(By Juan Cole) Sen. Rand Paul, in preparation for his run at the presidency in 2016, has been attempting to deflect the GOP disadvantage with women by bringing up the Bill Clinton/ Monica Lewinsky scandal. It is a desperate ploy and, like many of Paul’s initiatives, quirky and a little bit creepy at the same […]
In midst of Alleged Peace Talks, Israel Announces Hundreds of new Squatter Homes in Palestinian East Jerusalem
(via AFP) Israel approves 550 Jerusalem settler homes (via AFP) Israel expedited Wednesday plans for more than 550 new settler homes in east Jerusalem, in a move exacerbating tensions between Israel and the Palestinians as they hold US-backed peace talks. The city council said it had granted private contractors… —– Related video: Israel plans […]
A $9 Trillion War? Top 10 Reasons Americans will Regret it if GOP Derails Iran Negotiations
(By Juan Cole) 40 Republican senators are making a last-minute push to bring further Iran sanctions up for a vote despite the opposition of senate majority leader Harry Reid. Some 59 senators signed on to a plan to increase sanctions during President Obama’s negotiations with Iran, which Iranian leaders have argued could derail the talks. […]
Daily Show on al-Qaeda & Syria Part Deux: That’s not how Bin Laden would have Killed Them
This part of the piece has the clip of my interview on the subject at Aljazeera America. Here is the second part of the Jon Stewart piece on the break between al-Qaeda and its former affiliate, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The Daily Show Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily […]
“The Iranians are Coming!” Derangement Syndrome over 1 Destroyer in Atlantic
(By Juan Cole) Today’s headlines in the US were marked by Iran derangement syndrome. It turns out that Iran has sent “a fleet” of “warships” into the Atlantic Ocean via the Cape of Good Hope. These ships are in international waters, and vessels from all nations ply those waters every day without comment. It is […]
Sochi Opening Ceremony Fireworks
AFP footage of “Dazzling fireworks conclude Sochi opening ceremony”
Bhutto Zardari: Taliban must be eradicated from Pakistan
(Via The Economist): Bilawal Bhutto on Pakistani politics: Renaissance man (via The Economist) MODELS in skimpy outfits, dancing around a fiery cauldron in a strange homage to an ancient, pre-Islamic past…is not most people’s idea of how to launch a political career in Pakistan. But Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the 25-year-old heir to one of the… […]
McKibben: Crunch Time for Obama on Keystone XL
Bill Moyers interviews environmental activist Bill McKibben on the choice facing President Obama on the Keystone XL pipeline: McKibben argues that stopping the pipeline is a necessary first step to stopping the dirty tar sands industry and saving the climate. McKibben’s web site is 350.org
Another non-terrorist non-Muslim Plane Hijacker: The Sochi Plot
(By Juan Cole) The Associated Press article on the Ukrainian hijacker who tried to divert a plane to Sochi on Friday is interesting for the words it does not use. (I’m not picking on AP– all the other articles on this subject are like this one in this regard.) This Ukrainian man had political discontents […]
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