Informed Comment Homepage

Thoughts on the Middle East, History and Religion

Header Right

  • Featured
  • US politics
  • Middle East
  • Environment
  • US Foreign Policy
  • Energy
  • Economy
  • Politics
  • About
  • Archives
  • Submissions

© 2025 Informed Comment

  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Conversation

The Conversation is an independent, not-for-profit media outlet that works with academic experts in their fields to publish short, clear essays on hot topics.

Climate Crisis
Extreme Weather alone doesn’t Change Views on Climate Change, People need to Link Them

Extreme Weather alone doesn’t Change Views on Climate Change, People need to Link Them

The Conversation

By Omid Ghasemi, UNSW Sydney (The Conversation) – Climate change has made extreme weather events such as bushfires and floods more frequent and more likely in recent years, and the trend is expected to continue. These events have led to human and animal deaths, harmed physical and mental health, and damaged properties and infrastructure. Will […]

Displaced and Refugees
Comics and Graphic Novels can empower Refugees to tell their Stories on their own Terms

Comics and Graphic Novels can empower Refugees to tell their Stories on their own Terms

The Conversation

By Dominic Davies, City St George’s, University of London and Candida Rifkind, University of Winnipeg (The Conversation) – There are more refugees in the world today than at any other point in history. The United Nations estimates that there are now more than 120 million people forcibly displaced from their homes. That is one in […]

racism
Who’s the most American? Psychological Studies show a Bias toward White English-Speakers

Who’s the most American? Psychological Studies show a Bias toward White English-Speakers

The Conversation

By Katherine Kinzler, University of Chicago (The Conversation) – In the U.S. and elsewhere, nationality tends to be defined by a set of legal parameters. This may involve birthplace, parental citizenship or procedures for naturalization. Yet in many Americans’ minds these objective notions of citizenship are a little fuzzy, as social and developmental psychologists like […]

History
Ibn Battuta, a 14th-century Judge and Ambassador, travelled further than Marco Polo. The Rihla records his Adventures

Ibn Battuta, a 14th-century Judge and Ambassador, travelled further than Marco Polo. The Rihla records his Adventures

The Conversation

By Ismail Albayrak, Australian Catholic University In our guides to the classics, experts explain key literary works. (The Conversation) – Ibn Battuta, was born in Tangier, Morocco, on February 24, 1304. From a statement in his celebrated travel book the Rihla (“legal affairs are my ancestral profession,”) he evidently came from an intellectually distinguished family. […]

Israel/ Palestine
Chaotic new Aid System means getting Food in Gaza has become a Matter of Life – and often Death

Chaotic new Aid System means getting Food in Gaza has become a Matter of Life – and often Death

The Conversation

By Leonie Fleischmann, City St George’s, University of London (The Conversation) – With all eyes on the ceasefire between Israel and Iran, which came into effect 12 days after Israel launched a major attack on Iran’s nuclear and military structure, attention towards Gaza has waned. This is at a time when attempting to gain access […]

Climate Crisis
Earth is Trapping much more Heat than Climate Models Forecast – and the Rate has Doubled in 20 Years

Earth is Trapping much more Heat than Climate Models Forecast – and the Rate has Doubled in 20 Years

The Conversation

By Steven Sherwood, UNSW Sydney; Benoit Meyssignac, Université de Toulouse, and Thorsten Mauritsen, Stockholm University (The Conversation) – How do you measure climate change? One way is by recording temperatures in different places over a long period of time. While this works well, natural variation can make it harder to see longer-term trends. But another […]

Progressive Politics
How Zohran Mamdani’s win in the New York City mayoral Primary could Ripple across the Country

How Zohran Mamdani’s win in the New York City mayoral Primary could Ripple across the Country

The Conversation

By Lincoln Mitchell, Columbia University (The Conversation) – Top Republicans and Democrats alike are talking about the sudden rise of 33-year-old Zohran Mamdani, a state representative who won the Democratic mayoral primary in New York on June 24, 2025, in a surprising victory over more established politicians. While President Donald Trump quickly came out swinging […]

Israel/ Palestine
How Israel’s Domestic Crises and Netanyahu’s Power Projection are Reshaping the Middle East

How Israel’s Domestic Crises and Netanyahu’s Power Projection are Reshaping the Middle East

The Conversation

By Spyros A. Sofos, Simon Fraser University (The Conversation) – Israel’s recent strikes on Iranian territory have been widely framed as an act of deterrence or yet another episode in a protracted regional rivalry. Such interpretations overlook the deeper motivations behind Israel’s actions. As a global humanities scholar who specializes in Middle Eastern politics, I […]

Iran
Who is Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei?

Who is Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei?

The Conversation

By Sahar Maranlou, Royal Holloway University of London (The Conversation) – Ali Khamenei was born in Mashhad, Iran, in 1939, as the second son of a local religious leader, Javad Khamenei, and he grew up in relative poverty. He learned to read the Qur’an in early childhood before attending a theological seminary school in Mashhad. […]

  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • …
  • Page 198
  • Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Support Independent Journalism

Click here to donate via PayPal.

Personal checks should be made out to Juan Cole and sent to me at:

Juan Cole
P. O. Box 4218,
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-2548
USA
(Remember, make the checks out to “Juan Cole” or they can’t be cashed)

STAY INFORMED

Join our newsletter to have sharp analysis delivered to your inbox every day.
Warning! Social media will not reliably deliver Informed Comment to you. They are shadowbanning news sites, especially if "controversial."
To see new IC posts, please sign up for our email Newsletter.

Social Media

Bluesky | Instagram

Popular

  • Trump never saw a Wind Farm in China, but Beijing has half of all Installed Wind Capacity and will Eat America's Lunch in this Industry
  • Trumpism holds all Men are Created Unequal and most should be Denied Life, Liberty or the Pursuit of Happiness
  • Israel continues to Starve, Target Gaza Civilians in ongoing Genocide
  • Why China's Inaction on Palestine and Iran Weakens its Global Standing
  • The Trump Team's Purge of Pentagon Photos Raises Sinister Echoes from the Past

Gaza Yet Stands


Juan Cole's New Ebook at Amazon. Click Here to Buy
__________________________

Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires



Click here to Buy Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires.

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam


Click here to Buy The Rubaiyat.
Sign up for our newsletter

Informed Comment © 2025 All Rights Reserved