By Shahram Akbarzadeh, Deakin University (The Conversation) – US President Donald Trump’s visit to Arab states in the Middle East this week generated plenty of multibillion-dollar deals. He said more than US$1 trillion (A$1.5 trillion) worth of deals had been signed with Saudi Arabia alone, though the real total is likely much lower than that. […]
Archives for May 2025
China’s Power Sector Emissions fall 5.8% in Q1, as Renewables rapidly Replace Coal
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Lauri Myllyvirta writes at Carbon Brief that China’s CO2 emissions over-all fell by 1% in the past 12 months, and by 1.6% in the first quarter of this year compared to Q1 of 2024. In the first quarter of this year, moreover, power sector emissions fell a dramatic 5.8 percent. […]
Trump and Bukele: The Few Repressing the Many
The two authoritarian leaders are joining hands to assault human rights and democratic norms. By Margaret Knapke | ( Foreign Policy in Focus ) – On March 15, President Trump’s rendition of immigrants to a notorious prison in El Salvador stunned the world. They include 23 alleged members of MS-13 and 238 Venezuelans allegedly belonging […]
That Sucking Sound you hear is Trump Flushing America down the Toilet
( Tomdispatch.com ) – I remember the phrase from my boyhood, listening to baseball games on the old wooden radio by my bed. A major hitter would be up and — bang! — he’d connect with the ball in a big-time fashion. The announcer in a rising voice would then say dramatically: “It’s going, going, […]
As Trump urges End to Gaza Fighting, Half a Million Face Starvation and Israel bombs more Hospitals
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Even as President Trump and members of his entourage in Doha, Qatar, discussed how to end the Israeli war on Gaza, the Israeli government ramped up its bombardment of the Palestinians there. The National reports that on the margins of Trump’s visit, negotiations continued in Doha, centering on a halt […]
US Court fines Israeli Spyware Firm NSO $167mn for Targeting Whatsapp
( Middle East Monitor ) – A federal jury in California has ordered Israeli surveillance firm NSO Group to pay Meta $167 million in punitive damages, marking the first time a court has imposed financial liability on a spyware vendor for abuses linked to its software. The ruling sends a strong signal that private firms […]
Pope Leo XIV’s Link to Haiti is Part of a broader American Story of Race, Citizenship and Migration
By Chelsea Stieber, Tulane University (The Conversation) – Early coverage of Pope Leo XIV has explored the first American pontiff’s Chicago upbringing, as well as the many years he spent in Peru, first as a missionary and then as a bishop. Genealogist Jari Honora broke the story of the pope’s ancestors’ connection to the Creole […]
Removing Syria Sanctions is a Win for the People, Whatever Trump’s Motives
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Syrians are rejoicing at the announcement on Tuesday by President Donald J. Trump that he will lift U.S. economic sanctions on Syria, at the advice of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, among others. Saudi Arabia gave Trump the quid pro quos he wanted for […]
Syria faces renewed Sectarian Violence as Government Fails to deliver Inclusivity
By Katya Alkhateeb, University of Essex and Faten Ghosn, University of Essex (The Conversation) – A recent surge in violence against Syria’s Druze religious community has reportedly seen over 100 people killed since the start of May. This is a grim extension of sectarian targeting that began with the massacre of Alawite civilians in March. […]
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