Politics

By Golnaz Esfandiari Twenty-five years after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's death, the clerical establishment ushered in by the Islamic republic's founding father is at odds over how far its influence on Iranians' lives should extend. The debate pits powerful, hard-line religious conservatives against Iran's relatively moderate president, Hassan Rohani. And at the center of the debate […]

European Union

Far-right rises in European Parliament elections, but is it a ‘Euroquake’?

contributors

By Remy Davison, Monash University, via The Conversation Some 400 million eligible voters, 751 seats, 28 countries: a portrait of true democracy at work – unless they held an election and nobody came. Average voter turnout in the weekend’s European Parliament (EP) elections was an estimated 43.09%. That’s a stunning 0.09% improvement on 2009. In […]

Crime

30 Murders by Firearm in England 2012 (equiv. 164), vs. 8,855 in US

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole The mentally imbalanced individual who hunted down UC Santa Barbara students and knifed three and shot 6 of them to death, wounding with gunfire 7 more, on Saturday, used a semi-automatic handgun. The most popular such weapon is a Glock. It is not an automatic weapon, meaning you have to squeeze the […]

Hindu Nationalism

When Bibi Meets Modi: Israel and the Indian Elections

contributors

(By Shalom Goldman via IslamiCommentary) Shalom Goldman After weeks-long elections in India, the Hindu nationalist BJP party, with Narendra Modi as prime-minister elect, has emerged as the overwhelming victor in a hotly contested campaign. The election results were both an affirmation of the BJP’s policies and ideologies and a resounding defeat for the Congress Party, […]

Dissent

If Senate’s Phony Journalist “Shield Law” wouldn’t Protect a Glenn Greenwald what Good is It?

contributors

Back in March, we pointed out that Senator Chuck Schumer had more or less admitted that his attempt at a media shield law (protecting sources) likely wouldn’t protect Glenn Greenwald. While Schumer argued that it was still “better than current law,”…

Democracy

Sunnis Big Losers in Iraq Elections, PM al-Maliki has Largest Party

Juan Cole

(By Juan Cole) The results of the Iraqi parliamentary elections are in, and everybody lost. There will be another hung parliament that gets almost nothing done. The Sunni Arabs ended up dividing their vote and doing poorly. The Shiites likewise are deeply divided. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s party did best, positioning him for a third […]

Arab Spring

Activists in Bahrain denounce anti-Shia Policies

Juan Cole

(By Catherine Shakdam) Early last week political activists affiliated with Bahrain’s opposition groups delivered a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki moon calling for his office to take a stand against Bahrain’s systematic targeting of the Shia community. Al Jazeera English Ever since Bahrainis rose against the government in 2011, emboldened by the Arab […]

Barack Obama

Operation American Spring aims to drive Obama from office this Friday

Juan Cole

Operation American Spring promises to drive Obama from office this Friday (via Raw Story ) Self-styled revolutionary patriots plan to converge on Washington, D.C., this week to drive President Barack Obama and disloyal lawmakers out of office. “We are calling for the removal of Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell, John…

Arab Spring

The Real Egyptian Divide is between Tahrir Self-Government and Authoritarians of all Stripes

Juan Cole

(By Haifaa G. Khalafallah) Revolutions or coups seeking to change modern Egypt, whether in 1919 or 1952, never challenged the familiar patterns of power relations, that is to say, their political culture. The triumph of a home grown, new political discourse is the real and most significant Egyptian revolution that took place early in […]