By William deBuys ( Tomdispatch.com ) – The totalitarian playbook that Donald Trump seems to follow lacks a chapter. Power-crazed the president may be, but he fails to grasp soft power. Wise military and diplomatic minds understand it well. George C. Marshall, the nation’s top general through World War II and later secretary of state […]
Archives for August 2025
Saudi Arabia in Modern History
Book Review – David Commins, “Saudi Arabia: A Modern History” (Yale University Press: New Haven and London, 2025). Munich (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – The rise of Saudi power in the eighteenth century is not easy to explain. There are few sources, and most of them are highly partisan, remarks David Commins, a professor […]
Greek Protesters block military Cargo bound for Israel
The protest represents a multi-dimensional struggle: economic, geopolitical, and ethical. Written by Elvis Takahashi Mantello Protesters gather at Piraeus port to block a shipment believed to be destined for Israel for military purposes. Photo by Sotiria Georgiadou. Used with permission. Globalvoices.org ) – Despite the lingering summer heat in Athens, Greek protesters gathered at the […]
Israel must allow independent Investigations of Palestinian Journalist Killings – and let international Media into Gaza
By Peter Greste, Macquarie University (The Conversation) – The New York-based media freedom organisation, the Committee to Protect Journalists, is scrupulous with its words. So, when the organisation described the killing of six Palestinian journalists in an Israeli air strike as “murder”, the word was a carefully considered choice. The CPJ defines “murder” as the […]
Scientists prove Extensive Viking Silver Trade with Abbasid Empire from British Silver Hoard
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Northeastern England fell to the Vikings in 865, and they held it for several decades. They not only had what is now Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Durham but points south to the town of Bedale on the way to York. In 2012 archeologists found a silver and gold treasure hoard in Bedale […]
Saudi Arabia: Executions Surge in bid to Crush Dissent (HRW)
Human Rights Watch – (Beirut) – Saudi authorities have been carrying out an unprecedented surge in executions in 2025 without apparent due process, Human Rights Watch and the Middle East Democracy Center said today. The June 14 execution of Turki al-Jasser, a journalist known for exposing corruption within the Saudi royal family, raises concerns that the […]
What Do We Forget When We Remember Hiroshima?
By Eric Ross ( Tomdispatch.com ) – On August 6, 2025, the world marked the 80th anniversary of the American destruction of Hiroshima. As in decades past, Hiroshima Day served to honor the first victims of atomic warfare and to reaffirm the enduring promise that their suffering would not be in vain, that they and […]
Trump to Xi: ‘Hold our Beer’ – EVs majority of Chinese New Car Sales, as Exports rocket 74%
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Car News China reports that in the first half of 2025, consumers in that country bought 10,891,000 passenger vehicles. But here’s the catch. They bought 5,458,000 EVs and 5,433,000 gasoline cars. Look carefully at those numbers. They bought more EVs than internal combustion engine cars. To be precise, 50.1% of […]
Iran’s President Says Rebuilding Nuclear Sites Futile Without Talks With Washington
( RFE / RL ) – Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian has warned that his country faces the risk of further conflict with the United States unless diplomacy is pursued. Speaking at a meeting with media executives on August 10, Pezeshkian criticized opponents of talks with Washington over Tehran’s nuclear program, saying the United States would […]
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