European Union

by Juan Cole The US media coverage of the Scottish referendum is oddly lacking in any reference to actual politics. As usual, the corporate media concentrates on issues in ethnicity to cover up issues in social class and social policy. The “Washington consensus” of Neoliberalism, substituting blind so-called “market forces” for good governance, has been […]

Apartheid

15 Palestinians die in Mediterranean Capsizing, fleeing Israeli Siege of Gaza

contributors

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Fifteen migrants from Gaza died on Saturday after a boat they were riding in capsized in the Mediterranean sea off the coast of al-Ajami near Alexandria in northern Egypt, Egyptian military sources said. The military sources told Ma’an that 15 bodies were pulled out of the sea and 72 people were rescued […]

European Union

Obama & Cameron find little Enthusiasm at NATO for new Iraq War

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole The NATO summit in Wales was supposed to be all about getting out of Afghanistan. Instead, two new issues dominated it– the Ukraine and ISIL in Iraq and Syria. British prime minister David Cameron joined Barack Obama in castigating NATO members for paying ransoms to ISIL and for not stepping up to […]

Apartheid

British Cabinet Member Resigns over UK Gov’t Gaza Stance, wanted to go to ICC

contributors

Channel 4 News “Sayeeda Warsi, the minister who quit over Gaza, says she had to stand down because of the UK’s “indefensible” position. Watch her first TV interview since her exit” She said that a conservative member of parliament was on the phone with her “weeping” at the images coming out of Gaza. (Why are […]

BDS Occupied Territories

Boycott of Israel Spreads in European Civil Society over Gaza War, Could Cost $5 bn/ yr

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole The ill-considered and remarkably brutal Gaza war likely will give further impetus to the Boycott, Sanction and Divestment movement by Western civil society to pressure Israel on its illegal actions toward the Palestinians. A thoroughgoing such European set of sanctions could cost Israel as much as $5 bn a year and more. […]

Climate Change

Can Norway’s Dams serve as a Huge Battery storing Europe’s Green Energy?

contributors

DW: “Norway derives almost 100 percent of its energy from hydropower. For Germany’s planned transition to renewable energy, a close partnership is crucially important, because Norwegian pumped storage power stations could balance out variations in renewable energy sources. But do Norwegians actually want to their country to become Europe’s storage battery?” DW: ” Norway: Energy […]

Apartheid

As a Sakharov laureate and a mother, I call on the EU to help save Palestinians – and Israel

contributors

By Nurit Peled-Elhanan, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Via The Conversation Times are very rough for both Israeli and Palestinian families. The death toll in Gaza currently stands at around 620, 74 of whom are children. The death toll in Israel stands at 30, two of whom were civilians. Three Israeli teenagers were kidnapped and murdered […]

Eastern Europe

Obama needs Europe in responding to MH17 Crash, but NSA Spying a Bar

contributors

By Simon Reich, Rutgers University The tragic circumstances surrounding the downing of Malaysian Airlines’ flight MH17 remain unclear. The three parties who might be responsible – the Ukrainians, the Russians and the rebels – all blame each other. All possess, or have the capacity to possess, the Buk surface-to-air missile system that reputedly brought the […]

Algeria

Algerian Soccer/ Football and the Black Box of French History

contributors

By Francis Ghilès Senior Research Fellow, CIDOB When Algeria qualified for the knockout stage of the World Cup by winning against Russia, the Algerian press celebrated their team’s qualification as the greatest victory ever. In France large street celebrations were accompanied by the usual firecrackers and Algerian flags and were followed by clashes between groups […]