European Union

( Tomdispatch.com ) – The news of Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest surprised me. It’s not that I doubted the former leader of the Philippines was guilty of the horrific crimes detailed in his International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant. Duterte himself boasted quite openly of the mass killings he’s been accused of. But I always thought […]

Germany

Weimar’s Lesson: It’s the Violence, Not the Speech

Jeffrey Rudolph

( Detailed Political Quizzes ) – As comparisons between contemporary American politics and the rise of the Nazi Party are frequently invoked in the media, it’s crucial to draw one specific lesson from the history of Weimar Germany, the democratic state that existed from 1918 to 1933. The rise of Hitler and the Nazis was […]

Featured

Germany: A Not-So-Green Departing Government, A Future Coalition even Less Ambitious on Climate?

Marc Martorell Junyent

Zwickau/Munich (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) –– When Germans voted in a national election in September 2021, 33% of the population considered that the environment and climate were among the two main problems Germany was facing. In a poll from January 2025, one month before last weekend’s election, only 13% of the population held the […]

Drones

European Union funding for Israeli AI, Tech, raises Fresh Concerns about Complicity in Genocide

Middle East Monitor

By Melike Pala | – ( Middle East Monitor ) – Israel’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) funded by European Union research programmes to target civilians is attracting a lot of criticism. Since the Israeli attacks on Gaza began on 7 October, 2023, the EU has provided over €238 million ($246m) to Israeli institutions for […]

Featured

Ireland to Int’l Court of Justice: Gaza War is no Excuse for Israel Genociding Palestinian Civilians

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Ireland has filed a declaration with the International Court of Justice of its intention to intervene in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel for its tactics in the war on Gaza. So reports Kerry O’Shea at IrishCentral. The Statute of the International Court of Justice, Article 63, provides for the […]

Featured

Irony is Dead: Netanyahu cannot Attend Auschwitz Ceremony for Fear of Arrest on ICC Warrant for War Crimes

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Israeli newspaper Arab 48 reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not be able to travel to Poland for the 80th annual commemoration of the liberation of the Auschwitz Nazi death camp because he fears being arrested on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court at the […]

Featured

Closing Israeli Embassy does not Deter Ireland from Recognizing Palestine, Joining Genocide Case against Netanyahu Gov’t

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The current Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, is likely a war criminal by virtue of serving in the cabinet of a government pursuing a genocide. He nevertheless had the gall to accuse the Prime Minister of Ireland of being a bigot, closing the Israeli embassy in Dublin on the grounds […]

Climate Crisis

In Sunny Spain, cheap Solar Power set to overtake Wind Generation, backed by Socialist Government and Co-ops

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Spain’s photovoltaic electricity production is set to surpass its wind power, according to China’s Xinhua news agency. Spain is Europe’s champion at producing solar power, because some of its regions are especially sunny — think Seville. The Global Energy Monitor puts it this way: “The country has more utility-scale solar […]

European Union

Why the EU’s Stance on Israel is starting to Change

The Conversation

Catherine Gegout, University of Nottingham (The Conversation) – The EU has stood in solidarity with Israel since the start of the war with Hamas, and has been consistent in saying the country has the right to defend itself. But the EU has always said that this has to be done in line with international law, […]