International Politics and Economy

In the Washington Post last week, historian of the US Yoav Fromer of Tel Aviv University published an article about how the problem with the Middle East is too much democracy and not too little. Fromer seems to take at face value George W. Bush’s policy of “democratization.” That was a slogan to cover the […]

Peace

JFK Made a Forgotten Turn toward Peace before He Was Killed; We’ve Abandoned it Entirely

H. Patricia Hynes

Co-author: Frances Crowe. Greenfield, MA (Informed Comment) – Fifty-five years ago on June 10, President John F. Kennedy delivered a commencement address at American University that, in fewer than 30 minutes, turned traditional national security policy on its head. Kennedy proclaimed that world peace is “the most important topic on earth….not merely peace for Americans […]

Featured

Trump’s Roast of Muslims at his White House Iftar Dinner

Juan Cole

Satire Mr. Trump: “Well, it is just great to see you all here. Actually, I’m surprised there are this many of you at my dinner. I thought I’d done a better job of keeping you out of the country! But I can’t blame you for getting past me. I mean, you’re from those shithole countries, […]

Featured

Hate Speech Advocate, who got Roseanne Barr Fired, Running Trump Mideast Policy

Juan Cole

In the brouhaha about Roseanne Barr being fired by ABC/Disney for a racist tweet, the actual origins of her weird outburst against Obama aide Valerie Jarrett were most often passed over. In her tweet, Barr said “Muslim Brotherhood & Planet of the Apes = VJ.” She later apologized to Jarrett for the gibe. But where […]

Dissent

In Bid to Erase Arab Spring from History, Egyptian Junta Arrests Legendary Blogger Wael Abbas

Committee to Protect Journalists

New York (CPJ) – Egyptian authorities should release immediately Wael Abbas, a blogger who has documented Egyptian police abuse, and end their senseless campaign against the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Police at dawn today detained Abbas at his Cairo home and took him to an undisclosed location, according to news reports, […]

Islamophobia

Review of Bernard Lewis’ “What Went Wrong: Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response”

Juan Cole

Review of Bernard Lewis’ “What Went Wrong: Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response” by Juan Cole Reprinted from Global Dialogue, vol. 4, no. 4, Autumn 2002. Bernard Lewis. What Went Wrong: Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. 172 pp. Index to p. 180. Hard covers, $23. Bernard Lewis’s What […]

Islamophobia

Islamophobia, Inc.: Sinister Billionaires and White Nationalists breed Hate (Documentary)

Al Jazeera English

“Across the United States, there has been a growth in organizations that portray Islam as a threat. Over two years, the number of groups that make up what’s become known as the Islamophobia industry has more than tripled. This investigation reveals the tactics these groups use to instigate a fear of Islam, including how they […]

Corruption

Russian Firm That Paid Michael Cohen also hired Trump Lawyer Kasowitz

Justin Elliott

(ProPublica) The news on Tuesday that the same shell company that Michael Cohen, a longtime personal lawyer for Donald Trump, had used to pay $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels had also received about $500,000 in 2017 from a firm linked to a Russian oligarch set off a frenzy of commentary on Twitter and cable […]

Corruption

Treason: Obama Iran Deal Officials allegedly targeted by Trump via Israeli Black Cube

Juan Cole

On Saturday, The Observer broke the story that soon after Trump’s visit to Tel Aviv last year, his aides initiated a dirty tricks campaign to smear Obama-era officials Ben Rhodes, Colin Kahl (and likely others) in an effort to discredit the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or Iran nuclear deal. Apparently the thinking […]