Informed Comment Homepage

Thoughts on the Middle East, History and Religion

Header Right

Donate

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • Email
  • RSS
  • Featured
  • US politics
  • Middle East
  • Environment
  • US Foreign Policy
  • Energy
  • Economy
  • Politics
  • About
  • Archives
  • Submissions

© 2021 Informed Comment

  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Month
  • 2021
    • January 2021 (79)
  • 2020
    • December 2020 (125)
    • November 2020 (122)
    • October 2020 (128)
    • September 2020 (122)
    • August 2020 (125)
    • July 2020 (122)
    • June 2020 (124)
    • May 2020 (131)
    • April 2020 (127)
    • March 2020 (133)
    • February 2020 (120)
    • January 2020 (130)
  • 2019
    • December 2019 (122)
    • November 2019 (113)
    • October 2019 (119)
    • September 2019 (117)
    • August 2019 (101)
    • July 2019 (126)
    • June 2019 (122)
    • May 2019 (130)
    • April 2019 (118)
    • March 2019 (143)
    • February 2019 (130)
    • January 2019 (152)
  • 2018
    • December 2018 (160)
    • November 2018 (137)
    • October 2018 (154)
    • September 2018 (142)
    • August 2018 (147)
    • July 2018 (137)
    • June 2018 (132)
    • May 2018 (136)
    • April 2018 (133)
    • March 2018 (126)
    • February 2018 (116)
    • January 2018 (131)
  • 2017
    • December 2017 (132)
    • November 2017 (135)
    • October 2017 (146)
    • September 2017 (127)
    • August 2017 (130)
    • July 2017 (121)
    • June 2017 (125)
    • May 2017 (126)
    • April 2017 (127)
    • March 2017 (139)
    • February 2017 (135)
    • January 2017 (127)
  • 2016
    • December 2016 (124)
    • November 2016 (116)
    • October 2016 (115)
    • September 2016 (95)
    • August 2016 (66)
    • July 2016 (109)
    • June 2016 (114)
    • May 2016 (128)
    • April 2016 (157)
    • March 2016 (156)
    • February 2016 (162)
    • January 2016 (149)
  • 2015
    • December 2015 (153)
    • November 2015 (156)
    • October 2015 (147)
    • September 2015 (149)
    • August 2015 (153)
    • July 2015 (151)
    • June 2015 (152)
    • May 2015 (145)
    • April 2015 (148)
    • March 2015 (147)
    • February 2015 (136)
    • January 2015 (155)
  • 2014
    • December 2014 (157)
    • November 2014 (150)
    • October 2014 (138)
    • September 2014 (139)
    • August 2014 (151)
    • July 2014 (156)
    • June 2014 (146)
    • May 2014 (160)
    • April 2014 (146)
    • March 2014 (143)
    • February 2014 (122)
    • January 2014 (181)
  • 2013
    • December 2013 (166)
    • November 2013 (62)
    • October 2013 (62)
    • September 2013 (69)
    • August 2013 (76)
    • July 2013 (118)
    • June 2013 (109)
    • May 2013 (109)
    • April 2013 (85)
    • March 2013 (89)
    • February 2013 (70)
    • January 2013 (73)
  • 2012
    • December 2012 (96)
    • November 2012 (76)
    • October 2012 (92)
    • September 2012 (74)
    • August 2012 (66)
    • July 2012 (99)
    • June 2012 (77)
    • May 2012 (76)
    • April 2012 (98)
    • March 2012 (107)
    • February 2012 (93)
    • January 2012 (64)
  • 2011
    • December 2011 (60)
    • November 2011 (51)
    • October 2011 (41)
    • September 2011 (39)
    • August 2011 (42)
    • July 2011 (36)
    • June 2011 (49)
    • May 2011 (64)
    • April 2011 (62)
    • March 2011 (54)
    • February 2011 (52)
    • January 2011 (74)
  • 2010
    • December 2010 (79)
    • November 2010 (57)
    • October 2010 (65)
    • September 2010 (58)
    • August 2010 (56)
    • July 2010 (51)
    • June 2010 (59)
    • May 2010 (41)
    • April 2010 (48)
    • March 2010 (52)
    • February 2010 (51)
    • January 2010 (73)
  • 2009
    • December 2009 (65)
    • November 2009 (70)
    • October 2009 (49)
    • September 2009 (53)
    • August 2009 (60)
    • July 2009 (65)
    • June 2009 (78)
    • May 2009 (56)
    • April 2009 (52)
    • March 2009 (78)
    • February 2009 (46)
    • January 2009 (94)
  • 2008
    • December 2008 (84)
    • November 2008 (105)
    • October 2008 (75)
    • September 2008 (84)
    • August 2008 (84)
    • July 2008 (66)
    • June 2008 (62)
    • May 2008 (66)
    • April 2008 (47)
    • March 2008 (49)
    • February 2008 (43)
    • January 2008 (61)
  • 2007
    • December 2007 (63)
    • November 2007 (69)
    • October 2007 (67)
    • September 2007 (68)
    • August 2007 (95)
    • July 2007 (74)
    • June 2007 (59)
    • May 2007 (82)
    • April 2007 (56)
    • March 2007 (51)
    • February 2007 (50)
    • January 2007 (61)
  • 2006
    • December 2006 (49)
    • November 2006 (45)
    • October 2006 (55)
    • September 2006 (63)
    • August 2006 (94)
    • July 2006 (91)
    • June 2006 (72)
    • May 2006 (85)
    • April 2006 (69)
    • March 2006 (66)
    • February 2006 (53)
    • January 2006 (62)
  • 2005
    • December 2005 (60)
    • November 2005 (77)
    • October 2005 (76)
    • September 2005 (77)
    • August 2005 (86)
    • July 2005 (95)
    • June 2005 (85)
    • May 2005 (79)
    • April 2005 (76)
    • March 2005 (81)
    • February 2005 (69)
    • January 2005 (63)
  • 2004
    • December 2004 (80)
    • November 2004 (86)
    • October 2004 (77)
    • September 2004 (67)
    • August 2004 (99)
    • July 2004 (98)
    • June 2004 (102)
    • May 2004 (172)
    • April 2004 (114)
    • March 2004 (130)
    • February 2004 (131)
    • January 2004 (118)
  • 2003
    • December 2003 (128)
    • November 2003 (139)
    • October 2003 (166)
    • September 2003 (134)
    • August 2003 (36)
    • July 2003 (33)
    • June 2003 (29)
    • May 2003 (34)
    • April 2003 (31)
    • March 2003 (25)
    • February 2003 (25)
    • January 2003 (31)
  • 2002
    • December 2002 (16)
    • November 2002 (19)
    • October 2002 (30)
    • September 2002 (29)
    • August 2002 (17)
    • July 2002 (15)
    • June 2002 (4)
    • May 2002 (3)
    • April 2002 (8)
Category
  • Africa (146)
    • Cameroon (1)
    • Djibouti (2)
    • Eritrea (1)
    • Ethiopia (5)
    • Kenya (6)
    • Nigeria (17)
    • Senegal (1)
    • Somalia (13)
    • South Africa (13)
    • South Sudan (6)
    • Sudan (26)
    • Zimbabwe (1)
  • Animals (1)
  • Asia (841)
    • Central Asia (13)
    • East Asia (181)
      • China (146)
        • Hong Kong (2)
      • Japan (18)
      • North Korea (22)
      • South Korea (6)
    • South Asia (619)
      • Afghanistan (393)
        • Taliban (119)
      • Bangladesh (11)
      • India (80)
      • Nepal (2)
      • Pakistan (207)
        • Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (1)
        • FATA (30)
        • Haqqani Network (13)
        • Nawaz Sharif (8)
        • Pakistan People's Party (3)
        • Zardari (2)
    • Southeast Asia (46)
      • Indonesia (1)
      • Myanmar (36)
      • Philippines (1)
      • Thailand (2)
      • Vietnam (2)
  • Australasia (2)
    • New Zealand (2)
  • Australia (6)
  • Authoritarianism (182)
  • Canada (1)
  • Cats (1)
  • Culture (419)
    • art and photography (62)
    • Books (45)
      • The New Arabs (4)
    • Dance (3)
    • Entertainment (75)
      • Humor (46)
        • Cartoon (7)
      • Sports (6)
    • film (44)
    • Graphic Novel (6)
    • Music (43)
    • Philosophy (3)
    • poetry (168)
      • Omar Khayyam (146)
    • Popular Culture (10)
      • Comic Books (1)
    • Science Fiction (8)
    • Television (4)
  • Dehydration (1)
  • Democracy (247)
    • Elections (132)
  • Dissent (288)
  • Economy (727)
    • Banking (52)
    • Debt (8)
    • Democratic Socialism (19)
    • Development (17)
    • Employment (80)
    • Inequality (267)
    • Investment (60)
    • Middle Class (50)
    • Neoliberalism (96)
    • Plutocracy (443)
    • Poverty (106)
    • Trade (97)
    • Weapons sales (1)
  • Education (75)
    • Universities (28)
  • Elderly (3)
  • Energy (1,083)
    • Batteries (1)
    • Coal (79)
    • Fossil Fuels (189)
    • Fracking (43)
    • Geothermal (4)
    • Green ammonia (2)
    • Green Energy (258)
    • Green Hydrogen (2)
    • Natural Gas (48)
    • Nuclear Energy (110)
    • Petroleum (180)
    • Solar Energy (188)
    • Tar Sands (13)
    • Wave Energy (3)
    • wind energy (139)
  • Environment (1,511)
    • Climate Change (975)
      • Acidification of Oceans (47)
      • Dehydration (4)
      • Denialism (98)
      • Desertification (121)
      • Extreme Weather (188)
      • Flooding (33)
      • Forests (2)
      • Green New Deal (21)
      • Mass Extinction (21)
      • Methane (12)
      • Rainforests (7)
      • Sea Level (190)
      • Soil Carbon Release (9)
      • Super Storms (42)
      • wildfires (31)
    • Climate Crisis (256)
      • Extreme Heat (25)
    • Drought (45)
    • Environmentalism (222)
    • Green Transportation (119)
    • Ice Melt (42)
    • Oceans (16)
    • Pollution (159)
      • plastic (8)
    • Water (47)
    • wildlife (4)
  • Europe (788)
    • Eastern Europe (404)
      • Balkans (6)
      • Hungary (2)
      • Russia (380)
        • Chechnya (3)
      • Ukraine (39)
    • Eurasia (14)
      • Armenia (6)
      • Azerbaijan (5)
      • Shanghai Cooperation Council (4)
      • Shanhai Cooperation Council (1)
    • European Union (322)
      • Austria (2)
      • Belgium (10)
      • Denmark (2)
      • France (82)
      • Germany (79)
      • Greece (11)
      • Ireland (4)
      • Italy (6)
      • Netherlands (7)
      • Poland (1)
      • Scotland (5)
      • Spain (17)
      • Sweden (6)
    • Norway (5)
    • United Kingdom (89)
  • Featured (2,680)
  • fiction (5)
    • Comic Books (1)
    • Fall of the New Year Throne (1)
    • Flash Fiction (1)
  • Food (8)
  • G20 (1)
  • Guns (9)
  • Health (464)
    • Addiction (4)
    • Epidemics (303)
    • Food Security (20)
    • Health Care (290)
    • Mental Health (39)
    • Pharmaceuticals (1)
    • Psychology (3)
    • Social Safety Net (2)
  • History (241)
    • Archaeology (29)
    • Cold War (10)
    • Colonialism (89)
    • Ottoman Empire (11)
    • slavery (4)
  • Human Rights (994)
    • Apartheid (235)
    • censorship (161)
    • Death Penalty (7)
    • Displaced and Refugees (441)
    • Gay rights (7)
    • Human Rights Watch (75)
    • Slavery and Trafficking (11)
    • Torture (67)
    • Unlawful Imprisonment (15)
    • War Crimes (264)
    • War Rape (3)
  • Immigration (17)
  • International (606)
    • Arms Sales (36)
    • Corruption (195)
    • Crime (84)
      • Drugs (10)
      • Piracy (1)
    • Domestic Terrorism (14)
    • Drones (93)
    • Politics (234)
      • Far Right (99)
      • Left Politics (62)
    • Politics&Culture (16)
    • Propaganda (1)
  • Islamophobia (307)
  • Juan Cole (268)
  • Latin America (68)
    • Brazil (10)
    • Caribbean (2)
    • Costa Rica (1)
    • Cuba (5)
    • Mexico (6)
    • Venezuela (8)
  • Latinos (3)
  • leisure (21)
    • Intoxicants (3)
    • Sports (2)
  • media (375)
    • Internet (140)
      • social media (103)
    • journalism (212)
      • Political Cartoons (1)
    • television (18)
  • Middle East (7,264)
    • Arab World (4,621)
      • Algeria (10)
      • Arab Spring (85)
      • Bahrain (56)
      • Egypt (458)
      • GCC (54)
      • Gulf (36)
      • Iraq (1,795)
        • Iraq War (243)
      • Jordan (21)
      • Kuwait (21)
      • Lebanon (108)
        • Hizbullah (35)
      • Libya (206)
        • Gaddafi (1)
      • Morocco (13)
      • Palestine (447)
        • Hamas (9)
      • Qatar (80)
      • Saudi Arabia (539)
      • Sudan (9)
      • Syria (1,062)
        • Bashar al-Assad (139)
        • Free Syrian Army (95)
      • Tunisia (98)
      • UAE (88)
      • Yemen (364)
        • Houthi (94)
        • Saleh (40)
    • Iran (912)
    • Israel (703)
      • Haredim (13)
      • Israel Lobby (83)
      • Mizrahim (6)
      • Palestinian-Israelis (34)
    • Israel/ Palestine (1,949)
      • Gaza (1)
    • Israel/Palestine (8)
    • Kurds (264)
    • Turkey (446)
  • military (105)
  • Modernism (1)
  • nationalism (102)
  • NATO (6)
  • Natural Disasters (11)
  • nuclear weapons (58)
  • Patriarchy (2)
  • Peace (75)
    • Nonviolence (21)
  • Persian mythology (1)
  • Pete Buttigieg (1)
  • Popular Culture (24)
    • Comic Books (1)
    • Zombies (4)
  • Poverty (11)
  • privacy (19)
  • racism (352)
  • Rape (5)
  • religion (839)
    • Buddhism (24)
    • Christianity (157)
      • Assyrians (13)
      • Chaldeans (11)
      • Copts (10)
      • Dominionism (4)
      • Evangelicals (10)
      • Papacy (21)
      • Protestants (8)
      • Roman Catholicism (17)
    • Cults (4)
    • Eastern Orthodox (9)
    • Fundamentalism (19)
    • Hindu Nationalism (6)
    • Hinduism (2)
    • Islam (633)
      • Islamic History (12)
        • Inscriptions (2)
      • political Islam (223)
        • Muslim Brotherhood (27)
      • Qur'an (61)
      • Shiites (237)
        • Alawites (6)
        • Alevis (2)
        • Druze (6)
        • Ismailis (1)
        • Zaidis (20)
      • Sufism (15)
      • Sunnis (188)
        • Salafis (62)
      • Wahhabis (32)
    • Jewish History (35)
      • Holocaust (10)
    • Judaism (84)
      • Antisemitism (21)
    • Millenarianism (1)
    • Sikhism (1)
    • Yezidis (15)
    • Zoroastrianism (1)
  • Rights (128)
    • BDS (14)
    • BDS Occupied Territories (36)
    • Gay Rights (2)
    • Privacy (14)
    • Torturers (30)
  • robots (1)
  • Romance (1)
  • science (117)
    • Artificial Intelligence (3)
      • Robots (2)
    • astronomy and outer space (26)
    • Evolution (8)
    • Mass Extinction (3)
    • Technology (20)
      • Domestic drones (2)
  • Secular (West) (8)
  • Secularism (25)
  • Sexual Assault (2)
  • South Pacific (1)
  • Spirituality (21)
    • Meditation (1)
    • Sufism (9)
  • Statelessness (14)
  • Surveillance (259)
    • Corporate Surveillance (12)
    • Domestic Surveillance (168)
    • Government surveillance (219)
  • Terrorism (1,035)
    • al Qaeda in the Arabian Penisula (39)
    • al-Qaeda (183)
    • Al-Shabab (2)
    • Boko Haram (10)
    • Counter-Terrorism (65)
    • Far Right (27)
    • Irgun (2)
    • Islamic Jihad (2)
    • Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (607)
    • Israeli Squatters (34)
    • Jabhat al-Nusra (89)
    • Pakistan Taliban (50)
    • PKK (3)
  • Tolerance (4)
  • Uncategorized (8,045)
  • United Nations (80)
    • International Criminal Court (11)
  • Urbanization (3)
  • US Foreign Policy (586)
  • US politics (3,982)
    • Anti-War Movement (6)
    • Campaign Finance (27)
    • Censors (21)
    • Central Intelligence Agency (59)
    • Civil Rights (83)
    • Congress (38)
    • Conspiracy Theories (6)
    • Constitution (322)
      • Bill of Rights (168)
    • crime (5)
      • rape (3)
    • Democratic Party (568)
      • Barack Obama (227)
      • Bernie Sanders (105)
      • Elizabeth Warren (10)
      • Hillary Clinton (77)
      • Jennifer Granholm (1)
      • Joe Biden (69)
      • Kamala Harris (10)
      • Obama (4)
    • Democratic Socialists of America (14)
    • Domestic Terrorism (16)
    • Drone Warfare (26)
    • Espionage (116)
      • CIA (47)
      • National Security Agency (61)
    • Ethnicities (287)
      • African-Americans (185)
      • Arab Americans (74)
      • Asian-Americans (11)
      • Iranian-Americans (15)
      • Latinos (72)
    • Far Right (216)
      • Steve Bannon (47)
    • FBI (42)
    • Foreign Policy (203)
    • Gay Rights (14)
    • Guns (65)
    • Immigration (194)
    • Israel Lobbies (83)
    • Marijuana (1)
    • Militarization (229)
    • National Security State (383)
    • Native Americans (26)
    • Nuclear arsenal (6)
    • penitentiaries (6)
    • Pentagon (365)
    • Police (34)
    • prison reform (6)
    • Private Prisons (1)
    • Puerto Rico (25)
    • Religious Right (1)
    • Reproductive Choice (7)
    • Republican Party (2,486)
      • Bush (75)
        • Richard Bruce Cheney (39)
      • Donald Trump (1,786)
      • Neoconservatives (11)
    • Supreme Court (60)
    • Voter suppression (19)
    • Whistleblowers (4)
    • Xenophobia (8)
  • Veterans (29)
  • Voting Rights (4)
  • War (277)
    • Chemical Weapons (11)
    • Nuclear weapons (13)
  • Western Religion (376)
    • American Jews (16)
    • Christians (60)
      • Fundamentalists (40)
    • Islam-hatred (221)
    • Muslim-Americans (212)
    • Roman Catholics (6)
    • US Buddhism (1)
    • Western Jews (32)
      • Antisemitism (18)
      • Zionism (10)
    • Western Muslims (67)
  • White Supremacists (90)
  • wikileaks (8)
  • women (291)
    • Feminism (55)
  • workers (147)
  • Writing (5)
  • Youth (121)
    • Children (44)

nationalism

Egypt
Egypt’s Generation Gap over Gen. al-Sisi: Arguing with your Mom

Egypt’s Generation Gap over Gen. al-Sisi: Arguing with your Mom

contributors

By Amr Kotb This conversation about the political situation in Egypt provides a good example of the generational gap numerous young Egyptians are struggeling with. My mother and I have been arguing over the past ten months. Since August of last summer, she – an ardent supporter of the January 25 revolution – has been […]

Apartheid
Israel Threatens Witnesses to its Killings of Palestinians, and it Must Stop

Israel Threatens Witnesses to its Killings of Palestinians, and it Must Stop

contributors

Via Human Rights Watch Israeli Army targets Man Whose Cameras Recorded Deaths Israel should be investigating these deaths, but instead its forces seem intent on intimidating witnesses and ensuring future abuses won’t be caught on camera. The Israeli response to the killing of two boys looks more like an attempt to cover up than a […]

Bush
Dear America: You’re in the Army Now

Dear America: You’re in the Army Now

contributors

By William J. Astore I spent four college years in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) and then served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force.  In the military, especially in basic training, you have no privacy.  The government owns you.  You’re “government issue,” just another G.I., a number on a dogtag that has your […]

Barack Obama
And the Walls Come Tumbling Down: Israeli PM Netanyahu on Notice from both Left and Right

And the Walls Come Tumbling Down: Israeli PM Netanyahu on Notice from both Left and Right

contributors

By Carlyn Meyer If there was any doubt about which side came out stronger from the failed Kerry peace initiative, it’s been put to rest by events since. Neither side wanted to be the first to disrupt the talks and be blamed for their demise. Once Netanyahu reneged on releasing the last contingent of Palestinian […]

Bashar al-Assad
Right Said Fred:  Syria’s Assad a War Criminal (John Oliver Video)

Right Said Fred: Syria’s Assad a War Criminal (John Oliver Video)

contributors

Right Said Fred (really!) appears on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver to tell Syrian president Bashar al-Assad what a dick he is. It’s going to be especially disappointing to Assad, as they are one of his favorite bands. Lyrics: YOU’RE TOO AWFUL FOR THIS EARTH TOO AWFUL FOR THIS EARTH SO AWFUL IT HURTS […]

Iraq
Iraq: 450,000 have fled al-Anbar as Gov’t Deploys Militias against al-Qaeda

Iraq: 450,000 have fled al-Anbar as Gov’t Deploys Militias against al-Qaeda

contributors

Euronews reports: “Security slips further in Iraq as car bombs hit Baghdad” Ahmad Hadi gives the background at Niqash.org Members of an extremist Shiite Muslim militia have been recruited to fight Sunni Muslim rebels and militias in Iraq’s Anbar province. But for some Baghdad-based fighters the battle is taking place too close to home: They’re […]

censorship
Turkey’s Erdogan Calls CNN Reporter arrested on air “Lackey,” “Agent of Chaos”

Turkey’s Erdogan Calls CNN Reporter arrested on air “Lackey,” “Agent of Chaos”

contributors

Turkey PM accuses international media of spying, singles out CNN (via AFP) Turkey’s embattled prime minister lashed out at international media on Tuesday, accusing news outlets of stirring unrest during the one-year anniversary of mass anti-government protests. Recep Tayyip Erdogan singled out CNN International, whose reporter…   —– Related video: CNN: “CNN reporter detained by […]

Islam
Israeli PM Netanyahu Vows never to Return Occupied E Jerusalem to Palestinian Residents

Israeli PM Netanyahu Vows never to Return Occupied E Jerusalem to Palestinian Residents

contributors

On Jerusalem Day Netanyahu vows never to divide the city (via AFP) Tens of thousands of religious Jews waving Israeli flags marched into mainly Arab east Jerusalem Wednesday as the country celebrated the anniversary of its capture in the 1967 Six-Day War. Fearing clashes, police closed the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque…   —– related video: PressTV: […]

Apartheid
Turkish Court asks Interpol to arrest 4 Israeli ex-Generals for Gaza Aid Ship Murders

Turkish Court asks Interpol to arrest 4 Israeli ex-Generals for Gaza Aid Ship Murders

contributors

Turkish court orders arrest of Israeli top brass over Gaza ship raid (via AFP) A Turkish court on Monday ordered the arrest of four former Israeli military chiefs over a deadly 2010 maritime assault, in a move which could jeopardise reconciliation efforts between the countries. The court in Istanbul will ask Interpol to issue…   […]

  • « Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • …
  • Page 8
  • Page 9
  • Page 10
  • Page 11
  • Page 12
  • Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Support Us

Help keep independent journalism alive and donate online, or make checks payable to:
"Juan Cole"
P. O. Box 4218,
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-2548
(No parcels, please)

STAY INFORMED

Join our newsletter and have sharp analysis delivered to your inbox every day.


Sign up for our newsletter

Informed Comment © 2021 All Rights Reserved