Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Türkiye has emerged as the host of COP31, after a vigorous contest with Australia. In a compromise, the representatives of the world’s nearly 200 countries will assemble in Türkiye for the conference, but Australia will lead the negotiations. COP refers to the Conference of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, initiated […]
Trump Pledges F-35s to Saudi Arabia in return for an unlikely $1 trillion in Investment, Angering Israel Lobbies
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Al-Jazeera reports on the visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman to the White House. One US goal for the meeting was to induct Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords, which Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Kazakhstan have joined, recognizing Israel in return for US economic and […]
Israelis Block Syringes, Refrigerators for UNICEF Vaccination of Toddlers in Gaza
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – UNICEF, the United Nations Children Fund says it is attempting to begin a catch-up campaign of immunization in the Gaza Strip for the thousands of children who have been cut off by the Israeli total war on the Strip from life-saving services. UNICEF also wants to provide nutrition and growth […]
Syrian President Meets Trump, Pledges to fight ISIL and seek Security Pact with Israel
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – President Trump met behind closed doors on Monday with President Ahmad al-Sharaa of Syria for about an hour. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also met with his opposite number, Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani. One of the topics of discussion, according to the Syrian press, was ways […]
No, ancient Hebrew Slaves didn’t Build the Giza Pyramids
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The persistent myth-making of Israelis about history has become a geopolitical danger, no less than the myth-making of Christian Zionists like current US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alleges that the Muslim jurist or mufti, Amin al-Husseini, put Hitler up to the Holocaust, probably the […]
Will Climate Change force Tehran to Evacuate?
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian landed himself in hot water on November 6 by broaching the possibility of having to evacuate Iran’s capital, Tehran, if the current water shortage is not alleviated. He said, “If it does not rain in Tehran by December, we should ration water; if it still does […]
Turkiye Indicts 37 Israeli Officials for Genocide amid Reports Israel’s own Military Lawyers warned of War Crimes
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Daily Sabah, which is close to the government of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, reports that the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has issued arrest warrants for 37 Israeli officials on charges of genocide. The move comes amid jockeying between Turkiye and Israel over the Turkish proposal to send Turkish […]
On the Occasion of Dick Cheney’s Passing: “All the Vice President’s Men”
Richard Bruce Cheney, the 46th vice president of the United States, is dead at 84. He broke with the Republican Party at the end of his life and voted for Kamala Harris, perhaps aware of the way in which his own politics had turned the country to the far right. Long before Trump, Cheney purveyed […]
Conflicting Visions of an International Force for Gaza in Istanbul and Washington
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Two visions of the future of Gaza are congealing, in two different power centers. One is the Arab and Muslim foreign ministers who met Monday in Istanbul, including Türkiye, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Pakistan, and Indonesia. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Tuesday morning that the […]








