International Politics and Economy

By Walid el Houri | – ( OpenDemocracy) – On 4 August 2020, at 6pm the explosion at the Beirut port sent a destructive shockwave across a radius of more than 7 kilometres. The explosion was heard as far away as Cyprus, but it was felt across the whole world. It is hard to measure […]

Arms Sales

Will Trump’s Maximum Pressure on UNSC against Lifting Iran Arms Embargo Backfire Big Time?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Peter Hutchison at AFP reports that the Trump administration may be set to shoot itself in the foot at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) next week by pressing for an over-ambitious resolution against lifting the arms embargo on Iran. The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed by the […]

Donald Trump

American ISIS? Trumpies Threaten life of Scientists like Dr. Fauci, just as ISIS Killed Archeologist Dr. Al-Asaad

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Trump prides himself for being in office when the US military and its Muslim allies in Iraq and Syria polished off the phony “caliphate” of ISIS or ISIL. When the US military tracked down the ersatz “caliph” Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and he detonated his suicide vest, Trump crowed, “Terrorists who […]

Far Right

Israel: Will Netanyahu’s Authoritarian Crackdown on Mass Demonstrations bring him Down?

Middle East Monitor

By Motasem A Dalloul | – ( Middle East Monitor ) – Massive demonstrations across Israel are calling for the unseating of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over corruption cases and his alleged mishandling of the coronavirus crisis. Worryingly for Netanyahu, the protests are growing, and look set to get even bigger, fuelled by hate speech […]

Colonialism

How the Failures of Great Powers at the Versailles Peace Conference Set the Stage for Today’s anti-racist Uprisings

Elizabeth F. Thompson

( The Conversation) – The racism that is now the target of protest across the globe is rooted in the tragic choices of leaders seeking to roll back change a century ago. Nearly all historians now agree that at the end of World War I, the choice to return to an imperialist world order by […]

Corruption

“I don’t take Responsibility:” US has the Worst Pandemic Response, but can Trump be held Accountable?

Karen J. Greenberg

( Tomdispatch.com ) – Whether you consider the appalling death toll or the equally unacceptable rising numbers of Covid-19 cases, the United States has one of the worst records worldwide when it comes to the pandemic. Nevertheless, the president has continued to behave just as he promised he would in March when there had been […]

Democratic Party

Can the Israel Lobbies succeed in unseating Ilhan Omar?

Middle East Monitor

By Nasim Ahmed | – ( Middle East Monitor ) – Pro-Israel lobby groups in the US have come out in force to unseat Ilhan Omar in the August Democratic primary elections. The freshman lawmaker is locked in a bitter race with Antone Melton-Meaux, who is said to be a “moderate” candidate backed by lobbyists. […]

Epidemics

The New Isolationism and the Distrustful Citizen: Covid-19 and the end of Geopolitics

John Feffer

( Tomdispatch.com) – I don’t trust you. Don’t take it personally. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a friend or a stranger. I don’t care about your identity or your politics, where you work or if you work, whether you wear a mask or carry a gun. I don’t trust you because you are, for the […]

Epidemics

Is the Coronavirus deflating the Far Right?

The Conversation

By Georgios Samaras | – In recent years, far-right political parties in Europe have capitalised on crises to build their support bases. Many have made it to positions of power as a result of these efforts. The financial crisis of 2008, the refugee crisis that began in 2014 and the ongoing debate around climate change […]