Immediately on being narrowly confirmed as Secretary of State by the Senate, former CIA director Mike Pompeo flew off to Brussels. Pompeo appears to have had three main messages for NATO. The first is that Germany and other members have to pay a bigger share of its costs, a constant refrain of his boss, President […]
If the Leaders of the two Koreas can meet, why can’t those of Saudi Arabia and Iran?
The remarkable face to face meeting of the leaders of North and South Korea is being watched with hope by many observers, given the long decades of enmity between the two and the recent nuclear sabre-rattling of President Trump. At least in my circles, I see virtually no one condemning the meeting, though many are […]
Russia and China slam Trump-Macron Push to Renegotiate Iran Deal
Russia and China are both putting their feet down about the talk in the US and France about renegotiating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the 2015 agreement on freezing and curtailing Iran’s nuclear enrichment program by the UN Security Council and Germany in return for lifting international sanctions. US President Trump is threatening […]
Macron and Trump talk new Iran Deal, but is it Pie in the Sky?
Gilles Paris and Marc Semo at Le Monde report on President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to President Trump in Washington and their discussions regarding the Iran deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA). They say that Macron repeated his four points regarding Iran policy: 1. Maintain the 2015 Iran deal, which freezes the Iranian […]
Is Mike Pompeo Soft on White Terrorism Against Muslim Immigrants?
The Senate Foreign Relations committee narrowly voted in favor of former CIA director Mike Pompeo for Secretary of State on Monday, after President Trump called up Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and convinced him to change his negative view to a positive one. Those pundits who expressed confidence that GOP Libertarians and traditionalists would foil Trump’s […]
Could Saudi Plans for $100/ Barrel Oil Hugely Expand Electric Car Market and Save Tesla?
Nick Cunningham at Oilprice.com points to the dilemmas implicit in the rumored Saudi plan to engineer a return to $100 a barrel oil. That price level translates into an average gasoline price in the US of $3.57, though in California, with a population of about 40 million. that price would be over $4.00 per gallon […]
Calls for stripping Natalie Portman of Israel Citizenship for criticizing Shooting Palestinian Protesters
“Annihilation” star Natalie Portman replied to the controversy stirred by her declining to attend the Genesis Foundation awards ceremony in Jerusalem in June because of her distress at “recent events” (the shooting down of unarmed protesters in Gaza by Israeli snipers at the order of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu). She wrote at Instagram: “Let me […]
Top Six Reasons Pompeo Should Not Be Secretary of State
NBC is reporting that Mike Pompeo lacks the votes in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to have his nomination to be Secretary of State be favorably reported out of committee on Monday night. Democrats on the committee have expressed fears that Pompeo, a warmonger, will reinforce the worst tendencies of Trump. Pompeo has been director […]
Star Wars actor Natalie Portman cancels Award in Israel, hints Netanyahu has gone to the Dark Side
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Natalie Portman has declined the award of the annual Genesis Foundation Prize in Jerusalem on the grounds that she is distressed by recent events. The Academy Award-winning actress, who was born in Jerusalem and is an American and Israeli dual citizen, said that she “cannot in […]
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