US politics

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – President Obama gave an interview on National Public Radio on Monday in which he attempted to reassure the US public about the threat of Daesh (ISIL, ISIS). Poor Obama was constrained to defend the point that “ISIL isn’t the Soviet Union” and we are not engaged […]

Afghanistan

6 US Troops killed by Taliban Suicide Bomber in Afghanistan

Juan Cole

Curated by Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – BBC Monitoring translates from Pushtu a report from the ‘Afghan Islamic Press’ from Kabul on 21 Dec., which says that “A suicide attack has been carried out on the Afghan and foreign forces in Bagram District of Parwan Province, in which . . . foreign […]

Republican Party

Which war did the Republican candidates serve in? Reflections on GOP War Talk from an Iraq vet

contributors

By Ramon Mejia | ( Waging Nonviolence) | – – As a U.S. Marine veteran who was deployed to Iraq in 2003, I can’t even begin to describe the disgust I felt while watching the GOP debate [last week]. Presidential candidate after presidential candidate attempted to one-up each other by highlighting how tough they would […]

Foreign Policy

Trump & GOP: Saber Rattling re: Iranians can never be too Aggressive

contributors

By Mahsa Alimardani | (Global Voices Online) | – – GOP candidate Donald Trump was the first to attack Iran early on in the [last] debate, calling it a “terrorist nation.”. The relationship between Iran and America is tenuous at best, and there is no better forum to exaggerate this difficult relationship than the debates […]

Democratic Party

Is Clinton right that Trump is Helping ISIL?

contributors

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – During Saturday night’s Democratic debate, Sec. Hillary Clinton at one point alleged, “And we also need to make sure that the really discriminatory messages that Trump is sending around the world don’t fall on receptive ears. He is becoming ISIS’s best recruiter. They are going to […]

Militarization

5 Questions For Syria Hawks

contributors

David M. Faris | (Informed Comment) | – – Last month’s horrific attacks in Paris and last week’s massacre in California – which was at most loosely connected to Daesh (ISIS/ISIL)– have renewed calls for more robust U.S. intervention in Syria. The momentum toward escalation is hardly limited to the political right: Opinion polling suggests […]

Bernie Sanders

Clinton: Trump chief recruiter for ISIL; Sanders: Take out Daesh First, Assad Later

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The second Saturday-night Democratic debate had a lot of discussion on foreign policy. It is a shame that the Democratic National Convention put it on a Saturday, when its audience was much lower. Many Bernie Sanders supporters believe that the DNC supports Sec. Hillary Clinton and […]

Islam-hatred

‘Off the Charts’ Violence against Muslims Ravaging US Communities

contributors

By Sarah Lazare, staff writer | (Commondreams.org) | – – New data confirms anecdotes of rising Islamophobic violence reflect nationwide trend. From an attack on a hijab-wearing sixth grader in the Bronx to the arson of a mosque near Palm Springs, reports of hate crimes targeting Muslims are more than troubling anecdotes, but rather, reflect […]

Featured

41% of Trump Supporters want to bomb Aladdin and Jasmine

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Public Policy Polling asked US voters if they favored bombing “Agraba.” Some 30% of Republicans said “Yes!” Obviously, this is a a little bit of a trick, since voters being asked such a question assume it is a real policy issue. But wouldn’t you want to […]