By Deirdre Fulton, staff writer | ( Commondreams.org ) | – – ‘Listening to his hearing, it would be easier to conclude Tillerson is under criminal investigation than under consideration for secretary of state’ Joined by 15 T-Rex dinosaurs, more than 200 people demonstrated mass public opposition to the appointment of former ExxonMobil CEO Rex […]
As Trump guns for Iran Deal, can its Reformists survive death of Hashemi-Rafsanjani?
By Farhang Jahanpour | (Informed Comment) | – – Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani’s death on Sunday January 8 in Tehran at the age of 82 marks the end of an era in Iran’s post-revolutionary history. After the death of Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, in 1989, Hashemi-Rafsanjani’s death will have the most significant […]
Understanding Islam means understanding its and our Multiculturalism
Kishwar Rizvi | (The Conversation) | – – There has been much misinformation about Islam. Reports in Western media tend to perpetuate stereotypes that Islam is a violent religion and Muslim women are oppressed. Popular films like “American Sniper” reduce places like Iraq to dusty war zones, devoid of any culture or history. Fears and […]
Obama’s Farewell Address: Racial Discrimination a Challenge Ahead
NBC | (Video Report) | – – “As President Barack Obama’s time in office comes to a close, he delivers his Farewell Address from Chicago.” President Barack Obama’s Farewell Address (Full Speech) | NBC News Full Transcript Everybody have a seat. My fellow Americans, Michelle and I have been so touched by all the well-wishes […]
Turkish President Erdogan Sees Better Ties with US Under Trump
TeleSur | – – “I believe we will accelerate dialogue when Mr. Trump takes office,” Erdogan said. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday he believed relations with Washington would improve under President-elect Donald Trump and that the two NATO allies would reach an easier consensus on regional issues. Ties between the United States and […]
Exxon’s Rex Tillerson and the rise of Big Oil in American politics
Brian C. Black | (The Conversation) | – – “How Big Oil Bought the White House and Tried to Steal the Country” is the subtitle of a book that tells the story of a presidential election in which a candidate allowed money from big oil companies to help him win office and then rewarded them […]
‘Onward Christian Zionists’: Trump, Israel and the Inauguration
Shalom Goldman | (Informed Comment) | – – While US support for Israel has never been stronger (witness the 38 billion dollar aid package signed by the president in December) the perception among many in the US and Israel is that the Obama administration has been inimical to Israel’s best interests, and that the Trump […]
How the Arrogance of Cold War Triumph brought us this Low
By Andrew J. Bacevich | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | – – The fall of the Berlin Wall in October 1989 abruptly ended one historical era and inaugurated another. So, too, did the outcome of last year’s U.S. presidential election. What are we to make of the interval between those two watershed moments? Answering that question […]
Comey should be fired if it’s the last thing Obama Does
By William W. Keller | (Informed Comment) | – – James Comey is keeping a low profile these days. Not even a peep. Not even after the FBI, CIA, and NSA finally agreed on something: Russia hacked the election and Puttin, who was directly involved, hoped to install Trump as president. Comey’s silence is odd, […]