By Mohammed Nuruzzaman | (Informed Comment) The Syrian civil war is now in its sixth year, with occasional ceasefire deals made and violated by the warring parties being a cyclical process. The latest ceasefire agreement brokered by the U.S. and Russia, which came into effect on September 12, is standing on shaky grounds. The U.S.-led […]
Archives for September 2016
Can Education for Tolerance help Muslim-Christian Relations in Europe?
By Rose Delaney | (Inter Press Service) | – – ROME, Sep 19 2016 (IPS) – Although 20 million Muslims reside in Western Europe, establishing social harmony between the Muslim community and their European counterparts has proved exceedingly challenging.Much to the dismay of international humanitarian agencies and anti-racism activists,the language of exclusion and prejudice persists. […]
5 Signs that Wind Power in the US is suddenly going Massive
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The Iowa Utility Board has approved a $3 bn. MidAmerica wind farm project which will be the country’s largest, due to come on line in 2019, and which will generate enough electricity to power 800,000 homes! I looked this up, and there are only about 1.2 […]
Can Palestinians fight their Displacement with Oral History?
By Thayer Hastings | (Al-Shabaka) | Ma’an News Agency | – – Oral history has a long precedent in Arab and Palestinian culture that stems from a broader oral tradition. In the years immediately following the Nakba of 1948, the Arab tradition of the hakawati (storyteller) was used, according to Nur Masalha, to shore up […]
The myth and history of Sunni-Shia divide
By Amir Ahmadi Arian | ( OpenDemocracy ) | – – Sunnis and Shias have lived together in peace for centuries, and up to the new millennium have barely had a history of bloody conflict. Why now? Head of the Shiite opposition, left, and Sunni Muslim leader of a liberal opposition party, right, hold a […]
Dear Generation Z: So sorry for bequeathing to you terrorism hysteria and all those Wars
By Peter Van Buren | ( Tomdispatch.com) | – – I recently sent my last kid off for her senior year of college. There are rituals to such moments, and because dad-confessions are not among them, I just carried boxes and kept quiet. But what I really wanted to say to her — rather than […]
Trump’s Behavior like Male Chimp Dominance Ritual: Jane Goodall
TeleSur | – – Chimpanzees throw rocks and cans at their rivals as “dominance rituals,” Goodall said, which in many ways reminds her of Donald Trump. While different in looks, U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and chimpanzees may have a lot in common, famed anthropologist Jane Goodall said, as many of his behaviors and […]
George Clooney Report Ruffles Feathers in South Sudan
TeleSur | – – The report “can only jeopardize the pursuit of peace and stability,” South Sudan representatives said. A new report claiming that South Sudan’s leaders have exploited the country’s ongoing civil violence has been criticized by the country’s government. It comes as the world’s youngest nations stands on the brink of a renewed […]
In Massive Intel Error, US Kills 80 Syrian Troops, Helps ISIL Advance
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – In a massive intelligence failure, the US Air Force hit a Syrian military installation in Deir al-Zor that it thought was Daesh (ISIS, ISIL). But it turned out to be the Syrian Arab Army position at Deir al-Zor military airport. The strike killed 80 soldiers and […]