Can divesting in fossil fuel companies help the climate crisis?

The US campaign 350.org aims to lead a public movement against climate change by putting financial and painful pressure on fossil fuel companies that cause climate change. It’s an interesting idea, debated below on Democracy Now!, as similar tactics were used against apartheid South Africa and today’s apartheid Israel:

Rise of Sunnis in the Middle East and the decline of Iran in 2013

Juan Cole offers some predictions: 2013 will see Iranian influence in the Middle East continue a decline that began with the Arab upheavals of 2011. Iran’s two major allies in the Arab world are Syria and Lebanon. In Lebanon, Iran arms the Shiite party-militia Hizbullah, and does so overland through Iraq and Syria. Since Israel…

How an Orthodox Israeli Jewish billionaire loves to exploit Africa

This is a remarkable story, sad, tragic and outrageous, and proves that money doesn’t bring morality (via Bloomberg): Dan Gertler’s bearded face lights up as he looks out the helicopter window. Below, an installation twice the size of Monaco rises from a clearing in the central African forest, where it transforms ore mined from the…

Just one more reason why academic BDS against Israeli universities vital

After the recent faux controversy in Australia over a principled academic refusing to assist an Israeli academic because his centre abided by BDS principles, this story (via Ben White in Electronic Intifada) shows how intimately linked are Israeli universities, the occupation and the settler establishment: Dozens of academics from Israel and abroad, worried about the…

Thinking of occupied Bethlehem this Christmas

The reality of Palestinian life under Israeli occupation is often ignored in the West. This Christmas – I hope my readers have a safe and happy holiday season, wherever they may be – I’m once again publishing the regular missive from Brother Peter Bray, the Vice Chancellor of Bethlehem University (his past writings are here).…

Breaking: US TV show discusses influence of Zionist lobby

Perhaps the only US TV host that actually honestly discusses domestic and global issues is Chris Hayes on MSNBC. His latest involves the current absurd calls by the Israel lobby and its courtiers in the US to stop the potential Obama administration nomination of Chuck Hagel as Defence Secretary because he’s an “anti-Semite“. If America…

Political repression against blogger in Israel

Fascinating and disturbing story by Haggai Matar in +972: The Israeli blogger ”˜Eishton”˜ has been questioned by civilian and military police in an attempt to make him reveal a whistleblower who supplied him with unclassified military documents. His interrogation has attracted media attention to the anonymous blogger and his writing. Eishton (a combination of the…

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