The Palestinian hunger strike continues, and the US media continues to pay little attention. The non-violent action is gathering strength in the Occupied Territories and one would think that its scope and persistence would gain more widespread coverage. The commitment of the protesters is remarkable, but the practice of administrative detention by any government (including the United States government) is indefensible.
One manifestation of popular discontent with traditional politics–the source of the Arab Spring, the Occupy Movement, the protests in Russia and China–is the proliferation of new, smaller political parties. In Greece we saw the emergence of the Radical Left Coalition (Syriza) and Golden Dawn, a hard right party. In Germany we have witnessed the emergence of the Pirate Party, which began in Sweden but is now close to becoming a force in German politics. Angela Merkel’s political position grows increasingly precarious.
The nuclear talks with Iran are scheduled to continue soon, and there appears to be a new mood emerging in Tehran. Perhaps it represents a split between the Supreme Leader and Ahmadinejad. Or it could be the result of the pressure of the financial sanctions. I remain pessimistic about the possible outcome of these discussions, but it does appear as if an imminent attack on Iran is highly unlikely at the time.
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