By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – CNN says White House officials were furious on Wednesday when the Russian press (the only journalists invited to the meeting of Trump with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak) abruptly released the pictures. Apparently White House staff thought there was […]
The Sadism of creeping Dictatorship
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – One of the classic techniques of dictatorship is humiliation, a manifestation of the sadism of the regime. Most people want to avoid being made the butt of ridicule, and authoritarian personalities calculate that they will even surrender some rights and liberties to avoid it. Even if […]
Which Middle East Authoritarian Leader is Trump most Like?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Trump’s abrupt and virtually unprecedented firing of FBI director Jim Comey raises the question of whether he and his far right wing circle of Neofascists intend to reshape the Bureau as (even more of) an instrument of white nationalism and executive authoritarianism. Despite the cover story […]
NSAgate: Trump was warned (by Yates and Obama), and yet He Persisted
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The Trump administration is running as hard and fast as it can away from Michael Flynn, whom Trump briefly appointed National Security adviser. But the facts of this case implicate Trump and his high officials (likely Steve Bannon was somehow involved, for instance). I was attending […]
It was ISIL, not Hackers, who Hijacked French Election
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – That hackers, most likely Russia-linked, were trying to throw the French election to Marine Le Pen this weekend by releasing thousands of emails from her opponent Emmanuel Macron, probably struck too late to achieve their goal. They were counting on the rule that candidates may not […]
Wind Power and the quest for 100% Renewables in age of Trump
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Are some major industrial countries only a decade or two from getting all their electricity from non-fossil fuel sources? Since it is the industrialized world that produces most of the deadly, toxic carbon dioxide that is poisoning our planet through the greenhouse effect, ameliorating the crisis […]
Trumpcare is the best Advertisement for Nationalizing Insurance
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The sadism and greed of the American Republican Party was on full display Thursday, as the House GOP voted to destroy Obamacare and remove the coverage for pre-existing conditions (50 million Americans suffer from them). Oh, this sabotage is camouflaged, but the way Trumpcare would work […]
How President Bannon’s Whiteboard Sank Trump
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Trump’s approval ratings are in the toilet compared to any other modern president at this stage of his presidency. At least some of that public disapproval comes from his repeated attempts to issue overly broad or discriminatory or otherwise unconstitutional executive orders. These were promptly blocked […]
India’s Electric-Car Plans could Leave Trump & US in Dust
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – India’s announcement that it wants to have its automobile fleet go completely electric by 2030 is a bigger deal than it seems on the surface, if in fact the government follows through. Power Minister Piyush Goya said Tuesday at the Confederation of Indian Industry, “We are […]
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