Category Archives: Global Politics

The Road to Barcelona | Nervana

Empires rise then eventuality fall. Al-Andalus was no exception. It is not a model that can be replicated. The context in which Al-Andalus existed is impossible to emulate in our modern time. We should not let the Islamists manipulate our psyche. Romanticising the past will neither resurrect it – nor bring a better future for the Arab world.

Source: The Road to Barcelona | Nervana

Trump was wrong to pardon controversial sheriff, Ryan says

“Law-enforcement officials have a special responsibility to respect the rights of everyone in the United States. We should not allow anyone to believe that responsibility is diminished by this pardon,” Ryan said in a statement.“The speaker does not agree with the decision,” Ryan’s spokesman Doug Andres said.Some other prominent Republicans, including Arizona Senator John McCain and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, have also criticized Trump for the controversial pardon.

Source: Trump was wrong to pardon controversial sheriff, Ryan says

My great uncle was alienated in postwar France. Now Americans know how he felt | Hadley Freeman | World news | The Guardian

I still haven’t yet figured out how criticism of a billionaire who bagged the support of America’s highest earners by promising them lower taxes represents “snobbery”, so maybe I’m just slow, but here is what I think of this argument: I think it’s disgusting. There is a word for people who support and normalise Nazis and Nazi defenders, and that word is “appeasers”, and that now includes, shockingly, Israel, as well as the conservative Jews in Trump’s circle such as Jared Kushner – like me, a grandchild of a Holocaust survivor. But a heads up to those groups: this tactic generally does not work out well for you. A Vice documentary from Charlottesville, in which a white supremacist gripes about how Donald Trump “gave his daughter to a Jew, that bastard Kushner”, gives a hint as to why.Alex knew that De Gaulle’s words would embolden antisemites in France, and he was proven right. His speech marked the moment attacks on the character of the Jews became part of anti-Israel rhetoric. That Trump has encouraged antisemites and racists in America is proven every day: just this month, former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke thanked Trump for suggesting that those who fight against racists are morally equivalent to racists.Alex didn’t want to leave France, but he felt alienated from the country he called home. Right now, a lot of American liberal Jews are feeling exactly the same way.

Source: My great uncle was alienated in postwar France. Now Americans know how he felt | Hadley Freeman | World news | The Guardian

‘Please stop!’ Brutal killing of a student in Philippines drug war sparks nationwide anger | World news | The Guardian

Duterte has lashed out at any criticism. He warned the European Union not to “fuck with us” after the European parliament passed a resolution expressing “grave concern over credible reports” that Philippine police were engaged in extrajudicial killings, a claim officers strongly deny. Despite the criticism, Duterte has remained a popular leader and polls have shown continued domestic support for his war on drugs. But the death of Santos appears to be a turning point. Three government bodies, the department of justice, the senate, and the Commission on Human Rights, launched investigations.Santos’s last words have become viral on social media and on Monday protesters gathered at the People’s Power Monument in Manila to voice their outrage.

Source: ‘Please stop!’ Brutal killing of a student in Philippines drug war sparks nationwide anger | World news | The Guardian

Sewing Seeds of Hate: Donald Trump’s Unforgivable Disgrace – SPIEGEL ONLINE

In the answers he then gave to questions from reporters — more of a fit of rage than a press conference — he blasted the so-called “alt-left,” saying it was just as bad as the white supremacists, many of whom refer to themselves as the “alt-right.” It was a comment that didn’t just demonize the counterdemonstrators, it also trivialized the violence displayed by the neo-Nazis. Trump spoke of “blame on both sides” and claimed that among the hate-filled white nationalists and anti-Semites, there were also many people who were simply there to peacefully protest the removal of the statue of General Robert E. Lee. The press conference lasted just over 20 minutes, but by the time it had ended, it was clear that the president was indeed guilty of playing down the actions of neo-Nazis.Two former presidents, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush, issued a joint statement condemning hatred “in all forms.” Five of the country’s top military leaders saw a need to issue clear statements condemning racism, in direct opposition to their commander-in-chief.

Source: Sewing Seeds of Hate: Donald Trump’s Unforgivable Disgrace – SPIEGEL ONLINE

After Charlottesville, Donald Trump Reveals His True Face – SPIEGEL ONLINE

David Duke, the leader of American racists, had good reason to thank Trump this week. When the president of the United States says that the victim is just as responsible as the murderer, or that the counterdemonstrator is just as guilty as the Nazi waving the swastika flag and shouting, “Jews will not replace us,” and when Trump’s own party doesn’t drop him even now, then Duke and Trump have already achieved a key goal. Tolerance, empathy, kindness and diversity of opinion are all disparaged as political correctness. It becomes OK to say anything else, and if you can say it, it becomes easier to justify violence. The wheel of civilization has made a turn in reverse.

Source: After Charlottesville, Donald Trump Reveals His True Face – SPIEGEL ONLINE

News from The Associated Press on Trump

Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, whom Trump considered for a Cabinet post, declared Thursday that “the president has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to” in dealing with crises. And Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska tweeted, “Anything less than complete & unambiguous condemnation of white supremacists, neo-Nazis and the KKK by the @POTUS is unacceptable. Period.

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina said Trump’s “moral authority is compromised.”

Source: News from The Associated Press

Former Top Dog Cook Cole White Denies That He Is A White Supremacist: SFist Quack, waddle, look like a duck???

Now White would like everyone to know that they should not have jumped to the conclusion that just because he was photographed smiling among the torches as white supremacists chanted and gave Nazi salutes, he is also a white supremacist. In the statement, which you can read in full here, White says, “After having witnessed first hand the violent attempts made by far left groups to disrupt what would otherwise be peaceful conservative gatherings in recent months, I knew Charlottesville would be a notable event.” He goes on to say, “I want to make it clear that I am not a white supremacist, nor was I ever… My portrayal over social and the mainstream media has been inaccurate, biased and completely unjustified.”NBC Bay Area first picked up White’s statement last night.White was doxxed, or publicly identified, on Twitter Saturday via the account @YesYoureRacist, likely via others in Berkeley who knew he may be attending the rally, or who recognized him. Berkeleyside reported that he was spotted outside an Alameda County courtroom at a hearing of an antifa protester who was charged with assault in connection with one of the chaotic alt-right rally days in Berkeley this past spring.Much like Patriot Prayer organizer Joey Gibson, who identifies with the alt-right and is trying to stage rallies in San Francisco and Berkeley next weekend, White disowns white supremacists who have joined in under the umbrella of the “right,” claiming he is simply a conservative. “Though people with such beliefs were obviously present, assuming those were the beliefs of the entire crowd is uninformed and irresponsible.”

Source: Former Top Dog Cook Cole White Denies That He Is A White Supremacist: SFist

Trump responds to Barcelona attack by reviving debunked myth | World news | The Guardian #LiarTrump, #TraitorTrump

Donald Trump has responded to the Barcelona attack by reviving an already debunked anecdote about a US general dipping bullets in pig’s blood to fight Islamic militants more than a hundred years ago. After a relatively conventional response to the attack, in which he went on to Twitter to call on the people of Barcelona to be “tough and strong” and offer help from the US, he posted another, more cryptic, tweet, saying: “Study what General Pershing of the United States did to terrorists when caught. There was no more Radical Islamic Terror for 35 years!”

Source: Trump responds to Barcelona attack by reviving debunked myth | World news | The Guardian