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Iraq at a crossroads: Elections under the weight of past and present

Viktor Mikhin
New Eastern Outlook
Wed, 19 Nov 2025 00:00 UTC
Voting Iraq
© UnknownVoting in Iraq
The recent parliamentary elections in Iraq were far more than just a routine democratic exercise.

They were held against a backdrop of regional wars, shifting alliances, and, most importantly, persistent foreign interference that has shaped the country's modern history. The announced preliminary results point to a major victory for the bloc supporting incumbent Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. His "Coalition of National State Forces," according to sources close to the alliance, secured the largest bloc — around 50 seats in parliament. But behind these numbers lies a deeper struggle over Iraq's sovereignty and its right to an independent future.

The Shadow of 2003: The Birth of Crisis and Resistance Forces

To understand Iraq's contemporary political landscape, one must return to the roots of the current crisis: the brazen 2003 U.S. invasion and the subsequent occupation. This act of aggression, carried out under false pretenses, had catastrophic consequences. It not only toppled the government but also ignited a brutal sectarian conflict, dismantled state institutions, and created a security vacuum in which the terrorist group ISIS* flourished.
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Cross

'Europe is persecuting Christians'

Paul Coleman
Spiked
Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:00 UTC
Paul Coleman
© ADF InternationalPaul Coleman
Paul Coleman on the 'progressive' blasphemy laws smothering free speech across Europe.

Free speech is under serious attack all across Europe. To criticise the sacred cows of the progressive worldview - from transgenderism to immigration and even Islam - is to invite a knock on the door from the thoughtpolice. The recent, harrowing trial of a Finnish parliamentarian reveals how it is often Christians who find themselves in the firing line. Päivi Räsänen has spent the past six years fighting a 'hate speech' prosecution, simply for quoting passages from the Bible and defending traditional marriage.

Paul Coleman - executive director of Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International - joined Brendan O'Neill on his podcast, The Brendan O'Neill Show, to discuss Räsänen's case as well as the broader assault on free expression in Europe. What follows is an edited version of that conversation. You can watch the whole thing here.

Brendan O'Neill: Tell us about the case of Finnish MP Päivi Räsänen. Why is it so important to the cause of free speech?

Paul Coleman: It's always hard for me to convince people that this case really happened as it did. They say 'come on, Paul, there must be something more to it', because it really does sound so far-fetched.

Päivi Räsänen is Finland's former minister of interior, the equivalent of the British home secretary. She's the longest serving female member of parliament. Things took a turn for her in 2019, when the Lutheran Church in Finland became an official sponsor of the Helsinki Pride parade. As a member of the church (and wife of a pastor), Päivi was highly critical of the decision, and considered it to be out of line with her understanding of the Bible. For saying as much, she was investigated by the police.
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Dollars

Soros funded NGO that tried to 'kill Musk's Twitter'


RT
Tue, 18 Nov 2025 22:40 UTC
Soros
© Getty Images/Subaas Shrestha/NurPhoto; Popow/ullstein bildGeorge Soros • Berlin, Germany • June 8, 2017
The liberal philanthropist gave $250,000 to the Center for Countering Digital Hate, which pressured advertisers to cut ties with the platform.

A grantmaking network created by billionaire investor George Soros funded a controversial UK-based NGO which seeks to "kill" Elon Musk's X media platform and censor conservative media, the Washington Free Beacon reported on Monday.

According to the database of Soros' Open Society Foundation (OSF), the charity gave the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) a $250,000 grant last year "to provide general support." While the nonprofit stipulates that its goal is to hold social media companies "accountable" for spreading hate, in practice, it has pressured advertisers to censor companies and lobbied to deplatform and cancel news organizations it found offensive, the paper said.

According to the outlet, the CCDH, founded by former Labour Party operative Imran Ahmed, has targeted conservative outlets such as The Federalist and the Daily Wire over alleged racist content. The nonprofit also reportedly tried to persuade US policymakers to create an "independent digital regulator."

The CCDH has criticized a number of social media companies over what it sees as a failure to curtail extremism, but has been particularly hostile towards Musk's X, the paper said. Its internal documents openly listed "Kill Musk's Twitter" as its top annual priority, according to whistleblower documents published by journalists last year.

Comment: President Trump pledges Soros investigation:
US President Donald Trump has said that his administration will be probing George Soros over his alleged funding of mass "riots" in the US.

The Hungarian-American billionaire investor and NGOs funded by his Open Society Foundations (OSF) have long been linked to various protest movements, both in the US and abroad.

Trump said in an interview with Fox & Friends on Friday:
"They have professional agitators... They get paid for their profession from Soros and other people. We're going to look into Soros because I think it's a RICO case against him and other people. "This is more than protests: This is real agitation. This is riots on the street, and we're gonna look into that."
The US federal RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act 1970) law has historically targeted organized crime, and is used to prosecute offenses committed as part of a criminal enterprise, though more recently it has seen broader use.

Last month, the US president called for the Hungarian-American investor and his son to face charges under the statute, accusing them of supporting "violent protests, and much more, all throughout the United States. We're not going to allow these lunatics to rip apart America any more." he said in a Truth Social post.

In the months prior, anti-immigration protests shook the US, with the most violent cases in Los Angeles escalating into clashes with the police, looting, and arson.

Soros was also linked to the 2016 Russiagate hoax, according to declassified documents published by the Senate Judiciary Committee in July.

The documents alleged the investor's OSF network had ties to the Hillary Clinton campaign's debunked attempts to accuse Trump of collusion with Russia in order to undermine his 2016 election victory - accusations Moscow has long dismissed.
Soros has been an influential and disruptive operator for decades...when is 'soon enough'?
See also:

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Stock Down

Viktor Orban: EU's Ukraine funding scheme could trigger collapse of the Euro

Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge
Thu, 20 Nov 2025 18:43 UTC
Viktor Orban Ursula von der Leyen
© AFP / Getty Images
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has issued a new warning that the European Commission (EC)-proposed new loan amount to Ukraine of 135 billion euros will end up being paid for by the grandchildren of EU country populations.

"An astronomical sum that does not exist today. It simply does not exist," he began by saying. "The Brussels 'magic trick' would again be a joint European loan, a step that would guarantee that even our grandchildren would have to pay for the costs of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict," he said.

This was his further response to a letter recently issued to EC President Ursula von der Leyen, seeking to desperately raise more funds for Kiev in order for it to close a some $150 billion budget gap.
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Magnify

Furious White House reveals Jeffrey Epstein victim who 'spent hours' with Trump — and always said he never did anything wrong

Samuel Chamberlain
NY Post
Wed, 12 Nov 2025 16:44 UTC
Virginia Giuffre
© TNSThe late Virginia Giuffre, seen here holding a photo of herself as a teen, had previously said President Trump was never involved in any wrongdoing with her
House Democrats pulled a bait-and-switch on a new trove of Jeffrey Epstein documents Wednesday when they released just three select emails in which the pedophile financier mentioned President Trump, including one claiming, "Victim 1 spent many hours at my house with him."

But the Dems on the House Oversight Committee deliberately withheld the name of the victim in the missive — Virginia Giuffre, who said before her death earlier this year that she witnessed no wrongdoing by Trump during their interactions.

Media outlets jumped on the limited document release anyway — led by the New York Times and CNN, which appeared to have gotten a sneak peek at the messages.

House Republicans and the Trump White House quickly fired back.
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Vader

Britain's police state unmasked: Map reveals shocking numbers clapped in handcuffs over 'offensive' social media posts

Cameron Roy
Daily Mail
Sat, 15 Nov 2025 16:36 UTC
uk police
© Simon Jacobs for The TimesCCTV shows six uniformed police officers descending on the parents' suburban home before they were led away in front of their crying daughter
Britain's police state can today be unmasked as the Daily Mail can reveal which forces have made the most arrests for 'offensive' posts on social media.

Figures obtained by the Daily Mail show that some forces are making arrests for 'offensive' social media posts at 'extremely concerning' rates.

Cumbria Constabulary had the nation's highest arrest rate of 42.5 per 100,000 population (217 arrests) in 2024, 20 times higher than Staffordshire Police's low rate of 2.1 (21 arrests).

Gwent Police came second with a rate of 33.9, a total of 204 arrests.

The crime of sending 'grossly offensive' messages or sharing content of an 'indecent, obscene or menacing character' on electronic communications networks is punishable by up to two years' imprisonment or an unlimited fine.
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Star of David

Best of the Web: Investigation finds Swiss official tied to Israel ordered journalist Ali Abunimah's arrest

Asa Winstanley
Th Electronic Intifada
Sun, 16 Nov 2025 21:27 UTC
Swiss police Nicoletta della Valle
© FedpolFormer Swiss federal police director Nicoletta della Valle.
A Swiss parliamentary investigation into the detention and expulsion of journalist Ali Abunimah in January has concluded there was a series of irregularities and evidence of political interference.

The new federal report indicates abuse of power by a senior Swiss official with financial ties to Israel.

The ban "deviated from standard practice" and was "unsatisfactory" the report concludes.

In a statement posted to X this week, Abunimah called the report a major new development.

"These grave violations of democratic and human rights were carried out to prevent me from speaking at lawful public events — organized by Swiss citizens and residents — calling for an end to Israel's genocide in Gaza," he wrote.
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Snakes in Suits

Thought control: BBC apologises for editing Donald Trump speech, calling it an 'error of judgement'

Asher McShane
LBC
Mon, 10 Nov 2025 20:43 UTC
Samir Shah
© AlamyBBC Chair Samir Shah apologised after Donald Trump's speech was edited, calling it an 'error of judgement'
Altering the speech "did give the impression of a direct call for violent action," BBC chair Samir Shah admits.

Mr Shah said there have been more than 500 complaints since the publication of the memo that raised concerns about the editing of the speech by Donald Trump, adding: "We accept that the way the speech was edited did give the impression of a direct call for violent action."

Mr Shah continued: "I am absolutely clear that the BBC must champion impartiality. It is more necessary now than ever before. "

He said the corporation would need to "hold the highest standards in all our content - video, audio and online." Nigel Farage told LBC this morning that the BBC had "deeply offended the leader of the free world."

Mr Farage went on to say the BBC "has been institutionally biased for decades."
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Bad Guys

Christine Pelosi announces she won't run for mom Nancy's House seat

Ryan King
NY Post
Mon, 10 Nov 2025 20:36 UTC
Nancy Pelosi with her daughter Christine
© CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty ImagesNancy Pelosi with her daughter Christine
Christine Pelosi won't run to succeed her mother Nancy in Congress, ending the Pelosi dynasty in the House of Representatives.

The younger Pelosi, 59, announced on Monday that she'd run for California state Senate instead, opening the field for a competitive Democratic primary to rep Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco district in 2026.

"In courtrooms, campaigns and corridors of power, I've fought to build power for the people. And that's why I'm running for California Senate," Christine Pelosi said in her Monday announcement.

Nancy Pelosi, 85, revealed Thursday that she would not vie for a 20th full term in the lower chamber, fueling speculation that she was setting her daughter up to take her place.

Christine, one of Pelosi's five children with husband Paul, had kept her plans quiet until Monday.

"I'm running to represent San Francisco in Sacramento, fighting for consumer rights, women's rights, gun violence survivors, immigrants and our most vulnerable communities, against the threat we face," she declared in her 42-second campaign launch video.
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Dollars

The Real Affordability Agenda

Ron Paul
Mises Institute
Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:00 UTC
Trump Headlines
© quartegtcf.org/Lucas Jackson/Reuters/KJNUS President Donald Trump • News headlines money crisis
Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 presidential election was due in large part to his promises to pursue an America First foreign policy and rein in inflation. One year later, prices remain high, and President Trump is more focused on overseas meddling than on the American people. This has helped enable Democrats to win governor races in Virginia and New Jersey, and self-described Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani to win the New York City mayor race by running on "affordability."

Since the election, President Trump has made a number of proposals to ease the burden of high prices. One of the president's proposals is changing federal housing regulations to encourage lenders to offer 50-year mortgages. Though a 50-year mortgage in comparison to a 30-year mortgage could reduce monthly mortgage payments by over a hundred dollars for a median price home, it could also roughly double interest payments made over the life of the mortgage. So, while the longer mortgage may provide a short-term benefit, in the long run it is a losing proposition for potential homeowners.
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