International Politics and Economy

( Tomdispatch.com ) – Four years ago, I published Subtle Tools, a book on the erosion of American democratic norms in the face of what came to be known as the Global War on Terror. Both what had been done in the name of “national security” in response to the 9/11 attacks and how it […]

Dissent

Istanbul Mayor’s Arrest Sparks Türkiye’s Largest Protests in over a Decade

Volkan Isbasaran

Istanbul (Special to Informed Comment) – Major protests over the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the Mayor of Istanbul and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s main political rival, have entered their sixth day. Demonstrations have erupted in at least 55 out of Türkiye’s 81 provinces, according to AFP, which marks one of the most widespread waves of […]

Democracy

Trump rages to snuff out Democracy’s Candle: Will we Rage against the Dying of its Light?

Rebecca Gordon

( Tomdispatch.com ) – Allow me to stipulate that I do not wish to die. In fact, had anyone consulted me about the construction of the universe, I would have made my views on the subject quite clear: mortality is a terrible idea. I’m opposed to it in general. (In wiser moments, I know that […]

Dissent

Social Movements constrained Trump in his first Term – Much more than People Realize

The Conversation

By Kevin A. Young, UMass Amherst (The Conversation) – Donald Trump’s first term as president saw some of the largest mass protests seen in the U.S. in over 50 years, from the 2017 Women’s March to the 2020 protests after George Floyd’s murder. Things feel different this time around. Critics seem quieter. Some point to […]

Corruption

Cyberpunk Nation: How Donald Trump’s America Is Being Hacked by White Nationalism

Juan Cole

Here is my column this week for Tom Engelhardt’s Tomdispatch at The Nation Institute. Do check in on his poignant and insightful introduction. ( Tomdispatch.com ) – The opening weeks of the second Trump administration have produced daily headlines that read — no, this is not hyperbole! — like science fiction. The spectacle of a […]

Corruption

Ethical Concerns Surround Sen. Joni Ernst’s Relationships With Top Military Officials Who Lobbied Her Committee

ProPublica

By Robert Faturechi | – ( ProPublica ) – Earlier this year, the Air Force revealed that the general who oversaw its lobbying before Congress had inappropriate romantic relationships with five women, including three who worked on Capitol Hill. Maj. Gen. Christopher Finerty’s colleagues told investigators the relationships were “highly inappropriate” as they could give […]

Democracy

What the US can learn from South Koreans who stopped an Authoritarian Power-Grab

Waging Nonviolence

Jungmin Choi As Elon Musk and his DOGE team set about dismantling government agencies, many Americans expected a strong response from Congressional Democrats. Instead, party leaders offered weak statements and little resistance to being refused entry to the very agencies they are tasked with overseeing. This lack of urgency amid what’s being called an administrative […]

Far Right

The growing Influence of Israel’s Ultranationalist Settler Movement

The Conversation

By Leonie Fleischmann, City St George’s, University of London (The Conversation) – Days after taking office, as he issued executive order after executive order to change the political face of America, Donald Trump also turned his attention to the war in Gaza. His proposal that Gaza should be cleared out and Palestinians should be relocated […]

censorship

Iran: Unchecked Repression of Dissent

The Conversation

Human Rights Watch – (Beirut) – Iranian authorities have continued their brutal, targeted repression even though the new Iranian president has promised change, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2025. The authorities have targeted human rights defenders, women, ethnic and religious minorities, and families of those arrested or killed in the 2022 protests. For […]