US allies would not be left in the lurch, he pledged
Rashida Tlaib and Working Class Authenticity v. Trump’s Plutocrat Pretense
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Why does Donald Trump get a pass on speaking and acting obscenely but Rashida Tlaib is pilloried for calling him a Mofo? It is because US corporate media and political elites expect the wealthy to do bad imitations of working class profanity (so as to fool the rubes into voting […]
Trump’s Remark that Iranians ‘Can do what they want’ in Syria Mocked in Mideast
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Christian-owned Lebanese daily al-Nahar (The Day) mocked Trump’s remark this week that Iran can do whatever it wants in Syria after the US military withdrawal (“they can do what they want there, frankly”). A columnist for the newspaper, Monalisa Fariha, entitled her piece, “Iran will get out of Syria […]
The First Muslim-American Women in Congress may get to Impeach Trump
And one of them is loudly calling for him to be removed from office.
Cole’s ‘Muhammad: Prophet of Peace’ an NYT Editor’s Choice Book
Many thanks to the New York Times for recommending my new book, ‘Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires:’ Editors’ Choice: “11 New Books We Recommend This Week” Gregory Cowles writes, “How better to enter the new year than with a look back? History runs through many of this week’s recommended titles, from […]
Trump Spews Incomprehensible Nonsense on Kurds, Syria, Afghanistan
“A Commentary on the words that spewed from Trump’s mouth at his news conference during a cabinet meeting on January 2, 2019,” or, “A Ph.D. who has been teaching at a public Ivy since 1984 is forced to spend his time chasing the rabid ferrets running around in the head of a decrepit reality t.v. […]
Saudi Arabia muscles Netflix over Minhaj Criticism of Khashoggi Murder
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Netflix has been forced to pull Episode 2 of comedian Hasan Minhaj’s “Patriot Act” for Saudi viewers because it criticizes the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi on October 2 at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, in which a bone saw was used to cut up the corpse. Netflix points […]
Trump’s US in 2019: Is the Mideast ‘War on Terror’ Paradigm Ending?
We’re talking a ten to fifteen year window for the American obsession with petroleum
2018: Saudis Made a Play for Regional Hegemony and Tripped over a Single Murder
The arrogant and impatient young Mohammed Bin Salman, who shouldered aside a raft of uncles and cousins to grab power as crown prince, is something new in Saudi history. The Al Saud, the royal family, had functioned as an oligarchy, but King Salman and his hyperactive son have concentrated power in their hands in an […]
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