West Asia

A coalition of states led by Saudi Arabia is conducting an extensive and ongoing aerial bombardment of its smaller and far weaker neighbor, Yemen. Both the US and British governments have drawn fire for their role in supplying Saudi Arabia with weapons systems, munitions and tactical expertise. In the process, the US and Britain have become associated with the mass civilian hardship that has become a hallmark of the Yemen conflict.

Fear and trepidation are slowly building up, as US President-elect, Donald Trump, is fortifying his transitional team with people capable of bringing about a nightmare scenario, not only for Americans but for the rest of the world as well. For Palestinians, however, the signs are even more ominous.

Indian historian and writer Vijay Prashad will be giving a lecture at the University of Vermont in Burlington, VT on November 9th. Prashad has reported from around the world -- from Colombia to Iraq.  His most recent book is Death of the Nation and the Future of the Arab Revolution.

Six artists from Vermont and one from New Hampshire have come together to create a visual representation of Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish’s poem “Think of Others” in collaboration with Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel (VTJP). The ten panel display debuted at the 2016 Burlington Art Hop exhibit this past September, offering visitors a new interpretation of one of Palestine’s most renowned poets.

Over the past few months, the Obama administration has renewed its efforts to strengthen its position in Afghanistan. In spite of the worsening death toll from the ongoing war, the Obama administration has made a series of new wartime commitments to ensure that the United States maintains a powerful influence over the country well into the future.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres was never truly a peacemaker – he never labored to achieve fair and just political compromises that would preserve the dignity and rights of the Palestinians, along with securing the future of his people. In fact, he was a maximalist, a man who blatantly shoved his ideas forward in order to achieve his goals, no matter what the method or the price.