Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta , on a visit to Israel and Palestine before heading to Egypt, publicly upbraided the Likud government of Israel for having become isolated diplomatically in the Middle East in the wake of the Arab Spring, and warned direly that brute military force would not be enough to provide for Israel’s […]
New York and Cairo Protests Show Egyptian 1% more Responsive than the American
In two protests thousands of miles away from one another on Saturday, a similar spirit of demand for government responsiveness to the people was made. In both cases there was a police crackdown and some clashes broke out. But in one case, the government showed flexibility and attempted to take steps to calm the anger […]
Al-`Awlaqi Should have been Tried in Absentia
A CIA drone operator killed the notorious proponent of radical terrorism against the United States, Anwar al-`Awlaqi, on Friday. The killing has provoked some controversy because al-`Awlaqi was a US citizen and was simply assassinated without any due process. Ron Paul has protested, as has the American Civil Liberties Union. Being a terrorism expert myself […]
Al-Qaeda Brands Ahmadinejad a Conspiracy Theorist!
The al-Qaeda-linked magazine “Inspire” has reprimanded Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for indulging in “stupid” “conspiracy theories” because of his stance, repeated at the recent United Nations meeting, that 9/11 was a Bush administration inside job. When al-Qaeda accuses you of being a conspiracy theorist, you’re really a space cadet. Incidentally, a far rightwing Muslim fundamentalist […]
Arab Spring Roundup
A pro-Baath mob in Damascus attacked the convoy of US ambassador Robert Ford, pelting his and other vehicles with tomatoes and eggs. Ford has visited dissident cities as they protested the regime of President Bashar al-Asad, and been denounced by the government for interfering in Syrian politics. The regime has consistently attempted to paint the […]
Why we Need a Palestinian State: (Cole at Truthdig Podcast)
In my interview by podcast for Truthdig this week, I discuss Palestinian statehood and how foolish the US government is in sptopping this movement. I also describe the demonstrations at Wall Street
Visiting Liberty Square (Occupy Wall Street)
I spent the summer going to rallies and demonstrations in Tunisia and Egypt, and was even in Barcelona during their protest. (Nighttime Protest at Tahrir Square, Cairo, Egypt, July 2011) I was in New York city to give at talk at NYU on Wednesday, and I wanted to follow up on the impact of this […]
What should have been Headlines in the Corporate Media: Today’s Best of the Blogosphere
Talking Points Memo: Michele Bachmann’s latest batsh*t crazy conspiracy theory has Lebanon’s Shiite Hizbullah hooking up with Castro’s Communist Cuba. Tomdispatch: A State Department official is being threatened with losing his job for linking to a Wikileaks cable at his blog. Perhaps not coincidentally, he blew the whistle on the SNAFU that was the American […]
Palestine UN Vote and American Decline (Cole at Truthdig)
My column, “Palestine Vote Showcases the Decline of American Power,”, is out at Truthdig. Excerpt: “The United States, castigated by its critics as recently as a decade ago as a “hyper-power,” is now so weak and isolated on the world stage that it may cast an embarrassing and self-defeating veto of Palestinian membership in the […]