By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – During Saturday night’s Democratic debate, Sec. Hillary Clinton at one point alleged, “And we also need to make sure that the really discriminatory messages that Trump is sending around the world don’t fall on receptive ears. He is becoming ISIS’s best recruiter. They are going to […]
Archives for December 2015
5 Questions For Syria Hawks
David M. Faris | (Informed Comment) | – – Last month’s horrific attacks in Paris and last week’s massacre in California – which was at most loosely connected to Daesh (ISIS/ISIL)– have renewed calls for more robust U.S. intervention in Syria. The momentum toward escalation is hardly limited to the political right: Opinion polling suggests […]
US Arms sales don’t Fight Terrorism & War, they Provoke Them
By Jeremy Ravinsky | (Foreign Policy in Focus) | – – Nothing recruits terrorists like corrupt security forces committing human rights abuses with impunity. (Photo: U.S. Marine Corps / Flickr) Recent, disparate terrorist attacks have shown that far from being “degraded and destroyed,” the Islamic State’s reach is growing. Unwilling to commit large numbers of […]
Israel’s working poor
By Jacob Wirtschafter | ( Your Middle East) | A poverty report has added fuel to long-standing debates about religion, intercommunal politics, and Israel’s national priorities. An energy boom and its high-tech achievements as the vaunted “start-up nation” notwithstanding, Israel is seeing more and more of its children living in poverty. Figures released by the […]
In the Middle East’s New Century, can Western Imperialism stop Thwarting Democracy?
By Jeffrey D. Sachs | (Project Syndicate) | – – Jeffrey D. Sachs | (@JeffDSachs) – – NEW YORK – The United States, the European Union, and Western-led institutions such as the World Bank repeatedly ask why the Middle East can’t govern itself. The question is asked honestly but without much self-awareness. After all, the […]
Clinton: Trump chief recruiter for ISIL; Sanders: Take out Daesh First, Assad Later
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The second Saturday-night Democratic debate had a lot of discussion on foreign policy. It is a shame that the Democratic National Convention put it on a Saturday, when its audience was much lower. Many Bernie Sanders supporters believe that the DNC supports Sec. Hillary Clinton and […]
‘Off the Charts’ Violence against Muslims Ravaging US Communities
By Sarah Lazare, staff writer | (Commondreams.org) | – – New data confirms anecdotes of rising Islamophobic violence reflect nationwide trend. From an attack on a hijab-wearing sixth grader in the Bronx to the arson of a mosque near Palm Springs, reports of hate crimes targeting Muslims are more than troubling anecdotes, but rather, reflect […]
The rise of Daesh/ ISIS, explained in 6 minutes
Vox | (Video Report) | – – “Its history goes back way before the group ever existed.” Vox: “The rise of ISIS, explained in 6 minutes”
After Daesh/ ISIL, will Iraq be any Better?
Niqash.org | (Baghdad) | – – As the Islamic State becomes weaker in Iraq, locals anticipate a post-extremist era. But even the most optimistic Iraqis know it won’t be easy. Some of those crises may be more dangerous than the extremists. Recent reports from Iraq indicate that, although progress against the extremist group known as […]