“Yes, We Can” and the Power of Political Slogans
“Hey Joe, instead of saying, No we can’t,” retorted Senator Kamala Harris to Vice-President Joe Biden. “Let’s say, Yes, we can.” With that single line, Harris resurrected an…
Tag: Barack Obama
Cyber-Terrorism: How the US and Israel Attacked Iran—and Failed
Sabotaging another nation’s power grids, or blowing up industrial plants, are actual acts of war under international law. The term “cyber-terrorism” as used in the title, almost softens…
Speak the Names of Those Who Were Lost
Naming can dignify, disparage or even deny one’s social standing. Days after the horrific attack on the Christchurch mosque in New Zealand, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke about…
Americans Can Do Two Things at the Same Time
Surely we have heard and seen enough by now that any lingering “optimism” about Trump governing as an anti-interventionist in foreign affairs has totally evaporated. What Trump promised…
Documentary Review: “Inside Job” is Still Relevant
Lee Hsien Loong “Even as the crisis unfolded, we didn’t know how wide it was going to spread, or how severe it was going to be. And we…
A practical guide for Iraqis living in Trump’s USA – or in the Gentile North in general
By: Hayder Al-Mohammad My fellow Iraqis. We are living under unheard of pressures and violence against us. Those of us who carry an Iraqi passport will have experienced…
Population #ReadIn
“Racism” is such an unwieldy concept. Living in a world in which racism is one of the fundamental building blocks that shapes all our relationships, calling someone racist…
Trump’s Formulaic Twitter Insults
Every presidential transition also involves a change in the regime of language. This year the juxtaposition between the outgoing and incoming regimes is especially stark, something President Obama’s…
There was “no racism before Obama”. Wait, what now?
Welcome to the (sur)reality that is the American election of 2016. The latest in a series of Perplexing Statements that People Believe Despite Immeasurable Evidence to the Contrary…
Cosmopolitan Imperialism: Obama Does Anthropology in Laos?
“Obama, the cerebral son of an anthropologist”—this is how the Associated Press touted soon to be ex-president Barack Obama on his visit to Laos this week. The AP…
The New Victorianism, Imperialism, and Identity Politics
Victorian Parallels in the New Imperialism “The New Imperialism” is not a very efficient conceptual phrase since it requires a lot of labour to clarify what one means…
The World Changed Overnight
The European Union is now to be written as a postscript. Thanks to British voters, who were given an extremely rare chance to have a say on one…
Marina Gold: The end of the pink tide: Cuba
This post is part of a series on the Latin American pink tide, moderated and edited by Massimiliano Mollona (Goldsmiths, University of London). Does Obama’s visit herald the…
Cuba and the US: Castro and Obama on Establishing Diplomatic Relations
What follows are transcripts of the two speeches given today by Cuba’s President, Raúl Castro, and US President Barack Obama, on the establishment of diplomatic relations: STATEMENT BY…