Middle East

Demands for Egypt’s U.S.-backed Egyptian Strongman al-Sisi to Release Activist Alaa Abd El Fattah, detained for 2 Years without Charge

By Ellery Roberts Biddle | – The life of Egyptian blogger and activist Alaa Abd El Fattah is in danger. The 39-year-old was jailed in 2019 on charges of spreading fake news, but, despite the limits of Egyptian law, he has yet to go to trial. At a recent hearing concerning the case, his lawyer […]

Bush

Iraq is seeking 10 Gigawatts of Solar Power; if World had gone Green in ’80s, Would the US have ever invaded Iraq?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – In a historic irony, Iraq is turning to solar energy, according to Dania Saadi at SPGlobal. Ali Jawad at the Anadolu Agency reports that the Baghdad government is seeking to generate 10 gigawatts of solar power for electricity by 2030, though it already has several projects in train that will […]

Israel/ Palestine

No Apartheid here: Now Even Meretz Party just Meeting Palestinian Pres. Mahmoud Abbas shakes Israeli Coalition

Middle East Monitor

By Adnan Abu Amer | The Israeli political and partisan scene is still experiencing echoes of the meeting that brought together leaders of the left-wing Meretz Party, headed by Nitzan Horowitz, partner in the government coalition, with PA President Mahmoud Abbas, at the Muqata headquarters in Ramallah. This created an atmosphere of tension within the […]

Featured

UN Turns back on War Crimes in Saudi-Led War on Yemen, as 16 million March toward Starvation

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Al Jazeera reports that on Thursday the UN Human Rights Council voted 21 to 18 with 7 abstentions against a resolution urging the renewal of the mandate of of the Group of Eminent International and Regional Experts on Yemen (GEE). The group of experts had found in 2018 that parties […]

China

Iran’s Hard Line gov’t Ebullient about higher Oil Prices, as China Defies US Sanctions on Tehran

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Iran is a big beneficiary of the run-up in oil prices, with Brent crude hitting a multi-year high of $83 a barrel on Wednesday and the West Texas Intermediate price hitting about $79 a barrel. Analysts expect prices to remain high as we move into winter, when there is extra […]

Israel/ Palestine

Israel has a ‘hands-off’ approach with illegal Israeli squatters, but not with the Palestinians

Middle East Monitor

By Osama Othman | – Settler violence against Palestinians has escalated during Israel’s “hands-off” approach in the occupied West Bank, according to Haaretz. The Israeli newspaper has reported that violence by Jews against Palestinians has risen dramatically in the past two years, with officials referring to a “permissive atmosphere” for extremists in the area. Data […]

Israel/ Palestine

Despite Israel Lobbies’ Power in Congress, for a New Generation Sympathy with Oppressed Palestinians is becoming New Normal

Ramzy Baroud

( Middle East Monitor ) – There is an unmistakable shift in American politics regarding Palestine and Israel, one that is inspired by the way in which many Americans, especially young people, view the Palestinian struggle and the Israeli occupation. While this shift is yet to translate into reducing Israel’s stranglehold over the US Congress […]

Green Energy

Are the Renewables Initiatives of the Arab Oil Producers of the Gulf a Game Changer or just Greenwashing?

Sustainability Times

By Anna Schneider ( Sustainability Times) – Major oil-producing countries in the Arabian Gulf have lately committed to reducing their carbon emissions in the face of global climate change. In 2015, five major governments pledged to reduce carbon emissions, but none of those nations were major oil producers. This August, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) […]

censorship

Expo 2020 Dubai: The Tolerance Narrative of the United Arab Emirates is a Sham

Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch – (Beirut, October 1, 2021) – United Arab Emirates authorities are using Expo 2020 Dubai to promote a public image of openness that is at odds with the government’s efforts to prevent scrutiny of its rampant systemic human rights violations, Human Rights Watch said today. Expo 2020 is a prominent global cultural […]