By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Iranian Chief of Staff Major-Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi said Saturday that despite some reservations, he saw 16 major advantages to the Iran deal. He didn’t mention any specific disadvantages. Firouzabadi said, “The armed forces have the largest number of concerns about the effect of the accord on […]
Archives for August 2015
How Iran Deal Could Change the Middle East
By Benjamin Tua | (Foreign Policy in Focus) | – – Washington’s rapprochement with Iran has opened the door for major realignments from Israel to Afghanistan. Similar to the dissolution of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, ethno-sectarian fights will inevitably remold the Middle East and reshape the boundaries for new nation-states. The profound changes occurring in […]
If Germany can get 27% of its Energy from Wind/Solar, why can’t US?
Germany Trade & Invest | (Short Video Documentary) | – – “Germany Trade & Invest presents its short film about Germany’s Renewable Energy Revolution, the so called Energiewende (energy transition). Voices from science, industry, and politics outline the achievements made so far, next steps, and the opportunities the energy transition offers. Germany Trade & Invest: […]
Palestine: Funeral-Protest for father of burned Baby draws Thousands
By IMEMC | – – Thousands of Palestinians participated, on Saturday evening, in the funeral procession and ceremony of Sa’ad Dawabsha who died Saturday of serious burns and injuries resulting from the Israeli terrorist attack on his family home, leading to the death of his baby, Ali, ten days ago. Dawabsha’s body was moved from […]
The Real Palestine: Bethlehem festival celebrates diversity of culture and faith
By: Anna Kokko | (Ma’an News Agency) | – – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — At the end of Star Street in the Old City of Bethlehem, turquoise metal doors that are usually locked have been set wide open. In a cave-like interior, a group of women sits in the dim light on brightly colored pillows and […]
Daesh/ ISIL takes 250 Captive, including 60 Christians in Syria
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – In more bad news for the Baath regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) fighters have taken the town of Al Qariyatain southeast of Homs and are advancing west on the nearby towns of Mheen and Sadad. These central small towns are Sunni-majority, but […]
Senior Iranian Official Reveals Details About Secret Talks With U.S.
By Golnaz Esfandiari | (RFE/ RL) | – – “When Rohani learned about the details of the talks, he couldn’t believe it,” says Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran’s head of its Atomic Energy Organization. Iranian President Hassan Rohani has been credited with easing tensions between Tehran and Washington and helping secure a nuclear deal with world […]
And the Winner of the Fox News GOP Presidential Debate?… Bernie Sanders
By Jon Queally, staff writer | ( Commondreams.org) | – – Sen. Bernie Sanders took on the entire top-tier of the GOP field from his Twitter account on Thursday night… and for many, he won the debate hands down. (Photo: CD Collage / Fox News / @BernieSanders) As Fox News hosted the first full debate […]
Can Obama’s CO2 reductions set pace at Paris world Climate Congress?
By Nora Happel | (Inter Press Service) | – – UNITED NATIONS (IPS) – This week, U.S. President Barack Obama formally unveiled the details of his Clean Power Plan (CPP), a comprehensive carbon-cutting strategy he described as “the biggest and most important step…ever taken to combat climate change” in a prior video address posted on […]