By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Ahmad Chalabi (1944-2015) died of a heart attack in Iraq on Tuesday. Clarence Darrow, the great trial lawyer and orator, said, “I’ve never killed anyone, but I frequently get satisfaction reading the obituary notices.” I don’t get any satisfaction from this obituary. In the first Star […]
Archives for November 2015
Why the Paris Climate Summit Will Be a Peace Conference
By Michael T. Klare | (Tomdispatch.com) | – – At the end of November, delegations from nearly 200 countries will convene in Paris for what is billed as the most important climate meeting ever held. Officially known as the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP-21) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (the […]
The “Bridge” Project: Fighting the anti-Muslim Machine
By Inas Younis/ John Esposito | (Interview of Esposito in OnIslam) SALT LAKE – The Wall Street journal called Professor John L. Esposito “American’s foremost authority and interpreter of Islam.” With over 40 years devoted to the field of Islamic studies, Esposito is well known as one of the world’s most influential bridge builders of […]
Defending Gaza Using Social Media’s Double-Edged Sword
By Omar Ghraieb | (Global Voices Online) | – – To say that both technology and communication have been experiencing a steady advancement until the past few years is something of an understatement. The world went from slowly becoming one village, thanks to the World Wide Web, to becoming one home, thanks to social media. […]
Obama makes fun of GOP Candidates: “That’s Crazy!”
Barack Obama | (Associated Press Video) | – – “Obama roasts Republican presidential candidates while speaking at a Democractic National Committee fundraiser in New York City Monday night. (Nov. 3)” AP: “Obama: GOP Candidates Occupy ‘Different Reality’”
Shimon Peres doubts Israel can win Permanent war or Survive Annexation of West Bank
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Former Israeli president Shimon Peres, 92, gave an interview with the Associated Press Monday in which he spoke bluntly about the mistakes of prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, without naming him. Of the Greater Israel project of the country’s right wing, which aims at annexing the Palestinian […]
Fearing Obama Veto, TransCanada Suspends Keystone Pipeline Review, Hoping for GOP Win
Wochit News | (Video Report) | – – TransCanada Seeks to Suspend Keystone Pipeline Review Appendix Last winter at The Conversation Peter Erickson and Michael Lazarus of the Stockholm Environment Institute took their cue from President Obama and researched how much extra C02 would be emitted if Keystone XL were built. They concluded it could […]
Syria: al-Qaeda, Army of Islam Cage Hostages in Street as Human Shields
Human Rights Watch | – – (New York) – Syrian armed groups are endangering civilians, including women, and detaining soldiers by placing them in metal cages throughout Eastern Ghouta. The armed groups say they are doing that to deter indiscriminate government attacks on the area. Expand Still from video showing caged civilians in Eastern Ghouta, […]
An American Citizen Apologizes to the Iraqi People
By Jeffrey Ruoff | (Huffington Post) | – – "In the middle of the journey of our life I came to myself within a dark wood where the straight road was lost." – Dante Alighieri, Divine Comedy Dear Iraqi people, I write to apologize for the illegal 2003 U.S. invasion of your country. Presidential candidate […]