An investigation into America’s increasingly bitter, divided and toxic politics. PBS, YouTube, 13 Jan 2020. PART 1 Part One of the documentary traces how Barack Obama’s promise of unity collapsed as increasing racial, cultural and political divisions laid the groundwork for the rise of Donald Trump. PART 2 Part Two of the documentary examines how… Continue reading FRONTLINE PBS – America’s Great Divide: From Obama to Trump (13 Jan 2020)
Category: Politics
German shipping companies and the arms trade (10 Jan 2020)
Summary Germany’s secret service, the BND, is heavily involved in the delivery of weapons to crisis areas of the world. As this documentary shows, it has – among other things – played along with arms deals made by German shipping companies. Top secret operations are carried out silently, bypassing the federal authorities by exploiting a… Continue reading German shipping companies and the arms trade (10 Jan 2020)
Documentary: Lebanon and Hezbollah (9 Jan 2020)
Summary In Lebanon, Hezbollah now controls broad areas of political and social life. It has become a state within a state. How can the “Party of God” be confronted? In Lebanon, no important political decisions are taken any more without Hezbollah, the Shiite “party of God”. Since the end of the civil war in 1990,… Continue reading Documentary: Lebanon and Hezbollah (9 Jan 2020)
Colombia: From Cocaine to Cacao (9 Jan 2020)
In Colombia, the cultivation of coca, the main ingredient of cocaine, has nearly tripled over the past five years. As part of the 2016 peace agreement between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the country has embarked on a unique experiment to try to end coca farming and production, but freeing… Continue reading Colombia: From Cocaine to Cacao (9 Jan 2020)
The Evangelical Divide Over Religion in Politics (8 Jan 2020)
White evangelicals comprise a third of all Republican voters and are among the GOP’s most organized voting blocs. But wide support for Donald Trump in 2016, against a backdrop of scandals, has brought heavy media scrutiny and now some faith leaders are striving to move evangelicalism away from political associations. VICE’s Gianna Toboni travels to the… Continue reading The Evangelical Divide Over Religion in Politics (8 Jan 2020)
Commentary – Iranian UN Ambassador Majid Takht-Ravanchi (6 Jan 2020)
Summary The Friday killing of Iran’s best-known military commander in a U.S. airstrike prompted an outpouring of grief in Tehran — along with vows of vengeance. In the aftermath of Qassem Soleimani’s death, the country’s leaders and President Trump exchanged threats about what might come next. To share Iran’s perspective, Iranian Ambassador to the United… Continue reading Commentary – Iranian UN Ambassador Majid Takht-Ravanchi (6 Jan 2020)
Iran Analysis on Fox and CNN (6 Jan 2020)
Summary There have been a wide range of responses to the President’s order to take out Qasem Soleimani. The praise and criticism mostly falls along predictable partisan lines, but some have departed from the status quo. Fox News host Tucker Carlson criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to authorize the US airstrike that killed Iran’s top general… Continue reading Iran Analysis on Fox and CNN (6 Jan 2020)
Iran Has the Fourth Largest Cyber Army in the World (5 Jan 2020)
According to the CBC report below, Iran now has the fourth largest cyber army in the world with an estimated 100,000 cyber soldiers. Date: 5 Jan 2020. Posted: 6 Jan 2020. Learn More Iran says it would no longer abide by any of the limits of its 2015 nuclear deal, abandoning the accord’s key provisions… Continue reading Iran Has the Fourth Largest Cyber Army in the World (5 Jan 2020)
Top 10 Obama Scandals – The Daily Show (2 Jan 2020)
Through the years, those from the opposing political party are looking for opportunities to criticize the President. The Daily Show video below is a compilation of 10 Obama scandals. (The Daily Show, YouTube, 2 Jan 2020) [Post Date: 20200103]
VICE News: Iran’s Power Over Iraq (3 Jan 2020)
Iran and Iraq fought one of the longest and bloodiest wars of the 20th century, which cost the lives of more than a million people and cemented the two countries’ rivalry in the decades that followed. But after ISIS took over wide swaths of Iraq, Iran came to Iraq’s aid. After the defeat of ISIS,… Continue reading VICE News: Iran’s Power Over Iraq (3 Jan 2020)
Robert Reich: Why I’m Still Hopeful About America
Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich explains why as a liberal he still has hope for the future. (31 Dec 2019)
VICE News: Libya’s Revolution Is in Ruins (26 Dec 2019)
Libya is in a state of chaos as rival governments compete for power, human smuggling runs rampant, and black markets thrive with everything from oil to hard currency. The international community is backing the Government of National Accord, which maintains a tenuous hold on the capital. But the government’s survival depends on warring militias, many… Continue reading VICE News: Libya’s Revolution Is in Ruins (26 Dec 2019)