By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – BBC Monitoring translates the remarks of Russian President Vladimir Putin broadcast on Rosiyya 1 TV on Thursday. He responded to the remarks last week of former FBI director James Comey in his testimony before the senate, deploring Comey’s assertion, without offering any proof, of Russian interference […]
From Syria to Somalia: Where have all the Children Gone?
By Karen J. Greenberg | ( Tomdispatch.com) | – – “This is a war against normal life.” So said CNN correspondent Clarissa Ward, describing the situation at this moment in Syria, as well as in other parts of the Middle East. It was one of those remarks that should wake you up to the fact […]
Mattis overrules Trump on Qatari “terrorism,” sells it $12 bn in F-15s
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis defied his boss Donald Trump on Wednesday and inked a deal with the Qatar government to sell it $12 billion in F-15 fighter jets. Qatar hosts a US air base, al-Udeid, where some 11,000 US military personnel are based, and from […]
Why Saudi Extremism, Instability is an Argument for EVs, Wind and Solar Energy
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Saudi Arabia has gotten too big for its britches, and the oil-producing Middle East is turning even more unstable. Not to mention that global warming is getting worse and worse because of burning fossil fuels like petroleum. And it is your fault. If you are an […]
Top 6 signs Trump Really doesn’t like being Investigated
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – 1. Preet Bharara, former US attorney for Manhattan, says that after the election Trump called him several times and seemed to be attempting to cultivate him in an unorthodox way. Bharara had jurisdiction over Trump Tower and business deals in Manhattan. Although he was told by […]
Obama’s last Victory: Syrian Democratic Forces hold Parts of ISIL Capital
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends Not with a bang but a whimper. – T. S. Eliot, “The Hollow Men” Whatever the fate of the world, Eliot’s verse is appropriate to […]
Sorry, Trump, Electric Car sales doubled last Year, dooming dirty Fossil fuels
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The number of electric vehicles (EVs) on the road doubled worldwide to 2 million in the past year with 40% of EVs being in China. If the number of EVs went on doubling annually, they’d take over the world in short order. Moreover, all-electric automobiles outsold […]
Tillerson-Trump Rumble over Qatar shows White House Divisions
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday called on Saudi Arabia and its allies to halt their blockade of Qatar. “There are humanitarian consequences to this blockade,” he said. In addition, he worried that the dispute would undermine the struggle against ISIL (ISIS, Daesh): “The blockade […]
UK hung Parliament: Is Trumpism pushing Europe Left?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – As of very early Friday morning, it looks as though the election in the UK has produced a hung parliament, with the Conservative Party of prime minister Theresa May failing to win a majority. Whether this outcome will prevent the Tories from forming a government depends […]
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