The diplomatic angst issuing from Washington around the United Arab Emirates and Egypt bombing of weapons depots belonging to the Qatar-backed fundamentalist militia of Misrata holds many delicious ironies: 1. According to the BBC, “the US, France, Germany, Italy and the UK issued a joint statement denouncing “outside interference” in Libya.” Seriously, guys? Except for […]
Archives for August 2014
Poll: Palestinians of Gaza just like Americans: Want Peace, hate “ISIS” and refuse to Give up their Guns
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — An overwhelming majority of Gaza residents support a long-term truce with Israel and oppose the disarmament of the Palestinian resistance, a poll released on Saturday showed. The poll, which surveyed 1,000 Palestinians in Gaza from Aug. 14-19 and was conducted by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion, also found that a vast […]
Border Police Militarization and the Immigrant Children
By Aviva Chomsky via Tomdispatch.com Call it irony or call it a nightmare, but the “crisis” of Central American children crossing the U.S.-Mexican border, which lasted for months amid fervent and angry debate, is now fading from the news. The media stories have been legion, the words expended many. And yet, as the “crisis” leaves […]
Victim of McCarthy-Era Witch Hunt calls on U-Illinois not to Fire Critic of Israeli Policies
Note by Juan Cole: In the early 1950s, under the influence of Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R-WI), a national witch hunt was conducted for leftists. McCarthy claimed to have a list of 100 Soviet moles in the State Department. Even former members of the Communist Party, which had been popular in the 1930s Great Depression before […]
Can the Kabbalah teach us to Repair Climate Change?
By Alexandra Piacenza How can Kabbalah, the system of mystical interpretation of Jewish scripture with roots in the 13th century, have a bearing on modern-day environmentalism? In the Kabbalistic view, God’s very act of creation has resulted in placing a sacred obligation on man to make right what is askew in the world. This obligation […]
Iraq: Another Town besieged by IS: Is Amerli the next Sinjar?
By Ahmad Mohammed | Kirkuk | Niqash.org Demonstrators call on the government to help the besieged town of Amerli. In Salahaddin, a drama of historic proportions is playing out in the town of Amerli. Surrounded by extremist territory, around 400 townspeople have been defending themselves for over 70 days now. The town, which is sheltering […]
Kicked Off Twitter And Facebook, so-called “Islamic State” Terror Group Finds New Tools
By Glenn Kates via RFE/RL The Islamic State has made good use of social networks in spreading its propaganda. Thousands of social-media users were unwittingly exposed to horrifying images of James Foley’s execution in the hours after Islamic State (IS) militants posted video of his beheading online. It was exhibit A in the extremist group’s […]
Has the War on Terror Failed?
AJ+ “Has the West’s global “War on Terror” failed? Thirteen years of U.S. counter-terrorism policies have opened up a Pandora’s box of questions – both political and ideological.” Aj+ Has the War on Terror Failed?
Iraq: Bombs & Bullets vs. Political Process
By Juan Cole A series of bombings and shootings left some 35 dead in Iraq on Saturday, following on a massacre of 68 worshipers Friday at a Sunni Mosque in mixed Diyala Province. This violence was strategic, not random. One side effect was a severe setback in the attempt of Haydar al-Abadi, the prime minister […]
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