The Young Turks | — “”Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday blasted a House GOP-led investigation that recently debunked myths about the 2012 Benghazi attack. “I think the report is full of crap,” Graham said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” The House Intelligence Committee released a report on Friday evening, which took two years […]
Archives for November 2014
Iraq: A Bigger Threat than Extremists? Economy on Verge of Collapse
By Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | via Niqash.org The Iraqi dinar: there might not be enough oil revenue coming into Iraq next year. The high cost of fighting the extremist Islamic State group, the worldwide decrease in oil prices, corruption and a lack of sensible economic forward planning mean that Iraq may be on the […]
As SecDef Hagel Exits, an Iraq Daesh/ISIL Scorecard
By Juan Cole | — Mosul rose up in alliance with Daesh /ISIL against the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on June 9 of this year, sparking a crisis in Obama administration foreign policy. Obama had been open to keeping some troops in Iraq, but the Iraqi parliament did not want that, and […]
Top Five Washington Assumptions on Mideast that Are not True
By Andrew J. Bacevich (Tomdispatch.com) | — “Iraq no longer exists.” My young friend M, sipping a cappuccino, is deadly serious. We are sitting in a scruffy restaurant across the street from the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. It’s been years since we’ve last seen each another. It may […]
Jerusalem: This Is Why The Temple Mount Matters To one Israeli-American
AJ+ | — “For Jews, the Temple Mount (known as Haram as-Sharif, or “Noble Sanctuary,” to Muslims) is their religion’s holiest site. The Temple Mount is on the same hilltop as Islam’s third-holiest site: the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Recent pushes by far-right Israeli Jews to pray on the Temple Mount have heightened tensions, especially as the […]
Syrian Refugees Between a Legal Rock and a Hard Place in Lebanon
By Oriol Andrés Gallart | — BEIRUT, Nov 21 2014 (IPS) – Staring at the floor, Hassan, a 21-year-old Syrian refugee from Idlib in northwestern Syria, holds a set of identification papers in his hands. He picks out a small pink piece of paper with a few words on it stating that he must obtain […]
Israel and Mississippi: Racist Plans for 2nd Class Citizens and Religious Legislation
By Juan Cole | — The Guardian reports that “A controversial bill that officially defines Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people has been approved by cabinet despite warnings that the move risks undermining the country’s democratic character. Opponents, including some cabinet ministers, said the new legislation defined reserved “national rights” for Jews only […]
How Public Power can get Big Money out of Politics & Defeat Plutocrats
Bill Moyers | — Bill Moyers: “How Public Power Can Defeat Plutocrats” via BillMoyers.com “Government has become a clearinghouse for corporations and plutocrats with deep pockets to buy the politicians who grease the wheels for lucrative contracts and easy regulation. It’s all pay for play, and look the other way. According to the watchdog Sunlight […]
Will GOP Congress block an Obama Iran Nuclear Deal?
By Carl Schreck and Luke Johnson (RFE/RL) | —- WASHINGTON — With the deadline for an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program looming, the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama is under increased pressure to bring home a deal that is acceptable to a skeptical Congress. If he cannot do so by November 24, he faces […]
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