US politics

By Juan Cole Former British ambassador to the United States Sir Christoher Meyer is advocating that the US and Western Europe stop advocating the overthrow of the Baath regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and instead coordinate with it to move against the so-called “Islamic State,” which controls some predominantly Sunni Muslim desert towns on […]

Barack Obama

Dear Hillary Clinton: When did not bombing Syria create Isis?

contributors

By Fariborz S Fatemi Hillary Clinton’s criticism of Barack Obama on Syria and the rise of Isis is wrong, and an exercise in selective memory. When did not bombing Syria create ISIS? In her interview with The Atlantic magazine, the former secretary of state fails to point out that the president wanted to bomb Syria […]

African-Americans

Iran Hard Liners denounce US Human Rights Abuses in Ferguson, Mo.

contributors

By Golnaz Esfandiari via RFE/RL The unrest in the U.S. state of Missouri sparked by the fatal police shooting of a black teenager is being played up by Iranian hardliners, with several lawmakers calling on the Foreign Ministry to react and highlight what they describe as blatant human rights abuses in the United States. The […]

US politics

The American Cult of Bombing

contributors

By William J. Astore via Tomdispatch.com When you do something again and again, placing great faith in it, investing enormous amounts of money in it, only to see indifferent or even negative results, you wouldn’t be entirely surprised if a neutral observer questioned your sanity or asked you if you were part of some cult. […]

Central Intelligence Agency

How America made Martyrs of two Iranian Democrats and overthrew Iran’s Liberal Government in 1953

contributors

By Farhad Malekafzali August 19 is the anniversary of the 1953 CIA-MI6 coup in Iran. The coup overthrew a government with a remarkable commitment to the norms of liberal democracy. The fate of Premier Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh has rightfully received a good deal of scholarly and journalistic attention. He was tried for treason, imprisoned for […]

African-Americans

The New Jim Crow: Has the Right finally Repealed the Civil Rights Act?

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole The 45 million African-Americans in the United States are unequal before the law vis-a-vis European-Americans and becoming moreso. In the age of Jim Crow (the white South’s attempt to prevent them from having the full rights of citizens after their emancipation from slavery), African-Americans often were denied the right to vote and […]

Bill of Rights

Gov’t: Be Careful what you Say on Facebook: “Are you on the Terrorist Watchlist?”

contributors

AJ+ “One million people worldwide have been swept up by TIDE, the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment. It’s a list of people suspected of being terrorists that’s managed by the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center. But how easy is it to get on the list, and are we step closer to a world where everyone’s a suspect?” […]

Bill of Rights

6 Things To Know If Police Stop You In The US

contributors

AJ+ “If a police officer were to stop you on the street in the U.S. and start questioning you, what would you do? Check out our quick list of six things you should know about your rights. Learn more about your rights here: https://www.aclu.org/ AJ+ Labs 6 Things To Know If Police Stop You In […]

Bill of Rights

One Nation, under SWAT: The undemocratic Militarization of the Police

contributors

By Matthew Harwood via Tomdispatch.com Jason Westcott was afraid. One night last fall, he discovered via Facebook that a friend of a friend was planning with some co-conspirators to break in to his home. They were intent on stealing Wescott’s handgun and a couple of TV sets. According to the Facebook message, the suspect was […]