Donald Trump

By J.M. Opal | – Liberal pundits often say that Donald Trump is on the wrong side of history. From this perspective, he’s a relic and a reactionary, a living reminder of all the skeletons in America’s closet. A Democratic victory in November thus feels inevitable, especially given Trump’s objectively awful handling of the pandemic. […]

China

Trump walks Alone: Former US Allies Britain, France, Germany join Russia and China in Forcefully Rejecting Trump Iran Sanctions

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – LeMonde reports that France, Germany and Britain have rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to reimpose UN Security Council sanctions on Iran that were revoked in early 2016 with the signing of the Iran nuclear deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA). Their joint statement said, “France, Germany and the […]

Donald Trump

Is the Trump Administration Trying to destroy our Public Schools, Too?

Belle Chesler

( Tomdispatch.com) – Seventeen years ago, against the advice of my parents, I decided to become a public school teacher. Once I did, both my mother and father, educators themselves, warned me that choosing to teach was to invite attacks from those who viewed the profession with derision and contempt. They advised me to stay […]

China

China and the United States: The 21st Century’s ‘Great Game’

Conn M. Hallinan

For China, the global war for influence is about trading partners. For the U.S., it could mean something more volatile. (Foreign Policy in Focus ) – From 1830 to 1895, the British and Russian empires schemed and plotted over control of Central and South Asia. At the heart of the “Great Game” was the United […]

China

Is Donald Trump Losing His Tech War with China’s Xi Jinping?

Dilip Hiro

( Tomdispatch.com) – For the Trump administration’s senior officials, it’s been open season on bashing China. If you need an example, think of the president’s blame game about “the invisible Chinese virus” as it spreads wildly across the U.S. When it comes to China, in fact, the ever more virulent criticism never seems to stop. […]

Climate Crisis

On Day Scientists Announce Melting of Greenland Ice Sheet ‘Irreversible,’ Trump to permit Arctic oil, gas Drilling

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Trump administration on Monday finalized its plans to permit oil and gas drilling in the arctic wildlife reserve. This drilling will further imperil endangered species just by the setting up of the rigs, and it will desecrate land holy to the indigenous Gwich’in people, who call it “the sacred […]

Democratic Party

Michelle Obama: Donald Trump is Wrong President for the Job; it is What it Is

contributors

C-SPAN | “Former First Lady Michelle Obama addresses the 2020 Democratic National Convention: “Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country. He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head. He cannot meet this moment. He simply cannot be who […]

Donald Trump

Trump’s America Fails Coronavirus, as 170K – 202K die, Child Cases Spike, while other Countries are back to Normal

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Trump’s America is still failing Coronavirus, big time. The death toll has now passed 170,000 here, though there have been about 204,000 extra deaths so far this year above what is normal, so that is likely the true coronavirus toll. It is worrying that the CDC now says that coronavirus […]

Democracy

When Did Democracy become a Partisan Issue? The Dilemmas of Late Neoliberalism

John Buell

Southwest Harbor Maine (Special to Informed Comment) – Many US citizens take comfort in the conviction that progress toward democracy has been steady even if bitterly contested on occasion. Early in the post Revolutionary War period the right to vote was extended to all white men, even those who held no property. Women achieved the […]