Middle East

By Benjamin Isakhan, Deakin University; and Ali Akbar, The University of Melbourne | – Almost a decade ago, the Sunni jihadist network known as the “Islamic State” (IS) declared the formation of an Islamic Caliphate after they captured the Iraqi city of Mosul in June 2014. In response, tens of thousands of Shia men joined […]

Featured

Israel’s Netanyahu at UN Wipes Palestinians off the Map, Menaces Iran with “Credible Nuclear Threat”

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu seems to love waving around cartoonish props at the annual United Nations General Assembly meeting. This year his theme was the likelihood of an Israel-Saudi rapprochement, which is being pushed by the Biden administration despite the abysmal Saudi human rights violations and despite Netanyahu’s ongoing […]

Authoritarianism

Saudi Crown Prince Confirms Death Sentence for Tweets, Blames “Bad Laws”

Human Rights Watch

Joey Shea Researcher, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates @joey_shea Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as MBS, has confirmed that retired teacher Muhammed al Ghamdi was indeed sentenced to death for his social media posts. In an interview with Fox News on September 20, MBS admitted about the death sentence: “Shamefully, it’s true,” […]

Climate Crisis

The Era of Rupert Murdoch, a Blight on our Heating Planet and a Fomenter of War and Racial Hatreds, is Passing

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Australian-American press lord Rupert Murdoch, 92, announced Thursday that he would step down as the CEO of both News Corp and Fox News as of November. It would take a multi-volume book to detail all the horrible and catastrophic things Murdoch has done to the world. In Informed Comment, which […]

Featured

Israeli Export Ban Piled Economic Misery on Palestinians of Gaza, as Youths increase Emigration

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Palestinian authorities are increasingly concerned about what they see as an increase in emigration by young Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, which has been under Israeli siege since 2007. They cite lack of jobs, a poor economy, high prices, and frequent electricity outages, according to the Palestinian Arab Front. This […]

Climate Crisis

Libyan Dam Collapse and Flooding that Killed 20,000 was made 50 Times more likely by Climate Change

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The World Weather Attribution site, run by professional European climate scientists, estimated that “An event as extreme as the one observed over Libya has become up to 50 times more likely and up to 50% more intense compared to a 1.2C cooler climate.” They mean that in the eighteenth century, […]

Golf

Saudi Arabia: Investment Fund Linked to Abuses

Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch – (Beirut) – The United States should investigate and regulate sovereign wealth funds like Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) that have been linked to human rights abuses, Human Rights Watch said in testimony today before the US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. The hearing examined the fund’s substantial holdings in the […]

Authoritarianism

The Legacy of Mahsa, a Year later: It Is Only the Beginning for Iranian Women

Fariba Amini

Newark, Del. (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – Imagine, you come from your small town to visit the capital. You have a whole plan to visit places, parks, and monuments. You want to have a good time with your friends and relatives. The night before you are together with your friends and family. You laugh, […]

Featured

Arabic Press: Saudi Arabia breaking off Talks with Israel out of Despair that Far Right Gov’t will make any concessions to Palestinians

Juan Cole

Post-script: Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman denied this report 4 days after it appeared and maintained that the negotiations with Israel are continuing, with the two sides getting closer. Either the Israeli source was misinformed or was leaking to put pressure on the Crown Prince; if the latter it appears to have succeeded. Ann Arbor […]