By Scott Lucas | – Washington and Tehran are locked in a political, economic, and propagandist confrontation – and there is no apparent way out. One route to de-escalation could be direct talks between the US and Iran, either on a bilateral basis or as part of multilateral discussions. When US President Donald Trump stepped […]
Why Trump Can’t Win by Ramping up Sanctions on Iran
By Natasha Lindstaedt | – After Iran shot down a US drone that allegedly entered Iran’s airspace, Donald Trump signed new sanctions against Iran on June 24, including against its supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. The move came days after the US president took to Twitter to reveal the US had been ten minutes away from […]
So, What Really is Jihad?
By Mohammad Hassan Khalil | – Often, many people conflate the terms jihad and terrorism. This is in part because many writers use the term “jihadist” when describing violent Muslim radicals. To be sure, such radicals have invoked jihad to justify their heinous acts, such as the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and […]
Why Interning Refugee Children In Military Bases puts them at Risk in Age of Trump
By Jana Lipman | – Fort Sill, an army base in Oklahoma, will soon become a refugee camp. The Department of Health and Human Services expects the repurposed military facility to house up to 1,400 unaccompanied migrant children from Central America by early July. Border agents apprehended 54,000 unaccompanied child migrants at the Mexico border […]
Risk of Shooting War with Iran Grows after Decades of Economic Warfare by the U.S.
By David Cortright | – Many are worried about the risk of war between the U.S. and Iran. But the truth is, the U.S. has been fighting with Iran for decades in an economic war waged via sanctions. Concerns about a war of guns, warplanes and missiles grew after Iran shot down a U.S. spy […]
How the Iran Nuclear Deal, Dumped by Trump, had Contained Iran’s Enrichment
By Miles A. Pomper | – Editor’s note: Iranian leaders have threatened to withdraw from a 2015 agreement that limits their nation’s nuclear activities. Under the deal, the United States and five other world powers lifted economic sanctions they had imposed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. But President Trump removed the U.S. from […]
As Seas Rise, can a political accommodation be made for Islander Refugees?
By Sarah M. Munoz | – Climate change is expected to have a striking impact on vulnerable communities, especially in coastal regions where sea-level rise and increased climatic events will make it impossible for some people to remain on their land. High tide at Nukatoa Island, in the Takuu Atoll, Papua New Guinea. Richard Moyle […]
No African-American has won Office in Mississippi in 129 Years– Here’s Why
By John A. Tures | – Mississippi is home to the highest percentage of African Americans of any state in the country. And yet, Mississippi hasn’t elected an African American candidate to statewide office since 1890. That’s 129 years. John Stuart Mill wrote about “the tyranny of the majority” – the idea that an electoral […]
What does the Trump Administration Really Want from Iran?
By Noah Weisbord | – Two oil tankers were attacked on June 13 off the coast of Oman, forcing the crew members of one burning ship to flee. It was the latest in a series of assaults on tankers transporting oil through the Gulf. In May, Saudi, Norwegian and Emirati oil tankers were attacked off […]