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Archives: June 2017
Freeing Fayza: A Journey to War-Torn Iraq to Rescue a Yazidi ISIL Slave Girl
By: Brian Glyn Williams and Christopher Natola | (Informed Comment) | - - It began with an electrifying text message from a Yazidi member of a network dedicated to freeing Yazidis (an…
Demand-Side Slavery, Libyan Instability and European Crime Networks
Neil Thompson | (Informed Comment) | - - After several years in which refugees and migration have featured heavily in the Western media narrative, a disturbing correlation between human trafficking and conflict…
Back to Quagmire: Beware endless US Troop Escalations in Afghanistan
By Danny Sjursen | ( Tomdispatch.com) | - - We walked in a single file. Not because it was tactically sound. It wasn’t -- at least according to standard infantry doctrine. Patrolling…
Syria: Russians alarmed, Washington Befuddled, by White House threats
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The unusual statement from the "White House" on Monday saying that there were indications that the Syrian regime was preparing to use poison…
Turkey abandons High Tech Future by Banning Teaching of Evolution
By James Williams | (The Conversation) | - - In the US there have been many attempts to expunge evolution from the school curriculm or demand that creationism – the idea that…
Trump May Already Be Blundering into the Next Middle East War
By Jim Lobe & Giulia McDonnell Nieto Del Rio | ( FPIF) | First published in Lobelog | - - The possibilities for catastrophic miscalculation are skyrocketing in the Middle East, and…
How Saudi blackmailed the UN to avoid Yemen War Human Rights Slam
By Thalif Deen | (Inter Press Service) | - - UNITED NATIONS (IPS) - When Saudi Arabia – which has been spearheading a coalition of Arab states in a devastating war against…
Why it Matters that the World thinks US under Trump is Laughingstock
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Pew Research Center has found that the confidence of the world public in the US willingness to do the right thing has plummeted…
N. American Scholars of Mideast react to SCOTUS Decision on Trump Muslim Ban
Middle East Studies Association of North America | - - On Monday, June 26, 2017, the United States Supreme Court issued a limited stay in the case that MESA has joined as…
If US Wars aren’t on TV, are all those 1000s really Dying?
Rebecca Gordon | ( Tomdispatch.com) | - - The headlines arrive in my inbox day after day: “U.S.-led airstrikes in Syria killed hundreds of civilians, U.N. panel says.” “Pentagon wants to declare…
Is Putin’s Russia the critical threat Americans believe it to be?
Ronald Suny | (The Conversation) | - - U.S. intelligence agencies – 17 of them – agree that evidence shows the Russian government hacked the Democratic National Committee and waged a campaign…
100% Green Energy is Possible & a Chinese Province Just Proved It
TeleSur | - - New clean schemes push the nation further forward as a leader in search for alternative technologies. Demonstrating that renewables are a viable option for the future, China’s Qinghai…
Can Iran, Turkey and Egypt Cooperate to deliver Mideast from Chaos?
Farhang Jahanpour | ( Tehran Times | - - TEHRAN - Professor Farhang Jahanpour, part-time tutor on the Middle East in the Department of Continuing Education at the University of Oxford, tells…
Trump’s Escalations of War in Syria—Sleepwalking into a Global Confrontation
By Reese Erlich | (The Progressive) | - - Syrian President Bashar al Assad claims to have won the war and that he is merely mopping up remaining rebel groups. With its…
Rate of Sea Level Rise increasing, As Greenland Melts
By John Church, Christopher Watson, Matt King, Xianyao Chen, and Xuebin Zhang | (The Conversation) | - - Contributions to the rate of global sea-level rise increased by about half between 1993…
Trump accuses Syria of Planning Gas attack as Haley attacks Russia, Iran
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The Trump administration is making noise about striking Syria, on the grounds that Damascus is planning to use poison gas again. Trump's Neoconservative…
Trump Son-In-Law did not declare $285m Loan from Deutsche Bank
TeleSur | - - Jared Kushner was an adviser to the Trump campaign and an employee at his own real estate company when the firm received the loan. A real estate company…America’s Special Ops Perpetual World War
Nick Turse | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | - - The tabs on their shoulders read “Special Forces,” “Ranger,” “Airborne.” And soon their guidon -- the “colors” of Company B, 3rd Battalion of…
Turkey’s Erdogan: Saudi demand he close Qatar base is ‘Disrespectful’
TeleSur | - - Erdogan told journalists after Eid al-Fitr prayers that "It (the list of demands from Qatar's neighbors to lift the ban) is a breach of Qatar's sovereignty rights." On…
Trump’s Folly: Oil is a Worthless Commodity and Saudi’s Crown Prince Knows It
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Crude oil prices are cratering, down 20% this year, in the biggest 6-month free fall in years. As Annie Pei of CNBC notes,…
The World Is Burning (Stop burning Fossil Fuels, Stupid!)
By IPS World Desk | (Inter Press Service) | - - Record high temperatures are gripping much of the globe and more hot weather are to come. This implies more drought, more…
Civilians Fleeing as Battle for Mosul enters last days
by Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The Iraqi army has created pathways for civilians trapped in Mosul to escape and at least 100 have managed to flee to safety.…
How Soon until we’re Using More Than The Earth Can Provide?
By David Korten | ( Yes! Magazine ) | - - Forget the GDP, it’s time for our leaders to pay attention to metrics that matter. Four days after President Trump announced…
Tense Eid for 1.2 mn Syrian Refugees in Lebanon
By Billie Jeanne Brownlee | (The Conversation) | - - For Syrian refugees in Lebanon marking the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, it has been a struggle to find enough food to…
Trump’s attack on a Fair Internet Threatens Free Speech
By Corynne McSherry | Electronic Frontier Foundation | - - Several US senators spoke out this week on the importance of net neutrality to innovation and free speech. They are right. The…
Green France: Macron bans Fracking and welcomes US renewables Scientists fleeing Trump
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The French government wants to steal increasingly unemployed US green energy scientists, who are being systematically defunded by the Trump administration. After Trump…
4 Nations twist Qatar’s arm, to close down Aljazeera
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - In a bid completely to return the Middle East to the old system of strict government media censorship, four countries have demanded that…
Can the Sadr Movement in Iraq overcome Sectarianism with new Shiite-Sunni-Kurdish Party?
By Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | ( Niqash.org) | - - One of Iraq’s most powerful political groupings, the Sadrist movement, is trying to form a new alliance that may unite secular,…
Was ISIL’s destruction of Mosul’s Nuri Mosque Grand Strategy?
By Benjamin Isakhan and Jose Antonio Gonzalez Zarandona | (The Conversation) | - - On June 29 2014 – nearly three years ago to the day – Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi took the…
What will Happen when Trump’s Dupes Find Out?
By Andrew J. Bacevich | ( Tomdispatch.com) | - - Forgive me for complaining, but recent decades have not been easy ones for my peeps. I am from birth a member of…
In Apocalyptic Vandalism, ISIL blows up 800-year-old Nuri Mosque in Mosul
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - al-Hayat (Life) reports that on Wednesday evening around 9:30 pm local time, Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) blew up the Nuri Mosque in Mosul. The…
All Signs from Trump Point to a Coming Conflict with Iran
By John Feffer | Foreign Policy in Focus | - - Behind all of Trump's boneheaded policies in the Middle East is an unmistakable urge for confrontation with Iran. The Saudi war…
What to do when anti-Muslim Hate Speech now passes the Dinner Table Test?
By Chris Allen | (The Conversation) | - - On hearing the news that Darren Osborne was arrested for terror offences including attempted murder following an attack on a group of Muslims…
Will New Crown Prince in Riyadh Usher in Open Saudi-Israeli Alliance?
TeleSur | - - The young Saudi king-in-waiting has been hailed as a "modernizer" for his open support of normalizing ties with the Israeli occupation, first and foremost. The Gulf Arab “game…
The Millennial’s Palace Coup in Saudi Arabia: How Dangerous?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The epic battle in the Trump White House between Jared Kushner, the Orthodox Jewish son-in-law, and Steve Bannon, the alt-NeoNazi White House strategist,…
Trump’s Love Affair With the Saudis
By William D. Hartung | ( Tomdispatch.com) | - - At this point, it’s no great surprise when Donald Trump walks away from past statements in service to some impulse of the…
1/2 of World’s Civilian War Deaths were in Syria, Iraq & Yemen during past Half-Decade
By IPS World Desk | (Inter Press Service) | - - ROME/GENEVA (IPS) - Between 2010 and 2015, nearly half of all civilian war deaths worldwide occurred in Syria, Iraq and Yemen,…
3 mn will own 70% of US Wealth generated by 320 mn by 2021
TeleSur | - - Even though the rising inequality is a global phenomenon, it is especially pronounced in the United States, the study noted. According to a new study, the 1 percent…
Russo-US dog fights over Syria?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Yara Bayoumi at Reuters reports on the complicated minuet being danced by Russia, the Syrian Air Force, and the United States. The Syrian…
What’s Wrong with the March against Sharia?
The Bridge Initiative . | - - ACT for America hosted a series of marches “against sharia” in 27 cities across the United States. To many Americans — for whom sharia is…
Habitual Labor abuser Saudi Arabia elected to UN body Promoting Workers
By Brian Whitaker | ( Al-Bab.com ) | - - In a grotesque development earlier this week, Saudi Arabia – a world leader in the exploitation of migrant workers – won a…
Surprise! The discourse of Anti-Muslim Hatred led to attack on Mosque-Goers in London
By Bharath Ganesh | (The Conversation) | - - Following the attack on a group of Muslim worshippers in Finsbury Park that left one person dead and 11 injured, Londoners have once…
London Mosque attack: Did Trump’s Tweets embolden Bigots?
by Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - A man driving a white van swerved just after midnight early Monday morning into a crowd of Muslims coming out of Finsbury Park…
Did Trump see the Real Jerusalem or only the Museum Version?
Shalom L. Goldman | (Informed Comment) | - - On Donald Trump’s two- day visit to Jerusalem in late May, a visit which disrupted commercial and cultural life in both the Jewish…
Top Five things to know about Sharia (Muslim Canon Law)
Asma Afsaruddin | (The Conversation) | - - Editor’s note: A conservative grassroots organization, ACT for America, organized a “March against Sharia” in at least 20 cities across the United States on…
What can today’s Activists learn from the Summer of Love and the New Left?
Ira Chernus | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | - - It’s the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love. What better place to celebrate than that fabled era’s epicenter, San Francisco’s Golden Gate…
Putin’s End Game in Syria
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The Syrian press is watching Oliver Stone's interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin and likes what it sees. Syria's al-Watan (The Nation) reports…
Have Syria’s Kurds invented a Democratic Neo-Socialism?
Dmitry Petrov | (OpenDemocracy.net) | - - In an effort to get through to the Syrian Kurdish autonomous region, I met kindred spirits and found out more about the political and cultural…
Do Egyptians have any Rights Left at All? – HRW
Human Rights Watch | - - (Beirut) – Egyptian authorities in recent weeks have arrested at least 50 peaceful political activists, blocked at least 62 websites, and opened a criminal prosecution against…
Aerospace Campaign in Syria: Did Putin kill ISIL’s so-called ‘caliph’?
TeleSur | - - The statement came a day after Russia said it killed several senior leaders, 30 field commanders and up to 300 of their personal guards in an airstrike last…
In March for 1st Time, 10% of US Electricity came from Wind and Solar
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - I've been a booster of renewable energy for years and years. I can remember when readers would taunt me that only one percent…
Don’t Slow Down on Impeachment
Robert Reich. | Yes! Magazine | - - The three previous presidential impeachment inquiries rested on less evidence of obstruction of justice than is already publicly known about Trump. The real reason…
Iraq Deployed Shiite Volunteers to defeat ISIL, but now has a Militia Problem
Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) |. - The Iraqi government’s next big problem is coming into view: The group of powerful Shiite Muslim militias loyal to Iran seem to want to…
Trump to Send 4,000 More US Troops to Afghanistan as Mattis admits ‘Not Winning’
TeleSur | - - The Trump adminstration plans to deploy 4,000 more troops, extending the nearly The official says troops will train Afghan soldiers, and fight Taliban and Islamic State group forces.…
Putin offers Comey Asylum, likens him to Snowden
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - BBC Monitoring translates the remarks of Russian President Vladimir Putin broadcast on Rosiyya 1 TV on Thursday. He responded to the remarks last…
From Syria to Somalia: Where have all the Children Gone?
By Karen J. Greenberg | ( Tomdispatch.com) | - - “This is a war against normal life.” So said CNN correspondent Clarissa Ward, describing the situation at this moment in Syria, as…
How Long can Qatar defy its powerful neighbors? It depends on Trump
By Nader Habibi | (Conversation) | - - The recent decision by half the nations in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and a few other countries to isolate fellow member Qatar came…
Don’t get mad over Trump’s Climate Policies, Get Even
By Michael Brune | ( Otherwords.org ) | - - The White House may have accidentally sparked a revolution in efforts to address climate change. If it makes you mad that President…
Mattis overrules Trump on Qatari “terrorism,” sells it $12 bn in F-15s
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis defied his boss Donald Trump on Wednesday and inked a deal with the Qatar government to sell it…
The top 4 Challenges facing the Arab World
By Tarek Osman | (Project Syndicate) | - - LONDON – Fifty years after the Six Days War, the Middle East remains a region in seemingly perpetual crisis. So it is no…
The End of pan-Arab Media? Governments Ban whole Channels, Fine Fans
Human Rights Watch | - - (Beirut) – Arab countries engaged in a dispute with Qatar have shut down media outlets with links to or considered sympathetic to the Qatari government, Human…
Did Sessions and Trump conspire to obstruct justice?
By Clark D. Cunningham | (The Conversation) | - - Did Attorney General Jeff Sessions conspire with President Donald Trump to fabricate a false story about why former FBI Director James Comey…
Why Saudi Extremism, Instability is an Argument for EVs, Wind and Solar Energy
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Saudi Arabia has gotten too big for its britches, and the oil-producing Middle East is turning even more unstable. Not to mention that…
Sessions on Harris’s Questions re: Russia: “It makes me Nervous”
TeleSur | - - Sessions' testimony did not provide any damaging new information on alleged Trump campaign ties with Russia. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday denounced as a "detestable lie" the…
Science: Back Electric Cars if your City wants to defy Trump & Go Green
By Daniel Cohan | (The Conversation) | - - President Donald Trump’s decision to exit the Paris climate agreement reaffirmed what was already clear: The federal government is no longer leading American…
Making America a Pariah again?
By Tom Engelhardt | (Tomdispatch.com) | - - In its own inside-out, upside-down way, it’s almost wondrous to behold. As befits our president’s wildest dreams, it may even prove to be a…
Top 6 signs Trump Really doesn’t like being Investigated
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - 1. Preet Bharara, former US attorney for Manhattan, says that after the election Trump called him several times and seemed to be attempting…
Why the melting Arctic matters to us all (Economist Video)
The Economist | (Video report) | - - "Donald Trump is pulling America out of the Paris climate agreement. But if nothing is done to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, cities such as New…
Sen Schumer parodies Trump’s Fawning Cabinet Meeting
Newsy | (Video Report) | - - "President Trump's Cabinet members seemed to be competing for best compliment. One senator mocked the spectacle.," Newsy: "Senator mocks Cabinet members' praise of Trump
Is Trump’s Travel Ban Succeeding despite Court Blocks?
TeleSur | - - The rate of refugee resettlement has also seen a sharp decline. Despite federal courts halting Trump's restrictive and discriminatory travel ban executive order on six-Muslim majority countries for…
Iranian Women push back against Cleric who likened Loosely Veiled Women To Prostitutes
By Golnaz Esfandiari. | ( RFE/RL) | - - Judging women by the degree to which they respect the compulsory hijab is nothing new in Iran. In the past, hard-liners have accused…
Obama’s last Victory: Syrian Democratic Forces hold Parts of ISIL Capital
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends Not with…
Trump’s new Clash of Civilizations: Carbonites v. Greens
By Michael T. Klare | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | - - That Donald Trump is a grand disruptor when it comes to international affairs is now a commonplace observation in the establishment…
Top Reasons Why Qatar Will Survive the Saudi-led Diplomatic Offensive
By Mohammed Nuruzzaman | (Informed Comment) | - - The Saudi – Qatar diplomatic rift is intensifying, showing no sign of immediate solution. Since June 5, the day Saudi Arabia, the UAE,…
Speaking Truth to Erdogan: His Authoritarian Turn and Europe
By Ludwig Schulz | German Orient Institute | (Via Euractiv.com ) | - - Ludwig Schulz looks at how scientific analysis can help counter President Erdoğan’s fake narrative of Turkey’s thriving democracy…
Sorry, Trump, Electric Car sales doubled last Year, dooming dirty Fossil fuels
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The number of electric vehicles (EVs) on the road doubled worldwide to 2 million in the past year with 40% of EVs being…
Does Watching too much TV turn you into a Trump Voter?
By James Shanahan. | (The Conversation) | - - Many gallons of ink (and megabytes of electronic text) have been devoted to explaining the surprise victory of Donald Trump. Reasons range from…
Execution-Crazy Saudi Gov’t railroads 14 Shiite Dissidents with unfair Death Penalty
Human Rights Watch | - - (Beirut) – Saudi Arabia should immediately quash the death sentences of 14 members of the Shia community for protest-related crimes, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch…
Palestinian Children’s Lives Are Shaped By 50 Years of Military Occupation
By Jennifer Bing | ( Foreign Policy in Focus) | - - Five decades of occupation have turned military violence into the norm for Palestinian children. There are two places to visit…
Tillerson-Trump Rumble over Qatar shows White House Divisions
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday called on Saudi Arabia and its allies to halt their blockade of Qatar. "There are humanitarian…
GOP Rep. urges US Terror alliance with ISIL against Iranian civilians
NIAC | (Video News Clip) | - - NIAC Action: "Shocking: Rep. Dana Rohrabacher Suggests Tehran ISIS Attack Was "Positive"
End of Blair Era in UK: Corbyn’s Left-Wing Policies win at Ballot Box
TeleSur | - - Labour leader's former foes give credit to his campaign platform. His years of being considered an outsider who didn't understand the British electorate now appear to be behind…
Saudi v. Qatar: Will Turkish intervention cause Escalation?
By James M. Dorsey | (Inter Press Service) | - - SINGAPORE (IPS) - Turkey’s parliament is this week fast tracking the dispatch of up to 3,000 troops to Qatar, home to…
Could ISIL attacks in Tehran plunge the Middle East into greater turmoil?
By Mohammadbagher Forough | (The Conversation) | - - Iran experienced its first major ISIL attack on June 7, as armed men and suicide bombers targeted two symbols of the Islamic Republic…
UK hung Parliament: Is Trumpism pushing Europe Left?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - As of very early Friday morning, it looks as though the election in the UK has produced a hung parliament, with the Conservative…
As Comey Bolsters “Obstruction” Case, could Trump be Impeached?
By Jake Johnson, staff writer | (Commondreams.org) | - - "Impeachment takes time but we need to start the process now. It's time to call for impeachment hearings." On the heels of…
Trump could reform the Banks, or start 2nd Great Depression; Which is most Likely?
By Nomi Prins | ( Tomdispatch.com Donald, listen, whatever you’ve done so far, whatever you’ve messed up, there’s one thing you could do that would make up for a lot. It would…
Hawaii defies Trump, commits to Paris Accords
TeleSur | - - Even the limited environmental reforms of the Paris Agreements were too much for the United States. Hawaii has broken from the White House's abrupt exit from the Paris…
Top 10 Ways Americans judge Trump in the Comey Covfefe
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - On the eve of former FBI director James Comey's testimony, Trump seems to be tanking in the polls, and his firing Comey seems…
How Trump Used the London Attacks to Further His Agenda (Cole Rising Up Interview)
Rising Up with Sonali | Sonali Kolhatkar | (Audio and Video Interview) | "Just days before the UK elections, US president Donald Trump has wielded his Twitter account as a weapon once…
Civilian Casualties Mount in Battle to Re-take Mosul
By Mark Lattimer | (Inter Press Service} | - - LONDON (IPS) - East of Mosul, many of the lands liberated from ISIS stand empty. Driving through the Nineveh plains, traditional homelands…
Muslims less likely to Commit Terrorism & other Reality-Based Statistics
By Michael Jetter | (The Conversation) | - - Recent events in London, Manchester and elsewhere highlight that Western societies are vulnerable to terrorist attacks – and political decision-makers need to find…
Turkey OKs draft Bill to send Troops to bolster Qatar re: Saudis
TeleSur | - - Turkey and Qatar also both supported Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated projects throughout the Arab Spring, drawing strong Saudi ire. Turkey has waded into the geopolitical storm engulfing Gulf Arab states…
Trump’s Ally: Saudi Arabia’s drive for Aristocratic Hegemony in the Middle East
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Saudi Arabia is making a drive to become a regional hegemon. It has long used its oil wealth to achieve a great deal…
First, the Soviets Collapsed: Is it America’s Turn Now?
By William J. Astore | ( Tomdispatch.com) | - - Jump into your time machine and let me transport you back to another age. It’s May 2001 and the Atlantic Monthly has…
Popular Protest against US-backed Government in Kabul: What is going On?
By Solaiman M. Fazel | (Informed Comment) | - - Two days after a deadly blast in Kabul’s diplomatic quarter, why did thousands of residents and civil society activists participate in a…
Qatar in the Cross-Hairs – How Bad can it Get?
By Brian Whitaker | ( Al-Bab.com ) | - - The extraordinary propaganda offensive against Qatar which has been raging in sections of the Arab media for the last couple of weeks shifted…
London Mayor Sadiq Khan uninvites Trump as opposed to Humane British Values
By Juan Cole | (informed Comment) | - - Trump's shameful and out of context attacks on Sadiq Khan, the popular mayor of London, have only reminded us of what a boor…
The Climate Catastrophe Trump Promotes: Bangladesh between Flood and Drought
World Bank | (Video Clip) - - "Due to its geographical position, Bangladesh is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change impacts. Watch how communities in areas afflicted by recurring floods…
Is breathtaking Iran your next Tourist Destination?
By Frud Bezhan | ( RFE/RL) | - - Stunning landscapes, famous hospitality, and numerous World Heritage sites. Iran’s potential as a holiday destination is vast, but foreign tourists have largely avoided…
Israel: 50 Years of Occupation Abuses
Human Rights Watch | - - Ramp Up Pressure for Accountability on all Sides (Jerusalem) – Fifty years after Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza Strip, it controls these areas through…
Ariana Grande One Love Manchester Benefit: Response to Terror
Ariana Grande One Love Concert | Manchester | (Video Clip) | - - Ariana Grande returned to Manchester with some special guests to remember the victims of the attack which took place…
It isn’t just Trump: The American System is Broken
By Jeffrey D. Sachs | (Project Syndicate) | - - NEW YORK – US President Donald Trump’s ravings against the 2015 Paris climate agreement are partly a product of his ignorance and…
US faces risks as Trump misreads the Middle East
Francis Ghilès | (OpenDemocracy.net) | - - Militarising the region further and taking sides in a recently concocted sectarian conflict will likely end in tears. Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, Saudi King…
Apocalypse Soon: Does Trump Downgrade of Diplomacy in Koreas threaten us All?
By Rajan Menon | ( Tomdispatch.com) | - - Defense Secretary James Mattis remarked recently that a war with North Korea would be “tragic on an unbelievable scale.” No kidding. “Tragic” doesn’t…
How Trump should have responded to London Attacks if he were Normal
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Donald J. Trump 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue/ Mar-a-Lago Florida (Golf Course) Dear Prime Minister May and Mayor Khan: I was devastated to learn that…
The Jeremy Corbyn response to Trump, May and Terror you won’t see on Corporate News
Jeremy Corbyn | (Video Clip) | - - Jeremy Corbyn | Terrorist Attack in London | criticism of May and Trump
Who needs Trump: State Policies driving huuje advances in Wind Power
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Anyone who is depressed about Trump's sabotage of action to halt climate change should take heart from a remarkable development in Kansas.. Governor…
What’s the most effective way to fight terrorism? – Juan Cole on CBS
Reena Ninan | CBS News | (Video Clip) | - - "A new article in The Nation suggests Ariana Grande has a better approach to fighting terrorism than Defense Secretary James Mattis.…
Painting of the Day: Girl w/ Wine Cup, Isfahan, Iran, 1650
British Museum | Persian Watercolor in style of Muhammad Qasim | - - "Girl with a wine cup Style of Muhammad Qasim Safavid Iran, Isfahan, 1640-50 Ink and opaque watercolour on paper…
No, Republicans… God Won’t “Take Care Of” Global Warming
By Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian | (The Young Turks) | - - "Congressional Republicans threatening the survival of the human species are telling fairy tales about heavenly carbon bailouts to help…
How bad could Trump’s Paris Agreement withdrawal be? A scientist’s perspective
By Robert Kopp | (The Conversation) | - - Even before the Paris Agreement was signed in December 2015, market forces and policy measures were starting to tilt the world toward a…
Did Trump’s Climate Disavowal just kill Capitalism?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The last time capitalism faced a crisis this deep, it was 1929. People minded the Great Depression. All those people Joe McCarthy persecuted…
Could public anger over Kabul Bombing shake Afghan Government?
By Frud Bezhan. ( RFE/RL) | - - How did a sewage tank truck packed with explosives penetrate a heavily fortified area of the Afghan capital and carry out the deadliest attack…
Saudi-Trump War on Yemen: Cholera Cases could Reach 130,000 in Two Weeks
TeleSur | - - "It is time for parties to the conflict to prioritize the boys and girls of Yemen and put an end to the fighting," said UNICEF official Geert Cappelaere.…
‘There Is No Holiness in an Occupied City’: Jewish Activists Protest Israel’s ‘Jerusalem Day’
Written by Maya Schkolne | Written by Joey Ayoub | (Globalvoices.org) | - - For many Palestinians, the Israeli national holiday of Jerusalem Day, or Yom Yerushalayim (יום ירושלים) in Hebrew, is…
Top 5 Climate Catastrophes to which Trump just Doomed his own Supporters
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - On Thursday, Trump delivered himself of one of the most brain-dead speeches ever given by an American president, more imbecilic even than Bush's…
Trump’s Great Retreat, from Asia Too
John Feffer | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | - - Asia has been the future for more than a generation. When Americans try to glimpse what’s to come, images of the Pacific Rim…
Why Thomas Jefferson’s vision of American Islam matters today
Denise A. Spellberg | (The Conversation) | - - An estimated 3.3 million American Muslims are celebrating the month of Ramadan. It was during this month that Prophet Mohammad first received revelations…
In Trump’s DC, Noose Found in African American Museum
TeleSur | - - It's the second time this week a noose has been discovered on the grounds of a Smithsonian museum. A noose was found on Wednesday in an exhibition on…
Trump, Paris Accords and the End of the American Century
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - As Trump seems likely to pull out of the Paris Climate accord, he will be creating several kinds of leadership vacuum. One is…
Trump’s ‘Good Muslim, Bad Muslim’ False Divide
By Dina El-Rifai | (Otherwords.org) | - - The "war on terror" has killed millions of innocent people. You don't have to be a "bad Muslim" to oppose that. All right, America.…
Is US Winning its Longest War? Huge Bomb Hits Kabul Embassy Row, kills at least 80
TeleSur | - - Health ministry spokesman Ismael Kawoosi said: "They are still bringing bodies, and wounded people to hospitals." A powerful vehicle bomb has hit the diplomatic area of the Kabul.…