By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) – George W. Bush spoke privately this weekend at a Republican Jewish Coalition session hosted by casino sleazeball Sheldon Adelson, who made his pile in a very shady way in China’s Macau and now gets to choose the US president with his ill-gotten gains. What was remarkable was that […]
Archives for April 2015
Thoughts On Freddie Grey Protest by a Young Baltimore Resident
@hotdamnirock | – A call for disciplined protest from a young Baltimore resident with a foul mouth. Warning: Language. h/t Reddit.com Hotdamnirock: “Thoughts On #FreddieGrey Protest”
The Battle Plans of ISIL: Can they Succeed in Mideast Conquest?
By Richard Rousseau | (The Conversation) What is Islamic State’s political program? What is its ideology? Who are its theoreticians? The answers to these questions can be found in its propaganda. Islamic State has transformed from an ultra-minority party into one of the major political actors in the Middle East within a few months. It […]
Middle East Conflicts Trigger New U.S.-Russia Arms Race
By Thalif Deen | — UNITED NATIONS (IPS) – The escalating military conflicts in the Middle East – and the month-long aerial bombings of Yemen by an Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia – have triggered a new arms race in the politically-volatile region. The primary beneficiaries are the United States and Russia, two of […]
Anger Translation: Why Obama was Ranting against GOP Climate Policy at Press Dinner
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) – The Comedy Central show, Key and Peele, made famous a bit by Keegan-Michael Key on Obama called the “Luther, the anger translator,” which plays on the president’s laid back approach to controversial issues. But at the annual White House Correspondents’ dinner, Obama outdid “Luther” in ranting against climate […]
Gaza Strip 101: World’s Largest outdoor Prison
Middle East Eye | – “The Gaza Strip, a coastal enclave wedged between Israel and Egypt, has been under blockade since 2007, shortly after elections brought the group Hamas to power. After repeated bombings by Israel – including one last summer which left over 2000 people dead – Gaza is on the verge of a […]
Beyond the Headlines: The New Arabs (Juan Cole Interview)
Jack Segal | International Affairs Forum (Traverse City) | – “For three decades, Juan Cole, Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History at the University of Michigan has sought to put the relationship of the West and the Muslim world in historical context. This conversation will add to that endeavor. Beyond the Headlines is hosted […]
Danger: GOP House’s “Cybersecurity Bills” are Surveillance Bills in Disguise
By Mark Jaycox | (Electronic Frontier Foundation) | – The House passed two cybersecurity “information sharing” bills today: the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence’s Protecting Cyber Networks Act, and the House Homeland Security Committee’s National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Act. Both bills will be “conferenced” to create one bill and then sent to the Senate […]
Nepal shows its vulnerability after devastating earthquake
By Simon Redfern | (The Conversation) | – For some time scientists have realised that the Kathmandu valley is one of the most dangerous places in the world, in terms of earthquake risk. And now a combination of high seismic activity at the front of the Tibetan plateau, poor building standards, and haphazard urbanisation have […]