International Politics and Economy

By Vrinda Narain, McGill University and Fatemeh Sadeghi, UCL | – On Sept. 16, 2022, Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman, died in Tehran, Iran, while in police custody. Amini was arrested by the Guidance Patrol, the morality squad of the Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran that oversees public implementation of […]

censorship

Saudi Arabia: Drop Baseless Investigation of US Citizen: US Embassy Should Fully Assist Woman Facing Free Speech Charges

Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch – (Washington, DC) – Saudi prosecutors should drop an investigation possibly leading to formal criminal charges against a US citizen living in Saudi Arabia for “disrupting the public order,” Human Rights Watch said today. Carly Morris, 34, believes the allegation relates to her statements on social media voicing concerns about how Saudi […]

censorship

Iran Protests for “Woman, Life, Freedom” and against “Tyranny” spread to 31 Cities, with 35 Dead

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Iran is witnessing the worst mass unrest since the failed Green Revolution of 2009, which saw its biggest crowds come out in major cities such as Tehran, Tabriz and Shiraz, and which was spear-headed by college students and youth more generally. The 2009 movement was not joined by the bazaar, […]

Authoritarianism

Iranian Government Websites Go Dark; ‘Anonymous’ Hacker Collective Claims Responsibility

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

By Ardeshir Tayebi | – ( RFE/RL ) – Several Iranian government and state-owned websites have been taken down by Anonymous, the international activist hacker group says, in a move of support for nationwide protests that followed the death of a 22-year-old woman following her arrest by the morality police. The website of the Iranian […]

Congress

Tlaib calls out “Progressive except on Israel,” and Wasserman Schultz inadvertently makes Her Point for Her

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Ursula Perano at the Daily Beast reports on the controversy among the Progressive Democratic Caucus in Congress over remarks on Wednesday by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). She attacked the syndrome of “progressive except on Israel” within her caucus and observed at an online seminar, “that among progressives, it has become […]

Authoritarianism

Roots of White Rage

Peter G. Prontzos

Vancouver (Special to Informed Comment) Recent development show just how divided the United States of America really is. The latest polling shows that 72% of Americans believe that democracy is in serious danger. Even more strikingly, 43% said civil war was at least somewhat likely in the next 10 years. Robert Reich, a former US […]

Arms Sales

Spending Unlimited: Contractors Cash in as Congress Adds Billions to the Pentagon Budget

Tomdispatch

By Julia Gledhill and William D. Hartung | – ( Tomdispatch.com) – Congress has spoken when it comes to next year’s Pentagon budget and the results, if they weren’t so in line with past practices, should astonish us all. The House of Representatives voted to add $37 billion and the Senate $45 billion to the […]

Corruption

Empty Classified Document Folders at Trump’s Office at Mar-a-Lago: Where did the Docs Go?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – District Court Judge Aileen Cannon on Friday ordered the release of the inventory of US government documents seized by the FBI in its execution of a Department of Justice warrant authorizing the search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. Sam Cabral at the BBC explains that the FBI searched not only […]

Bill of Rights

Biden comes out Swinging against Trumpian, MAGA GOP as Authoritarian, Violent

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – President Joe Biden came out swinging in Philadelphia in a rare Thursday evening prime time address, denouncing the “MAGA Republican Party” of Donald Trump while praising what he termed “mainstream” conservative Republicans. MAGA is the acronym for “Make America Great Again,” the fascist slogan that disgraced former president Donald Trump […]