International Politics and Economy

Washington (AFP) – The US Navy plans to build sprawling detention centers for tens of thousands of immigrants on remote bases in support of President Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy against unlawful migration, a report said Friday. According to a draft memo obtained by Time magazine, the navy plans to build “temporary and austere” tent […]

Afghanistan

Did You Hear about the Great Afghan Peace March? MSM Ignores Nonviolent Activists

Mushtaq Mojaddidi

Kabul (AFP) – Dozens of peace protesters arrived in Kabul on Monday after walking hundreds of kilometres across war-battered Afghanistan, as the Taliban ended an unprecedented ceasefire and resumed attacks in several parts of the country. AFP / WAKIL KOHSAR. Afghan peace activists shout slogans demanding an end to fighting as they arrive in Kabul. […]

Islamophobia

Crackpot Anti-Muslim Bigotry takes over the US Government

Arnold R. Isaacs

Maryland (Tomdispatch.com) – Imagine that a nominee for secretary of state had shared platforms with white nationalist Richard B. Spencer and been given a major award by his National Policy Institute, which describes itself as “an independent organization dedicated to the heritage, identity, and future of people of European descent in the United States and […]

Donald Trump

Is Trump’s Iftar Party for Muslim envoys an attempt to Sway SCOTUS on Muslim Ban?

Juan Cole

Trump held an iftar dinner to break fast with Muslims on Wednesday. His guests, however, were not American Muslims but rather a select number of ambassadors to the US from pro-American Muslim governments. A survey of the Arabic press shows that this nuance is being ignored by the headline writers, who report that Trump invited […]

Donald Trump

Calls grow in Germany to Expel US Ambassador who Aims to Empower Hard Right

Hui Min Neo

Berlin (AFP) – A member of the German government on Tuesday accused the new US ambassador in Berlin of meddling in domestic politics and aggravating already tense ties, as left-wing parties called for the staunch ally of Donald Trump to be expelled. Richard Grenell took up his Berlin posting on May 8 and immediately irked […]

Democracy

Is there Too Much Democracy in the Middle East?

Juan Cole

In the Washington Post last week, historian of the US Yoav Fromer of Tel Aviv University published an article about how the problem with the Middle East is too much democracy and not too little. Fromer seems to take at face value George W. Bush’s policy of “democratization.” That was a slogan to cover the […]

Peace

JFK Made a Forgotten Turn toward Peace before He Was Killed; We’ve Abandoned it Entirely

H. Patricia Hynes

Co-author: Frances Crowe. Greenfield, MA (Informed Comment) – Fifty-five years ago on June 10, President John F. Kennedy delivered a commencement address at American University that, in fewer than 30 minutes, turned traditional national security policy on its head. Kennedy proclaimed that world peace is “the most important topic on earth….not merely peace for Americans […]

Featured

Trump’s Roast of Muslims at his White House Iftar Dinner

Juan Cole

Satire Mr. Trump: “Well, it is just great to see you all here. Actually, I’m surprised there are this many of you at my dinner. I thought I’d done a better job of keeping you out of the country! But I can’t blame you for getting past me. I mean, you’re from those shithole countries, […]

Featured

Hate Speech Advocate, who got Roseanne Barr Fired, Running Trump Mideast Policy

Juan Cole

In the brouhaha about Roseanne Barr being fired by ABC/Disney for a racist tweet, the actual origins of her weird outburst against Obama aide Valerie Jarrett were most often passed over. In her tweet, Barr said “Muslim Brotherhood & Planet of the Apes = VJ.” She later apologized to Jarrett for the gibe. But where […]