Committee on Academic Freedom | Middle East Studies Association of North America | Lawrence S. Bacow President, Harvard University president@harvard.edu Dear President Bacow: We write on behalf of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) and its Committee on Academic Freedom to express our grave concern about the July 2022 decision […]
Archives for January 2023
Iran Executions: the Role of the ‘Revolutionary Courts’ in breaching Human Rights
By Simon Rice, University of Sydney | – (The Conversation) – The Iranian government has attempted to brutally suppress the widespread protests sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody in September 2022. Central to Iran’s response have been the country’s “revolutionary courts”. They have conducted heavily-criticised trials resulting in at least […]
The Pentagon’s Hunger Games
( Tomdispatch.com ) – By any standard, the money the United States government pours into its military is simply overwhelming. Take the $858-billion defense spending authorization that President Biden signed into law last month. Not only did that bill pass in an otherwise riven Senate by a bipartisan majority of 83-11, but this year’s budget […]
With Electric Vehicles, 90% of Americans would see Transportation Costs, CO2 Emissions Plummet
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – A new University of Michigan study has shown that today, 90% of Americans would see lower transportation costs and lower CO2 emissions if they switched from a car with an Internal Combustion Engine or ICE to an electric vehicle (EV). They were only looking at the cost of running a […]
The Making of the Modern Middle East: A Personal History (Review)
Review of Jeremy Bowen, The Making of the Modern Middle East: A Personal History (London: Picador, 2022). Greifswald, Germany (Special to Informed Comment) – Ali Abdullah Saleh, Bashar al-Assad, Hassan Nasrallah, and Muammar Gaddafi are just some of the prominent figures in contemporary Middle Eastern history that Jeremy Bowen has had the opportunity to interview […]
Climate Crisis: We’re Seeing Alarming Changes in the entire Global Water Cycle
By Albert Van Dijk, Australian National University | – (The Conversation) – In 2022, a third La Niña year brought much rain to Australia and Southeast Asia and dry conditions to the other side of the Pacific. These patterns were expected, but behind these variations there are troubling signs the entire global water cycle is […]
Could the United States return to a Good Neighbor Policy in the Americas? Can it afford not to?
( Tomdispatch.com ) – A few recent headlines reveal the painfully inhumane, dangerously volatile state of U.S. relations with its own home region, the continent of North America. A record-breaking 2.76 million border crossings from Mexico filled homeless shelters to the bursting point in cities nationwide in 2022. This year, the possible cessation of Covid […]
Far Right Israeli Government bans Palestinian flag, just as Apartheid S. Africa Banned ANC Flag
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Israeli parliament or Knesset on Tuesday approved the first reading of a law banning the raising of the Palestinian flag, pushed by the fascist wing of Israel’s new government. This measure includes a ban on Palestinians in Palestine waving their own flag while under Israeli military occupation. Despite the […]
Many thanks to our Readers and Supporters, and Happy New Year
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Once again, you came through with generous support for Informed Comment. Our regular contributors and I are so grateful, and pledge to redouble our efforts in 2023 to bring you a unique and knowledgeable take on the news that has the most potential to affect our lives. H/t Public Domain […]
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