By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has vowed to force the expiration of the so-called PATRIOT Act on Sunday. Paul is right that it is unconstitutional and in this regard he is a better constitutional scholar than Barack Obama, whose stance on this issue is, to say the least, […]
Archives for May 2015
Nasty, New Neighbours: How Close Will Extremists Get To Baghdad?
By Mustafa Habib | (Niqash.org) | – The fall of Ramadi means that Baghdad, Karbala and Babel have unpleasant new neighbours in the Islamic State group. How long before the extremists are in the capital’s backyard? At one stage it seemed as though the chances of the extremist group known as the Islamic State entering […]
With Global Warming, a future of Pacific Superstorms
By Wei Mei | (The Conversation) | – Every year, typhoons over the western North Pacific – the equivalent to hurricanes in the North Atlantic – cause considerable damage in East and Southeast Asia. Super Typhoon Haiyan of 2013, one of the strongest ocean storms ever recorded, devastated large portions of the Philippines and killed […]
Muhammad Cartoon Ad Blocked From DC Metro
Jo Ankier and Nik Zecevic | (The Lip TV) | (Video) |- “A Prophet Muhammad cartoon ad has been blocked by Washington DC’s transport authority who voted unanimously on Thursday to suspend advertisements it describes as “issue-oriented” on the subway after the The American Freedom Defense Initiative, founded by Pamela Geller, campaigned to display the […]
Why ISIL’s Attacks on Shiites of Saudi Arabia Threaten World Economy
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – Daesh (ISIL, ISIS) took responsibility for a terrorist attack Friday on the Shiite al-Husayn Mosque in Dammam, which left three victims dead. Saudi security forces are taking credit for spotting that the car the terrorists were driving was suspicious and preventing it from getting too near the […]
Armed Bikers Protest at Arizona Mosque
AJ+ | – “Anti-Islam activists have planned a “peaceful” protest at an Arizona mosque. Protesters are encouraged to bring American flags and “to utilize their second-amendment right” … just in case.” AJ+: “Anti-Islam Activists Organize Protest At Mosque, Encourage Fire Arms”
85,000 Refugees from Ramadi Restricted from Entering Baghdad, despite 110°F Heat
Human Rights Watch | – (Beirut) – Iraqi authorities are preventing thousands of families fleeing the fighting in Ramadi from reaching safer parts of the country. The government of Iraq has primary responsibility for protecting internally displaced people and should allow those fleeing danger in Ramadi or elsewhere to enter safer areas. Since April 2015, […]
Bahamas will lose 80% of Land in this Century to Climate Change, Builds Sea Walls
By Desmond Brown | – NASSAU (IPS) – Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have championed the phrase “1.5 to stay alive” in demanding that global temperature increases be kept as far below 1.5 degrees C as possible to limit the anticipated devastating effects of climate change on the world’s most vulnerable countries. But for the […]
Kaplan’s Fantasies of Empire and the Myth of the Arab Strongman
By Ari Heistein | (Informed Comment) | – Robert Kaplan explains the current conflicts in the Middle East as the inevitable results of the withdrawal of colonial powers which led to a vacuum of power filled by Arab strongmen who then fell and then left the Middle East back in its natural state– chaos and […]
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