Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Henry Kissinger’s death at 100 is an opportunity to consider the ways in which his lawlessness helped undermine International Humanitarian Law, the laws of war that responsible leaders attempted to erect to prevent the horrors of WW II from recurring. In his single-minded calculation of supposed “national” interest, which he […]
Three Young Men Shot down in the Name of an Anti-Palestinianism that cannot Be Named
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – As Peter Beinart correctly argues, anti-Palestinianism is not a word in American English. I can tell since the internet helpfully underlines it in red to mark it for correction whenever I write it. Of course, it ought to be a word. It can become a word. It needs to become […]
Juan Cole: Infidel or Pagan? Understanding Kufr (كفر) in the Qur’an | Muhammad the Prophet of Peace
Gabriel Said Reynolds of Notre Dame writes: “In this video I interview Professor Juan Cole, the Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History at the University of Michigan. We discuss the historicity of Muhammad’s raids as well as the picture of the messenger that is obtained when one focuses on the Qur’an alone. The bulk […]
The Past, Present and Future of Israel/Palestine – Juan Cole, Sherene Seikaly and Zachary Lockman
Massachusetts Peace Action: The Hamas attacks in Israel and Israel’s war on and invasion of Gaza are the latest rounds in a long-running conflict. In this webinar, three leading historians of the region will explore how we got here; what is fueling the present conflict; and what we in the United States can do. Speakers: […]
Juan Cole on Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” (StayTunedNBC)
Here is the interview Alex Greaney of StayTunedNBC did with Juan Cole about the Egypt scenes in Ridley Scott’s film, “Napoleon.” StayTunedNBC: “Juan Cole on Ridley Scott’s depiction of Napoleon in Egypt” I wrote a book about Bonaparte in Egypt for those of you who want to know more about the first major Western colonial […]
That Time when Napoleon Bonaparte’s Army in Palestine Burned Crops, Pounded Houses with Artillery, and Cut off Water to Cities
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – On 24 June 1799 General Louis-Alexandre Berthier wrote a dispatch from Ottoman Palestine back to the French Ministry of War (people were more honest back then) about the French retreat from their failed attempt to take Ottoman Palestine. Since the army ravaged the Palestinian countryside with retaliatory attacks, given their […]
50 Israeli Hostages to be exchanged for 150 Palestinian “Prisoners” — Why the Prisoners are also Hostages
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Al Jazeera reports that Qatar successfully brokered the exchange of 50 Israeli hostages held by Hamas for 150 Palestinians held in Israeli jails (who are also hostages, as I will explain). The deal, which was approved by Israel’s national unity cabinet on Tuesday evening, also provides for a four-day humanitarian […]
Having Vanquished Gaza’s Hospitals, Israel Turns to bombing Schools, Killing Dozens
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Gaza Ministry of Health announced Sunday that on the previous day at least 80 people were killed by the Israeli bombardment of the Palestinians, with 32 of them being from one extended family, according to Al-Arabiya. The deaths occurred because of two distinct Israeli airstrikes on the Jabaliya refugee […]
Is Israel deliberately Starving the Palestinians of Gaza? WFP Warns of Immediate Possibility of Man-made Famine
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – On Thursday, the World Food Program of the United Nations urgently announced that Gaza faces widespread food shortages. Abeer Etefa, World Food Programme (WFP) Senior Spokeswoman for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe, said at a press conference, “We are already beginning to see cases of dehydration and […]
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