Breaking News: Bahrain security forces appear to have run out of ammunition at the downtown Pearl Roundabout, as thousands of Shiite protesters flooded in Saturday morning. The demonstrators took the square and a festive mood settled in. The Wifaq Party, which had represented the majority Shiites in parliament until its members resigned en masse on […]
Iraq Roiled by Protests, 2 Killed in Sulaimaniya
What I can’t understand is, if the American Right Wing were correct that George W. Bush was ‘right’ in trying to kick start democracy in the Middle East by invading and occupying it, then why would it be necessary for people to demonstrate and burn government buildings in… Iraq? And why have 5 people been […]
Bahrain Shiites Withdraw from Parliament, Call for King’s Overthrow
Members of parliament from the Shiite Wifaq Party, which had 18 of 40 seats in the lower house of the Bahrain legislature, have resigned en masse from their positions. They were objecting thereby to the deaths so far of 5 protesters and the brutal crackdown on peaceful demonstrators early on Thursday morning by government security […]
The Great Arab Revolt: Cole in the Nation
My essay is out in The Nation, entitled “The Great Arab Revolt”. ‘These governments took steps in recent decades toward neoliberal policies of privatization and a smaller public sector under pressure from Washington and allied institutions—and the process was often corrupt. The ruling families used their prior knowledge of important economic policy initiatives to engage […]
Egypt Situation Still Explosive
The military government of Gen. Mohammad Hussein Tantawi, the minister of defense, has taken important steps toward mollifying the Jan. 25 protest movement, but it is not clear that these measures can succeed in forestalling further clashes and severe conflicts in Egypt. The government has appointed respected jurist Tareq al-Bishri to head a committee charged […]
Bahrain Army Cracks down Hard on Protesters, kills 4, wounds 95
Bahrain’s king, Hamad Al Khalifa, ordered troops and tanks into Pearl Square in downtown Manama in the early hours of Thursday morning. They fired tear gas, rubber bullets, and used batons to clear the hundreds of demonstrators who had decided to stay the night in the square, killing four protesters and injuring 95. About 50 […]
Bahrain: US Naval Base or Iranian Asset?
What is at stake for Americans in the Bahrain unrest? 1. Bahrain is a major center for the refining of crude petroleum, refining some 270,000 barrels a day. This amount is not large, but given tight petroleum supplies and a price of over $100 a barrel for Brent Crude, an outage there would certainly put […]
Pressman: “Coup with a mass(ive) twist”
Jeremy Pressman writes in a guest column for Informed Comment: Since Mubarak’s departure, I have followed several discussions among academics and analysts about what just happened. Some contend it was a military coup . Many others call it a popular revolution. I am not surprised about this disagreement because while the general pressure that was […]
Fear Not the Muslim Brotherhood Boogeyman: Cole in Truthdig
My column in Truthdig is out, entitled Fear Not the Muslim Brotherhood Boogeyman Excerpt: ‘ The hysteria in American media about Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood is not only ignorant and demagogic, it is hypocritical. The United States has actively promoted Muslim Brotherhood branches in other countries when it suited its purposes, including in Afghanistan and Iraq. […]
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