Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Trump’s policy in Yemen might best be described as “malign neglect.” The US is giving strategic and logistical support, and above all political legitimacy to a brutal war being waged on little Yemen by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and their coalition allies (though that group seems to be […]
Scottish Gov’t Announces ‘Climate Emergency’ in response to Extinction Rebellion Call
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon of the social-democratic Scottish National Party has called a “climate emergency,” doing so in response to a call from “Extinction Rebellion Scotland.” The latter is a youth protest group that has staged walk-outs from high schools and engaged in civil disobedience in numerous cities around […]
Hatred of One is Hatred of All: San Diego Synagogue Shooter had Attempted to Burn down Mosque
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – One person is dead and three are wounded after a shooting at a synagogue in San Diego, which the mayor has branded a “hate crime.” The attack came a day after an Iraq War veteran was arraigned in Sunnyvale, Ca. in the north of the state for running over 8 […]
The American Tragedy: Veteran Rams Hindu Family, thinking they were Muslims, in Sunnyvale
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – An Iraq War veteran, who had spent 5 years in that country, was arraigned Friday. On Tuesday, he had plowed into 8 people in an intersection in Sunnyvale, California, particularly aiming at a South Asian family who he assumed to be Muslims. They weren’t. The names indicate that they are […]
Israel Lobby AIPAC slams Bernie Sanders for branding Netanyahu’s Gov’t “right-wing, racist”
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – On Monday at a CNN town hall, Sen. Bernie Sanders said, “I am not anti-Israel. But the fact of the matter is Netanyahu is a right-wing politician who I think is treating the Palestinian people extremely unfairly . . . What I believe is not radical. I just believe that […]
Saudi Mass Execution of Shiites draws UN, NGO Condemnation and raises tensions with Iran
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Saudi authorities tweeted Wednesday that they had executed 37 persons. Two of the bodies were hung from light poles in public as a warning to the Saudi public to avoid any sort of dissidence. The widely condemned step came while the kingdom was hosting a two-day economic forum that attracted […]
Iran designates US CENTCOM Troops “Terrorists”
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Iran is responding in kind to Trump’s harassment, with the Iranian parliament having voted to declare that the US troops of the Central Command or CENTCOM (which is responsible for the Middle East) are terrorists. The move came in retaliation for Trump’s designation of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), […]
In Drive to Overthrow Iran, Trump stops Waivers for Oil Purchases from Tehran
The Trump administration announced Monday that it would cease granting waivers to countries allowing them to buy Iranian petroleum as of May 2. Iran is only exporting 1.1 million barrels of petroleum per day, down from 2.5 million before the Trump administration violated the 2015 Iran deal and imposed unilateral severe sanctions. Secretary of State […]
“The Nearest in Love:” On how the Sri Lankan Death Cult Betrayed the Islamic Values of the Qur’an
A tiny death cult in Sri Lanka calling itself “Sri Lanka Tawheed Jamaat” (not to be confused with a big mainstream organization of the same name in India) appears to be responsible for the eight coordinated bombings at luxury hotels and Christian churches on Sunday. By now the tactic is familiar, if monstrous. These small, […]








