Republican Party

( Tomdispatch.com ) – Four years ago, I published Subtle Tools, a book on the erosion of American democratic norms in the face of what came to be known as the Global War on Terror. Both what had been done in the name of “national security” in response to the 9/11 attacks and how it […]

Boycotts

Trouble at Tesla and Protests against Trump’s Tariffs suggest consumer Boycotts are starting to Bite

The Conversation

By Erin O’Brien, Griffith University and Justine Coneybeer, Griffith University (The Conversation) – When the United States starts a trade war with your country, how do you fight back? For individuals, one option is to wage a personal trade war and boycott products from the US. President Donald Trump has said no nation will be […]

China

Can Trump’s Plan to Target China for its Oil Imports from Iran Succeed?

Neil Thompson

London (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – Since returning to office in January, US President Donald Trump has reinstated the maximum pressure campaign of his first administration on Iran. Trump wants to push Iran into ending its nuclear programme, and the White House has tried to severely curtail Iran’s oil exports as way of putting […]

Democracy

Trump rages to snuff out Democracy’s Candle: Will we Rage against the Dying of its Light?

Rebecca Gordon

( Tomdispatch.com ) – Allow me to stipulate that I do not wish to die. In fact, had anyone consulted me about the construction of the universe, I would have made my views on the subject quite clear: mortality is a terrible idea. I’m opposed to it in general. (In wiser moments, I know that […]

Dissent

Social Movements constrained Trump in his first Term – Much more than People Realize

The Conversation

By Kevin A. Young, UMass Amherst (The Conversation) – Donald Trump’s first term as president saw some of the largest mass protests seen in the U.S. in over 50 years, from the 2017 Women’s March to the 2020 protests after George Floyd’s murder. Things feel different this time around. Critics seem quieter. Some point to […]

Donald Trump

Trump’s Shock and Awe: Move Fast and Break Things

Tom Engelhardt

( Tomdispatch.com ) – Yes, “shock and awe” is back in the second age of Donald Trump. His border czar, Tom Homan, used that very phrase to describe border policy from day one of the new administration and, whether the president has actually said it or not, it’s now regularly in headlines, op-eds, and so […]

censorship

Letter from a Palestinian Political Prisoner in Louisiana: Mahmoud Khalil

Mahmoud Khalil

Note from Juan Cole: I used to write letters to totalitarian governments on behalf of Amnesty International complaining about their detention of political prisoners for mere thought crimes. One of the worst offenders was Communist Czechoslovakia, which did not even bother to reply. I could not have imagined in 1987 that in 2025 people in […]

Academic Freedom

Columbia University must Reject Trump Ultimatum and Stand up at long last for the Freedom and Independence of the Academy

Committee on Academic Freedom

Committee on Academic Freedom | Middle East Studies Association | – Dr. Katrina Armstrong Interim President, Columbia University officeofthepresident@columbia.edu David Greenwald Claire Shipman Co-Chairs, Columbia University Board of Trustees secretary@columbia.edu Dear Dr. Armstrong, Mr. Greenwald and Ms. Shipman: We write on behalf of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) […]

Donald Trump

Trump’s Air War on Yemen Escalates as Civilian Population Suffers Food Insecurity, Cholera Epidemic

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Trump administration began bombing Yemen last weekend, when the US Air Force launched 47 air raids on at least seven provinces, killing some 53 persons. On Monday the air raids continued, hitting not only the capital, Sanaa, but also Saadeh in the north, the hometown of the movement of […]