Featured

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The Iranian press has reacted in a whole range of ways to the current round of negotiations at Vienna between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5 + 1) over its civilian nuclear enrichment program. Moderates and liberals are […]

Archaeology

No, GOP, biblical Marriage was not between one man and one woman

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The freak-out by the Republican presidential candidates over the Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage provokes me to revise and reprise the points below. Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee have formally pledged: “We will not honor any decision by the Supreme Court which will force us […]

Featured

Lone Wolves and Soft Targets: Or how our Press, Politicians are being Played by ISIL

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – I saw a lot of headlines on Friday trying to link violent attacks by radical Muslims in France, Tunisia and Kuwait, but I just don’t think there is a connection. Even the concerted attempt to find a pattern here is probably misguided. Worse, it plays into […]

Barack Obama

Top 6 Achievements of Obamacare: (Hint, millions more insured)

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Now that the Affordable Care Act (ACA, Obamacare) has beaten back all judicial challenges, it is worth revisiting its vast success. A single-payer system would have been far preferable. But the present system is substantially better than nothing. As Jay Bookman pointed out in early May […]

African-Americans

If Southerners want a Symbol, Why not the Moultrie Liberty Flag?

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | — There was a rash of Confederate flag removals on Wednesday. The governor of Alabama had it removed from the statehouse. The governor of Virginia recalled vanity plates with the flag on them. Some Mississippi legislators proposed removing it from the state flag. Amazon, E-Bay and other retailers […]

Climate Change

As 700 Die in Pakistan from Extreme Heat, Pakistanis Deny Climate Change

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Pakistan is in the midst of an extreme heat wave with highs around 110 degrees F., which has killed 700 persons in the past 3 days. Three weeks ago it was India’s turn, when extreme heat killed 1200 in the country’s south. Despite the severe dangers […]

African-Americans

What South Carolina needs to do for Racial equality (taking down the flag is just symbolic)

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) – – Governor Nikki Haley announced on Monday that she would attempt to remove the Confederate flag from the grounds of the statehouse, recognizing the pain it causes the one-third of the state who are African-Americans (about a quarter of whites also don’t care if it is up or […]

African-Americans

Top 5 Reasons Confederate Flag should stop Flying at SC Statehouse

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – 1. The Confederate flag in its current form was adopted by the seceding slave states to differentiate their banner from the Stars and Stripes on the battlefield. It isn’t a symbol of regionalism. It is a symbol of violent attack on the Union. 2. Those who […]

Arab Americans

European Islamophobic Networks influenced Roof to Kill in Charleston

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The Muslim-hatred of the Geert Wilders and Marine LePens in Europe, for which Daniel Pipes, and Pamela Geller, and the whole Islamophobic network are cheerleaders and enablers, was a key influence on Dylann Roof, according to his manifesto. These same hatemongers helped whip Norwegian white supremacist […]