( Tomdispatch.com ) – On February 17, 1941, less than 10 months before the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor and the U.S. found itself in a global war, Henry Luce, in an editorial in Life magazine (which he founded along with Time and Fortune), declared the years to come “the American Century.” He then urged this […]
Archives for November 2021
Israel’s 3,000 New Squatters on Palestinian Land draw only Pro Forma Condemnation from US, Europe
( Middle East Monitor) – The international uproar in response to Israel’s approval of a massive expansion of its illegal settlement enterprise in the occupied Palestinian West Bank may give the impression that such a reaction could, in theory, force Israel to abandon its plans. It won’t because the “concerns”, “regrets” and “disappointment” — and […]
How photos of Afghan suffering shown over and over perpetuate inequality and harm
By Azeta Hatef | – Devastating photos and videos emerged from Afghanistan as the Taliban regained control of the country and U.S. troops prepared to withdraw in August 2021. A video of 19-year-old Zaki Anwari and others falling to their deaths as they clung to the side of a U.S. evacuation airplane circulated in the […]
COP26: Biden first President to Back Sweeping Measures on Climate, as for-profit Press lets Denialist Republicans off the Hook
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) | – On Monday, President Joe Biden addressed the UN COP26 climate conference, declaring the 2020s the “critical decade.” It was a strong and hopeful speech that showed global leadership that has been sorely lacking. Those carping about Biden’s performance seem not to remember the past four years when the president […]
Palestinian dispossession by Israel and the Sham of the 30-year “Peace Process”
By Inès Abdel Razek | – ( Al-Shabakah) – The so-called Middle East Peace Process has ensured Palestinians’ oppression by a military regime bent on settler-colonial expansion. How has the bilateral negotiations framework consolidated Israel’s hegemony over the Palestinians, and how has Israel maintained it? Al-Shabaka policy analyst, Inès Abdel Razek, explores these questions and […]
How Lebanon became the latest Battlefield in the Cold War between Saudi Arabia and Iran
By Amira Abo el-Fetouh | – ( Middle East Monitor ) – Lebanon is plagued by crises, with a new one added almost daily. The people are suffering from power cuts and fuel shortages, and queue for hours at petrol stations and bakeries. Daily life has become unbearable. There is also the conflict between the […]
From the Amazon, Indigenous Peoples offer new compass to navigate climate change
By Dallas Hunt, Cash Ahenakew, Sharon Stein, Vanessa Andreotti, and Will Valley | – Universities in western Canada began another school year under the cloud of two imminent threats: wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic. These are not just local issues, but global issues, not only because they are happening all over the world, but also […]
COP26: Climate Disaster Stalks Morocco even as it Strives for Wind, Solar
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Since the UN Conference of Parties (COP) 26 is meeting in Glasgow this week, we will be looking at climate and energy issues in the Middle East. Today I want to make some remarks about Morocco, which has one of the most ambitious green energy programs in the region, but […]
Our Problem isn’t “Supply Chains” – it is that Workers and Truckers are being Stiffed
A chain is no stronger than its weakest link. Weak links have been the story for much of the last year. That should force us to consider the possibility that weak links are not just a sh**t happens event but symptomatic of larger pathologies pervading many of our most basic industries. Consider Boeing, once regarded […]