Threat in the sky: How cheap drones are changing warfare

SaraGoudarzi
November 6, 2023
On October 7, in a surprise attack, Hamas penetrated Israel’s famous air defense system, the Iron Dome, using small, relatively inexpensive commercial drones as part of a larger assault that killed more than 1,400 people and sparked an ongoing conflict that has left thousands dead and injured. Among other actions, the drones disabled the surveillance and observation capabilities of Israel’s watchtowers along the Gaza border.

A small victory for nuclear justice. And international cooperation.

Ivana Nikolić Hughes,Christian Ciobanu
November 3, 2023

In contrast with the grandeur of the General Assembly Hall, the uplifting design of the Trusteeship Council room, and the stunning circular table in the Security Council Chamber, Conference Room 4 at the UN Headquarters is modest and unassuming. And yet, magic can happen there. When the heads of state are long gone and even the ministers have departed New York, diplomats push forward agendas to advance international cooperation on any number of international issues. They give statements, engage in debates publicly and privately, and vote for resolutions and more, often late into the night.

Just One of the Ways the Media Lies: Looking at the World Through a Straw

Robert Freeman

November 6, 2023

Have you ever seen a one-sided coin? No? That’s because there isn’t one. And there is no world in a straw either.

هدف از زندگی‌ چیست؟ا

بسیاری از ما بدون اینکه بدانیم هدفمان از این زندگی‌ چیست و چرا همواره در تلاش معاش و در تقّلای بهبود وضع موجود هستیم، چگونگیِ این زندگی‌ و نیاز خود از آن را مورد پرسش قرار نمی‌دهیم. بنا‌بر‌این، اکثر تصمیمات زندگی‌ ما بدون دخالت ما و تحت جریانات و وقایع کلی‌ دنیا پیش میروند، در حالیکه ما تصور می‌کنیم که تصمیم گیرندهٔ آن خودمان بوده‌ایم.ا

The ‘Genocide Moment’

GarethPorter

October 31, 2023

Gaza’s utter devastation and masses of civilians facing death from bombardment and deliberate starvation already presents the world with a spectacle of mass murder of unspeakable proportions

 

 Interior view of the Al-Aqsa mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem. (Aseel zm, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons)

AS’AD AbuKHALIL: Nasrallah & the Future of the War

As`adAbuKhalil

November 4, 2023

The expectations for Hizbullah leader Hasan Nasrallah’s speech on Friday were very high; even the U.S. National Security Council’s spokesperson at the White House admitted that they too were awaiting the speech. In the Arab world there was anticipation or a general wish that Nasrallah would declare an official entry into the larger war, thereby igniting a regional conflict that would change the shape of the Middle East.

Hizbullah, unwisely, increased expectations by releasing video teasers showing Nasrallah walking or seated. Israelis and much of the world were holding their breaths. Lebanese were nervous but hopeful that Nasrallah would take their plight into consideration.

 

Palestinians inspect the damage following an Israeli airstrike on the El-Remal aera in Gaza City on October 9, 2023. (Naaman Omar apaimages/Wikimedia Commons)

‘We’re a war machine as a nation’: The truth about American politics

ChrisHedges

November 3, 2023

Israel’s ongoing massacre in Gaza has stirred worldwide calls for a ceasefire to stop the genocide unfolding. The United States has been no exception, which countless demonstrators taking to the streets in recent weeks. That hasn’t stopped the US government from backing Israel’s horrific campaign in Gaza to the hilt. The White House has refused to heed calls for a ceasefire and even deployed two aircraft carriers to the Mediterranean—not to defend Palestinians, but to dissuade regional powers from joining the fray to defend Palestine. As the possibility of a regional war looms with the entry of Yemen into the conflict, many wonder how the US might respond to such a scenario. Former US Congressperson Dennis Kucinich joins The Chris Hedges Report for a discussion on the US war machine—what it is, how it works, and how it might respond should the war in Palestine spiral into a wider conflagration.

An American soldier is seen during a visit on the US aircraft carrier, USS George H. W. Bush, as it docks at the Haifa port, on July 3, 2017. RONEN ZVULUN/AFP via Getty Images

The Rise of Jewish Settlements and Apartheid Policies

The Nightmare after 50 Years of Failed Military Policies

Dan Steinbock

November 02, 2023

The Hamas-Israel War reflects the failure of 50 years of U.S. geopolitics in the region. Ultimately, the problem stems from the occupied territories, their Jewish settlers and apartheid policies.

Source: Peace Now/ICBC

Israel’s crackdown on dissent will only hurt it

Silencing criticism makes it harder for Israel’s leaders to think clearly.

Sigal Samuel

Nov 1, 2023

Eight years ago, I published a novel about a Montreal Jewish family with a dangerous mystical obsession. It had absolutely nothing to do with Israel. But that didn’t stop a former Israeli combat soldier from trying to get me disinvited from a book event.

 

The History of Halloween

AlexDalenberg

October 31, 2023

How an ancient Celtic harvest festival became ‘Spooky Season.’

Explore the ancient (and not-so-ancient) origins of Halloween traditions, including the surprisingly sultry history of bobbing for apples, the devilish legend behind the Jack-o-Lantern, and why everybody loves rewatching Hocus Pocus.

 

Government

Per the definition, a government is the body, entity, invested with the power to manage a political unit, organization or more often, a State. The word governance comes from the Greek word "kubernaein" and the Latin verb "gubernare" which means "to steer". Therefore, according to this definition, government’s responsibility is to steer, drive, lead, guide, manage, and run. The duty of a government is therefore managing certain tasks related to a specific society.

 

Leaked: Israeli plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza

News Desk

October 29, 2023

The plan advocates the forced transfer of the population of the Gaza Strip to Sinai permanently, and calls for the international community to be leveraged to assist the move

How Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian Racism are Manufactured through Disinformation

Jasmin Zine, Wilfrid Laurier University

October 29, 2023

(The Conversation) – In political communication, a big lie — what is known as the “illusory truth effect” — is when the constant repetition of misinformation makes people more likely to accept it as truth.

 

People march in support of Gaza as death toll surpasses 8,000 (Picture Gallery)

In Pictures

October 29, 2023

Demonstrators express anger at the international community for perceived inaction in stopping Israel’s bombardment.

Thousands protest in solidarity with the Palestinian people in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Sunday, October 29, 2023. [Sohail Shahzad/EPA]

'Never Again for Anyone': Jewish Protesters Demanding Gaza Cease-Fire Arrested in Grand Central Station

BrettWilkins

Oct 27, 2023

"While Shabbat is typically a day of rest, we cannot afford to rest while genocide is unfolding in our names," said one rabbi.

Monumental Oversight: Unveiling a Colossal Miscalculation | Scott Ritter (A YouTube Video)

 (11) Monumental Oversight: Unveiling a Colossal Miscalculation | Scott Ritter - YouTube

US Representative Ilhan Omar on Israel & Palestine (Media Player)

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1?ui=2&ik=e73ecadd48&attid=0.1&permmsgid=msg-f:1780941826796523536&th=18b72d27d7d79010&view=att&disp=safe

US diplomacy lost traction in Middle East. Isolating Iran no longer possible.

M.K. BHADRAKUMAR

October 27, 2023

The US President Joe Biden is convinced that one of the reasons why Hamas launched the attack on Israel was because of the announcement during the G20 Summit in New Delhi on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor . But he also admitted that this reading was based purely on his instinct and he did not have any proof for it. 

 

"We will wipe IRAN off the face of the Earth" Israel warns of Hezbollah ...

‘AI Godfather’ Yoshua Bengio: We need a humanity defense organization

Susan D’Agostino
October 17, 2023
Editor’s note: This article was commissioned by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and is also published in WIRED.