( Middle East Monitor ) – Jerusalem is once again in the diplomatic crosshairs over US President Joe Biden’s intention to reopen the American Consulate in Jerusalem, which was closed by the Trump Administration in 2019. According to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, reopening the consulate is “an important way for our country to […]
Archives for July 2021
Who Authorized America’s Wars? And Why They Never End
By Andrea Mazzarino | – ( Tomdispatch.com) – Sometimes, as I consider America’s never-ending wars of this century, I can’t help thinking of those lyrics from the Edwin Starr song, “(War, huh) Yeah! (What is it good for?) Absolutely nothing!” I mean, remind me, what good have those disastrous, failed, still largely ongoing conflicts done […]
Because of Coal and Gasoline, High-tide flood risk is accelerating, putting coastal economies at risk
By Renee Collini | – As sea level rises, it can be easy to miss the subtlety of higher water. It’s much harder to overlook saltwater more frequently flooding streets, impeding daily life and making existing problems worse. The frequency of high-tide flooding along the U.S. coasts has doubled since 2000, and it’s expected to […]
100 Israeli Troops who Served in Occupied West Bank call on Defense Minister Gantz to Halt Settler Violence against Palestinians and against Israeli Police
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Al-Quds al-`Arabi reports that some 100 Israeli troops who served in the Palestinian West Bank have called on Defense Minister Benny Gantz and on Minister of Public Security Omer Bar-Lev to intervene to halt the violence of Israeli squatter-settlers toward indigenous Palestinians, which they say they saw with their own […]
As Biden backslides, a bigger, better-organized climate movement prepares to seize this ‘now or never’ moment
by Nick Engelfried | – ( Waging Nonviolence ) – Over 500 activists from the youth-led Sunrise Movement descended on Washington, D.C. last week for one of the largest U.S. climate protests since COVID-related restrictions began easing. The young people rallied in front of the White House on June 28, to hear from a range […]
China Cautiously Eyes New Regional Leadership Role As Afghanistan Fighting Intensifies
By Reid Standish | – ( RFE/RL ) – As the security situation in Afghanistan worsens, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has begun a high-profile tour of Central Asia that analysts say is an effort by Beijing to boost its interests in the region. The weeklong visit to Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan comes as the […]
California is planning floating wind farms offshore to boost its power supply – here’s how they work
By Matthew Lackner | – ( The Conversation ) – Northern California has some of the strongest offshore winds in the U.S., with immense potential to produce clean energy. But it has a problem. Its continental shelf drops off quickly, making building traditional wind turbines directly on the seafloor costly if not impossible. Once water […]
South Africa ‘Ungovernable’ after a former President was Jailed; Do Trump and Trumpism pose a similar danger to U.S.?
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – After former South African President Jacob Zuma went to jail over corruption and contempt of court charges last week, his followers began a concerted attempt to disrupt the country. His lieutenants had threatened to make the country ungovernable if he was sent to jail, according to the BBC. Zuma refused […]
Family Separation Law: Israel’s demographic war on the Palestinians intensifies
( Middle East Monitor ) – When the Israeli Knesset (parliament) failed to renew what is commonly referred to as the Family Reunification Law, news reports and analyses misrepresented the story altogether. The even split of 59 MKs voting in favour of the law and 59 against it gave the erroneous impression that Israeli lawmakers […]