Human Rights Watch – (Brussels, February 21, 2022) – The European Commission should prohibit EU trade with settlements in occupied territories globally, Human Rights Watch said today as it signed onto a European Citizen’s Initiative (ECI). The citizen-led initiative, registered with the European Commission in September 2021 and initiated on February 20, 2022, calls for […]
Archives for February 2022
Putin’s antagonism toward Ukraine was never just about NATO – it’s about creating a new Russian empire
By Emily Channell-Justice and Jacob Lassin | – As some Western observers have feared, Russian President Vladimir Putin has just proved that his aggression toward Ukraine was never really about NATO. In a speech on Feb. 21, 2022, Putin recognized the occupied territories in Ukraine of Donetsk and Luhansk and moved Russian forces into them. […]
Will Germany’s Pause of Russian Gas Pipeline over Ukraine Galvanize its Green Energy Switch?
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – On Tuesday, Germany’s socialist Chancellor, Olaf Scholtz, suspended the permitting process for the Nord Stream 2 methane gas pipeline that had been built to bring Siberian gas to Germany, over Russia’s declaration that two Ukrainian provinces were independent states. The $11 billion pipeline has already been constructed, but was awaiting […]
Sanctions on Russia may be a Bonanza for Mideast Gas and Oil Producers, but Where will they get their Wheat?
By Ihsan Al-Faqih | – Over the decades, the Middle East has been an arena of contention over influence and interests between the US and Russia in various conflicts. This continued until the end of former US President Donald Trump’s presidency. The involvement of the US in the region’s conflicts has declined since Joe Biden […]
First solar canal project is a win for water, energy, air and climate in California
By Roger Bales | – Mounting evidence suggests the western United States is now in its worst megadrought in at least 1,200 years. Groundwater supplies are being overpumped in many places, and the dryness, wildfires and shrinking water supplies are making climate change personal for millions of people. As an engineer, I have been working […]
Holy War, American-Style: Reaping What We Sow
By Kelly Denton-Borhaug | – ( Tomdispatch.com ) – Lately, random verses from the Bible have been popping into my mind unbidden, like St. Paul’s famous line from Galatians, “A person reaps what they sow.” The words sprang into my consciousness when I learned of the death of the 95-year-old Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace […]
Why Putin’s Denial of Ukrainian Statehood and Israel’s Denial of Palestinian Statehood are Crimes against History
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – In his incendiary speech on Ukraine on Monday, Vladimir Putin alleged that Ukraine does not really exist, that it is an artificial construct of the Communist period, crafted by Vladimir Lenin. He declared, “Ukraine never had a tradition of genuine statehood.” When I heard that, it reminded me of the […]
The Welshman who Founded Donetsk, Ukraine, and Why a War is a Disaster for Russia
Orono, Maine (Special to Informed Comment) – In the 18th century a migration took to the Donbas region of Ukraine which Tsarist Russia named “New Russia” after rich coal resources were discovered. The man who was chosen to facilitate mining and to develop steel mills was John Hughes who was born in Wales. He had […]
Ukraine crisis Inflection Point: Putin recognizes breakaway regions, Biden orders limited sanctions
By Naomi Schalit, interviewing Emily Channell-Justice, J. Eugene Clay, Jacob Lassin, Maggie Smith and Ryan Haddad | – Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a provocative address that could be construed as a pretext to war, claimed on Feb. 21, 2022, that all of Ukraine belongs to Russia and formally recognized the independence of two breakaway […]
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