fascism” in Tel Aviv

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - What do Israel's Arab neighbors think about the political earthquake that struck PM Binyamin Netanyahu's cabinet on Thursday and Friday? Netanyahu invited into…

Al-Qaeda’s Al-Zawahri, 9/11 Mastermind, Plays Syrian Politics

Al-Qaeda’s Al-Zawahiri, 9/11 Mastermind, Plays Syrian Politics

By Sam Heller | ( RFE/RL ) | - - When the self-proclaimed Islamic State declared the establishment of a global Muslim “caliphate” in 2014, the move accelerated a race for legitimacy…

Top 3 sources Immigration to US every Decade since 1820 (Animated Map)

Top 3 sources of Immigration to US every Decade since 1820 (Animated Map)

Metrocosm | (Animated video) | - - "From 1920 to 2013, 79 million people obtained lawful permanent resident status in the United States. This map visualizes all of them based on their…

Snowden on Torture Report: “When the CIA destroys s.th., it’s never a Mistake”

TeleSur | -- After the CIA inspector general admitted it destroyed a 6,700 page report on torture, the famed whistleblower said the CIA does not destroy by "accident." Edward Snowden commented this…

Baghdad Locals Fear Shiite-On-Shiite Violence As Alliance Fractures

By Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) | - - Protests and suicide bombings have caused tension within the Shiite Muslim alliance that’s been fighting extremists. As neighbourhoods are taken over by…

Israel: PM Netanyahu replies to Officers’ charges of Fascism by appointing far Right Lieberman their boss

Israel: Netanyahu replies to Officers’ charges of Fascism, makes far Right Lieberman their boss

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu bolstered his majority and rid himself of a troublesome voice of conscience Thursday by appointing the extremist Avigdor…

Is it ISIL? US Official Says Likely Explosion Happened on EgyptAir Plane

TeleSur | - - EgyptAir said the plane’s emergency devices sent a distress signal at 4.26 a.m. local time, about two hours after the previously stated radar contact. A senior U.S. Intelligence…

The late great Fourth Amendment: Feds, Police and Intrusive Technologies

By Matthew Harwood and Jay Stanley | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | - - Can’t you see the writing on the touchscreen? A techno-utopia is upon us. We’ve gone from smartphones at the…

Baghdad takes Rutba from ISIL: Jordan-Iraq Commercial Route to Reopen

by Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Iraqi forces have taken Rutba in al-Anbar province, hundreds of kilometers west of the provincial capital, Ramadi, which is also now in government…

Saudi bombing, Rebel Shelling leave 7 Million in Yemen Food Insecure

By Tharanga Yakupitiyage | (Inter Press Service) | - - John Ging, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs briefs journalists on his recent trip to Yemen. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas John…

Marketing & Terrorism: Is ISIL’s vaunted ‘brand’ actually weak and vulnerable?

By Brendan Canavan | (The Conversation) | - - [The so-called] Islamic State (IS) is the most notorious terror group in the world. Its name and values are known and feared globally,…

This is America! Man Facing Jail For Ripping Veil Off Muslim Woman

Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian | (The Young Turks Video Report) | - - "A man in North Carolina has pleaded guilty to ripping a hijab off of a woman’s head as…

Give Syria’s Survivors a Voice

By Hadeel al-Shalchi | ( Human Rights Watch ) | - - Twelve days ago Fatema Qaitani, a 35-year-old mother of four, was sitting in a tent teaching her daughter how to…

What Next for Turkey After President’s Power Play?

By Efe Kerem Sozer | (GlobalVoices.org) | - - Ahmet Davutoglu was disliked by many in Turkey. [Even after] he step[pped] down as Turkey's Prime Minister amid an apparent confrontation with President…

Can Iran sue the US for Coup & supporting Saddam in Iran-Iraq War?

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Iranian members of parliament have approved the details of a bill that insists US compensate Iran for its crimes against that country. The…

Middle East – The Mother of All Humanitarian Crises

By Baher Kamal | (Inter Press Service) | - - ROME, May 16 2016 (IPS) - When, in March 2015, delegates from the Middle East met in Amman for their regional consultations…

Architects of Failure: 100 years of Sykes-Picot

By Akil N. Awan | ( History Today) | - - How an agreement signed in 1916 became shorthand for western treachery, greed and the impact of colonial machinations on the lives…

PCBS: “Israel Controls More than 85% of the Land of Historical Palestine”

By Saed Bannoura | PCBS/ IMEMC | - - Excerpted for IC This is a special statistical bulletin by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) on the 68th Anniversary of the…

British PM Cameron’s tiff with Trump over Muslims: The Hypocrisy Factor

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - When Donald Trump announced his monstrous and yet daffy plan to exlude Muslims from the United States (what with being, himself, both monstrous…

Trump’s Politics of Whiteness and the CIA tip that Jailed Nelson Mandela

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The revelation that the Central Intelligence Agency provided the tip to the Apartheid South African government that led to Nelson Mandela's arrest should…

The Biggest threat to the Mideast isn’t ISIL, it’s bad, Corrupt Governance

By Marwan Muasher | (Project Syndicate) | - - WASHINGTON, DC – A recent survey of 100 Arab thought leaders conducted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace revealed a sweeping consensus…

Nakba (Catastrophe)! Where did all the Palestinians Go?

AJ+ | (Video report) | - - "In 1948, around 80% of Palestinians were forced out of their homes during the creation of Israel. That event is known as the Nakba, or…

No US Troops on the Ground in Iraq & Syria . . . until there Were

By Peter Van Buren | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | - - One of the most popular apps these days is Snapchat. It allows the sender to set a timer for any photo…

Top 3 Signs Bill Clinton didn’t kill himself to “give” the Palestinians a State

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Former President Bill Clinton on Saturday claimed "I killed myself to give the Palestinians a state," and maintained that he secured an agreement,…

Michael Moore Says Flint Water Crisis Is a Racist ‘Hate Crime’

TeleSur | - - Filmmaker Michael Moore calls the Flint water crisis an issue of racism, as the mostly Black and poor residents of the town will now be faced with expensive…

Britain should stop trying to pretend that its empire was benevolent

By Alan Lester | (The Conversation) | - - The recent debacle of David Cameron’s filmed condemnation of Nigerian and Afghan corruption and the Queen’s remark on Chinese officials’ rudeness highlights the…

Americans may see ISIL as No. 1 Threat, but Turkey & the Kurds have other Priorities

By Abbas Djavadi | ( RFE/RL | - - For a long time the Turkish government was accused of assisting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) group. These accusations…

Top Hizbullah Commander in Syria killed in Explosion; Radical Salafis blamed

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Mustafa Badreddine, the Hizbullah commander responsible for Syria, was killed Friday in an explosion near Damascus. It wasn't clear whether he was hit…

The Danger Of Dictatorship: How To Replace Iraq’s Flawed Political System?

By Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) | - - Iraq’s Parliament has failed its people. This was the message from protestors last week. But what could possibly replace the flawed system?…

Left For Dead: Myanmar’s Muslim Minority

VICE News | (Video report) | - - "In recent years, democratic reforms have swept through Myanmar, a country that for decades was ruled by a military junta. As the reforms took…

Surprise! Despite Syria-Iraq Turmoil, Major Mideast Economies growing 3-4%

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - When you only hear bad news from a place, you form a negative opinion of it. But when I went looking for news…

100th Anniversary: What did the Sykes-Picot Agreement mean for the Middle East?

By Stephen Pascoe | (The Conversation) | - - To mark the 100th anniversary of the Sykes-Picot Agreement, we’ve got a package with an explanatory article about the secret accord (below) .…

Surges, Mission Creeps & Drones in the Mideast: America’s Forever War

By Tom Engelhardt | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | - - There are the news stories that genuinely surprise you, and then there are the ones that you could write in your sleep…

Annual ‘March of Return’ draws thousands of Palestinians to the Negev

Ma'an News Agency | - - NEGEV (Ma'an) -- Thousands of Palestinians participated in the annual ‘March of Return’ on Thursday afternoon near Bedouin towns in the Negev (Naqab) in southern Israel,…

Baghdad gov’t paralysis allows ISIL to blow up nearly 100 Children, Women & Men

Baghdad gov’t paralysis made capital vulnerable to massive ISIL bombings

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Daesh (ISIL, ISIS) launched a series of suicide car and truck bombs in Baghdad on Wednesday, killing nearly 100 and wounding nearly 200…

Aside from Super-Rich, All Americans are poorer this century

TeleSur | - - Soon, researchers predict, the middle class will no longer be the largest class in the United States. Households in the United States made less money in 2014 than…

Sadiq Khan and the End of Islamophobia

By John Feffer | ( Foreign Policy in Focus) | - - The victory of Sadiq Khan has "normalized" Muslims in UK politics in much the same way that JFK normalized Catholics…

In Resistance and Creativity, the Occupied Palestinians find Hope

By Victoria Brittain | (OpenDemocracy) | - - The village of Nabi Saleh is a story of resistance in the face of theft and violence. Rawabi encapsulates the vision of a neo-liberal…

Majorities of Muslim Arabs in N. Africa want a Separation of Religion and State

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - You know those silly anti-sharia laws passed by evangelicals in US state legislatures? They may as well not bother. (Sharia is Muslim law;…

Is Donald Trump at War with the Republican Party?

By Jack Rasmus | (TeleSur ) | - - Trump's appeal is reminiscent of Reagan's back in 1980 because of their unabashed attack on what they say is a failed political establishment.…

Sea-level rise has claimed five whole islands in the Pacific: first scientific evidence

By Simon Albert, Alistair Grinham, Badin Gibbes, Javier Leon, & John Church | (The Conversation) | - - Sea-level rise, erosion and coastal flooding are some of the greatest challenges facing humanity…

Chomsky – How the Elites’ ‘War on Terror’ Multiplies Terror

By Noam Chomsky | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | - - [This piece, the second of two parts, is excerpted from Noam Chomsky’s new book, Who Rules the World? (Metropolitan Books). Part 1…

Azarya Trial and Israeli Values: Israeli soldier charged with Killing prostrate Assailant

Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- The trial of an Israeli soldier charged with manslaughter for the point-blank shooting of a Palestinian earlier this year began on Monday, amid…

Sadiq Khan and Trump: Why KKK Donald’s values are Unacceptable

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The charismatic young mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is calling out Donald Trump for his bigotry toward Muslims. He says he plans to…

Can Europe compete with China in post-Sanction Iran? Will the US Let it?

By Moritz Pieper | (The Conversation) | - - The cake is quite big, but everyone wants a slice. Italian prime minister, Matteo Renzi, visited Iran last month accompanied by business leaders…

Can Leonardo DiCaprio save Iran’s incredible shrinking Lake Urmia?

By Tori Egherman | ( Globalvoices.org ) | - - In one “regram,” American actor Leonardo DiCaprio has brought a flood of attention to Iran's drying Lake Urmia. Lake Urmia (sometimes spelled…

Al-Zawahiri Supports Syrian al-Qaeda, calls for more global Volunteers

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Al-Qaeda central leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, a mastermind of the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, DC, has issued a new audio tape.…

Yemen: Saudis Using US Cluster Munitions

Human Rights Watch | - - End Production, Transfer of These Banned Weapons (Washington, DC) – Saudi Arabia has used US-made cluster munitions near civilian areas in Yemen, leaving behind unexploded submunitions,…

Chomsky: Who Rules the World? (Hint: Not States any more)

By Noam Chomsky | ( Tomdispatch.com) | - - [This piece, the first of two parts, is excerpted from Noam Chomsky’s new book, Who Rules the World? (Metropolitan Books). Part 2 will…

Media as a Shark’s Pilot Fish (Political Cartoon)

By Paul Jamiol | ( Jamiol's World

Is Turkish PM’s forced exit a Harbinger of greater Authoritarianism?

By Winston Obertan | ( GlobalVoices.org ) | - - Turkey's Prime Minister of nearly two years Ahmet Davutoğlu has announced his intention to quit his post “for the unity of the…

Top 4 Reasons Iran will stand by Syrian gov’t despite High Casualties

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - On Saturday, Iran announced that 13 members of the Revolutionary Guards Corps had been killed and 21 wounded when the al-Qaeda-led Army of…

These 5 Intellectuals Smash the ‘Anti-Zionism Is Anti-Semitic’ Argument

TeleSur | - - As controversy surrounding the "new anti-Semitism" rages in Europe, important public intellectuals argue that critiquing Israel is not anti-Semitism. Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked commented recently on the controversy of "anti-Semitism"…