Tag: current affairs – international

Oblivion Culture: Countering the German taboo on Palestinian trauma

A decisive part of the trauma experienced by Palestinians in Germany comes not only from its being rendered taboo, but also from what Pierre Bourdieu calls symbolic violence. The term describes the violence of those discourses that normalize and legitimize systemic violence…. Symbolic violence justifies the expulsion and dispossession of Palestinians and the seizure of… Read More Oblivion Culture: Countering the German taboo on Palestinian trauma

Dilip

How Elon Musk and Taylor Swift Might Solve US-China Relations

By Thomas Friedman ; New York Times; December 17, 2024 I just spent a week in Beijing and Shanghai, meeting with Chinese officials, economists, and entrepreneurs, so let me get straight to the point: while we sleep, China has made tremendous leaps in high-tech manufacturing.  If no one has told Donald Trump, then I will: his… Read More How Elon Musk and Taylor Swift Might Solve US-China Relations

Dilip

Adam Tooze on Polycrisis and technocratic complacency. Interview with Ding Xiongfei from the Shanghai Review of Books

ADAM TOOZE Conducted in the summer of 2024 in Shanghai this interview with Ding Xionfei is the most far-reaching public discussion I have had had about the development of my writing and thinking since Perry Anderson’s review of my work. I want to thank Ding Xiongfei for his remarkable engagement and for permission to republish part… Read More Adam Tooze on Polycrisis and technocratic complacency. Interview with Ding Xiongfei from the Shanghai Review of Books

Dilip

A Second Trump Term is the Beginning of the End and That’s Not All Bad

Fascism is the final stage in the state’s life cycle after the orgy of imperialism, and the American Empire couldn’t die soon enough. Nicky Reid This is not a sane universe. This is Babylon during the end times. Rome is burning, so Caligula gets a second term while Nero plays “Rhiannon” on the violin. The… Read More A Second Trump Term is the Beginning of the End and That’s Not All Bad

Dilip

‘In America we do not kill people in cold blood’ etc. But elsewhere…

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A Massive Database of Evidence, Compiled by a Historian, Documents Israel’s War Crimes in Gaza My remarks at the Oxford Union debate President of Refugees International Condemns Biden Admin for Role in Gaza Israel’s war in Gaza amounts to genocide, Amnesty International report finds / Former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon accuses Israel of ethnic cleansing Rashid Khalidi: ‘Israel… Read More ‘In America we do not kill people in cold blood’ etc. But elsewhere…

Dilip

Where is Syria headed?

Now, as the Arabic saying goes, the time has come for meditation after elation. Let us reflect on what has happened so far to try to foresee what the future may hold…. the hateful Assad regime was standing only thanks to two foreign occupations, out of the five foreign occupations across Syrian territory. Gilbert Achcar… Read More Where is Syria headed?

Dilip

The Chris Hedges Report: The Fall of Assad & What it Means for The Mid East

The Fall of Assad & What it Means for The Mid East (w/ Alastair Crooke) | The Chris Hedges Report As Chris Hedges stated: “That [discourse by Crooke] was fascinating and brilliant.” Crooke provides insight that would benefit many Americans if they would only take the time to read and listen. I live in Boston… Read More The Chris Hedges Report: The Fall of Assad & What it Means for The Mid East

Dilip

Syrians finally Won the Arab Spring; Can they avoid Pitfalls and Win Democracy?

Juan Cole Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Syrian Revolution of 2024 has succeeded in deposing the al-Assad dynasty, in power since 1970, throwing off the rule of the once mighty Syrian Socialist Baath Party, a feared and murderous one-party state. Rebel forces streamed into the capital, Damascus, Sunday morning, facing no significant resistance from government troops,… Read More Syrians finally Won the Arab Spring; Can they avoid Pitfalls and Win Democracy?

Dilip