International Politics and Economy

By TeleSur | – – Her resignation came hours after Bernie Sanders called on her to step down after emails showed how biased she was against his campaign. The chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, resigned Sunday just two days after thousands of party emails were leaked and was immediately hired by […]

Drones

Assassination by Robot is now US Policy

contributors

By Rebecca Gordon | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | – – Think of it as the Trojan Drone, the ultimate techno-weapon of American warfare in these years, a single remotely operated plane sent to take out a single key figure. It’s a shiny video game for grown ups — a Mortal Kombat or Call of Duty […]

military

The Turkish Coup — Real or Imagined?

contributors

Erdağ Göknar | (Duke Today) | – – Durham, NC – As if it were having a Cold War flashback, Turkey experienced a surprise coup attempt by a faction of the Turkish army Friday night. Though it evoked the Turkish coups of 1960, 1971 and 1980 quite realistically, and perhaps gave Turks of the political […]

Featured

Long Knives in Ankara: Victorious Erdogan begins Purge of Judiciary, Army

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) – – President Tayyip Erdogan is taking advantage of the failed coup against him to purge the judiciary and security forces of anyone who is lukewarm toward or actively critical of him. These steps are, of course, the opposite of the ones Erdogan should be taking– he should be […]

Authoritarianism

Turkish People Power foils attempted Coup

contributors

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The poorly planned junior officers’ coup in Turkey on Friday appears to have failed as I write late Friday night, though rebel military elements still hold positions in some parts of the country, including Ankara, the capital. Their allegiances and motives are still unclear. Remarkably, among […]

Bill of Rights

Can Americans get back their Democracy from the Oligarchy?

contributors

By John Scales Avery | (Inter Press Service) | – – COPENHAGEN, (IPS) – As many observers around the world have pointed out, the United States is no longer a true democracy. It is an oligarchy. The US government ignores the safety, wishes and needs of the majority of its citizens, and instead makes decisions […]

NATO

Obama to Send 4000 US Troops to Bolster NATO Force Against Russia ‘Aggression’

contributors

TeleSur | – – The western military bloc has been increasing its presence and activity around Russian borders. Polish President Andrzej Duda welcomed on Friday the decision of NATO to station a U.S. battalion in Poland to bolster the eastern flank of the military alliance, increasing troop numbers by up to 4,000. “We are pleased […]

Drones

US Claims 116 Killed in Drone Strikes, Critics Say 1,000

contributors

TeleSur | – – Human rights organizations argue the U.S. government has grossly underestimated the number of civilian deaths caused by drones. The United States government accepted responsibility Friday for inadvertently killing up to 116 civilians in strikes in countries where America is not at war, a major disclosure likely to inflame debate about targeted […]

Featured

Putin’s Winning Hand in Syria, as Turkey Apologizes and Obama Deals

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Vladimir Putin was the skunk at the party in the West after his annexation (or repossession, depending on how you look at it) of Crimea. Europe declared that borders cannot be changed by fiat or troops. The US pressed for heavy sanctions. The Russian intervention in […]