Portside

Protest goes international

There is a global left — and it's challenging a global system

When it comes to trade in the tools of death and destruction, no one tops the United States of America. Changes in arms export policy will mean forcefully taking on the arms lobby.

The Weizmann Institute’s deep involvement in Israel’s arms industry, nuclear weapons program as well as chemical and biological weapons research is a perfect match for the Emirati university, which is closely tied to the government.

With oil prices down and wealthy countries bungling COVID-19, the pandemic has exposed the weaknesses that wealth papers over. The relationship between wealth and favorable outcomes only works when that wealth is invested in the many, not the few.

Why are the UAE and Israel in such a hurry to normalise relations?

Since 2011, Arab labor organizations and left parties have been central to movements for democracy and social justice in the Middle East. Frequently overlooked in Western media coverage...they’ve carried on this fight against tremendous odds.

Of course, if the United States and/or Israel join in, Iran will be hard pressed. But as belligerent as Bolton and the Israeli government are toward Iran, would they initiate or join a war? But we should take neocons like Bolton at their word.

There is a new ménage-à-quatre in the region, bringing Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the United States ever closer. And...an unexpected fifth player lurking in the shadows: Russia.

Maybe Trump really thinks sanctions will produce a "better" Iran deal. More likely, they're designed to justify conflict - an unwinnable conflict that will destabilize the Middle East and the world’s economy, and pour more of this country’s resources into yet another quagmire.