(By Mustafa Habib) A secret deal was done between the tribes of Anbar and Sunni Muslim extremists this week – the result has seen extremists withdraw from Fallujah. But questions remain: Will PM Nouri al-Maliki still react with military force? How did Al Qaeda manage to take over a city like Fallujah in just two […]
Fox News: Christie Scandal Coverage pretext to Ignore Gates Revelations
(By David Edwards) Fox host on Christie: ‘Bridge thing’ ruining coverage of Bob Gates’ Obama-bashing (via Raw Story ) Fox News host Steve Doocy on Thursday lamented the fact that the media was covering leaked emails that proved New Jersey Chris Christie’s (R) administration closed part of the busiest bridge in the world as political […]
Libya: The Dictatorship of the Militias
(By Imad Mesdoua) “Ansar Al-Sharia cleans the streets of Benghazi and conducts social work to further enhance its standing” Terrorism Security in Libya still remains an ephemeral prospect. The country is awash with guns and militias, numbered in the thousands. Since the collapse of the Gaddafi regime, successive transitional governments have consistently failed to impose […]
Peak or no Peak, Oil is Unsafe at any Price
(By Michael Klare) Among the big energy stories of 2013, “peak oil” — the once-popular notion that worldwide oil production would soon reach a maximum level and begin an irreversible decline — was thoroughly discredited. The explosive development of shale oil and other unconventional fuels in the United States helped put it in its grave. […]
60 Minutes goes Benghazi on Cleantech & Gets that Wrong Too
(By Joe Romm) 60 Minutes Ignores The Facts In Clean Energy Segment (via Clean Technica) Originally published on ClimateProgressby Joe Romm Clean technology is booming by every key indicator — but you would never know that from Sunday’s absurd 60 Minutes piece touting an imaginary “Cleantech Crash.” As documented in the recent Department… —— […]
Iraq’s Real Problem: A US Occupation legacy of Sectarian Politics
(By Mohammed Alomari) Violence in Iraq is again in the news. The biggest problem we face about what is going on in Iraq is the disinformation campaign to which we have been subjected since the 2003 invasion and occupation. Iraq, which had its infrastructure and institutions demolished in 2003, was rebuilt on political and sectarian […]
How Egypt’s Revolution veered toward Authoritarian Crackdown
(By Mohammed Fadel) In response to a December 24 bombing in the town of Mansoura, the Egyptian government declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization. The decision, which came despite the fact that an al-Qaida affiliated group—Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis—took responsibility for the blast, was a depressing, even inevitable conclusion to the disastrous course of events […]
About that Country you Destroyed: A Letter to George W. Bush
(By Ralph Nader) George W. Bush Presidential Center PO Box 560887 Dallas, Texas, 57356 Dear Mr. Bush: A few days ago I received a personalized letter from your Presidential Center which included a solicitation card for donations that actually provided words for my reply. They included “I’m honored to help tell the story of the […]
Franken-GOP (Cartoon of the Day)
(By Paul Jamiol) Courtesy Paul Jamiol, Jamiol’s World