Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Although King Charles III will, like his predecessors going back to Henry VIII, be styled “Defender of the Faith,” he intends the phrase to be understood in a pluralistic rather than exclusivist manner. Harriet Sherwood at The Guardian reports that before Charles takes the oath on Saturday, the Archbishop of […]
Iran’s President Raisi in Damascus for Victory Lap, Expanded Trade
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Hard line Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi took a victory lap in Syria this week. He led an Iranian delegation of officials and cabinet members to Damascus for consultations with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. Among those in the entourage were Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, and Oil […]
Yes, Mr. DeSantis, Palestinians are Indigenous, Descended from the Canaanites, and Palestinian Identity is not New
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Here is Part 2 of my argument with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis concerning his uninformed and bigoted comments about Palestinians. Part I is here Who are the Palestinians? Nowadays, they are the Arabic-speaking inhabitants of the area stretching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean, who have gained a political […]
Turkiye opens Europe’s Largest Solar Plant, with 3 mn. homemade Panels
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Europe’s biggest solar farm has come online, and its location is a surprise. It is near Konya, Turkiye (Turkey). Konya, a city of 1.4 million, is known for its religious conservatism. It is the site of the tomb of the famed mystic Jalal al-Din Rumi (d. 1273). Nowadays it is […]
Electric Vehicles may form 18% of New Purchases this year, as Gov’ts eye end of Internal Combustion Engine
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The annual report by the International Energy Agency on electric vehicles is just out, and it confirms the global rush to electrify transportation. Globally, some 14% of new cars registered in 2022 were electric. That comes to 10 million electric cars sold, while in the entire European Union only 10 […]
Lula is Right that the UN Security Council Can’t Resolve Major Conflicts, whether Ukraine or Palestine
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva made a state visit to Portugal and Spain last week. He was primarily seeking trade agreements, and especially wished to prepare the way for agreement this summer on a huge European Union – Latin American free trade zone. Article continues after bonus IC […]
Yes, Mr. DeSantis, there is a Palestinian People that has exercised Power in Historical Palestine
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – What does it mean to say that there “has never been a Palestinian state” in the Holy Land? This is one of the allegations Florida Governor Ron DeSantis made on his trip to Israel, where he fell all over himself taking far right wing colonialist stances. DeSantis actually did a […]
Climate-change-driven Heat Waves: People told to stay home in Thailand; Fears of Wildfires, crop Failure in Spain
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – One of the most visible manifestations of the climate emergency is heat waves. The earth’s climate is incredibly complex, and climate change can produce freezing “bomb cyclones” as well as unseasonably sweltering weather. Still, the past ten years are the hottest in recorded history on average, and extra heat is […]
Oslo, the Capital of Norway, Announces boycott of Goods Produced in the Israeli-Occupied Territories
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The city council of Oslo, Norway, the Scandinavian country’s capital, has passed a decree boycotting the importation of goods from the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories seized in 1967. The city will also boycott Israeli companies involved in exploiting the resources in the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza. The Oslo city council […]
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