By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Thousands of civilians fled the southern pocket of the East Ghouta suburb of Damascus on Thursday and Friday and Saturday, carrying what few belongings they could with them. The rate seems to have been about 10,000 people a day until today. Russian sources are saying 11,000 […]
Why Electric SUVs will save the American Car Companies, not China Tariffs
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Joann Muller at Forbes, in a piece on Ford Motor Company’s plans vastly to expand its electric and hybrid offerings, puts her finger on something absolutely crucial. Ford and other American car companies really, really need electric sport utility vehicles in order to get through the […]
Happiness Index: From Immigrants to Health, how Trump & GOP are making America Sad (Sad)
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The World Happiness Index is out this year, and the United States is ranked only 18 for the years 2015-2017– lower than Iceland or Costa Rica, and not much ahead of places with real problems like Mexico and Brazil. And, the US has fallen 4 spots […]
Pompeo, Big Oil and the attack on Iran Deal
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – All you need to know about Mike Pompeo, the four-term congressman from Kansas who is actually from California, is that most of his life he has been in business with the Koch brothers. His appointment as Secretary of State puts a seal on Trump’s withdrawal from […]
How Trump is losing in Syria & why Haley is Posturing
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Well, I say Trump is losing, but it isn’t clear that Trump has a policy in Syria or cares whether he wins. The Department of Defense is losing. Its policy was to 1. defeat ISIL with the help of the leftist Kurds of the YPG (People’s […]
A California Trend Worth Catching: College for All
By Chuck Collins | (Inequality.org) | – – Blogging Our Great Divide America’s left coast is showing how to break up concentrated wealth and fund higher education for all. California can be an annoyingly trendy state. Think avocado toast, In-N-Out Burger, Hollywood fashion, even legal pot. But Californians are now in the vanguard to fix […]
Saudi Crown Prince Implicated: Credible reports of Torture and Murder in Ritz Carlton: NYT
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The late Saudi Maj. Gen. Ali al-Qahtani is said to have shown up at the morgue from the Riyadh Ritz Carlton where he had been imprisoned by Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, 32, with a broken neck, bruises and swelling all over his body, and […]
Iraq: Al-Sadr & Communist Party ally against Corruption, Iranian Hegemony
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Nativist Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, 44, is encouraging members of his Sadr Movement to vote in the upcoming national elections for parliament. “Vote,” he said, “and save our country from corruption.” A newly formed political party, al-Istiqama or the Upright Party, will hew the Sadrist line. […]
Surprise withdrawal of Syrian guerrillas from East Ghouta as Regime advances
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The Syrian War is largely over, but the regime of Bashar al-Assad and his Russian and Iranian backers appear determined to mop up the remaining enclaves of rebel opposition, despite sweet talk of de-confliction zones and of negotiations in Sochi or Astana. It would be better […]
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