By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Seven African-American churches have burned down in the past week and at least four of these southern Black churches were victims of deliberate arson, and possibly six were. This news is being reported tentatively and in the passive mood. The churches burned or were burned. But […]
The Great Wall of Turkey? Ankara imagines DMZ w/ Kurds, ISIL
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – So I am going to tell you a story about Turkey, Syria and the United States. It may or may not be true. Its details may or may not have happened, though there is reason to think they did. It is a story. The point is […]
Tehran Press on Talks: From “Iran will be US Strategic Ally” to “US Sanctions here to stay”
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The Iranian press has reacted in a whole range of ways to the current round of negotiations at Vienna between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5 + 1) over its civilian nuclear enrichment program. Moderates and liberals are […]
No, GOP, biblical Marriage was not between one man and one woman
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The freak-out by the Republican presidential candidates over the Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage provokes me to revise and reprise the points below. Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee have formally pledged: “We will not honor any decision by the Supreme Court which will force us […]
Lone Wolves and Soft Targets: Or how our Press, Politicians are being Played by ISIL
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – I saw a lot of headlines on Friday trying to link violent attacks by radical Muslims in France, Tunisia and Kuwait, but I just don’t think there is a connection. Even the concerted attempt to find a pattern here is probably misguided. Worse, it plays into […]
Top 6 Achievements of Obamacare: (Hint, millions more insured)
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Now that the Affordable Care Act (ACA, Obamacare) has beaten back all judicial challenges, it is worth revisiting its vast success. A single-payer system would have been far preferable. But the present system is substantially better than nothing. As Jay Bookman pointed out in early May […]
If Southerners want a Symbol, Why not the Moultrie Liberty Flag?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | — There was a rash of Confederate flag removals on Wednesday. The governor of Alabama had it removed from the statehouse. The governor of Virginia recalled vanity plates with the flag on them. Some Mississippi legislators proposed removing it from the state flag. Amazon, E-Bay and other retailers […]
As 700 Die in Pakistan from Extreme Heat, Pakistanis Deny Climate Change
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Pakistan is in the midst of an extreme heat wave with highs around 110 degrees F., which has killed 700 persons in the past 3 days. Three weeks ago it was India’s turn, when extreme heat killed 1200 in the country’s south. Despite the severe dangers […]
What South Carolina needs to do for Racial equality (taking down the flag is just symbolic)
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) – – Governor Nikki Haley announced on Monday that she would attempt to remove the Confederate flag from the grounds of the statehouse, recognizing the pain it causes the one-third of the state who are African-Americans (about a quarter of whites also don’t care if it is up or […]
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