By James Zogby (Ma’an News Agency) For those who do not know the place, Bethlehem possesses a timeless quality, derived from these artistic creations. It is a place of mystery and contradictions. It is the peaceful little town that played an out-sized role in history; the birthplace of Jesus, the child born in a cave, […]
Archives for January 2015
Wind supplied 98% of Scotland’s household Power in 2014 and other Amazing Green Energy Stories
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) — Some 41% of the electricity consumed in Scotland annually is for households, while industrial and other facilities use the other 59%. With regard to the households, i.e. domestic energy consumption, Scotland’s wind turbines generated enough to cover 98% of it in 2014. In addition, in some months of […]
Can History Resolve the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict?
Joel Beinin, Stanford University (History News Network /American Historical Association) — “Joel Beinin is a professor of history at Stanford University. On January 3, 2015 he spoke at a roundtable convened by the Mid-Atlantic Radical Historians’ Organization (MARHO) on the subject: ”What is the Responsibility of Historians Regarding the Israel/Palestine Conflict?” ” HNNeditor: “Joel Beinin: […]
Iraq has Worst Year since Bush Invaded, is a Ghost of Former Self
By Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) — The past year in Iraq is not easy to review. The assorted crises, both in security and politics, are well known around the world and for many Iraqis it’s been one long nightmare. NIQASH went to gather ordinary Iraqis’ opinions on the year gone by and ended […]
Why the US should welcome Palestine Pres. Abbas joining Int’l Criminal Court
by Aaron Magid | (Ma’an News Agency) Criticism against Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority is mounting after his United Nations Security Council Resolution and bid to join the International Criminal Court. Aside from Netanyahu and the usual hawkish Israeli right, even officials generally sympathetic to the Palestinian plight are attacking Abbas. Former […]
Why Egypt’s Threat to Arrest Amal Clooney will hurt its Economy
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) — Patrick Kingsley of The Guardian reported on Friday that Amal Clooney was threatened with jail by Egyptian authorities last February if she released a report in Cairo on flaws in the Egyptian judiciary that had been commissioned by the International Bar Association. The report is available on the […]
When will it Explode? Jerusalem’s Silwan district is a Global Powder Keg
Vice News | — “Throughout the past several months, Jerusalem has been a scene of clashes and violent attacks. Silwan, a Palestinian neighborhood just steps away from Jerusalem’s Old City, has been at the heart of the unrest, and is becoming one of the most contentious neighborhoods in the most contested city in the world. […]
Sen. Lindsey Graham pledges allegiance to Israel’s Netanyahu vs. Obama
Cenk Uygur | (The Young Turks) — “”During a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Sunday, incoming chair of the Senate Foreign Appropriations Committee Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told the foreign leader Congress would “follow his lead” on a bill to reinforce sanctions on Iran. “In January of next year, there will […]
After 500 Strikes: Is America’s Drone War Crashing And Burning?
AJ+ | — “Drone strikes are the weapon of choice in America’s so-called War on Terror. They’ve been used nearly 500 times in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia since 2002. But while U.S. officials praise their “surgical precision,” the reality on the ground tells a different tale. Here’s what you need to know about the U.S. […]