US politics

Not Waiting on Biden: China breaks US Iran Blockade, moves to import nearly 1 mn b/d of Ayatolllah’s Oil

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – China is dramatically ramping up its imports of petroleum from Iran this spring, going from a daily average of 300,000 barrels per day during the past year to 856,000 bpd. So reports Felicity Bradstock of Oilprice.com. The Biden administration has dragged its feet on negotiating a return to the 2015 […]

Joe Biden

Biden’s Relief Package Is a Huge Victory for Workers

OtherWords

By Rebekah Entralgo | – ( Otherwords.org ) – President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan is more than just a response to the coronavirus. It’s also one of the largest anti-poverty measures in U.S. history. Provisions in the package, like expanding the Child Tax Credit alone, will bring nearly 4 million kids out […]

Joe Biden

Ten Problems With Biden’s Foreign Policy – and One Solution

Medea Benjamin and Nicholas J.S. Davies

( Code Pink ) – The Biden presidency is still in its early days, but it’s not too early to point to areas in the foreign policy realm where we, as progressives, have been disappointed–or even infuriated. There are one or two positive developments, such as the renewal of Obama’s New START Treaty with Russia […]

Israel/ Palestine

Biden is Reemphasizing Human Rights in Foreign Policy, Except for Palestinians

Ramona Wadi

( Middle East Monitor ) – Israel is reportedly concerned that US President Joe Biden will prioritise human rights over traditional allegiances in the Middle East. With a policy shift that departs from the Trump administration’s belligerence, Biden is attempting to bring Washington in line with the human rights rhetoric favoured within the international arena, […]

Joe Biden

Has the DC Foreign Policy Blob swallowed Joe Biden? We don’t need to be the World’s Policeman

Andrew J. Bacevich

( Tomdispatch.com ) – You may have noticed: the Blob is back. Beneath a veneer of gender and racial diversity, the Biden national security team consists of seasoned operatives who earned their spurs in Washington long before Donald Trump showed up to spoil the party. So, if you’re looking for fresh faces at the departments […]

Bernie Sanders

At Last, the End of Austerity: Joe Biden’s Really, Really Big Covid Stimulus aims to Jumpstart America

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Joe Biden has redeemed the sins of the Obama administration, which did not enact a big enough stimulus truly to dig the U.S. economy out of the hole created by the 2008-09 economic crash. Barack Obama, a gentleman and a community builder, had believed that he could get some Republicans […]

Climate Crisis

Biden wants the US Carbon Neutral by 2050, but Can he Paint the Whole World Green?

John Feffer

( Foreign Policy in Focus) – Once upon a time, a rich hypochondriac was complaining about pains in his head and stomach. He consulted a wise man who pointed out that the root of the problem lay somewhere else: in the man’s eyes. To resolve the persistent headache and stomachache, the sage suggested focusing on […]

Climate Crisis

Biden overturns Trump Policy, Pushes Massive 84-Turbine Offshore Wind Farm to power all southern Massachusetts

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is finished its environmental impact review of a wind farm in federal waters off Massachusetts. According to AP, the company that wants to install the turbines, Vineyard Wind, had withdrawn its application last summer for fear Trump would reject it. President Biden, however, […]

Iran

Iran’s leaders signal interest in new nuclear deal, but U.S. must act soon

The Conversation

By James Devine | – On the campaign trail, Joe Biden pledged that if elected he would quickly return the United States to the Joint Collective Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal. But negotiations have been slow to materialize, and with Iran’s presidential elections scheduled to take place in June, […]