By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) — Al-Mada newspaper in Baghdad had an interesting article in the aftermath of the fall of Shinjar to the Iraqi Kurdistan Peshmerga. The piece argued that the Peshmerga (Kurdistan’s paramilitary, meaning ‘one who stands before death’) have now effectively cut of the supply lines between Raqqa in Syria and […]
Archives for December 2014
Turkey again goes down Path of the One-Party State
By Erdağ Göknar (Istanbul) | (ISLAMiCommentary) — Erdağ Göknar If we read the recent government-ordered police raids against opposition media in reverse, we can get a better sense of how last year’s bribery and corruption investigation (December 17-25, 2013) — targeting figures connected to Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) — hit close to […]
Israeli forces suppress Christmas march in Bethlehem
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Tuesday suppressed a peaceful march calling for “Christmas without occupation” in Bethlehem. Demonstrators marched to the Israeli military checkpoint in northern Bethlehem to celebrate Christmas and hand out gifts to children in the area. Marchers held up signs reading: “Jesus came with a message of: Peace, Freedom and Justice” […]
Reality TV Iraq Style: Confronting your Terrorist
AJ+ | — “It’s reality TV like you’ve never seen it before: Iraqi terrorists being escorted around their crime scenes, meeting their victims and confessing on camera. Co-funded by the Iraqi justice department and government antiterrorist forces, “In the Grip of The Law” has its audience, well … gripped.” AJ+: “Iraq TV Show Has ISIS […]
Year 6 of the Climate Activism Revolution
By Rebecca Solnit | (Tomdispatch.com) It was the most thrilling bureaucratic document I’ve ever seen for just one reason: it was dated the 21st day of the month of Thermidor in the Year Six. Written in sepia ink on heavy paper, it recorded an ordinary land auction in France in what we would call the […]
Is the NSA Responsible for N. Korea’s Hack of Sony Pictures?
By Juan Cole | — In all the discussions of what is alleged to be North Korea’s horrible cyber-vandalism against Sony Pictures, I haven’t seen anyone bring up a key issue: The National Security Agency has been for two decades a powerful behind-the-scenes lobby for weak internet encryption and privacy protocols. I don’t know enough […]
Victim of Apartheid Wall: Christmas in Isolated Bethlehem
DW | — “Bethlehem – the traditional birthplace of Jesus is sacred for many believers. But it means big business for Palestinians who sell souvenirs there. Even with heightened tensions in the region, Christmas offers a bit of light in tough economic times.” DW: “Christmas in Bethlehem | Journal” What I wrote a few years […]
3000 Yezidi Girls still Missing at Hands of Daesh/ISIL: “It costs more for a girl with blue eyes”
BBC News | — “Kurdish authorities say Pershmerga forces are making headway in the Northern Iraqi town of Sinjar and have taken control of a ‘large area’ from Islamic State militants. Iraqi Kurds made the claim during a visit to nearby Mount Sinjar, where thousands of Yazidis fled after the IS advance. However, the Yazidi […]
Not the Onion: Pakistanis Demand arrest of Cleric for not Condemning “Jihadis”
AJ+ |– “Pakistanis are calling for the arrest of a Muslim cleric, Abdul Aziz, who refused to condemn the recent Pakistan Attack that led to 148 deaths. Some feel the Taliban school attack in Peshawar is a turning point in Pakistan’s complex relationship with extremist groups. There’s been an ongoing controversy both inside and outside […]
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