Protesters in Bahrain on Thursday came out against the holding of the Formula One Grand Prix on Sunday, and met repression by police, who used stun guns and tear gas to clear them away. Bahrain has seen over a year of protests, but the Sunni monarchy has largely managed to quell the Shiite majority (the […]
British and Indian War Dead in Afghanistan, 1838-1843, Honored by Mumbai Church (Photos)
Plaque in the Church of St. John the Evangelist (the Afghan Church), Colaba, Mumbai (Bombay) (Photograph by Juan Cole, March, 2011) Interior of the church: (Photograph by Juan Cole, March, 2011) Number of US troops killed inside Afghanistan since 2001: 1776
Amnesia and Awakening: Israel and the Nakba (Weiss)
Yfaat Weiss writes in a guest editorial for Informed Comment Diachronic Neighbors The 26th of April is this year’s Israeli Independence Day. The thoughts expressed here are part of an internal Israeli debate surrounding that day. In March 2011 Israel’s parliament passed a law enabling the Finance Minister to reduce the state’s funding to bodies […]
Khamenei’s Fatwa against Nukes (Cenk Uygur Rant)
Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks on the progressive network Current TV gives us an insightful rant on Big TV News’ lack of interest in Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s fatwa declaring making, stockpiling and using nuclear weapons a sin. He points out that you almost never hear about this fatwa on television news, and performs […]
Will the Egyptian Military Allow the New President to take Office?
Al-Hayat reported that Egypt’s military council is making odd demands on the eve of the presidential election scheduled for May 23-24. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) says it wants the new constitution to be drafted before the president assumes office. Presumably this demand derives from the old constitution’s provisions that give the […]
Nugent Called by Secret Service (Cartoon)
Love Tank
Photograph by Juan Cole at the National Museum of Singapore, June, 2009: “Love Tank by S.Teddy D. (Indonesia) Multiplex, Resin, Metal Structure Approx. 200 x 500 x 650 cm Tanks, synonymous with the landscape of war, are instrumental war machines in the propagation of western supremacy. Pagoda, adorned with lotuses and often part of a […]
Omar Khayyam (99)
Those who sow a bit of reason in their hearts never waste a single moment of their lives. Either they seek divine good pleasure, or they relax and raise a cup. Translated by Juan Cole from [pdf] Whinfield 99
David Frum on Gasoline Prices and Iran (bzzzt Wrong)
I caught Republican strategist David Frum speaking on Erin Burnett’s magazine show on CNN Tuesday evening. I looked, but I couldn’t find a transcript yet, so this is from memory. Frum was a speech writer for George W. Bush and is said to have put the phrase ‘axis of evil’ in W.’s mouth. On the […]
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