The diplomatic breakthrough at Geneva is still only a down payment on a much bigger deal, and it is early to begin speaking of realignments in the Middle East on this basis. Hard liners on both sides could still derail the negotiations. But it is not too soon to begin considering what the Middle East […]
Today’s America is the Real Hunger Games: Why aren’t we Terrified? (Engelhardt)
Tom Engelhardt writes at Tomdispatch.com: . . . gazillions of movie viewers have seen … films with the usual array of sharks, dinosaurs, anacondas, axe murderers, mutants, zombies, vampires, aliens, or serial killers, and done so with remarkable pleasure. They didn’t bolt. They didn’t imagine having heart attacks on the spot. They didn’t find it […]
US-Iran War Averted by Agreement to Negotiate on Nuclear Enrichment
The decade-long Neoconservative plot to take the United States to war against Iran appears to have been foiled. In response for a loosening of sanctions, worth some $7 billion to Iran, President Hasan Rouhani undertook to freeze enrichment activities at their present level. He also pledged to cast Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched to 19.75% […]
Tim Berners-Lee Warns “Tide of Surveillance and Censorship” threatens Democracy
Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the World Wide Web in 1990, is disturbed at the revelations of the degree of surveillance pursued by governments of ordinary people and warns that it could harm the functioning of his baby. He warned yesterday that “a growing tide of surveillance and censorship” . His Web index ranks countries for […]
Another Reason to Divest: Global outrage at dirty Coal threatens Investors’ Profits
The divestment movement on US college campuses against Big Carbon (coal, oil and gas) signals more than just the arrival of a new, determined and idealistic generation of students. It is a harbinger of danger for investors. In addition to the keen competition thermal coal is facing as a source for electricity generation from fracked […]
Does Syria Stalemate Benefit Baath Regime?
Although it is hard to know what is going on in Syria on the ground, it does seem clear that the momentum is with the regime now, and no longer with the rebels. The Syrian army has made important gains since last March. Regional non-state actors have emerged as important to Syria, whether Hizbullah on […]
CIA drone strikes Militant Seminary in Pakistan Proper, Killing 6 (Ross)
Alice K. Ross writes at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism A CIA drone strike hit a religious school in Hangu, Pakistan [on Thursday], killing at least six and injuring several more. It is believed to be the first time a strike has taken place in the ‘settled’ areas beyond Pakistan’s tribal regions. The Bureau has […]
How We the People can Stop Climate Change through Disinvestment (Gitlin)
Todd Gitlin writes at Tomdispatch.com: Apocalyptic climate change is upon us. For shorthand, let’s call it a slow-motion apocalypse to distinguish it from an intergalactic attack out of the blue or a suddenly surging Genesis-style flood. Slow-motion, however, is not no-motion. In fits and starts, speeding up and slowing down, turning risks into clumps of […]
Tony Blair let the American NSA Spy on Millions of Britons and Store their Private Data
The Guardian and Channel 4 News report that Tony Blair allowed the US National Security Agency to spy on millions of Britons, and to record and store their browser history and email. In 2005, the US had gone ahead and initiated the spying without British permission. Subsequent Prime Ministers, including the current one, David Cameron, […]
© 2025 All Rights Reserved