By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) Ted Cruz said Friday at the Value Voters Summit conference in Washington, D.C., “If you vote for me, under no circumstances will Iran be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. And if the ayatollah doesn’t understand that, we may have to help introduce him to his 72 virgins.” Neoconservatives keep […]
Archives for September 2015
Iraq: Can Mosul’s Christians ever Go Home to their Historic Neighborhoods?
Nawzat Shamdeen | Berlin | (Niqash.org) | – – They have been harassed, threatened, have lost all their worldly goods and forced to flee. What, if anything, would make Mosul’s Christians want to return to the city they used to call home? A celebration at an Orthodox church in Mosul in the early 20th Century: […]
The tragedy of Iraq’s Sunnis
By Chloe Cornish IRIN | – – KIRKUK (IRIN) – Iraq is congested with armed men: Kurdish peshmerga in the north; forlorn Iraqi army troops strung across the country; ascendant Shia militia groups and volunteer Popular Mobilisation Forces in the centre; and, of course, fighters from so-called Islamic State in the west. Civilians travelling through […]
Are U.S., Russian Arms Supplies to Iraq, Syria a Blessing to Rebel Groups?
Thalif Deen | (Inter Press Service) | – – UNITED NATIONS (IPS) – The United States and Russia are escalating arms sales to two of their major allies in the Middle East – Iraq and Syria – despite fears that some of these weapons may ultimately wind up, ironically, in the hands of armed rebel […]
West Bank: Clashes as thousands march in slain Palestinian’s funeral
Ma’an News Agency | – – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Thousands of Palestinians marched in the funeral of Ahmad Izzat Khatatbeh, 25, who died on Thursday from wounds [inflicted] by Israeli forces at the Beit Furik checkpoint in the occupied West Bank last week. The procession set off from the Rafidia Government Hospital to Khatatbeh’s family […]
100 per cent renewable energy by 2050 achievable, necessary – Greenpeace
The Tree | – – 100 per cent renewable energy for all is achievable by 2050, creating jobs and cutting fuel costs, according to Greenpeace’s latest Energy [R]evolution report. Researched in collaboration with the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), the report finds that the clean energy transition – including the electricity, transport and heating sectors – […]
With Iran deal, & Russia in Syria, is Israel being Boxed In?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – With the success of the Iran deal virtually assured and with Russia moving into Syria, Israel’s hawks are facing an unprecedented setback. These developments could be demoting Israel from regional hegemon to marginal player, and severely limiting Tel Aviv’s freedom of movement. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin […]
Syria flying Russia-supplied Drones, Fighter Jets against ISIL/ Daesh
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The puzzle of Russian intentions in Syria will likely be revealed by president Vladimir Putin at the UN next week. Putin will meet US president Barack Obama on Monday and will address the UN. In the meantime, there are signs that Russian arms supplies to the […]
Why are U.S. Special Ops Forces Deployed in 135 Nations?
By Nick Turse | (Tomdispatch.com) | – – You can find them in dusty, sunbaked badlands, moist tropical forests, and the salty spray of third-world littorals. Standing in judgement, buffeted by the rotor wash of a helicopter or sweltering beneath the relentless desert sun, they instruct, yell, and cajole as skinnier men playact under their […]
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