International Politics and Economy

Recognizing Palestine: “In Darkest Episode of 21st Century … Spaniards were on the Right Side of History.”

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The announcement Wednesday that Spain, Ireland and Norway will recognize the State of Palestine diplomatically on May 28 is not unprecedented in Europe or in the world. In Europe, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Iceland have all done so. Indeed, most countries recognize Palestine. The outliers were the […]

Democracy

With Biden’s Bear Hug of Israeli Atrocities, World’s View of American Democracy Craters

Ramzy Baroud

( Middle East Monitor ) – The Democracy Perception Index (DPI) issued its 2024 report on 8 May, revealing important and interesting shifts in global perceptions about democracy, geopolitics and international relations. The conclusions in the report were based on the views of over 62,000 respondents from 53 countries, representing roughly 75 per cent of […]

Featured

Erdogan Warns that Israel will come for Turkish Territory after Taking Gaza

Volkan Isbasaran

Istanbul (Special to Informed Comment) -On May 15, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan claimed that Israel will “set eyes on Turkish territory” after Gaza. Erdoğan made these remarks during his ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) parliamentary group meeting, stating: “Don’t think that Israel will stop in Gaza. Don’t think that Ramallah will be safe. […]

Bill of Rights

Protesting U of Texas-Dallas Arrest and Suspension of Faculty and Students Peacefully Protesting against Gaza War

Committee on Academic Freedom

Committee on Academic Freedom | Middle East Studies Association | – Dr. Richard C. Benson President, University of Texas at Dallas president@utdallas.edu . . . We write on behalf of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) and its Committee on Academic Freedom to express our grave concern over your administration’s recent actions with respect […]

Arms Sales

The Arsenal of Genocide: the U.S. Weapons That Are Destroying Gaza

Medea Benjamin and Nicholas J.S. Davies

( Code Pink ) – On May 8, 2024, as Israel escalated its brutal assault on Rafah, President Biden announced that he had “paused” a delivery of 1,700 500-pound and 1,800 2,000-pound bombs, and threatened to withhold more shipments if Israel went ahead with its full-scale invasion of Rafah. The move elicited an outcry from […]

Dissent

Democracy Versus Autocracy on America’s Campuses

William D. Hartung

( Tomdispatch.com ) – I’ve spent most of my life as an advocate for a more peaceful world. In recent years, I’ve been focused on promoting diplomacy over war and exposing the role of giant weapons companies like Lockheed Martin and its allies in Congress and at the Pentagon as they push for a “military-first” […]

Apartheid

With Pause, US Joins Other States Stopping Arms Transfers to Israel

Human Rights Watch

By Akshaya Kumar | (@AkshayaSays) | – ( Human Rights Watch ) – This week, United States President Joe Biden announced that his administration has “held up” at least one shipment of 3,500 bombs and artillery shells to Israel, saying the US wouldn’t transfer certain weapons to Israel if it proceeded with an assault on the city […]

Dissent

War Culture Hates the Ethical Passion of the Young

Tomdispatch

By Norman Solomon ( Tomdispatch.com ) – Persisting in his support for an unpopular war, the Democrat in the White House has helped spark a rebellion close to home. Young people — least inclined to deference, most inclined to moral outrage — are leading public opposition to the ongoing slaughter in Gaza. The campus upheaval […]

Dissent

Juan Cole: Israel and Campus Protests (Sea Change Radio)

Juan Cole

Juan Cole: Israel, Gaza and Campus Protests, Part I on Sea Change Radio with Alex Wise. Transcript below. Or listen here: Pro-Palestinian student protests are erupting on college campuses all over the country, often resulting in aggressive responses from local law enforcement. This week on Sea Change Radio, the first half of our two-part discussion […]