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Archives for January 2021

Authoritarianism
Democracy's Night of the Living Dead:  Trump's GOP Zombies Lost by a Landslide, but they're back to eat our Brains

Democracy’s Night of the Living Dead: Trump’s GOP Zombies Lost by a Landslide, but they’re back to eat our Brains

Dan Dinello

By Dan Dinello | – Like a political remake of Night of the Living Dead, the Republican Party — put to death by the Lame Duck’s poisonous presidency — has reanimated as the Zombie Party. This hollowed out duplicate looks the same, but has been implanted with the traitorous delusions of the demented ex-President. Denying […]

Authoritarianism
Trump's 'smoking gun' tape is worse than Nixon's, but congressional Republicans have less incentive to do anything about it

Trump’s ‘smoking gun’ tape is worse than Nixon’s, but congressional Republicans have less incentive to do anything about it

The Conversation

By Ken Hughes | – At least Donald Trump’s “smoking gun” tape is simpler than Richard Nixon’s. Schoolchildren can easily grasp Trump’s high crime, in contrast to the complex, Machiavellian plot immortalized on the tape that led to Nixon’s downfall. It will be harder to explain to them why congressional Republicans decided to hold Nixon […]

Authoritarianism
Turkey: Bill on ‘Preventing Terrorism’ actually Targets Freedom of Association, Civil Society

Turkey: Bill on ‘Preventing Terrorism’ actually Targets Freedom of Association, Civil Society

Human Rights Watch

( Human Rights Watch ) – (Istanbul) – The Turkish government should withdraw provisions in a draft law that would arbitrarily curtail nongovernmental organizations’ activities and have the potential to violate the right to freedom of association, Human Rights Watch said today. Parliament was due to vote on the law on December 24, 2020. The […]

Authoritarianism
Tragedies, Farces and Trump's Coup d'état: The History of an Idea

Tragedies, Farces and Trump’s Coup d’état: The History of an Idea

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Amy Gardner at the Washington Post got the scoop. In an hour-long telephone call to Georgia officials, including the the secretary of state, Trump browbeat them and hinted around that he could arrange jail time for them or foment unrest or spoil the January 5 senatorial run-off unless they found […]

Israel/ Palestine
With Raft of Normalizations with Israel, Everything changed for Palestinians this Past Year . . . but They're still Occupied

With Raft of Normalizations with Israel, Everything changed for Palestinians this Past Year . . . but They’re still Occupied

Middle East Monitor

By Anjuman Rahman | – ( Middle East Monitor) – Landmark developments seem to have changed everything and nothing for Palestine this past year. The flurry of normalisation deals is one of them and arguably the most significant. In advance of the US presidential election and the possibility of these being his final months in […]

Acidification of Oceans
It might be the world's biggest ocean, but the mighty Pacific is in peril

It might be the world’s biggest ocean, but the mighty Pacific is in peril

The Conversation

By Jodie L. Rummer, Bridie JM Allan, Charitha Pattiaratchi, Ian A. Bouyoucos, James Cook, Irfan Yulianto and Mirjam van der Mheen | – The Pacific Ocean is the deepest, largest ocean on Earth, covering about a third of the globe’s surface. An ocean that vast may seem invincible. Yet across its reach – from Antarctica […]

Democratic Party
Is Arizona Turning Blue?  The Shape of Democratic Victory

Is Arizona Turning Blue? The Shape of Democratic Victory

Cronkite News Arizona PBS

By Catherine Fusillo | – ( Cronkite News ) – WASHINGTON – For years, Democrats have argued that Arizona was about to turn blue, and this year they came closer than they had in decades, winning the presidential race and unseating an incumbent Republican senator. Close, but not the “blue wave” Democrats had been hoping […]

Donald Trump
Trump and Iran in Last 17 Days: Will they or Won't They?

Trump and Iran in Last 17 Days: Will they or Won’t They?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – There is a lot of buzz inside the Beltway, most of it generated inside the Beltway, about possible hostilities between Iran and the Trump administration in the Mad President’s last 17 days in office. Some of this buzz is around today’s January 3rd, 2020, anniversary of Trump’s assassination of Gen. […]

Climate Crisis
UN Trumpets Warning: Rich Nations aren't Acting Urgently enough to cut planet-wrecking Carbon Dioxide Emissions

UN Trumpets Warning: Rich Nations aren’t Acting Urgently enough to cut planet-wrecking Carbon Dioxide Emissions

China Dialogue

By Catherine Early | – ( China Dialogue ) – New net-zero pledges are welcome but need to be met with rapid action in national climate plans, according to the UN Environment Programme. The number of countries committing to net-zero emissions goals by mid-century is a “significant and encouraging development”, the United Nations Environment Programme […]

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