Israel Needs Some Tough Love

With all of the public sniping back-and-forth between American President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Netanyahu’s circumvention of standard protocol for a visiting head of state to speak before Congress, watching or listening to the...

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The Speech

Suddenly it reminded me of something. I was watching The Speech by Binyamin Netanyahu before the Congress of the United States. Row upon row of men in suits (and the occasional woman), jumping up and down, up and down, applauding wildly, shouting approval. It was the...

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How To Create a National Insecurity State

Originally posted at TomDispatch. In our era in Washington, whole careers have been built on grotesque mistakes. In fact, when it comes to our various conflicts, God save you if you’re right; no one will ever want to hear from you again. If you’re wrong, however......

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‘F—k the EU,’ Revisited

When Victoria Nuland, the neoconservative éminence grise of the Obama administration, uttered her now infamous "F—k the EU!" in a phone call with US ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt, it was a supremely embarrassing moment for Washington. Aside...

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Canadian Soldier Among 304 Killed in Iraq

Kurdish forces mistook a group of Canadian soldiers for militants and fire upon them, killing one and wounding three. At least 303 people were also killed, and another 76 were wounded across the country. A second ancient Iraqi city may have been razed by the Islamic State militants.
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ISIS, Art, and Barbarism

As they’re wont to do, last week ISIS released a video of their grim work. This time, the victims in their propaganda piece were not human beings but priceless artifacts housed in the Mosul, Iraq museum. "The Prophet Muhammad commanded us to shatter and destroy...

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An Open Letter to Petro Poroshenko

Dear Petro Poroshenko, Be careful of American support. Now that you are about to become a close ally of the US and a dictator at the same time, you should be warned that this might not be the beginning of a long-living love affair that inevitably ends with an account...

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Grand Ayatollah Wants Sunnis Armed; 143 Killed in Iraq

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the highest-ranking Shi’ite cleric in Iraq, called on the government to provide weapons and supplies to Sunnis in Anbar province. During his Friday sermon, he said that the Sunnis in Anbar have shown a patriotic attitude against the militants, but the shortages they are suffering could encourage them to change their sides. He also warned militiamen not to seek revenge on civilians.
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