By Emma Long | (The Conversation) | – – When San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick chose to remain seated during a pre-game national anthem in protest against racial injustice and police brutality last year, his action caused widespread controversy. Now Donald Trump has reignited that controversy by suggesting at a rally that National Football […]
Kurdish Independence: SecState Tillerson opposes, Sen Schumer Supports
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – According to the Kurdish news site Rudaw, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson weighed in on the Kurdistan referendum on independence from Iraq, held last Monday, saying it is illegitimate and the US does not recognize it. The statement of the Department of State said, “The vote […]
Iraqi Kurdistan defiant in face of Baghdad sanctions, threats
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The Kurdistan Regional Government on Thursday rejected the decisions of the Iraqi parliament and government. It nevertheless expressed a willingness to conduct a dialogue in order to resolve the problems. It will at the same time launch legal challenges to the sanctions imposed on it. The […]
We Get Sick, They Get Rich
by Sam Pizzigati | ( Inequality.org ) | – – Our ‘free market’ health care system gives CEOs the freedom to squeeze us. Blogging Our Great Divide. Our current health care system in the United States works just fine — for the corporate executives who run it. Take, for instance, Michael Mussallem. This eminent power […]
Saudi decree allowing women to drive cars is about politics, not religion
By Haifaa Jawad | (The Conversation) | – – In an unexpected move that surprised everyone, including his own people, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia has suddenly passed a royal decree permitting women to drive. His stunning decision comes after years of the ban, which was justified using Islam as a pretext. […]
Iraq strikes Back: Kurds under air travel ban, Turkey blocks Oil
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The Iraqi parliament on Wednesday passed a resolution demanding that the Iraqi army take control of the province of Kirkuk and reclaim the Kirkuk oil fields as a national patrimony. The parliament also demanded that the government arrest and try Kurdistan president Massoud Barzani for treason. […]
The Biggest Impediment to Saudi Women Was Never the Driving Ban
By Medea Benjamin | (Foreign Policy in Focus) | – – No matter their age, Saudi women are treated like minors — to the point that many require permission from their sons to work, study, or travel. It looks like 27 years of protesting, along with international pressure and government recognition that it needs more […]
UK: Is Corbyn’s call to Nationalize Utilities the end of Neoliberalism?
By Andy Price | (The Conversation) | – – Let’s be under no illusion about the significance of what we have just seen: a Labour Party leader calling, at the party’s annual conference, for the nationalisation of public utilities – not to cries of derision or the dropping of jaws, but to a standing ovation […]
Saudi King seeks Recognition for letting Women Drive, a basic right
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Saudi Arabia’s King Salman issued a decree on Tuesday permitting women to drive as of June of next year. Saudi Arabia was the only country in the world to forbid its female citizens from driving automobiles. This unusually misogynistic position derived from two sources. One is […]
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