Local communities that are pushing for a ban on fracking will get a helping hand from the British green energy company Ecotricity, which is launching a new short film this Thursday to boost public awareness about negative impacts of the unconventional…
What today’s GOP gets Wrong about Leadership: Obama & Eisenhower, Russian & Israeli Recklessness
(By Juan Cole) The usual suspects have been slamming President Obama for an alleged lack of leadership. Trolls for the military-industrial complex like Charles Krauthammer, and megalomaniacs from tiny states like Sen. Lindsey Graham have constructed a narrative in which Obama willfully withdrew from Iraq, giving it away to Iran; has been insufficiently slavish in […]
Massive Protest by Israel’s Ultra-Orthodox against Conscription
Israel’s Haredim, an Eastern European branch of Judaism emphasizing strict religious adherence, were a tiny minority at Israel’s founding in 1948 and were given an exemption from conscription. Many Haredim rejected Zionism or modern Jewish nationalism and did not accept that a Jewish state could be established save by the Messiah. Now the Haredim have […]
The Crimean Crisis and the Middle East: Will Syria & Iran be the Winners?
(By Juan Cole) The Russian intervention in the Crimea is more direct and dramatic than the one in Syria, with actual troops deployed. But there are similarities. One of the little-noted rationales for Russian support for the Baath government in Damascus is that it is seen as more favorable, being secular and minority-dominated, toward Syria’s […]
Solar Power In Movies (In honor of the Oscars)
Originally published on Mosaic. By John Steller. From sci-fi to drama and adventure, movies capture our attention and spur imagination like no other medium. In recent years, as the solar industry has grabbed our attention with increasing efficiency…
From Ben Affleck and George Clooney to Madonna and Bono: A scorecard for celebrities in Africa
NAIROBI, Kenya — This Wednesday, Ben Affleck testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as an expert on Africa. Yes, Ben Affleck: actor-director Ben Affleck, Argo Ben Affleck and, lest we forget, J-Lo Ben Affleck. Ben Affleck, whose tuxedo…
Expelled from their homes by Israel, Palestinian Refugees in Syria’s Yarmouk Camp now Starving in midst of War
Israeli negotiators repeatedly refuse to consider a right of return for Palestinians Israelis expelled from Palestine to refugee camps in the region. But refugees are without rights and open to serial catastrophes, as stateless non-citizens unwanted locally. When a civil war breaks out around the refugee camps, they can end up being besieged and starved, […]
A New Crimean War? (Update: Stuff’s Getting Real)
(Juan Cole) Tensions have continued to build in Ukraine’s Crimea since I wrote about it a few days ago. On Saturday, The Russian parliament authorized President Valdimir Putin to send troops into Ukraine to defend Russian Interests. . A pro,-Russian premier has been installed in the Crimean autonomous region, who may call a referendum on […]
Assad Regime’s Drought Response Triggered Syrian War
NIJMEGEN, The Netherlands, February 28, 2014 (ENS) – The long drought that gripped Syria from 2006 through 2010 was a trigger of the conflict that has torn the country apart with devastating consequences, finds new research from a Dutch scientist.…
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