Middle East

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Trump’s announcement Thursday that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) would recognize Israel was presented by the White House as a diplomatic achievement. The problem is that it achieved nothing, at least with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian issue. The step was, however, politically and economically expedient for the signing parties. The […]

European Union

After the Beirut blast, the international community must stop propping up Lebanon’s broken political system

The Conversation

By Tamirace Fakhoury and John Nagle | – The finger of blame for the Beirut explosion is pointing at Lebanon’s corrupt and criminally negligent political leadership. Amid continuing protests, the government of prime minister Hassan Diab resigned on August 10, though ministers will stay on in a caretaker role until a new cabinet is formed. […]

African-Americans

Ilhan Omar defeats Corporate Democrat, Israel Lobbies in Overwhelming Primary Victory

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Ilhan Omar handily won the Democratic Party primary for Minnesota’s 5th District, encompassing Minneapolis and some of its suburbs. Indeed, she improved her margin of victory over 2018, winning by 57% to 39% for her rival, Antone Melton-Meaux, whose campaign was funded in part by a usually pro-Republican organization of […]

Israel

Will Young Jews Leave Israel because of Netanyahu’s Coronavirus Depression?

Middle East Monitor

By Nabil Al-Sahli | – An article in Haaretz last week highlighted the possibility of young Israelis emigrating [because of COVID-19], which brought Israel’s obsession with demography to the forefront of the agenda yet again. More than 70 years since Israel was established in Palestine, its leaders, political parties and strategists are still trying to […]

Israel/ Palestine

If Israelis want Peace, why do 55% Support Illegal Annexation of Palestinian Land?

Asa Winstanley

( Middle East Monitor) – It is a common platitude amongst some of the weaker parts of the Palestine solidarity movement that “Israelis want peace” and do not support their government’s policies of oppression against the Palestinians and other Arabs peoples. But the facts simply don’t bear this out. Let’s take a cursory examination of […]

Donald Trump

Will Trump Strike Iran as his October Surprise?

Bob Dreyfuss

( Tomdispatch.com ) – Was Donald Trump’s January 3rd drone assassination of Major General Qasem Soleimani the first step in turning the simmering Cold War between the United States and Iran into a hot war in the weeks before an American presidential election? Of course, there’s no way to know, but behind by double digits […]

Corruption

Lebanon’s Leaders Resign over deaths of 200, but Trump refuses Accountability for 163,462 Deaths

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – On Monday, the prime minister of Lebanon and his entire cabinet resigned en masse, reports Bassem Mroue at the Associated Press. Last week an enormous explosion destroyed Beirut’s port and part of the city, killing over 200 persons and wounding thousands, and leaving 300,000 homeless. The explosion came about after […]

China

The Lion & the Dragon: Understanding the New Iran-China Strategic Partnership

Ali Abootalebi

Eau Claire, WI (Special to Informed Comment) – On July 11, the New York Times reported on the Iran-China new economic and security partnership, detailed in an 18-page proposed agreement, that would clear the way for billions of dollars of Chinese investments in energy and other sectors. The proposed 25-year roadmap between Iran and China […]

Corruption

Top Six Lessons of Beirut and Hiroshima

John Buell

Southwest Harbor, Maine (Special to Informed Comment) – Did the massive explosion in Beirut, about three quarters of a century after the decimation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, have any lessons or warnings for us. I think the answer is clearly yes. Lesson 1: Early news reports regarding the Beirut blast indicate that government officials had […]