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A big issue in the Wikileaks controversy has to do with restrictions on freedom of speech in a democratic society, and the use of pressure tactics and of corporate policy to curb speech that is not shown to be illegal. That tendency is very troubling, and recalls the strong arm tactics of the House of […]

Modern Iran Click to go to map, click again to enlarge. Informed Comment Map Page (Under Construcion)

Paul Jamiol on Reactions to the Wikileaks: Courtesy “Jamiol’s World”

The Lagos Guardian reports that the Nigerian government has preferred charges against former US vice president Richard Bruce Cheney (they always give the full names of criminals) in connection with an investigation of Halliburton on bribery charges when he was CEO of the company (1995-2000). Given that the wikileaks cables show that both the Bush […]

The real background of the modern Middle East: Map: The Ottoman Empire, 1798-1923

Ethnic Groups in Central Asia (click for stand-alone map and click again to enlarge) From the very useful Perry-Castaneda map collection at the University of Texas. IC map site under construction.

Farhang Jahanpour writes in a guest column for Informed Comment What is truly alarming about the new batch of Wikileaks diplomatic files is the extent to which US politicians and their Israeli allies are obsessed with Iran. There is virtually no talk of Israeli colonial settlements on the West Bank, the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, […]

Hayder al-Khoei writes in a guest column for Informed Comment The “cablegate” leaks have gone a long way in embarrassing governments all over the world, not least the Arab states in the Gulf who seem a little too excited in encouraging the US to attack Iran, and the State Department will have to continue their […]