Juan Cole
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jricole.bsky.social
Juan Cole
@jricole.bsky.social

Historian, essayist: Middle East, South Asia, Islam, Social History, Foreign Policy, Environment, Culture, Progressive Politics;
Signal: Juan Cole

John Ricardo Irfan "Juan" Cole is an American academic and commentator on the modern Middle East and South Asia. He is Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History at the University of Michigan. Since 2002, he has written a weblog, Informed Comment (juancole.com). .. more

Political science 68%
Sociology 17%

Installation, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, @academymuseum http://dlvr.it/TPTlGl

Reposted by Juan Cole

Do not miss @attackerman.bsky.social's modest proposal today: Nationalize AI!
How To Expropriate An Artificial Intelligence Oligarchy
An industry whose bubble is set to burst is crucial to U.S. national security, you say?
www.forever-wars.com

Reposted by Juan Cole

In other words, it’s can be a doorway to deification, delusions, fake gods. See also,
AI Demonic by Paul Kingsnorth
A Spiritual Exploration of AI
www.touchstonemag.com

Reposted by Juan Cole

“I remember this place full of people,” one activist recalled to me. “It was amazing, spending every day with different people, everyone connected to each other by the importance of staying here in Masafer Yatta.”

www.972mag.com/at-tuwani-gu...
Israel is set to destroy our guesthouse. But we still welcome all who resist
My family has hosted hundreds of activists, journalists, and politicians in At-Tuwani. If this demolition proceeds, half of our West Bank village may be next.
www.972mag.com

Reposted by Juan Cole

“I woke up with the energy of a thousand Dolly Partons!”

TN Democrat Aftyn Behn on learning a new poll has her within clear range of flipping a deeply Republican House seat in 12/2 special election that could deal a huge blow to the GOP.

Read this exclusive interview with @aftynbehn.bsky.social:
Can Aftyn Behn Stun the GOP in Tennessee Next Week?
The Democrat has a real chance to flip a deep-red congressional seat. In an exclusive interview, she explains why her bid is shaking up the politics of 2025 (and maybe 2026).
www.thenation.com

Reposted by Juan Cole

Anyone remember that cease fire?

"Gaza hospitals running out of supplies as airstrikes continue"

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Gaza hospitals running out of supplies as Israeli airstrikes continue, medics say
‘Severe lack’ in territory where Israeli strikes have killed more than 50 people and injured over 100 in recent days
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Juan Cole

A 60-year old man in Germany became the seventh person with HIV to be announced free of the virus after receiving a stem-cell transplant

go.nature.com/48C68Ib
Seventh patient ‘cured’ of HIV: why scientists are excited
A man in Germany is HIV-free after receiving stem cells that are not resistant to the virus.
go.nature.com

They should be careful - it makes stuff up

Vast trove of medieval Jewish records opened up by AI flip.it/QmgjR8
Vast trove of medieval Jewish records opened up by AI
JERUSALEM - Researchers in Israel are hoping to make new discoveries about Jewish history by loading a digital database of manuscripts stretching back a thousand years into a new transcription tool th...
flip.it

Stuck in Gaza’s limbo: Palestinians struggle to live amid Israel’s attacks flip.it/QDQUmV
Palestinians in Gaza: ‘This is a nightmare, not a ceasefire’
Palestinians in Gaza stuck as they try to plan for peace, even as Israel refuses to end its violence against them.
flip.it

US communities fight to save solar and wind energy projects flip.it/o7OI6B
US communities fight to save solar and wind energy projects – DW – 11/26/2025
Ten months into Donald Trump's second term, communities across the US are scrambling to keep clean energy projects alive as federal support dries up.
flip.it

Reposted by Juan Cole

Historical work is best done in a context of free exchange across the globe. The AHA has compiled resources that might help individuals and departments navigate difficult international situations, especially regarding travel and academic freedom. 🗃️
Resources for Foreign Scholars - AHA
Supporting Foreign Scholars Historical work is best done in a context of free exchange across the globe. Current conditions affecting foreign scholars and international travel can inhibit that free ex...
www.historians.org

Reposted by Juan Cole

@giorgiocafiero.bsky.social for @thenewarab.bsky.social: “Occupation and opportunity: Israel's strategy in post-Assad Syria” www.newarab.com/analysis/occ... Includes my thoughts:

Reposted by Juan Cole

Reposted by Juan Cole

"When adult southern sea otters (E. l. nereis) living along the California coast began dying off from infectious diseases, researchers found that polluted water compromised immunity in adults, and that those with high concentrations of PFAS had a greater chance of contracting deadly diseases." 🦦
‘Forever chemical’ contamination could undermine sea otters’ fragile recovery in Canada
Sea otters living along the coastline of Canada’s British Columbia province carry residues of “forever chemicals” in their bodies, according to a new study,  and those living near dense human populati...
news.mongabay.com
Pope Leo XIV told students not to use artificial intelligence for homework, saying that AI ‘won’t stand in authentic wonder before the beauty of God’s creation.’
Even God Is Worried About ChatGPT
Pope Leo XIV told students not to use artificial intelligence for homework, saying that AI ‘won’t stand in authentic wonder before the beauty of God’s creation.’
www.vulture.com

Reposted by Juan Cole

Join me at @propublica.org in one of the most rewarding jobs in journalism, guiding collaborative investigative projects in local newsrooms around the country as a senior editor with our Local Reporting Network!

We’d love to see your application by Dec 8.
Senior Editor, Local Reporting Network
Remote, United States
job-boards.greenhouse.io
This is the scandal. Trump isn’t targeting dangerous people. He’s targeting peaceful immigrants. Almost exclusively.

Mamdani was Right to Handle Trump, but the Left must Remember that the President is Still a Toxic Nationalist
Mamdani was Right to Handle Trump, but the Left must Remember that the President is Still a Toxic Nationalist
Trump and his MAGA followers are hardly going to forsake their standard mix of bigotry, anti-immigrant mania and other political toxins
dlvr.it

MESA Board Statement concerning the detention of Dr. Vahid Abedini
MESA Board Statement concerning the detention of Dr. Vahid Abedini
Dr. Abedini was detained on November 22 by ICE before boarding a flight to attend the MESA Annual Meeting in Washington, DC
dlvr.it

Ozymandias on the Potomac: Energy Policy and the Politics of American Decline
Ozymandias on the Potomac: Energy Policy and the Politics of American Decline
These days Donald Trump's Washington abounds with monuments to overblown imperial grandeur and plans for more
dlvr.it

Reposted by Juan Cole

Apparently it’s a crime to remind military members to follow the law and refuse illegal orders (something that it is ingrained in basic) and the pentagon can recall you into the service to discipline you. However, the pentagon will not prosecute you for dodging the draft five times.

Reposted by Juan Cole

On the construction and practice of "ordinary" Islam through the lens of one eighteenth century Ottoman traveler and his encounter with a rather unusual saint's shrine in Homs:
At the Tomb of Bābā 'Amr in Homs
A Glimpse at Early Modern Ottoman Islam
jonathanparkesallen.substack.com

compare BBC on Trump to Informed Comment www.juancole.com/2025/08/psyc...

Palestinians fear new Israeli settlement will wreck their town flip.it/rT-JoM
Palestinians fear new Israeli settlement will wreck their town
Excluding east Jerusalem, 500,000 Israelis live in settlements throughout the West Bank. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.
flip.it

Video. Floods in Gaza camps worsen the humanitarian crisis flip.it/4c6ClG
Video. Floods in Gaza camps worsen the humanitarian crisis
Video. Gaza faces heavy rains that have flooded makeshift camps. Thousands of tents are damaged, worsening conditions for displaced families already short on aid.
flip.it

Russia’s oil and gas revenues expected to plummet flip.it/4vStZs
Russia’s oil and gas revenues expected to plummet
The country’s oil and gas revenues are expected to fall 35% this month, year-on-year.
flip.it

Reposted by Juan Cole

The EPA is starting to allow the use of pesticides containing PFAS on food. The move is part of an effort to roll back the regulation of PFAS — also known as "forever chemicals" because they don't break down easily in the environment.