Featured

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – As I pointed out, it is all very nice that Hillary Clinton is the first American woman to be nominated as the standard-bearer for her party’s presidential bid, but 11 Muslim women have already served. Women comprise 51% of the US population but they are only […]

Democratic Party

The most Left Wing Supreme Court in a Generation? Sec. Clinton’s most important Progressive Prospect

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Progressives who had backed Bernie Sanders are understandably upset about the prospect of a Clinton presidency. Some put their hopes in the Democratic Party platform, where Bernie supporters won on issues like a $15 minimum wage. But party platforms don’t mean much in the end. It […]

Featured

Arab Street Shocked as Saudi Delegation Visits Israel

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The Egyptian news site the Arab Observer Network reports that the visit to Israel of a former Saudi military intelligence officer, Gen. Anwar Eshki, came as a body blow to the Arab in the street. He conducted several meetings with Israeli officials last week, along with […]

Featured

Islamophobia Kills: German Munich shooter admired Breivik, Killed Turks

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The shooter at a Munich mall last week who killed 9 and left 27 wounded was an admirer of far right wing Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik, and appears to have hated Muslims. Although David Sonboly was of Iranian heritage, he does not seem to have […]

Featured

Is Russia deepening Cooperation with US in Syria, or hitting US Bases?

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – About a week ago, Russian warplanes bombed a Syrian base used by the US and the UK. The Wall Street Journal suggested that Russia was attempting to herd Washington into a closer military cooperation. At the same time, the Arabic press commented on on a Washington […]

Featured

Top 6 Graphs that Refute Donald Trump’s Lies about the United States

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – AP’s Fact Check found that as usual Donald Trump’s statistics in his GOP acceptance speech are way beyond the ‘damned lies’ level. So here are some illustrative graphs to suggest the level of his duplicity: “Homicides last year increased by 17 percent in America’s 50 largest […]

Egypt

Arab nationalist press Reacts to Erdogan’s Crackdown with cries of “Dictator!”

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s firing of some 50,000 people, including educators, bureaucrats, police and military personnel, in the wake of the failed July 15 coup against him, provoked sharp criticism in Egypt, Jordan and other Arab countries that have an adversarial attitude toward the Religious Right […]

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Top 4 Republican Plagiarisms of the Democrats

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The scandal over Melania Trump’s stealing Michelle Obama’s lines for her convention speech should make us recall the ways in which GOP strategists have on many occasions stolen a Democratic line but put it to the opposite purpose. But first, it is worth noting that the […]

Featured

Rep. Steve King, White People and ‘Civilization’

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Rep. Steve King objected to a comment during a cable news discussion at MSNBC that this will be the last election dominated by old white people. ” Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) offered an unusual defense of the racial homogeneity of his party during a panel on […]