International Politics and Economy

By Juan Cole For those of you who like “long reads,” my new book will be out next Tuesday. For those of you intending to buy it, let me suggest that you all purchase it on its publication date, July 1. The way the publishing metrics work, if you can get the book to a […]

Arab Spring

Religion and the Fight over Public Space in Egypt

contributors

By Marwa Fikry Abdel Samei | Cairo (Special to Informed Comment) “Have you pronounced blessings on the Prophet today?” These words alarmed the Egyptian regime and impelled it to announce a war on the posters carrying them. Last week, whenever you go around the streets of Cairo and some other governorates, you could hardly miss […]

Apartheid

Israel Threatens Witnesses to its Killings of Palestinians, and it Must Stop

contributors

Via Human Rights Watch Israeli Army targets Man Whose Cameras Recorded Deaths Israel should be investigating these deaths, but instead its forces seem intent on intimidating witnesses and ensuring future abuses won’t be caught on camera. The Israeli response to the killing of two boys looks more like an attempt to cover up than a […]

Climate Change

Koch Bros. Laguna Beach Black Sabbath targets Green Energy Activists with Greenbacks

contributors

Via Sourcewatch and The Young Turks: Anti-Regulation Energy Initiative At a secretive summit held in June 2014 at a resort in Laguna Beach, California, the Koch Brothers discussed their plan to launch a new energy initiative that will be spearheaded by the Freedom Partners. The Daily Beast obtained an April 2014 email sent by Kevin […]

Afghanistan

Afghanistan Elections: Abdullah refuses to Concede, Protests Erupt charging Fraud

contributors

By Frud Bezhan via RFE/RL KABUL — As allegations of fraud in Afghanistan’s runoff election pile up, protest movements have mobilized against what they see as systematic vote-rigging. Two groups have taken the lead in protesting the June 14 presidential vote, holding separate demonstrations and sit-ins in several locations around Kabul. In various events that […]

Iran

Is Iraq Actually Falling Apart? What Social Science Surveys Show

contributors

By Mansoor Moaddel Several nationally representative surveys carried out in Iraq between 2004 and 2013 provide important facts about Iraqi orientations toward secular politics, basis of identity, Americans, and Iranians. These facts have serious implications for the territorial integrity of Iraq, support for an Islamic government, and the U.S. policy toward the country. These surveys […]

Barack Obama

Obama Prepares for Drone War in Iraq

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole President Barack Obama announced on Thursday that he will send 300 Green Beret Army special operations soldiers to Iraq. They will be detailed to Iraqi National Army Headquarters and brigade HQs and their primary task will apparently be intelligence-gathering and helping with the Iraqi National Army response to the advances of the […]

Iraq

Iraq is more like N. Ireland than Lebanon, Reconciliation is Possible

contributors

By Jocelyne Cesari The attack of The Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS) on Mossul and its march on Baghdad has taken the international community by surprise and raised the possibility of another US intervention in Iraq, with the hope it could prevent the downfall of the country into a sectarian war. Such […]

Featured

As US Pressures Maliki to Resign, will Iraqi Gov’t Collapse?

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole A consensus is forming in Washington that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki must resign, as part of accountability for his failures with his Sunni Arab citizens. Because Washington is so good about demanding accountability. While this analysis is correct, and I have said myself that Iraq would be better off with a different […]