By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – President Obama’s last State of the Union address this year was largely lacking in specifics and replete with high ideals and ambitious goals like curing cancer. But he did address some issues in everyday politics. One of the more powerful moments came when he implicitly attacked […]
Archives for January 2016
Istanbul explosion: overview of this year’s surge in terror attacks in Turkey
France 24 | (Video News Report) | – – “Istanbul explosion: overview of this year’s surge in violence and terror attacks in Turkey. As no claim of responsibility has been issued for the blast in Istanbul, three main suspects have been unveiled: the Islamic state group, eager to take revenge on Turkey for its harder […]
None of the GOP Candidates knows anything about Syria & Why that’s Scary
By John Kiriakou | (Otherwords.org) | – – “Ending this imbroglio requires robust diplomacy.” One ongoing theme [of the GOP campaign has] bothered me — a lot. It seems to me that none of the Republicans running for president had even the vaguest understanding of what’s happening in Syria. I learned during my nearly 15 […]
UNRWA: Only 20% of Gaza Reconstruction Funds Received
By IMEMC | – – The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said that it received only 20 percent of the money needed for the reconstruction of the destroyed houses in the Gaza Strip, QudsNet reported yesterday. UNRWA spokesman Adnan Abu Hasna said, according to Al Ray, […]
8,000 Suddenly Dead Birds in Alaska; What does it Mean?
AJ+ | – – “The death of about 8,000 Alaskan birds might be due to unusually warm waters. “Seabirds are indicators of the health of the ecosystem. Now they’re dying, and that is telling us something.” AJ+: “Mass Death Of Alaskan Birds Might Be Linked To Climate Change
The Oil Pricequake: From Russia to Saudi Arabia & Iran, a suddenly Perilous World
By Michael T. Klare | ( Tomdispatch.com) | – – As 2015 drew to a close, many in the global energy industry were praying that the price of oil would bounce back from the abyss, restoring the petroleum-centric world of the past half-century. All evidence, however, points to a continuing depression in oil prices in […]
Prince of Araby: The reckless power behind the Saudi throne
By Susan de Muth | ( OpenDemocracy) | – – King Salman’s son Mohammad seems to be piloting Saudi Arabia into a series of ever more risky adventures. In the past year, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has abandoned the cautious fence-sitting that long characterised its diplomatic style in favour of an unprecedented, hawkish antagonism. […]
New Polls: Is Bernie Sanders *more* electable than Sec. Clinton?
Cenk Uygur | (The Young Turks Video Report) | – – “Here comes Bernie! New polls show Hillary Clinton’s Iowa lead is all but gone… within the margin of error. She has been put on Bern notice. Cenk Uygur, host of the The Young Turks, breaks it down . . . “Democrats Hillary Clinton and […]
Thwarted Territorially in Ramadi, Daesh reverts to Terrorism in Baghdad
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – One of the problems Iraq and Syria will face as Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) is gradually rolled back from its territorial acquisitions is that it will demobilize its conventional forces and return to being a terrorist organization. It may be in some ways more dangerous under the […]