Cenk Uygur, John Iadaola and Jimmy Dore | (The Young Turks) – “Cenk Uygur, John Iadaola and Jimmy Dore host of The Young Turks discusses Sen. Ted Cruz and his message for his conservative pals. Presidential Hopeful equivalent of a ‘first!’ YouTube comment for 2016 and Republican Senator of Texas Ted Cruz has come out […]
Archives for March 2015
The rise of the Israeli far right & the future of Palestine
By Ghassan Khatib | (Ma’an News Agency) – The victory of Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing allies last week at the polls amounts to a major defeat of left and center-left parties in Israel and is merely one more indication that Israeli society is continuing a strong trend of radicalization. Over the last 20 years, […]
How GOP threats against Iran have Guaranteed end of European Sanctions
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) – The US sanction regime on Iran has a unilateral dimension. That is, there are sanctions only the US applies. Then there is a European dimension, which involves using the clout of the Department of Treasury as well as the persuasiveness of the Department of State’s diplomats to get […]
Old GOP Realist James Baker’s hard Ride among Neocons
By Carlyn Meyer | (Informed Comment) – (Washington, D.C.) – Neoconservatives are beside themselves over James Baker’s speech at the recent Fifth National Conference of J Street, the pro-Israel lobby. Even before he spoke, some called on Baker to withdraw from the event, then urged Jeb Bush to ‘distance’ himself, even repudiate Baker, one of […]
Assyrian Christians and the ISIS Assault on the Remains of Nineveh
By Adam H. Becker | (Informed Comment) In their sanctimonious showboating ISIS has trashed the ruins of ancient Assyria and this is a loss for world cultural heritage and more so for Iraqis and whatever national culture will exist whenever the political situation finally becomes stable. However, Assyrian Christians, who themselves have suffered kidnapping and […]
Why The Iraqi Army Is Stuck On The Outskirts of Tikrit
By Mustafa Habib | (Niqash.org) – (Baghdad) – The offensive to re-take Tikrit from extremists seems to have stalled as troops surround the city but cannot go further. The same thing is happening elsewhere. And there are three main reasons why. While stopped on the edges of the city of Tikrit, Captain Ahmad Mahmoud says […]
Founding Fathers decried Standing Army: How about a Global Pentagon?
By William D. Hartung | (Tomdispatch.com) President Obama and Senator John McCain, who have clashed on almost every conceivable issue, do agree on one thing: the Pentagon needs more money. Obama wants to raise the Pentagon’s budget for fiscal year 2016 by $35 billion more than the caps that exist under current law allow. McCain wants to […]
What’s Religion Got to do with it? German Co-Pilot as Terrorist
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) – Once it became clear that Andreas Lubitz, 28, deliberately crashed Germanwings Flight 9525, a reporter immediately asked “what was his religion?” (Parent company Lufthansa said they didn’t know). Authorities said there was no evidence it was “terrorism.” Lubitz is from Rhineland-Palatinate, known for its wine-growing and pharmaceuticals. It […]
Obama: GOP has no Alternative to Obamacare b/c it was their Plan
CBSnews.com | (Web extras) “On the fifth anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, the president slams Republican critics for their unfulfilled predictions of doom and gloom.” CBSnews.com: “Obama pokes fun at GOP critics of healthcare reform”