By Rebecca Gordon | (Tomdispatch.com) Why was it again that, as President Obama said, “we tortured some folks” after the 9/11 attacks? Oh, right, because we were terrified. Because everyone knows that being afraid gives you moral license to do whatever you need to do to keep yourself safe. That’s why we don’t shame or […]
As Sweden opens Palestine Embassy, President Abbas Visits
Euronews | – “The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is in Sweden for talks with the country’s new Prime Minister Stefan Lofven. It is his first visit to the Nordic nation since it “officially recognised Palestine”: …as a state. Sweden’s ties with Israel have nosedived however as a result with Tel Aviv recalling its ambassador to […]
2nd Iranian Commander killed in Iraq defending Samarra Golden Dome
By RFE/RL | – A commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has been killed in Iraq, Iranian media reported. The Tasnim news agency, said to be affiliated with IRGC, says Reza Hosseini Moghadam was in Samarra to confront militants of the Islamic State (IS) when he was killed on February 7. “He [Moghadam] […]
Obama on his Foreign Policy: Between Realism and Idealism
By Matthew Iglesias | (Vox) – “When it comes to foreign policy, is President Obama a realist or an idealist? Turns out he rejects both terms.” Vox: “Obama on the goal of his foreign policy”
Beaten over call for co-existence: French artist’s religious graffiti
RT | – “French grafitti artist ‘Combo’ got beaten for a graffiti of himself in Arabic clothes with the world ‘coexist’, with symbols of three different religions instead of some of the letters.” RT: “Beaten over call for co-existence: French artist’s religious graffiti”
US Commander: Death of Jordan Pilot Turning Point in ISIL Fight
ABC News | – United Arab Emirates joins Jordan in fight against ISIS after the horrific death of the pilot. ABC News: “Gen. John Allen Says Death of Jordanian Pilot Could Be Turning Point in ISIS Fight”
EPA: Keystone XL would have a ‘significant’ impact on climate
The Tree | — Intro The arguments for rejecting the construction of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline just got stronger: this time its about carbon emissions. On last Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) challenged the State Department to revisit its environmental impact analysis of the pipeline, saying that developing Canada’s tar sands “represents […]
The reporter as action hero: what could possibly go wrong?
By Russell Frank | (The Conversation) Longtime New Yorker magazine staff writer Lillian Ross once admonished aspiring reporters not to write about themselves. “As a reporter, serve your subject,” she wrote, “do not serve yourself. Do not, in effect, say, ‘Look at me. See what a great reporter I am!’” Sounds quaint in the age […]
Belgium’s Parliament latest to call for Recognition of Palestine
By IMEMC News & Agencies | – Late on Thursday, the Belgian parliament approved a resolution calling for official recognition of Palestine as a state. Belgium is the latest European country to tackle the question, as pressure grows on Israel and Palestinians to return to the negotiating table. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, with three […]