As a one-time guest of the Colbert Report, let me express my condolences to Stephen Colbert on his mother’s death. Here is his poignant eulogy:
Archives for June 2013
Why the 9/11 Argument for NSA Spying Fails: They Tracked, Lost their Suspect (Elliott)
Justin Elliott writes at ProPublica In defending the NSA’s sweeping collection of Americans’ phone call records, Obama administration officials have repeatedly pointed out how it could have helped thwart the 9/11 attacks: If only the surveillance program been in place before Sept. 11, 2001, U.S. authorities would have been able to identify one of the […]
Iran’s New President is on a Collision Course with the Supreme Leader (Kadivar)
Mohsen Kadivar writes at IslamiCommentary A key was the symbol of Hassan Rowhani’s presidential campaign, but what, if any, doors to real power will it unlock? Mohsen Kadivar “This is the victory of wisdom, a victory of moderation and a victory of commitment over extremism,” Iranian president-elect Hassan Rowhani declared on TV shortly after election […]
Will Mali get back stolen Timbuktu Manuscripts?
A trove of three boxes of rare manuscripts from Timbuktu has turned up near the Algerian border and seems likely to be returned to its original library. Timbuktu was a major intellectual center for the Muslim world during the past millennium, with its scholars producing loads of books on a whole range of subjects, from […]
Obama in Berlin foreshadows Coming Epic Battle against Climate Change
President Obama is readying a major policy change on combating climate change. He adverted to it in his Berlin speech yesterday. In my view, this step is more important than anything else the Obama White House has undertaken. (See my argument here.) Rapid climate change driven by our dumping of billions of metric tons a […]
The Struggle over the Qur’an in Morocco (Video report)
In Morocco, as in most Muslim countries, there is a lively contest over the meaning of the Qur’an and Islam. The official government-approved Qur’an contains some commentary of a moderate, Sunni, sort, intended to combat narrow-minded Wahhabi interpretations emanating from Saudi Arabia. (The reporter confuses some technical terms here; “warsh” is not commentary but a […]
Mueller: FBI Drones on US Soil, used ‘Minimally’ (Young Turks)
FBI director Robert Mueller admitted Wednesday that the FBI sometimes deploys drones over US territory. Cenk Uygur reports: Cenk points out that if the Bureau can use the drones minimally, there is no check on them being used extensively, and he evokes Orwell’s image of Big Brother.
On-Again, Off-Again US Talks with Taliban in Doha; Kabul Furious
The attempt of the US State Department to open negotiations with the Taliban, who now have an office in Doha, Qatar, foundered on a series of SNAFUs on Wednesday. First, the Taliban put up a sign at their office in Doha that implied it was the embassy of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the pre-2001 […]
Iran’s Pres. Rouhani News Conference: Transparency on Nukes and Talks with US
CNN profiles Iran’s new president Hassan Rouhani and interviews Hillary Mann Leverett: The USG Open Source Center translated the first news conference held by newly elected President Hassan Rouhani of Iran. Some excerpts are presented below, ordered in pyramid form with the most important first (out of the sequence of hte original). Iranian President-Elect Addresses […]
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