US Foreign Policy

That Time Gorbachev Announced Soviet Withdrawal from Afghanistan and US went on Building up Muslim Fundamentalists there Anyway, leading to 9/11

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Mikhail Gorbachev’s passing yesterday at age 91 is a good occasion to review some of the profound mistakes of the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush presidencies regarding Afghanistan. Reagan-era officials refused to believe that Premier Gorbachev actually intended to pull Soviet troops out of Afghanistan, though Gorbachev came into […]

Afghanistan

End America’s Collective Punishment of Afghans

Foreign Policy in Focus

By Farrah Hassen | – ( Foreign Policy in Focus) – A year has now passed since the tumultuous U.S. withdrawal from decades of war and occupation in Afghanistan. With the Taliban functionally in charge, the country faces a deteriorating humanitarian crisis and economic collapse. But instead of taking action to promote stability and reinvigorate […]

Bill of Rights

The Real Cancel Culture: Anti-Palestinianism and the Crisis of American Free Speech

Middle East Monitor

By Nasim Ahmed | – ( Middle East Monitor ) – The firing of Palestinian American woman, Natalie Abulhawa, has sparked a debate over free-speech, “cancel-culture” and the ever-growing crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism. The 25-year-old athletic trainer was fired by a private girls school in Bryn Mawr over years-old social media posts criticising Israel. In […]

Featured

Why the Right Wingers in Israel and the US Really Oppose Iran Nuclear Deal: They want Regime Change Instead

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Right wing Israeli politicians such as former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu and even centrist politicians like caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid have fulminated against any US renewal of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). As with the loony Right wing in the US (increasingly […]

Israel/ Palestine

The US Law Restricting Satellite Imagery of Palestine-Israel

Al-Shabaka

By Zena Agha | – ( Al-Shabaka ) – Bipartisan legislation passed by the US Congress in 1997 limits the quality and availability of satellite imagery of Palestine-Israel. The Kyl-Bingaman Amendment (KBA) to the US National Defense Authorization Act was passed under the pretext of protecting Israel’s national security. It prevents US satellite operators and […]

Bashar al-Assad

Is US fight against Shiite Militias in Syria becoming entangled in Russia-US Ukraine Tensions?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – AP reports that early today, Wednesday, the US military launched air strikes against Iran-backed Shiite militias in Deir al-Zor Province, eastern Syria. The bombings came in response to drone attacks on the US base at Tanf, Syria, allegedly by these militias, on August 15. Those drone actions did not result […]

Afghanistan

Is Afghanistan Balkanizing under the Taliban Rule? On the one-year anniversary of their seizure of power, the Taliban now face a wholly different threat.

Foreign Policy in Focus

By Atal Ahmadzai ( Foreign Policy in Focus) – In the year since the fall of Kabul, Afghanistan has endured rapid and agonizing setbacks. Two decades of socio-economic and political gains have vanished under the dystopian rule of the Taliban. Furthermore, while peace is far from being realized, political violence, including the Taliban’s extrajudicial executions, […]

Natural Disasters

Shelling of Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant exposes multiple risks – a nuclear expert tells us what they are

The Conversation

By Ross Peel, King’s College London | – Shelling has recently intensified at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, raising international safety concerns. Ukrainian staff continue to operate the massive plant under strict control and stressful conditions. Both Russia and Ukraine are blaming one another for the continued attacks, and damage. Disinformation and fake news […]

Cryptocurrency

Why Cryptocurrencies Are No Digital Cure-All For Iran, Russia, Other Sanctioned States

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

By Michael Scollon | – ( RFE/RL ) – Cryptocurrencies are being eyed by Iran, Russia, and other sanctioned states as a way to evade punitive barriers to international trade — but the dependence of “crypto” on banking systems makes it anything but a safe haven for illicit payments. Crypto enjoys a reputation of being […]