By Peter Bloom, The Open University (The Conversation) The decision not to charge police officer Darren Wilson with the unlawful shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown has reignited protests across the US. The judgment was met by violent outrage on the streets of Ferguson. After months of deliberation, a grand jury ruled that there was […]
Iran: US War Hawks go on Offensive after Nuclear Energy Talk Deadlines are Postponed
by Jim Lobe | (Inter Press Service) | — Buoyed by the failure of the U.S. and five other powers to reach a comprehensive agreement with Iran over its nuclear programme after a week of intensive talks, pro-Israel and Republican hawks are calling for Washington to ramp up economic pressure on Tehran even while talks […]
The Ferguson, Mo. Shooting in American History: What to Tell the Children
By Julian Hipkins III (Zinn Education Project) In light of the grand jury decision, we share this collection of teaching ideas and resources, originally published by Teaching for Change in August of 2014. By Julian Hipkins III As the new school year begins, first and foremost on our minds and in our hearts will be […]
Sen. Lindsey Graham furious GOP House Benghazi Report Shows He Wasted All our Time & Money
The Young Turks | — “”Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday blasted a House GOP-led investigation that recently debunked myths about the 2012 Benghazi attack. “I think the report is full of crap,” Graham said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” The House Intelligence Committee released a report on Friday evening, which took two years […]
Iraq: A Bigger Threat than Extremists? Economy on Verge of Collapse
By Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | via Niqash.org The Iraqi dinar: there might not be enough oil revenue coming into Iraq next year. The high cost of fighting the extremist Islamic State group, the worldwide decrease in oil prices, corruption and a lack of sensible economic forward planning mean that Iraq may be on the […]
Top Five Washington Assumptions on Mideast that Are not True
By Andrew J. Bacevich (Tomdispatch.com) | — “Iraq no longer exists.” My young friend M, sipping a cappuccino, is deadly serious. We are sitting in a scruffy restaurant across the street from the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. It’s been years since we’ve last seen each another. It may […]
Jerusalem: This Is Why The Temple Mount Matters To one Israeli-American
AJ+ | — “For Jews, the Temple Mount (known as Haram as-Sharif, or “Noble Sanctuary,” to Muslims) is their religion’s holiest site. The Temple Mount is on the same hilltop as Islam’s third-holiest site: the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Recent pushes by far-right Israeli Jews to pray on the Temple Mount have heightened tensions, especially as the […]
Syrian Refugees Between a Legal Rock and a Hard Place in Lebanon
By Oriol Andrés Gallart | — BEIRUT, Nov 21 2014 (IPS) – Staring at the floor, Hassan, a 21-year-old Syrian refugee from Idlib in northwestern Syria, holds a set of identification papers in his hands. He picks out a small pink piece of paper with a few words on it stating that he must obtain […]
How Public Power can get Big Money out of Politics & Defeat Plutocrats
Bill Moyers | — Bill Moyers: “How Public Power Can Defeat Plutocrats” via BillMoyers.com “Government has become a clearinghouse for corporations and plutocrats with deep pockets to buy the politicians who grease the wheels for lucrative contracts and easy regulation. It’s all pay for play, and look the other way. According to the watchdog Sunlight […]