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Archives for April 2018

Featured
Why is Pompeo Suddenly against Saudi Arabia’s War on Yemen?

Why is Pompeo Suddenly against Saudi Arabia’s War on Yemen?

Juan Cole

According to a State Department leak to the New York Times, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, when he was in Riyadh on Saturday, pressured the Saudi government to wind up the war in Yemen. If this report is true, it is puzzling. In contrast, Secretary of Defense James Mattis has urged President Trump to stay […]

Iran
Iran to Pompeo: Seriously? You’re accusing *us* of destabilizing the Middle East?

Iran to Pompeo: Seriously? You’re accusing *us* of destabilizing the Middle East?

AFP

Tehran (AFP) – Iran on Monday dismissed “unfounded” accusations by new US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over its “ambition to dominate the Middle East”. Pompeo lashed out at Tehran on Sunday during a rapid tour of Middle East allies ahead of a crucial White House decision on whether to quit a landmark 2015 nuclear […]

Israel/ Palestine
Why Are Palestinians in Gaza risking their Lives to Protest?

Why Are Palestinians in Gaza risking their Lives to Protest?

Mike Merryman-Lotze

As Americans, we bear direct responsibility for the horrific reality in Gaza. Once again, the Israeli military has turned its guns on Gaza — this time on unarmed protestors, in a series of shootings over the last few weeks. Gaza’s already under-resourced hospitals are straining to care for the thousands of protesters who have been […]

Plutocracy
The Koch Brothers' secret Coup on behalf of the Billionaire Class

The Koch Brothers’ secret Coup on behalf of the Billionaire Class

Jim Hightower

The Koch brothers are oil magnates and billionaire GOP funders. They believe that their great wealth entitles them to rule over the many. For decades, they’ve been running a surreptitious assault on the rules that protect the majority of us from their abuse. From whacking our voting rights to busting unions, their intent is nothing […]

Corruption
Will it be the Accountants who bring down Trump and his Cronies?

Will it be the Accountants who bring down Trump and his Cronies?

Rebecca Gordon

San Francisco ( Tomdispatch.com) – They call people like us “bean counters” — the soulless ones beavering away in some windowless accounting department, the living calculators who don’t care about desperation or aspirations, who just want you to turn in your expense report on time and explain those perfectly legitimate charges on the company credit […]

Acidification of Oceans
The other Shoe: Water Vapor from Warming Oceans is a Potent Greenhouse Gas

The other Shoe: Water Vapor from Warming Oceans is a Potent Greenhouse Gas

contributors

Heinrich Boell Stiftung | – – Without the ocean, climate change would proceed far more quickly. The massive volumes of water in the seas greatly influence the changes occurring in our atmosphere. Infographic from the Ocean Atlas – Where Does the Warmth Go?(Cutout of the graphic below) – Creator: petraboeckmann.de. This image is licensed under […]

Featured
Pompeo to Saudi Arabia:  Mobilize against Iran and end Yemen War, Qatar Blockade

Pompeo to Saudi Arabia: Mobilize against Iran and end Yemen War, Qatar Blockade

Juan Cole

Newly minted secretary of state Mike Pompeo held consultations Saturday in Riyadh with Saudi officials, according to ABC. Pompeo’s program, like the foreign policy of Trump in general, was full of unlikely projects and ideologically driven impracticalities. An obsession with Iran drove most of these unlikely plans. Pompeo pressured the Saudi government to stop boycotting […]

Climate Change
Massive Melting in Arctic is a Danger Signal of Manmade Climate Change

Massive Melting in Arctic is a Danger Signal of Manmade Climate Change

Mark Serreze

Scientists have known for a long time that as climate change started to heat up the Earth, its effects would be most pronounced in the Arctic. This has many reasons, but climate feedbacks are key. As the Arctic warms, snow and ice melt, and the surface absorbs more of the sun’s energy instead of reflecting […]

Judaism
Tunisia:  Muslim Religious Right endorses Jewish Candidate for Parliament

Tunisia: Muslim Religious Right endorses Jewish Candidate for Parliament

AFP

By Kaouther Larbi | – – Monastir (Tunisia) (AFP) – Decked out in a striking blue suit and white shirt, matching his political allegiance, Simon Slama rubs shoulders with fellow candidates ahead of Tunisia’s municipal elections. Nothing unusual about that — except he is the only Jewish candidate, standing for the Islamist Ennahdha party. AFP […]

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