Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The vile and disgusting tactic of J.D. Vance and Don Trump of spreading false, racist charges against Haitians of eating the pets of suburbanites is nothing unexpected. The MAGA wing of the Republican Party thrives on finding poor, weak victims and demonizing them. First they manufacture an imaginary threat, then […]
International Pressure on Israel averted Widespread Gaza Famine this Summer, but the Danger is Back: RI
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Refugees International has issued a new report about hunger in Gaza. The authors say, “Contrary to the official Israeli pushback, research and analysis by Refugees International has corroborated evidence of a severe hunger crisis in Gaza and found consistent indications that famine-like conditions occurred in northern areas during the first […]
The Morass of U.S. Middle East Policy was visible in the Harris-Trump Debate
ABC provided a transcript of the debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. I have some thoughts on the Middle East dimension: On Gaza, Harris said, “Well, let’s understand how we got here. On Oct. 7, Hamas, a terrorist organization, slaughtered 1,200 Israelis. Many of them young people who were simply attending a concert. Women […]
“Entire Families Vanished:” Israeli Air Force Burns up 20 Refugee Tents, kills 40, in Strikes on Humanitarian Zone
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Al Jazeera Arabic reports that the Israeli occupation army committed yet another massacre on Monday evening, targeting a tent encampment of internally displaced refugees in the al-Mawasi area of the district of Khan Yunus in the south of the Gaza Strip. Civil defense said that 40 persons were killed, and […]
Semi-Automatic Guns à la Dr. Seuss: Would you like One on the Road, Would you Like one in a School?
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – WLKY: “The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office says shots were fired on Interstate 75 near London, Kentucky. Deputies are looking for Joseph A. Couch, 32, as a person of interest. According to officials, five people were shot and three people were injured in car crashes connected to the incident.” The shooter […]
US State Department declines to Condemn Israel for Shooting American Activist in the Head, Killing Her
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Basil Maghrebi at the Israeli newspaper Arab 48 reports that on Friday, Israeli troops killed an American observer in the West Bank with a gunshot to her head, as she participated in a procession at Beita south of Nablus in the Palestinian West Bank. Aysenur Eygi, 26, a US citizen, […]
In Six Years, Australia has doubled its Renewable Energy, and 36% of Households have Rooftop Solar
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Australia’s Climate Council has issued a new report on clean energy in the country’s states. Winter is ending in Australia, but it is worrisome that their August was among the hottest on record this year, presaging a hot dry summer to come, and raising the real risk of further massive […]
4 Dead in Mass Shooting in Georgia dominated Media; 42 dead in Mass Bombardment in Gaza Ignored
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The ongoing carnage wrought on ordinary Americans by this country’s bizarrely permissive gun laws dominated the cable news networks for hours on end on Monday, as a 14-year-old shooter killed 4 persons and wounded 9 at Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga. Two of the dead were also 14-year-olds, destined […]
Digital Deception: Disinformation, Elections, and Islamophobia: Juan Cole et al.
Middle East Council on Global Affairs | Webinar on “Digital Deception: Disinformation, Elections, and Islamophobia,” September 2, 2024, featuring Juan Cole, Marc Owen Jones, Sohan Dsouza, and Sahar Aziz. Middle East Council on Global Affairs: “Digital Deception: Disinformation, Elections, and Islamophobia In 2007, the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. established the Brookings Doha Center (BDC). […]