By Tom Engelardt | (Tomdispatch.com) Well, it’s one, two, three, look at that amputee,At least it’s below the knee,Could have been worse, you see.Well, it’s true your kids look at you differently,But you came in an ambulance instead of a hearse,That’s the phrase of the trade,It could have been worse. — First verse of a Vietnam-era […]
The Other Sinjar Massacre: As Iraq’s ISIL driven Back, Reprisals against Sunni Collaborators
Khales Joumah | Mosul | (Niqash.org) – As extremists from the Islamic State group are slowly driven out of northern Iraq, members of one of the groups that suffered at their hands – the Yazidis – began to take revenge on locals they say collaborated with them. This week several villages were looted and burned […]
After Charlie Hebdo: How Will Europe Deal with Islam and Muslims?
By Neslihan Çevik | (Daily Sabah) – After the tragic Charlie Hebdo massacre, it seems that Europe has several options regarding its policies on Islam and Muslims. Among them, the easiest option is to maximize security precautions in order to exercise absolute control over Muslims If 9/11 was the start of a moral panic in […]
Yes, Virginia, Global Warming can mean Heavier Snowstorms (for a while)
By Kevin Trenberth | National Center for Atmospheric Research | (The Conversation) As first glance, asking whether global warming results in more snow may seem like a silly question because obviously, if it gets warm enough, there is no snow. Consequently, deniers of climate change have used recent snow dumps to cast doubt on a […]
Israel destroys water lines feeding Palestinian areas in Jordan Valley
TUBAS (Ma’an) – Israeli forces on Thursday destroyed a water network which feeds Palestinian villages and Bedouin dwellings in the northern Jordan Valley, the head of the village council of al-Maleh and its surrounding Bedouin dwellings said. Arif Daraghmah told Ma’an that Israeli troops escorted excavators which destroyed a 2,000-meter-long water pipeline near the village […]
Israel and Lebanon: Is a 3rd War in the Offing?
By Rola El-Husseini | (Special to Informed Comment) – On January 18, 2015 an Israeli military operation lead to the death of Jihad Mughniyah in Quneitra, in the Syrian part of the Golan Heights. According to a retired Israeli general, the timing of the operation that led to the death of Jihad Mugniyah, several other […]
Iran and the West on Revolution Anniversary: 36 Years of Futile Estrangement
By Farhang Jahanpour | (Informed Comment) – Anniversary of Iranian Revolution February 2nd marks the 36th anniversary of the return of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to Iran after 14 years of exile. After ruling Iran for 37 years as a staunch U.S. ally, Mohammad Reza Shah left Iran on January 16, 1979, never to return. Demonstrations […]
War Is the New Normal: Seven Deadly Reasons Why America’s Wars Persist
By William J. Astore | (Tomdispatch.com) – It was launched immediately after the 9/11 attacks, when I was still in the military, and almost immediately became known as the Global War on Terror, or GWOT. Pentagon insiders called it “the long war,” an open-ended, perhaps unending, conflict against nations and terror networks mainly of a […]
Being An Antiwar Activist In Israel Is Dangerous
AJ+ | – “Being an antiwar activist in Israel is dangerous. Israelis who protested against the 2014 Gaza offensive were threatened, harassed and attacked. Some even lost their jobs. Yoav Eliassi, also known as “The Shadow,” is a right-wing rapper and driving force behind a movement to stamp out dissent in Israeli society.” AJ+ “Being […]