Juan Cole

Qasem Soleimani, the head of the special operations Jerusalem (Qods) Brigade of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, spent Thursday morning taunting US president Donald Trump, whom he called a casino gambler. He warned Trump, “We are closer to you than you think. Keep in mind that I am keeping account of you. And you know […]

Donald Trump

“Reject the Evidence of your Ears:” Trump, Orwell, & Cohen Bunny Tape

Juan Cole

Trump’s success stems in large part from his hucksterism, from his disregard for facts and his ability to pull the wool over the eyes of his cultists. It also stems from a shrewd use of logical fallacies in argument. After the catastrophic Helsinki summit, the question was, ‘Is he Putin’s poodle?’ That is a good […]

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“Hypocritical Clergymen”- How the Trump-Pompeo Slam of Iran Backfires

Juan Cole

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s rant against Iran on Sunday accused the leadership of that country of hoarding the country’s wealth, behaving like a mafia, and being hypocritical clergymen. While these allegations are not without basis in fact, Pompeo’s own record undermines the critique. The Trump administration is itself a government of billionaires, by billionaires […]

Donald Trump

Trump and Iran’s Rouhani Threaten each other with the Mother of all Wars

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – In remarks Saturday to the Iranian foreign policy establishment in Tehran, President Hassan Rouhani gave some warnings to Donald Trump. He said, “Mr. Trump, do not play with the lion’s tail. The only result of such a course will be profound regret.” With regard to Washington’s current attempts to sow […]

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