By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The spectacle of Trump and of cronies such as alt-Neo-Nazi Steve Bannon hobnobbing with the Saudi monarchy, of the president curtsying to King Salman and receiving a huge gold medal from him (for what, bashing Islam relentlessly?) was made all the more seedy by its juxtaposition […]
Disaster or Repair? Trump heads to Saudi for Islam Address
by Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Trump left Friday afternoon for Saudi Arabia, where he will be feted with steak and ketchup by the Saudi monarchy and will deliver an address on Islam written by a far right wing notorious hater of Muslims. What could go wrong? Saudi Arabia is a relatively […]
Trump calls Special Counsel a “Witch Hunt”: But what is his relation to Russia?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Now that a Special Counsel (former FBI director Robert Mueller) has been appointed by the deputy head of the Department of Justice, it is time to review exactly what needs investigating. Trump is clearly terrified of the investigation. He immediately called the Mueller appointment harmful to […]
Was Chelsea Manning trying to stop the Endless War? Whistleblowing and Morality
By Peter Van Buren | (Tomdispatch.com) | <p>“My guilt will never go away,” former Marine Matthew Hoh explained to me. “There is a significant portion of me that doesn’t believe it should be allowed to go away, that this pain is fair.”</p> <p>If America accepts the idea of fighting endless wars, it will have to […]
GOP not the party of ‘Security’ as Intel Allies Flee Trump
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Globally, US security partners are beginning to rethink sharing sensitive intelligence with the United States. That decisio should worry all Americans, since it puts the US at greater risk of being blindsided. The Republican Party has long claimed to be the party of security, in large […]
Erdogan & Trump: Can the Confict over Syria be Resolved?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Two really big egos met Tuesday at the White House, as Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan consulted with Donald Trump. The two countries are deeply divided over Syria policy. Syria is actually several wars at once: Rebels are fighting the Baath regime of Bashar al-Assad. An al-Qaeda-linked […]
Should the Pentagon be Propping up Dictatorships around the World?
By David Vine | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | – – Much outrage has been expressed in recent weeks over President Donald Trump’s invitation for a White House visit to Rodrigo Duterte, president of the Philippines, whose “war on drugs” has led to thousands of extrajudicial killings. Criticism of Trump was especially intense given his similarly […]
Even Conservative SCOTUS can’t Stomach N Carolina Voter Suppression
by Andrea Germanos, staff writer | Commondreams.org | – – North Carolina’s Voter ID Law Meets ‘Its Much-Deserved Demise’ Decision by U.S. Supreme Court not to review appeals court decision on 2013 law affords ‘a huge victory against sham voter ID laws’ The Supreme Court’s decision today, said Dale Ho, director of the ACLU’s Voting […]
“Can you believe the World we Live in?” Trump doesn’t understand “Classified”
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Donald Trump is most probably not a Russian spy. He may have unusual connections to Russian businessmen (that isn’t clear), and seems to have made $100 million off Russia since 2008 (not that huge a sum for a multi-billionaire). Donald Trump is a braggart. He grabs […]
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