“Black Wave” author Kim Ghattas explains the conflict between the United States and Iran from a Middle Eastern perspective and delves into the Iran-Saudi Arabia rivalry. (The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, YouTube, aired on 22 Jan 2020, posted to YouTube on 29 Jan 2020) [Posted: 20200130th1020]
Category: Politics
The Brown & Black Democratic Presidential Forum 2020
8 Democratic presidential hopefuls took questions from VICE News on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Here’s what happened. (VICE News, YouTube, 23 Jan 2020] Event Date: 20 Jan 2020. Posted: 24 Jan 2020. This entire event video is about 4 hours with roughly 30 minutes going to each of the 8 candidates. You can skip… Continue reading The Brown & Black Democratic Presidential Forum 2020
Michael Bloomberg on The View (15 Jan 2020)
Presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg appeared on the view to discuss his campaign. Here are some excerpts from his appearance on the show. The View, YouTube, 15 Jan 2020. PART 1 PART 2 PART 3 PART 4 The View Bloomberg Discussion from 8 Nov 2019 PART 1 PART 2 [Posted: 20200116th0828]
Documentary: Mosul after ISIS (Deutsche Welle, 14 Jan 2020)
After nine months of devastating battle, Mosul was finally liberated from ISIS in July 2017. The city is the second largest in Iraq, and it was here that the Caliphate was proclaimed in 2014. A look at the situation in Mosul today. The rule of so-called Islamic State has left deep scars in Mosul. Thousands… Continue reading Documentary: Mosul after ISIS (Deutsche Welle, 14 Jan 2020)
Steve Bannon’s Master Plan for Europe (VICE News, 13 Jan 2020)
When President Trump’s former strategist, Steve Bannon, was ousted from his White House post, he didn’t disappear. He went to Europe and is heading up new projects to support right-wing populist parties that are currently surging across the continent. We sent Michael Moynihan to Sweden, Italy, and Belgium to track Bannon and see the rise… Continue reading Steve Bannon’s Master Plan for Europe (VICE News, 13 Jan 2020)
FRONTLINE PBS – America’s Great Divide: From Obama to Trump (13 Jan 2020)
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)
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)