28 February,2013
US Moves Towards Open Arming Of Syrian Opposition
By Chris Marsden
In the lead-up to today’s Friends of Syria summit meeting in Rome, the United States has signalled a shift in policy, towards openly arming the Syrian opposition that is fighting a US proxy war to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
The Syrian Crisis, Geopolitical Ramifications And Consequences For India
By Feroze Mithiborwala
The solution is a national reconciliation, dialogue and negotiation, leading to a new constitution & elections , which must be monitored by the international community
Stephane Hessel, The Man Behind Outrage, Protest And Resistance, Will Inspire Forever
By Countercurrents.org
French resistance hero, holocaust survivor and co-author of Universal Declaration of Human Rights Stephane Hessel, whose 2010 manifesto "Time for Outrage" sold millions of copies and inspired protest movements worldwide, has died at the age of 95, his wife said on February 27, 2013. Hessel wrote: To create is to resist, to resist is to create”
The Economy: Under New Ownership
By Marjorie Kelly
How cooperatives are leading the way to empowered workers and healthy communities
The United States Of Propaganda (What We’re Up Against)
By Mickey Z.
Recently, while at an event marking the 1,000th day of imprisonment for Bradley Manning, I began to ponder the long and storied role of propaganda that led up to his demonization and incarceration. Yes, propaganda…
Turkey’s Difficult Choice In Palestine, Israel
By Ramzy Baroud
An Israeli-Turkish rapprochement is unmistakably underway, but unlike the heyday of their political alignment of the1990’s, the revamped relationship is likely to be more guarded and will pose a greater challenge to Turkey rather than to Israel
Ríos Montt And The Need For International Accountability For War Crimes In Guatemala
By Cyril Mychalejko
Thirty years later Ríos Montt may finally face justice. On January 28, 2013 a Guatemalan judge ruled that the former head of state accused of responsibility for “1,771 deaths, 1,400 human rights violations and the displacement of 29,000 indigenous Guatemalans” would be tried for genocide in a domestic court. This precedent-setting decision was lauded internationally by human rights activists and NGOs
The Saudi Arabization of Islam
By Sazzad Hussain
Rampant communalization and polarization of the society in western Assam , particularly in Dhubri district has been on rise since the continued and renewed violence in BTAD areas creating concerns amongst the people in this multi-cultural, multi-ethnic state. With these disturbing developments there are elements of communalizing the foreigner's issue of Assam , the pan-Indian communalism and the phenomenon called the global Islamist fundamentalism
Erasing Images: Modi And Beyond
By Farzana Versey
It is the 11th anniversary of Gujarat pogrom. How the 'face of Gujarat' wanting to erase his pictures does not mean moving on. And how Modi is using other groups like Dalits against Muslims
Budget 2013 Is Immoral, Anti-Environment, Anti-Citizens, Pro-commercial Czars
By Gopal Krishna
UPA Government’s key mantra or goal for 'higher growth leading to inclusive and sustainable development' is essentially immoral, anti-environment, anti-citizens and favourable to commercial czars
Two Muslim Students Abducted By Police For Dilsuknagar, Hyderabad Bomb Blast Investigation
By TCN Staff Reporter
Terror witch hunt of Muslim youths after Dilsuknagar bomb blasts continues in Hyderabad as two Muslim youths from old city detained by the police
Intelligence Failure
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
Our intelligence apparatus has become highly politicized and used by the ruling parties for their own benefits but today the power hungry bureaucrats and big corporation fed media are creating the security scare in the country to further impose the ‘intelligence’ network over us much to the danger of even intruding into our private domain which would be detrimental for democracy in the country
27 February,2013
Global Warming May Have Caused Heatwaves Killing Thousands Of People
By Countercurrents.org
Global warming may have caused extreme events such as a 2011 drought in the US and a 2003 heatwave in Europe by slowing vast, wave-like weather flows in the northern hemisphere, scientists said on February 26, 2013. The study of meandering air systems that encircle the planet adds to understanding of extremes that have killed thousands of people and driven up food prices in the past decade
Bulgaria: Protests Continue After Government’s Resignation
By Markus Salzmann
Protests and demonstrations are continuing in Bulgaria despite the resignation of the right-wing government of Boyko Borisov. One elderly woman on the fringe of a protest told journalists: “My pension is 160 leva (€80), my electric bill 114 leva,” Her situation is typical for most of the country’s pensioners, who belong to the poorest segments of society
When Adele's Skyfall Meets Zizek
By Amir Barati
A Zizekian reading of the Skyfall to come
Turmoil In Baluchistan : Chuck Hagel And The Indian Factor
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
US Secretary of defense designate Chuck Hagel suggested in a previously unreleased 2011 speech that India has for many years sponsored terrorist activities against Pakistan in Afghanistan. Not surprisingly, Hagel’s remarks sparked a strong reaction from India which said such comments are "contrary to the reality" of its unbounded dedication to the welfare of Afghans
The Death Penalty And The "Big Lie" Of Victim Closure
By Mary Hamer
The purpose of this essay is to Explore whether Killing Offenders with the Death Penalty gives “Victims Closure”?
Maudany: The Man Our Lies Forsake
By K.S Shameer
A review of K.P Sasi's documentary "Fabricated"
Condemn The Spate Of Arrests In Kerala Under The UAPA
By Concerned Citizens
Joint statement issued by intellectuals and human rights activists against the arrests being conducted under the guise of Maoist hunt
26 February,2013
Sexual Violence Against Tamils By Sri Lankan Security Forces
By Human Rights Watch
Sri Lankan security forces have been using rape and other forms of sexual violence to torture suspected members or supporters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. While widespread rape in custody occurred during the armed conflict that ended in May 2009, Human Rights Watch found that politically motivated sexual violence by the military and police continues to the present
How Israel Legitimizes Torturing Palestinians To Death
By Charlotte Silver
Arafat Jaradat was killed under torture. Torture is routine. But the following is not routine: upon the announcement of his death, thousands of Palestinians, already unified in solidarity with the arduous struggle waged by Palestinian hunger striking prisoners, responded in force. At least 3,000 prisoners refused their meals; thousands poured into the streets of Gaza and impassioned demonstrations erupted across the West Bank. While the State of Israel continues to deploy its deadly arsenal of weapons to repress Palestinians, the banality of the evil of this regime is, as it will always be, eclipsed by the mighty Palestinian will for self-determination
Liberating The Land Of Canaan
By Mazin Qumsiyeh
The various provisions of the UDHR clearly present us with only one way forward: one country for its entire people. This happens to be also the main demand made by the native Palestinians from their first encounter with the harmful effects of political Zionism in 1880 (the colony of Petah Tikveh). It remained our demands despite the Nakba of 1948, the Naksa of 1967, and the political setback of the Oslo “process”
What Kind Of Economy Says OK To Tar Sands Oil?
By Brent Blackwelder
It is time to start demanding a true-cost economy that will create diverse jobs without creating no-go zones of carcinogenic and mutagenic wastes
The School Security America Doesn’t Need
By Chase Madar
Outrage over the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre may or may not spur any meaningful gun control laws, but you can bet your Crayolas that it will lead to more seven-year-olds getting handcuffed and hauled away to local police precincts
How Many Deaths Are Worth The Price To Live Like This?
By Colin Todhunter
From Vietnam and Afghanistan to Mali, Congo and Syria, our so-called elected representatives bring murder and mayhem to countries half a world away with their armies or proxy armies of terror and are protected by their lawyers, courts and media
The RaceTo End Violence Before We End Life
By Robert J. Burrowes
Can we take meaningful action to prevent our own extinction without ending human violence first?
Argo’s Oscar Win -- Hollywood’s ‘Coming Out’
By Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich
Foreign policy observers have long known that Hollywood reflects and promotes U.S. policies (in turn, is determined by Israel and its supporters). This fact was made public when Michel Obama announced an Oscar win for “Argo” – a highly propagandist, anti-Iran film. Amidst the glitter and excitement, Hollywood and White House reveal their pact and send out their message in time for the upcoming talks surrounding Iran’s nuclear program due to be held tomorrow - February 26th
BP Puts Profits Over Safety, Says US Attorney
By Countercurrents.org
A long-awaited trial over the biggest US offshore oil spill began on February 25, 2013, with governments, businesses and individuals blaming BP mostly for the 2010 disaster that killed 11 rig workers and spilled 4 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico
U.S.-EU Trade Deal Is The Foundation For A New Global Economic Order
By Dana Gabriel
The U.S. and EU have agreed to launch negotiations on what would be the world's largest free trade deal. Such an agreement would be the basis for the creation of an economic NATO and would include trade in goods, services and investment, as well as cover intellectual property rights. There are concerns that the U.S. could use these talks to push the EU to loosen its restrictions on genetically modified crops and foods
Why Hyderabad Investigations Are Doomed To Fail
By Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association
In a grotesque replay of every investigation that follows a bomb blast, prejudice, misinformation and media blitz rules the direction of Dilsukh Nagar bombings investigation too. The same suspects and shadowy organizations are being paraded as executors of the Hyderabad bombings
Media's Irresponsible Role In Hyderabad Bomb Blast Reporting
By Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee
Open Letter to Justice Markandey Katju, Chairman, Press Council of India, on Hyderabad Bomb blasts - Issue direction to the Media houses to stop Media Investigation and Trial – To stop terrorizing Muslim community and hatred among people
Case Studies Of Dalit Women In Pakistan
By Pirbhu Satyani
A report done by Pirbhu Lal Satyani,a Pakistani Hindu from Thar Parkar, Sindh, Pakistan, on Pakistani Dalit women. Pirbhy Lal Satyani has written much on the Dalits of Sindh, and can be contacted on [email protected]
South Asia On The Time Bomb Of Majoritarian Nationalism
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
It is not the issue of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka but the issues of the most marginalized in our society who are being slaughtered to satisfy the ego of ‘nationalist’ right wingers everywhere. This right wing nationalism of majority community need to be challenged everywhere
Hanging Of Conscience: Case Of Afzal Guru
By Ram Puniyani
While the ethical questions pertaining to death penalty are heavy on the conscience of many in the society, this is not regarded as the part of ‘collective conscience’ which has guided the judgment of Supreme Court and later the President turning down his petition for clemency. The section of society which thought that Guru’s sentence itself needs to be questioned also does not seem to form the’ conscience’ of the nation!
25 February,2013
Earth Is Dying, Yet Climate And Forest Movements Lack Urgency And Substance
By Dr. Glen Barry
Human industrial growth is systematically liquidating the natural ecosystems that are the habitat for humans and for all life. Earth is dying, one logged old-growth tree and tank of gasoline at a time, yet most environmental groups are shilling solutions that are inadequate and ill-conceived - such as logging old-growth forests to protect them. Nothing shows this better than Greenpeace and the Rainforest Action Network - in an age of mass extinction, abrupt climate change, and ecosystem collapse - wanting us to wipe our asses with toilet paper from "certified" old-growth forest pulp
More Snow, Less Snow: The Climate Crisis “Puzzle”
By Countercurrents.org
A new climate model predicts an increase in snowfall for Earth's polar regions and highest altitudes, but an overall drop in snowfall for the globe, as carbon dioxide levels rise over the next century
Climate Crisis: Who’s Responsible?
By Countercurrents.org
The commitment to reduce GHG emissions should be allocated based on countries' historic responsibility for the emissions. This logic was recognized early on in climate negotiations. But the countries are still disputing how it should be interpreted and applied
Palestinian Prisoners And Israel's Shin Bet
By Eileen Fleming
After a 30-year-old Palestinian died while in custody and a hunger strike by four other inmates sparked a week of West Bank protests, Palestinians are calling for an international investigation of Israel's treatment of detained Palestinians. The death of Arafat Jaradat on Saturday raised recurrent questions about Israel's Shin Bet [Internal Security Service] because Jaradat was healthy at the time of his arrest last week
Thousands Of Palestinian Prisoners On Hunger Strike
By Countercurrents.org
Some 3,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails were staging a one-day hunger strike on Sunday in protest at the death of an inmate, as security forces clashed with demonstrators in the West Bank
Iran And The West Are Talking: Why War Not Peace?
By Mahboob A. Khawaja
On the occasion of international talks to be held on Tuesday, February 26, in Almaty , Kazakhstan , between Iran and the Six Western nations, the major agenda issues for negotiations are outcomes of perceptions not proven reality that Iran is developing nuclear capability and that Iran could any way is poised to threaten the military-political hegemony of the Western industrialized nations
Land-Based Pollution Has Massive Adverse Effects On Coastal Communities
By Marianne de Nazareth
Today the world has to look at recycling of plastics making them into new products or as fuel. It is an easily accessible and cheap product material, which can be sustained till plastic runs out and humans realise how harmful they are to our environment. Land based pollutants are causing havoc to our coastal areas and we have to decide to do something concrete soon or our entire planet is in peril
The politics Of Deception And The Spirit Of Shahbagh Movement
By Mohammad Tanzimuddin Khan
There is now a tendency, emerging among legal and social analysts, to play safe with the Shahbag movement. The reason for this is because they won't support capital punishment in solidarity with the movement. I argue that the Shahbag Movement should not be identified or categorized by its call for capital punishment. Those who do this are failing to read the minds of the young bloggers who launched the Shahbag Movement, and are putting the movement at the risk of further misinterpretation
Amnesty's Concern Over Attack On Journalists In Bangladesh
By Countercurrents.org
A string of recent violent attacks against journalists and media workers, including the murder of a blogger, shows the urgent need to better protect individuals commenting on Bangladesh's ongoing war crimes tribunal, Amnesty International said
Repeating Bomb Blasts And Repeaed Failures Of Prevention: Why Not A Permanent Solution?
By S. Mohammed Irshad
Now the question is how to annihilate this permanent trouble? The failure of the government to stop the killing has no room in this discussion. A country spending Rs 110000 crore for defence is failing to ensure homeland security. Spending Rs 3600 crore for VVIP securities are failing to ensure the life of the common man, who have voted them to power
Freedom of expression does not include the freedom to insult a community, and that is what Ashish Nandy has done. As it is, if his freedom of expression is boundless, why should the freedom of those offended not be unlimited as well? If he has a right to hurt (or humble) then the people have a right to get hurt, and humble him, as well. He should have apologized for the republic has risen up. Or else, he should learn not to speak what he does not mean, time and again
Still Counting The Dead: Survivors Of Sri Lanka’s Hidden War
Book Review By Sathish Kumar Thiyagarajan
I was so disgusted. The whole system failed. It wasn’t only the UN, but the whole international community. Tens of thousands of civilians were slaughtered by the Sri Lankan government and the world just moved on. The brutal carnage just passed us by
Obama’s Israel Trip: Ignore The Hype, It’s Four More Years Of Settlement Growth
By Jonathan Cook
sraeli and Palestinian officials have been in Washington laying the ground for President Barack Obama's visit to Israel and the West Bank, scheduled for next month and the first since he took office four years ago
Waterboarding Americans And The Redefinition Of Torture
By Nick Turse
What does it say about a society when its morals and ethics on the treatment of captives go into reverse? What are we to make of leaders who authorize, promote, or shield such brutal practices or about citizens who stand by and allow them to happen? What does it mean when torture, already the definition of “cruel,” becomes usual?
Austerity USA Begins March 1st
By Shamus Cooke
U.S. politicians have cried wolf over austerity long enough for the public to ignore them. A perfect time, then, for politicians to actually unleash the wolves. Barring an unlikely last minute deal, here's a short list of some of the massive, national bi-partisan-created austerity cuts
Israel Firsters On Parade In Chuck Hagel Nomination
By Sean Fenley
Why Obama, who is as much a tool of the lobby as anyone, has nominated Hagel is an absolute mystery. Hagel may be about as good a friend to Israel as anyone, but he is; of course, not being perceived in many corners that way. So there seems to be some risk for the congenitally/serially timid Obama, in offering up Hagel as his Secretary of Defense nominee
Limbaugh's New Racism
By Joel S. Hirschhorn
It is time for people, especially decent Republicans, to condemn wacko Limbaugh for all of his many failures, especially his new attempt to mask racism with the cloak of information deficits
Dispossessed, Gagged And Subdued
By Shivnarayan Rajpurohit
Another dam oustees go uncompensated
23 February,2013
US Deploys Troops, Drones To Niger
By Barry Grey
President Barack Obama on Friday officially notified the US Congress that he had deployed “approximately” 100 US troops to the western African nation of Niger. While Obama did not refer to drones in his letter, unnamed Pentagon officials told media outlets on Friday that drone aircraft had already been sent to the impoverished country, with the “first wave” including two Raptor surveillance drones. They said 250 to 300 military personnel, including remote pilots and security and maintenance crews, would eventually be deployed
Israel Instructs Obama: “Iranian And Syrian Sanctions Are Not Painful Enough!”
By Franklin Lamb
Contrary to what the occupiers of Palestine may fantasize, if the White House wants an economic blockade of Iran or Syria it must declare war, letting the American people be heard on the subject and convince the UN Security Council to pass a UNSCR under Chapter 7
Cancer Threat From Radioactive Leaks At Hanford
By John Scales Avery
Besides playing a large role in the tragedy of Nagasaki, the reactor complex at Hanford has damaged the health of many thousands of Americans. The prospects for the future are even worse. Many millions of gallons of radioactive waste are held in Hanford's aging storage tanks, the majority of which have exceeded their planned lifetimes. The following quotations are taken from a Wikipedia article on Hanford, especially the section devoted to ecoloogical concerns
Civilian Nuclear Proliferation And Deep Democracy
By Rosanna Marvell & Raminder Kaur
The Koodankulam struggle in India for the first time in the history of nuclear relations was presented as a prima facie case in the heart of the former colonial capital, the Houses of Parliament in London in October 2012. Such a move strengthened the global movement towards horizontal transnational alliances, a powerful way that such a cause can hope to succeed
Nuclear Waste Leaks In Washington State
By Countercurrents.org
Six underground storage tanks at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation along the Columbia River in Washington state were recently found to be leaking radioactive waste
From The Heart Of Shahbag Movement Of Bangladesh
By Faruk Wasif
Everyone must build a resistance in words and deeds. It is our duty. We have no leader so every face in the rally is a leader. We do not have an Imam, Shohid Jononi Jahanara Imam is our Imam. We must not give up the fight. Don't waste your breath before the final battle is here or else Shahbag will be taken away from the people. In his historic speech of 7 th March (1971) Sheikh Mujib said “You all know everything and understand it too.” People have begun to learn and understand. Joy Bangla
Palestinian Political Prisoners Starve For Justice
By Eva Bartlett
A few stoic lines from Palestinian political prisoner Samer Issawi, 33, transmitted to his sister Shireen have given new strength to Palestinian resolve to fight Israeli occupation and its prison policies. As has the hunger strike of four others in Israeli prisons along with Issawi
"Filming And Screening Of Cinema Is A Form Of Martial Art"
An Interview With B Ajithkumar
Films are tools of control, as well as weapons of resistance by the people, as art has always been. I conceive the field of art / cinema as a battle ground, where works of art are weapons. So filming and screening form a martial art, to borrow the words of Pierre Bourdieu in a similar context
Countering The Extinction Of Experience
Book Review By David Sparenberg
Ecomysticism, The Profound Experience of Nature as Spiritual Guide by Carl Von Essen
Rights Groups Condemn Hyderabad Blasts
Press Release
People's Union for Civil Liberties and People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR) condemn Hyderabad Blasts
22 February,2013
Geoengineering: A Boon Or An Environmental
And Geopolitical Disaster?
By Countercurrents.org
Solar geoengineering is a proposed approach to reduce the effects of climate change due to Green House Gas emissions by deflecting some of the sun's incoming radiation. This type of proposed solution carries with it a number of uncertainties including geopolitical questions about who would be in charge of the activity and its goals and the potential environmental costs
Pictures Speak Volumes In Oscar-Nominated Israeli Films
By Jonathan Cook
Israelis have been revelling in the prospect of an Oscar night triumph next week, with two Israeli-financed films among the five in the running for Best Documentary. But the country’s right-wing government is reported to be quietly fuming that the films, both of which portray Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories in a critical light, have garnered so much attention following their nominations
Palestinians Disqualify U.S. As Peace Broker
By Nicola Nasser
The “unbreakable alliance,” which will be confirmed by the upcoming visit of President Barak Obama to Israel, will disqualify the United States as an honest broker of peace in the Arab – Israeli conflict in Palestine, a Palestinian veteran peace negotiator says
Strategies Of Containment
By William T. Hathaway
This strategy of containment is used politically to confine potentially revolutionary energy into an area where it can't reach its goal. Instead of by cops, we are corralled by institutions that purport to be progressive or even socialist. This pseudo-left diverts our energies away from organizing a militant working class and towards supporting the Democratic Party
The System That Thrives On Women
By Countercurrents.org
Women have been made commodities in the world market system, and the market thrives on the “commodity”. The system begins the function of profiteering with women in economy. Then, it shapes society, culture, etc. Attitude and behavior pattern are parts of these
Political Hanging Of Afzal Guru To Reap Electoral Dividend
By Abdul Majid Zargar
The handling of Kashmir problem by India is marked by colonial approach, Military mind-set and political arrogance. All these ingredients were evident in abundance when Afzal Guru was hanged on 9th February in a most devious & surreptitious way
A Moment Of History In Bangladesh
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
The huge leaderless protests have lot of symbolism but they do send us message of what people want and it would be good if political parties listen to them and act on those values. One sincerely hope that the politicians in Dhaka will not let their people down who want a secular Bangladesh for all who fought jointly in the war for liberation of their country
India: Growing Inequality And Destructive Development
By Graham Peebles
Misery for the many, benefits for the few
By-Passed By ‘Development’: The Bagariyas Of Ajmer
By Yoginder Sikand
For centuries they led a semi-nomadic existence, surviving mainly by hunting and guarding other people’s fields. Considered among the poorest and least literate castes in Rajasthan, most Bagariyas live in miserable little settlements outside villages, setting up their huts, made of baked mud, thorny branches and plastic sheets, on bits of barren land. Living as they do on the fringes of Kotri, the Bagariyas have been almost completely by-passed in development schemes meant for the village
Sunil Yadav Vs The BMC
By Ajmal Khan
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is sabotaging the future of one of its employees by denying him a study leave
21 February,2013
The 9/11 Truth Movement Goes To Court In The UK
By Architects & Engineers For 9/11 Truth
On February 25, in the small town of Horsham in the United Kingdom, there will be a rare and potentially groundbreaking opportunity for the 9/11 truth movement. Three hours of detailed 9/11 evidence is to be presented and considered in a court of law where the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) will be challenged over the inaccurate and biased manner in which it has portrayed the events and evidence of 9/11
Bradley Manning: One Thousand Days When One Is Too Many
By Kevin Zeese & Margaret Flowers
Think of that, count it off . . . 1,000 days; that is how long Bradley Manning has been incarcerated without a trial. Even though he has been incarcerated for nearly three years most Americans have no idea what he did, why he did it or how he has been mistreated coming from the commander-in-chief to the courtroom at Fort Meade
What Went Wrong In The Global Climate Negotiations?
By Pablo Solon
First paper by Climate activist Pablo Solon kick starting "Climate Space", a discussion forum, in time for the World Social Forum in Tunisia, March 2013 initiating a discussion on climate change, looking for possible solutions
The Women’s Movement, The Next Half-Century
By Ruth Rosen
I always knew this was the longest revolution, one that would take a century or more to unfold. It’s upended most of our lives, and significantly improved so many of them. Nothing will ever be the same. Yet there’s still such a long way to go. I doubt I’ll see full gender equality in my lifetime
When Lives Hang In The Balance
By Joharah Baker
The lives of four Palestinian hunger strikers are hanging in the balance, teetering between life and death. Two in particular – Samer Issawi and Ayman Sharawneh have crossed the 200-day mark without food. The sheer number of days is staggering, difficult for any person to wrap their heads around. And still, the world is more or less disgracefully quiet
Photographing Tragedy: What Victims Actually Want
By Ramzy Baroud
When one looks at scenes of fleeing refugees from Syria via images of their squalid refugee camps and hears their pleas for solidarity, mercy or for God’s help to end their suffering, one finds eerie similarities between their experiences and those of the Palestinians, Lebanese and Iraqis
A Gourmet Meal At UN Environment Programme Headquarters
Highlighted Global Campaign To Cut Food Waste
By Marianne de Nazareth
Per-capita waste by consumers is between 95 and 115 kg a year in Europe and North America/Oceania, while consumers in sub-Saharan Africa, south and south-eastern Asia each throw away only 6 to 11 kg a year
Bangladesh: Mass Upsurge Against War Criminals Of 1971 With International Significance
By Dr. Peter Custers
Bangladesh´s mass upsurge from its inception has borne the seal of secularism and tolerance, and is opposed to fundamentalist politics. Indeed, the South Asian country is not just re-living its own historical legacy, i.e. the secular spirit that pervaded the struggle for the country´s independence. Perhaps it is on its way to setting a fresh example for the Muslim world and for the West
Greece Becoming A Third World Country
By Countercurrents.org
Greece is hard pressed with debt and poverty. The country faces huge amounts of bailout loans. Aris Chatzistefanou, journalist and documentary maker, says Greece is facing an even bigger issue
Can 1.7 Billion Dollars Imagine Wrong?
By Justin Podur
A review of Nandan Nilekani's Imagining India: Ideas for the New Century
Diabolic Designs And Demonic Actions
Book Review By Anand Teltumbde
Subhash Gatade's new books uncover realities of caste and communalism that India would rather ignore
“No Fire Zone” Screening In India
Screening of powerful documentary on Sri Lankan war crimes - ‘No Fire Zone’, for the first time in India. A glimpse of the explosive follow-up from the makers of “Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields” - February 22, 2013 at Constitution Club, New Delhi
Sri Lanka: Crime And Punishment
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
For a moment, let us keep aside the issue of Sri Lanka and see the track record of the UN Human Rights Council. What has it done to the people of Afghanistan and Iraq where millions of children are now suffering in hunger, malnutrition and have caught up with different diseases due to chemical warfare launched by the United States and its allies?
Statement On Home Minister’s Apology: Congress’ Cowardly Capitulation To The RSS And BJP
By Concerned Citizens
After frankly acknowledging the organizational role of the RSS and BJP in spawning terrorism in the country Home Minister Mr Sushil Kuamr Shinde has suddenly backtracked, buckled under pressure and apologized to the BJP
20 February,2013
Historic Two Day Strike Paralyses India
By Countercurrents.org
Workers began a two day strike in India to protest rising prices and government policies to open up the economy. Millions of factory and bank employees stayed away from work and public transport was shut down in most big cities after major trade unions called the countrywide strike. It is the first time since the Independent struggle that India witnesses two consecutive days of strikes
Another Anti-Austerity Strike In Greece
By Countercurrents.org
Workers and employees in Greece strike again. Most business and public sector activity come to a halt during February 20, 2013 countrywide strike. School teachers, train and bus employees and bankers are among various groups joining the walkout. Seaworkers plan to defy government orders to return to work
UN Looks, Sri Lanka Ducks
By Amantha Perera
It has now become an annual affair. When the Geneva based UN Human Rights Council readies itself for the first of its annual regular sessions in February, the government in Sri Lanka gets ready to ward off yet another attempt to scrutinise its rights record
Zapatistas And The Struggle For Survival On Planet Earth
By Helen Jaccard & Gerry Condon
On December 21 the Zapatistas made a dramatic reappearance. After four years of silence amid speculation about the status of their movement, more than 40,000 Zapatistas appeared in five towns they had occupied by force nineteen years earlier on January 1, 1994 – Ocosingo, Las Margaritas, Altamirano, Palenque and San Cristobal de Las Casas. Inspiring a profound sense of awe, men and women marched silently together in the rain, wearing ponchos and their trademark ski masks, unarmed, with young children on their backs
Highway of Death: 22 Years Later (What We’re Up Against)
By Mickey Z.
“Many of those massacred fleeing Kuwait were not Iraqi soldiers at all,” adds U.S. Attorney General-turned-peace activist, Ramsey Clark, “but Palestinians, Sudanese, Egyptians, and other foreign workers.”
U.S. Sanctions On Iran Tantamount To Collective Punishment: Kenneth O'Keefe
By Kourosh Ziabari
Kenneth O'Keefe, an Irish-Palestinian citizen, peace activist and former United States marine who calls himself a citizen of the world and renounced his U.S. citizenship in 2001 in protest at the hawkish policies of the U.S. government and its support for the Israeli regime. He was onboard the MV Mavi Marmara during the Gaza flotilla raid in 2010 and was brutally attacked and beaten by the Israeli commandoes. What follows is the text of Iran Review's interview with Kenneth O'Keefe about the sanctions imposed on Iran by the United States and the European Union
Egypt’s President Morsi Is The New American Stalwart In The Region
By Abid Mustafa
Ever since assuming the office of the Presidency, Morsi has worked resolutely to portray himself as a moderate Islamist working independent of American influence for the betterment of Egypt and the region. But beneath the veneer of Islamic rhetoric surrounding his domestic and foreign policy actions, Morsi is no better than his predecessor Mubarak— the former custodian of American interests in the region
Spring Bloom In Bangladesh
By Farooque Chowdhury
The Bangladesh spring raises more questions than it answers
Greenpeace Challenges Sharad Pawar On GM crops
By Greenpeace India
Rejecting Union Agricultural Minister, Sharad Pawar’s stance on genetically modified (GM) crops being the answer to India’s food security, 17 Greenpeace activists unfurled a massive banner with the message, ‘Say no to GM, yes to food Security’ at the Food Corporation of India’s (FCI) godown in Delhi on Feb 20. The banner even had a picture of Sharad Pawar and was installed high on the FCI godown by trained climbers
19 February,2013
Arctic Needs Urgent International Response,Says UNEP
By Countercurrents.org
The UNEP Year Book 2013 warns that the the impact of rapid change in the Arctic on the rest of the world extends beyond the contribution of melting ice and snow to global sea level rise. This region plays an important role in the climate system and ocean circulation. It is also significant for millions of migratory birds and mammals. Although much depends on the rate of change, thawing of permafrost soils could release large amounts of GHG, further amplifying climate change
Jeremy Hammond And The Broken Rule Of Law
By Nozomi Hayase
Activist Jeremy Hammond has been held without bail since his arrest in March. He is accused of hacking into the computers of private intelligence firm Stratfor and giving million of emails to WikiLeaks. He has been called the other Bradley Manning. While Manning revealed government wrongdoing, Hammond is alleged to have leaked information from a private company, helping expose the inner workings of the insidious and pervasive surveillance state
The Horrors Of Mining In The Head Waters Of The Amazon
By David Dene
There is an area in the Upper Amazon, in South Eastern Ecuador which is under threat from the first of what may be a succession of open pit copper mines. Mirador One has been licensed and more mines are planned for the future
What The 1% Heard During Obama's State Of The Union Speech
By Shamus Cooke
As President Obama follows in the footsteps of President Bush, labor and progressive groups have found their independent voice stifled. The close ties between these groups and the Democratic Party have become heavy chains for working people, who find themselves under assault with no leadership willing to educate them about the truth, let alone organize a national fightback to win a massive jobs-creation program, prevent cuts to social programs, and fully fund public education. Obama's second term will teach millions these lessons via experience
Hanging In India: Letter To A Prison Doctor
By N. Jayaram
Dr Vasant Yamakanmaradi, medical officer of the Central Prison, Hindalga (Belgaum), said the four convicts are both mentally and physically healthy. "We have been regularly conducting their health check-up to ensure they are fit to be executed," he said. "All convicts have been informed about their execution." The jail authorities began preparations for the executions after President Pranab Mukherjee rejected the mercy petitions of Veerappan's brother Jnanaprakash, Bilavendra, Simon and Meesekar Madaiah last week
The Car Lobby Stifling Public Transport
By Vidyadhar Date
A former British minister is in serious trouble over driving his car at high speed and Lahore in Pakistan launched a Bus Rapid Transit system last week. These two developments, wide apart though they are, are of considerable relevance for Mumbai where the rich are getting away literally by overspeeding and killing innocent people. It is also a shame that Mumbai still is nowhere even thinking of launching a BRT even when Lahore has done it and Jakarta did it some eight years ago
Social Justice And Gender Minority: On World Social Justice Day, 20 Feb
By Ravi Nitesh
On the social justice day, it must be a responsibility of all of us to understand the problems and to make efforts to include them in mainstream society. apart from efforts and measures of government, it must come from society itself as the real meaning of social justice will be fruitful when justice of equality, respect and rights will be provided within society by the society and for the society and society itself get formed with all human being with respect towards their individual / group identity and on the basis of mutual respect for each other without any discrimination
18 February,2013
Pseudo-Protests And Serious Climate Crisis
By David Swanson
Going in, I was of mixed views regarding Sunday's rally in Washington, D.C., to save the earth's climate from the tar sands pipeline. I still am. Why on a Sunday when there's no government around to protest, shut down, or interfere with? And why all the pro-Obama rhetoric? Robert Kennedy, Jr., was among the celebrities getting arrested at the White House in the days leading up, and his comment to the media was typical. Obama won't allow the tar sands pipeline, he said, because Obama has "a strong moral core" and doesn't do really evil things. As a belief, that's of course delusional. This is the same president who sorts through a list of men, women, and children to have executed every other Tuesday, and who jokes about it
Arms Race In Libya
By Countercurrents.org
An arms race among European defence contractors to re-equip Libya's armed forces is on. Britain is trying to boost the sale of defence equipment to Libya by sending a Royal Navy warship to Tripoli to act as floating shop window for security firms, amid concern in Whitehall that France and Italy are already cashing in on the fall of Muammar Gaddafi
71 Years After Executive Order 9066 (What We’re Up Against)
By Mickey Z.
On Feb. 19, 1942, the sainted Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 giving the army the unrestricted power to arrest -- without warrants or indictments or hearings -- every Japanese-American on a 150-mile strip along the West Coast (roughly 110,000 men, women, and children) and transport them to internment camps in Colorado, Utah, Arkansas, and other interior states to be kept under prison conditions
Birds of Prey: The Record of Impunity For Israeli Military Aircraft
By Brenda Heard
The Lebanese National News Agency has reported at least 31 breeches of airspace so far in February. Yet the international community has turned a blind eye toward Israel's contempt for international law. UNIFIL, with its average annual budget of over $500 million ( A/C.5/66/SR.31 ), files the same protests it has filed for decades and seems uninterested in challenging Israel directly— at least not publicly . Israel has continued undaunted in its military occupation of regional skies. Such rogue conduct has developed through years and years of pushing the boundaries, through a pattern of aggression and impunity
Statement In Support Of The People´s Protests Fuelled From Shahbagh
By International Committee for Democracy in Bangladesh
We are confident that your voice and verdict expressed through countrywide protests will be heard. And we pledge to promote your agenda internationally until your six demands have been met
Gangnam Gaza Style: On The Siege, Palestinian Prisoners, Palestinian Pride
By Eva Bartlett
“We wanted to tell the outside world about the impossible circumstances under which we live: that our airport has been destroyed, our fishers are prevented from accessing their sea, that half our population is out of work, that we use tunnels instead of border crossings and donkeys because fuel is scarce.”
The Latin American Exception
By Greg Grandin
How a Washington Global Torture Gulag Was Turned Into the Only Gulag-Free Zone on Earth
Global Trade War Over Local Content Requirements
By Burghard Ilge & Kavaljit Singh
Global trade wars are looming over the establishment of local content requirements in national law. Nearly two months after Canada lost a case at the World Trade Organization, the US has approached the WTO to challenge the local content requirements in India’s solar power program. This growing trend could have serious implications for India’s new FDI policy on retail trade and other programs intended to encourage domestic manufacturing and job creation
Afzal Guru Case: The Dead Conscience
By Dr. Haamid Peerzada
By giving the dates of February 9 & February 11, the Indian authorities have given a week of remembrance for coming generations. Kashmir is waiting for the body of Afzal Guru
17 February,2013
Climate Crisis: Low-Lying Island Nations Appeal To UN Security Council
By Countercurrents.org
The Marshall Islands and other low-lying island nations appealed to the UN Security Council to recognize climate change as an international security threat that jeopardizes their very survival
The Planetary Crisis Of Climate Change Is Not Political... It's Physics
By Bernie Sanders
I fear very much that our children, grandchildren and great- grandchildren are going to look back on this period in history and ask a very simple question: Where were they? Why didn’t the United States of America, the most powerful nation on earth, lead the international community in cutting greenhouse gas emissions and preventing the devastating damage that the scientific community was sure would come?
US Still Acquiescing In Bahraini Crackdown
By Amitabh Pal
Dozens of protesters have been killed at the hands of the security forces over the past two years. Hundreds are in jail. Just last month, the Bahraini appeals court confirmed life sentences for seven prominent activists, including Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who had staged a long hunger strike in protest against his mistreatment
The African Union, Algeria And Mali: The West’s War Against
African Development Continues
By Dan Glazebrook
The most obvious victim of this destabilization has been Mali. That the Salafist takeover of Mali is a direct consequence of NATO's actions in Libya is not in doubt by any serious analysts. One result of the spread of NATO-backed destabilization to Mali is that Algeria – who lost 200,000 citizens in a deadly civil war with Islamists in the 1990s – is now surrounded by heavily armed Salafist militias on both its Eastern (Libya) and Southern (Mali) borders
The United States Has Waged An Economic War Against Iran : Pepe Escobar
By Kourosh Ziabari
With regards to controversy over Iran 's nuclear program, Pepe Escobar says that Iran and the West should reach a sustainable, face-saving solution which both ensures Iran 's entitlement to its essential rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to which Iran is a signatory, and also alleviates the West's concerns on the peacefulness of Iran 's nuclear activities
Spielberg v. Tarantino: Hollywood And The Past
By Gilad Atzmon
If Leo Strauss is correct and Western civilization should be seen as an oscillation between Athens and Jerusalem, truth must be said – we can really do with many more Athenians and their essentialist reflections. In short, we are in a desperate need of many more Tarantinos to counter Jerusalem and its ambassadors
They Still Cling To Guns And Religion
By Mary Shaw
When Obama made his controversial "guns and religion" comment almost five years ago, I'm sure he never envisioned the kind of backlash to his election that has caused those right-wing obsessions to grow exponentially. But it's not his comment that caused it. It's the racism and xenophobia - rooted in ignorance and fear - that still unfortunately live on in places like my hometown
The Bollworm Has Turned: Agribusiness In India And The Essence Of Capitalism
By Colin Todhunter
Now that the government and Western agribusiness have conspired to set the corporate controlled merry-go-round in motion, there may be little chance of getting off. Having had control stripped from them, farmers may well be forever beholden to US agribusiness which took their power
Talk Hindutva, Sell Narcotics ? Curbing Freedom of Press : The Karnataka Way
By Subhash Gatade
First Naveen Soorinje, now 'Karavali Ale’ . It appears that the people in power in the state who have lost all legitimacy to rule with n number of corruption charges against them and ongoing infighting for power have decided to stick to power by shooting the messengers themselves. They rather want to declare from rooftops that under their jurisdiction Press freedom has to R.I.P
16 February,2013
Will Washington Grasp The Hand Being Offered By The Iranian People?
By Franklin Lamb
There is every reason for Washington’s new administration to reach out to Iran, not just with words but with actions. The American and Iranian people fervently want this and it wills inestimably benefit both societies. The solution to positive the current straightened Iran-US relations includes contact, visitations, discussions and more discussions and from this both peoples can pressure their governments to leave the past behind and develop bonds of friendship
Climate Change Added To U.S. Government “High Risk” List
By Carey L. Biron
For the first time, a US government auditor has added climate change to a list of issues that pose the greatest financial risk to the government and country. It is also warning that Washington is markedly unprepared to deal with the scope of the problem
UK Rightwing Wealthy Secretly Fund Climate Crisis Denial
By Countercurrents.org
A group of the wealthy opposes scientific findings related to climate crisis. This group in the US is exposed. It has been found that in the UK also wealthy rightwing donors finance campaigns against policies to reduce greenhouse gases
The People Are A Superpower
By Kevin Zeese & Margaret Flowers
The Movement as a Wave Rising Up and Constantly Shaping the Shore
Letter From A Drone Protester's Jail
By Brian Terrell
Greetings from the Federal Prison Camp in Yankton, South Dakota! As of this writing, I am two months into a six month sentence imposed due to my protest of war crimes committed by remote control from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri against the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan
Keeping Things In Perspective
By Rosemarie Jackowski
Who really needs a vacation? Maybe the families in Gaza who have been bombarded with bombs for longer than most can remember. Maybe all those living in Occupied Territories need a vacation. Maybe the families of the kids we kill with Drones need a vacation from the aggressive foreign policy of the US
Desiline Victor And Black History Month
By Joseph Palermo
In his State of the Union address when President Barack Obama paid tribute to Desiline Victor, the 102-year-old African-American woman from North Miami who was forced to wait for hours to cast her ballot last November, he was highlighting not only the Florida Republican Party’s voter suppression efforts but the tortured history of race relations in America. February is “Black History Month” and the nation’s first black president offered yet another a “teachable moment.”
Review Of Thomas Riggins' Lessons And Conclusions From Lenin's
"Left-Wing" Communism An Infantile Disorder
By Dave Fryett
A critique of Thomas Riggins' review of Lenin's book
Linking Rural Women Globally: The Barefoot Way
By Yoginder Sikand
Women from around the world come together under a unique programme conceived of by the Barefoot College, a development organization based in Tilonia, a small village in Rajasthan’s Ajmer district. Considered to be a pioneer in promoting solar energy in various parts of rural India through village people instead of formally-educated, certificate-wielding ‘experts’. Starting in 2004, every year a batch of thirty-odd women from countries in these regions are selected to attend a six month course in basic solar energy technology at Tilonia
Health Insurance - Ensuring Health For The Poor,Or Insuring Profits For The Rich?
By Dr. Sylvia Karpagam
Health insurance for India is rapidly growing into the new mantra - a neo-liberal, divisive, anti-people move that ingeniously paves the way for privatization of healthcare in the country. Private health care providers, aka the corporate healthcare industry, facilitating and facilitated by private health insurance, are rapidly and deviously bedding with ‘public health professionals' and ‘researchers' to systematically break down even a vestige of public health care in the country
15 February,2013
Syrian Civil War Creates Worsening Humanitarian Crisis
By Oliver Campbell
Statistics released by the UN and various aid agencies have highlighted the devastating social impact of the two-year Syrian civil war, fuelled by the intervention of the US and its allies. An estimated four million people, or 20 percent of the population, are in need of humanitarian assistance, and more than two million people are internally displaced, amid fears that both numbers will rise sharply as the conflict continues
Billionaires Secretly Fund Rightist Climate Crisis Deniers
By Countercurrents.org
A group of billionaires donated $120m to more than 100 anti-climate groups working to discredit climate crisis reality. The money from the rightists goes to rightist organizations, a normal alliance
Violence Against Women Is As Old As Patriarchy
By Vandana Shiva
There is a connection between the growth of unjust economic policies and the intensification of crimes against women. The Delhi gang rape has triggered a revolution—one that we must sustain
Religious Conviction And Reality
By Alon Ben-Meir
The most puzzling aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict may be that after 65 years of violence, enmity and suffering, it remains unresolved when coexistence is inevitable and a two-state solution remains the only viable option. Although there are many contentious issues that must be specifically addressed, directly impacting every dispute is the broader psychological dimension of the conflict, making it increasingly intractable. To mitigate the hostility, we must first look into the elements that inform the psychological dimension and discover the means to alleviate it, as doing so is the prerequisite to finding a solution
The Story Behind The Label
By Frank Scott
The president gave his annual state-of-the-union reading of a speech that could have been written by the Hallmark Cards Political Greetings Division, touching on all the most important aspects of our national condition
Strategizing To Defeat Control Unit Prisons And Solitary Confinement
By Angola 3 News
An interview with author/activist Nancy Kurshan
Introspecting Time For Aadivasi Movements For Autonomy
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
The world’s largest democracy is suffering from various ailments in this representative system which is more suitable to ‘democratic’ ‘symbolism’ than providing solutions to issues of survival, identity and culture of the indigenous communities in India. That way, Indian democracy is largely inadequate and manipulative which has been coopted by various corporate interest groups who are fixing agenda for it through complete control over information technology and medium of communications
And Thus You Shall Be Satisfied
By Ikram Ullah
Afzal Guru is hanged, has the collective conscience of India satisfied?
Dalit Camera Seeks Support
By Dalit Camera Team
Dalit Camera is unique video blog and Youtube channel. They are seeking funds from supporters to widen their work
14 February,2013
Arctic Ice: Shrinking And Thinning
By Countercurrents.org
Findings based on observations from a European Space Agency satellite, published online in Geophysical Research Letters, show that the Arctic has lost more than a third of summer sea-ice volume since a decade ago, when a US satellite collected similar data. Combining the UW model and the new satellite observations suggests the summer minimum in Arctic sea ice is one-fifth of what it was in 1980, when the modelling began
Wetland Trees, A Significant Source Of Methane
By Countercurrents.org
"Methane emissions normally are measured by putting sealed chambers on the ground to capture gas seeping or bubbling from the soil. We also enclosed tree stems in chambers and the results were surprising. About 80 per cent of all methane emissions was venting through the trees."
The Emperor’s New Pipeline
By David Lillard
As President Obama mulls over approval of the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline, he may want to ask David Lillard’s 6-year-old son his point of view, since that little boy and millions of kids around the world will have to live with the climate impacts of tar sands oil on the planet
Condemning North Korea’s Latest Nuclear Test Is Meaningless
By Buddhi Kota Subbarao
Just like the people of Iraq suffered more from the sanctions imposed against Iraq than from the alleged despotic rule of Saddam Hussain, the people of North Korea would suffer more from the sanctions than from the vicissitudes of socialistic rule in North Korea
The State Of The Union : Warning, Saccharin Causes Cancer
By Kevin Zeese
The president's State of the Union , cheered by Democratic partisans and jeered by Republicans, left me, someone not affiliated with either party, unsatisfied and concerned. Anyone who follows politics closely knows the sweet words of the president were saccharin, not even real sugar
No More Truthless Heroes
By Joshua Brollier
On February 11, 2013, the New York Times reported about the funeral of retired Navy Seal sniper Chris Kyle, portraying him as a “warrior and family man.” The highly politicized and massive public funeral, held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington , Texas , points to the severe moral schizophrenia our nation has internalized. We see ourselves as the shining “city on a hill” and therefore a U.S. citizen who kills people in other lands becomes an unquestionably renowned hero. This must appear offensive and ridiculous to many people living beyond U.S. borders
Iraq At The Brink: A Decade After The Invasion
By Ramzy Baroud
UK-based Iraqi writer Hussein Al-alak wrote on the upcoming tenth anniversary of the Iraq invasion with a tribute to the country's 'silent victims,' the children. According to Iraqi Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, he reported, there is an estimated 4.5 million children who are now orphans, with a “shocking 70 percent” of them having lost their parents since the 2003 invasion
Lessions And Conclusions From Lenin's "Left-Wing" Communism An Infantile Disorder
By Thomas Riggins
In the last chapter, the tenth, of his 1920 book "Left-Wing" Communism an Infantile Disorder" Lenin looks back over the previous nine chapters and then draws several conclusions about the then current state of the world struggle for socialism and also predicts some future developments. Let us see how accurate he was from our point of view some 93 years later
Letter From The Women Of Koodankulam
By Anitha S
It is now many months since we last wrote to you. We know that for many, our struggle is considered lost or over. We, the women involved in the resistance against the Koodankulam Nuclear Power plant for the past 580 days write this to convey to you that we are still here, in the huge Samara Pandal at Idinthakarai village, in the courtyard of our beloved Lourdes Mary Church waiting for our questions to be answered and our fears and anxieties to be allayed
Direct Cash Transfer: Who Does It Benefit?
By S.G.Vombatkere
The DCT scheme is the logical outcome of the UID-Aadhaar project, purportedly designed to ensure that government benefits reach the poor. The reality is that this kind of “inclusion” makes use of the poor without really empowering them
Ayodhya: In Electoral Battle Again
By Ram Puniyani
Rajnath Singh, the new BJP President (Feb 2013) has brought forward the issue of Ram Temple once again. The Sadhus associated with VHP have also proclaimed that it is on their agenda. All the top leaders of RSS Combine are visiting the Mahakumbh, taking a dip in the Holy Ganges and affirming the Ram Temple as the fulcrum of their all round campaign in the wake of the forthcoming 2014 Parliamentary elections
13 February,2013
Obama Defends Drone Assassinations In State Of The Union Address
By Barry Grey
The most significant point in President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday night was a passing and euphemistically worded reference to his program of extra-judicial drone assassinations. “Where necessary, through a range of capabilities, we will continue to take direct action against those terrorists who pose the gravest threat to Americans,” he declared
Middle East Loses Freshwater Reserves Rapidly
By Alan Buis, Steve Cole & Janet Wilson
A new study using data from a pair of gravity-measuring NASA satellites finds that large parts of the arid Middle East region lost freshwater reserves rapidly during the past decade
Saudi Arabia Beheading Nearly Two People per Week This Year
By Countercurrents.org
A spree of executions have sent10 prisoners to their deaths in Saudi Arabia since the beginning of the year said Amnesty International in a report
The Southern Man And His Cosmopolitan Ghetto:
Making Sense Of Yair Lapid And The Israeli Center
By Neve Gordon
Former anchorman and middle-class darling Yair Lapid stunned the Israeli political scene in the recent elections. His party, Yesh Atid (There is a Future) won 19 seats, second in size only to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s Likud-Beiteinu alliance, thus ensuring that Lapid will play a pivotal role in the next government. But who is Lapid and what exactly does he stand for?
The Pope, Cardinals And Bishops Should Be Prosecuted For The Sexual Abuse Of Children
By Francis A. Boyle
According to the well known principle of Command Responsibility under International Criminal Law, the Pope and his Cardinals and his Archbishops and his Bishops should all be prosecuted for their own criminal acts and the criminal acts of their subordinate priests for the reasons set forth in Rome Statute
Nationalize Money, Not Banks
By Herman Daly
We need not go back to the gold standard. Keep fiat money, but move from fractional reserve banking to a system of 100% reserve requirements on demand deposits. Time deposits (savings accounts) would have zero or minimal reserve requirements and would be available to lend to borrowers. The change need not be abrupt
Pulsing Paradigm or Steady State?
By Christian Williams
Seldom do you come across arguments that truly question the premise of a steady state economy. Sure, growth-obsessed pundits make arguments against it all the time, but these can typically be refuted by reviewing a few facts. After all, the world is finite, and there are real limits to growth. However, when such an argument arises from the work of the late, great Howard Odum, it’s worth taking a closer look
Not The Future We Ordered: Peak Oil, Psychology,
And The Myth of Progress, By John Michael Greer
Book Review By Carolyn Baker
Not The Future We Ordered abandons all hubris and radically redefines “hope,” moving it from passive expectation to pro-active empowerment
Afzal Guru's Execution, Police Brutality At Jantar Mantar And Bajrang Dal Hooliiganism
By People's Union For Democratic Rights
The attack on demonstrators at Jantar Mantar on 9 February and the aiding of the Bajrang Dal members by the Delhi Police must strongly condemned
Open Letter To President Of India On Afzal Guru's Hanging
By Concerned Citizens
We write to you in deep anguish, despair but in outrage as well. Afzal Guru was hanged on Saturday (9th February 2013) in secrecy. We have been told – after the hanging – that you rejected the mercy petition filed by Guru’s wife Tabassum, on 3rd February. We believe that you made a grave error in rejecting the mercy petition
12 February,2013
The Role Of Germany In The War In Mali
By Wolfgang Weber
A month ago, French soldiers, tanks and fighter jets invaded the West African country of Mali. Since then, Germany has been expanding its involvement in the colonial war from week to week
Climate Crisis Already Upon Us
By Countercurrents.org
Climate crisis is impacting all parts of life, from national security of countries to die-off of trees. Increasingly frequent extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, severe storms, and heat waves have focused the attention of climate scientists on the connections between greenhouse warming and extreme weather
Climate Change Can Threaten Asian Bird Survival
By Marianne de Nazareth
The study undertaken by the Durham University and BirdLife International (of which BNHS is the India Partner) on Asian bird species reveals that many are likely to suffer under climate change and will require not just enhanced protection of important and protected sites, but also better management of the wider countryside. In some extreme cases, birds may be required to be physically moved to climatically suitable areas for survival
Where Were YOU On February 15, 2003
By Mike Ferner
On that day, for the first time in human history , people of every nation on earth said “NO” to a war before it began . By the 10's of millions, starting in New Zealand and Australia and sweeping westward over the globe for 24 hours, people poured into streets and public places to shout with one voice, “NO WAR ON IRAQ!”
Apology For The Iraq War
By Mary Hamer
This essay on the Iraq war is Not about Criminalizing those responsible for the 2003 invasion & the 7 year occupation of Iraq; Rather this paper Is about acknowledging the the Human rights violations, the Ethical issues & the Negative Outcome of the Iraq war -- including: the Pain & suffering of the Iraqi people & the Disrespect of this aggressive act. This article is Not about indicting people for War Crimes or conducting a Nuremberg trial; Rather this essay is about acknowledging the failures of this Tragic historical event. This article is Not about judging U.S. troops – I highly respect the American troops; Rather this essay Is about the failures in Leadership. Ultimately, this paper is an Apology for the Iraq War
A Secret CIA Drone Base, A Blowback World, And Why Washington Has No Learning Curve
By Tom Engelhardt
When it comes to that “secret” Saudi base, if truth be told, it does look like a conspiracy -- of stupidity. After all, the CIA pushed for and built that base; the White House clearly accepted it as a fine idea. An informal network of key media sources agreed that it really wasn’t worth the bother to tell the American people just how stupidly their government was acting
Why The War On Terror Endures: Spawning Terror Over There
By Steve Breyman
Were the War on Terror a bona fide success, one should expect the number of attacks and victims to fall over time, with a return, at some point, to pre-2002 levels. That they haven't has been confirmed again and again over the years, most recently by the Global Terrorism Index
Historical Experiences And Perception
By Alon Ben-Meir
The most puzzling aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict may be that after 65 years of violence, enmity and suffering, it remains unresolved when coexistence is inevitable and a two-state solution remains the only viable option. Although there are many contentious issues that must be specifically addressed, directly impacting every conflicting issue is the broader psychological dimension of the conflict, which makes it increasingly intractable. To mitigate the conflict, we must first look into the elements that inform the psychological dimension and how to alleviate them as prerequisites to finding a solution
Federal Dictatorship In America
By Tim Gatto
We are witnessing the destruction of due judicial process in the United States. As some have suggested, we are entering into a Federal dictatorship that is being supported by the States and the media. The right to kill without a trial is being debated and without the people’s voice in the debate, many people will be subject to execution without a trial right here in the United States. The federal Government has never had a power that it hasn’t used. I just hope it won’t be used on you or me
Why Organized Labor Must Stand Against The Keystone XL Pipeline
By Mark Vorpahl
Spurred by real urgency over the corporate driven ruin of the environment, a growing social movement is taking shape that will be on display this Sunday, February 17, when tens of thousands descend on the streets of Washington, D.C. in a show of power titled "Forward On Climate." The potential consequences of the XL Pipeline's operations are global and catastrophic because of climate change. And that's why organized labor needs to stand up now in an alliance that has the power to defeat it
Death Of Our Consciousness
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
Kashmir is restive at the moment and for the past three days there is information blockade in the valley as people are not able to watch TV channels of their choice, nor can they access internet. In the absence of free flow of information the only thing which get strengthened and spread is rumour and very unfortunately the government which claims to bring ‘openness’ to our lives, is doing such things which endanger national security. So far three lives have been lost in the protests against hanging and the valley is completely directionles
Untouchability Is Still Widely Practiced In Uttar-Pradesh
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
The Humanise India journey culminates in Lucknow today after 15 days of difficult yet fruitful visit to over 20 districts of Uttar-Pradesh. It gave us glimpse of the situation that existed at various places. The most gruesome factor is that Untouchability is still practiced and not just among the so-called upper caste and lower castes but also among various marginalized communities too
11 February,2013
Syria In Israeli PM’s Agenda While The Interventionists
Live In A Divided House
By Countercurrents.org
Syria is top on the agenda of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu while the Syrian interventionists appear divided. These make the Syria scene more complex
U.S. Seeking Violent Solution To Syrian Crisis: Dahlia Wasfi
Interview By Kourosh Ziabari
Dahlia Wasfi talks about the 23-month-long crisis in Syria , U.S. support for the Al-Qaeda mercenaries in the war-hit nation and the regional countries' plans for fragmenting and breaking apart Syria and Iraq
Nemo, The Blizzard, Snow, Climate Crisis, The connection
By Countercurrents.org
Is there connection between Nemo, the blizzard lashing the northeast US, dumping huge amount of snow, and climate crisis the Earth now experiencing? Scientists search for the answer
A Presidential Decision That Could Change The World ,
The Strategic Importance of Keystone XL
By Michael T. Klare
Presidential decisions often turn out to be far less significant than imagined, but every now and then what a president decides actually determines how the world turns. Such is the case with the Keystone XL pipeline, which, if built, is slated to bring some of the “dirtiest,” carbon-rich oil on the planet from Alberta, Canada, to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast
Drones And Our National Religion
By David Swanson
What happens to myths like these when we discover that flying killer robots make better soldiers than soldiers do? Or when we learn that the president is using those flying robots to kill U.S. citizens? Which beliefs do we jettison to reduce the dissonance in our troubled brains?
I Am Hurting Too
By Dr Hakim ( Dr Teck Young, Wee )
The hurt of militarized authoritarianism in Singapore , Afghanistan and the world
Challenges To Right To Sexuality In India
By Devika Mittal
Have poison, you have no right to live...... These lines were said to someone who is a transgender female. I was stunned when i heard this line today during my fieldwork
Caretaker Dilemma Of Bangladesh
By Musawer Ahmad Saqif
Dhaka: Bangladesh which has suffered major political setbacks since its independence in 1971, once again finds itself in yet another deadlock when the tenth national parliamentary election takes place at the end of this year. Last four parliamentary elections had been held under a caretaker government as mandated in the constitution (except for the discarded February 1996 election). But this time the ruling party Awami League (AL) has brought constitutional changes abolishing the caretaker government, following a Supreme Court verdict deeming the interim administrations unconstitutional
Acquitted By Court, Charged By Media
By Shaik Zakeer Hussain
In India, even though a suspect is acquitted, of his alleged crime by a court, the media continues to portray them as social maniacs and traitors, who need to be 'exposed' in the interest of 'national security'
Throttling Freedom In Kashmir After Hanging Afzal
By People’s Union for Democratic Rights
Since Saturday morning Kashmir valley has been placed under a preemptive curfew forcing people to stay locked inside their houses. Satellite and cable tv, internet and even mobile sms have been blacked out in the valley. On Saturday night, the police also stopped the publication and distribution of all newspapers
10 February,2013
Flood, Migration, War: Human Cost Of Climate Crisis
By Countercurrents.org
A new book, "Overheated: The Human Cost of Climate Change," predicts a grim future for billions of people in this century. It is a factual account of a staggering human toll, based on hard data
Concentration Of Corporate And Elite Power At The Root Of Economic And Ecological Crisis
By Susan George
Susan George provides an introduction to TNI's State of Power 2013 report, exposing how the unprecedented concentration of corporate and elite power is at the root of our economic and ecological crisis
How The Western Leaders Terrorized Muslim World Using Fake Clash Of Civilizations
By Mahboob A. Khawaja
If trends continue as they have during the last fifteen years, we shall soon reach this point of no return, and can only anticipate interminable wars, disguised as noble gestures for peace. Such an era could only culminate in a third world war which might well, as Arnold J. Toynbee has suggested, leave only the pygmies in remote jungles, or even the apes and ants, to carry on 'the cultural traditions' of mankind
Obama's Shakedown Of Medicare
By Shamus Cooke
In a political era of corporate dominance it was inevitable that doublespeak would become the official language of Washington, DC. Now "cuts" to social programs are referred to as "savings,” while the destruction of these programs is "reform.” This is the essence of President Obama's doublespeakish “Race to the Top” public education "reform,” as well as his yet-to-be-announced deficit plan based on Medicare "savings.”
William Blum’s Cri de Coeur
Reviewed By Gary Corseri
A review of “America’s Deadliest Export: Democracy” by William Blum
Some Questions For Comrade Karat On Afzal Guru's Killing
By Satya Sivaraman & Manisha Sethi
If the Congress is fast becoming the B Team of the communal Hindutva brigade should the CPI (M) try to become the C Team? Has your Party learnt nothing from the defeats it has suffered due to similar unprincipled stands it has taken in the past? Are we being completely delusional in expecting a Party named with grand terms like ‘Communist’ and ‘Marxist’ to take a stand different from that of political formations taking the nation fast forward towards all out Fascism?
Hanging Of Afzal Guru: Travesty Of Justice And Democracy
By Dipankar Bhattacharya
The hanging of Afzal Guru at the crack of dawn on 9 February, done in an extremely secretive manner without even informing his family, will be recognised by every justice-loving person as a case of justice being hanged to appease the communal fascist forces who want to make Narendra Modi India’s Prime Minister
'Police Can't Arrest Togadia'
By Subhash Gatade
Mr Praveen Togadia, the international secretary general of VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) is sitting pretty. It has been more than a week that a FIR has been filed against him for his alleged hatespeech in Bhokar town but since then there has been no progress. A newsitem which appeared in a leading daily mentioned in the beginning describes the game of ping pong which is going on between the police officials and the home minister over l'affaire Togadia
Manual Scavenging, Caste And Policy
By Forum Against Manual Scavenging
Maila Mukti Yatra, a two month long national campaign against manual scavenging, came to an end on 31 January, 2013 . The campaign went around the whole nation, appealing to women and men engaged in manual scavenging to leave the inhuman practice. We, the Forum Against Manual Scavenging (FAMS), have followed their campaign closely and believe that the persistence of manual scavenging and the State's attempts to eradicate it must be looked at closely
When Is Racketeering Classed As ‘Development’? When It Applies To India
By Colin Todhunter
In his January editorial piece in Kisan Ki Awaaz (National Magazine of the Farmer’s Voice), Krishan Bir Chaudhary claims there is a conscious attempt by officialdom in India to remove farmers from farming. If his claim were to be valid, it would come as little surprise when we consider that, due to the restructuring of agriculture in favour of Western agribusiness, over 250,000 farmers have committed suicide in India since 1997
09 February,2013
Afzal Guru Hanged, Whose Conscience Satisfied?
By N. Jayaram
Afzal Guru was hanged on the morning of 9 February 2013 following his highly questionable conviction over the 2001 attack on the Indian parliament. Many eminent lawyers, scholars and journalists have written extensively, pointing out gaping holes in the entire trial and appeal process as well as the rejection of petitions to the president of India on Afzal Guru’s behalf. They include senior lawyers Nandita Haksar and Indira Jaisingh, writers Arundhati Roy, Praful Bidwai and Nirmalangshu Mukherji and the late K.G. Kannabiran
Afzal Guru's Hanging Was Illegal
By The Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners
The central home minister and the home secretary have gone on record saying that every procedure has been followed in the case of Afzal Guru. None of his family members are aware of this decision of the Government of India. Nor do the lawyers of Afzal Guru
The Secret Execution of Afzal Guru Raises Questions of Fairness
By Human Rights Forum
Afzal Guru did not have adequate legal representation in the course of his trial. According to Amnesty International, the trial did not conform with India’s obligation under international human rights law. The secrecy surrounding Afzal’s execution, like in the Kasab case, is very disturbing and raises serious questions about procedural fairness
Assassinate, Rape, Calls A Section of Islamist Clerics In Egypt
By Countercurrents.org
Hard-line Egyptian clerics have called for the assassination of opposition leaders and claimed sexual assaults against women protesters were justified
Protestors Try To Storm President's Palace In Cairo
By Countercurrents.org
Protestors in Cairo tried to storm Presidential Palace in Cairo while thousands participated in demonstrations in cities across Egypt . More than hundred demonstrators were injured during clashes with police
US Officials Confess To Targeting Iran’s Civilian Population
By Franklin Lamb
US Vice-President Joe Biden and outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in discussing US relations with the Islamic Republic, openly admitted that the US-led sanctions against Iran (and Syria) are politically motivated and constitute a "soft-war" against the nearly 80 million people of Iran (23 million people in Syria) in order to achieve regime change
Is Iraq on Its Way To A Civil War?
By Adil E. Shamoo
All indicators are pointing to a looming sectarian civil war on Iraq’s horizon. It is possible to avoid this civil war, but so far, the country’s leaders are not willing to compromise, and outside parties show little interest in stopping it. They should care more than they do: if not resolved, a bloody civil war in Iraq will fuel the rising conflict among Sunni-Shia across the Middle East — now in Lebanon and Syria — with the potential of spreading into other countries and inviting extremists to take advantage of the conflagration
Charting A New Course For The U.S. And The Environment
Roger Cohn Interviews Gus Speth
After more than four decades as a leading environmentalist, Gus Speth is disillusioned with what has been accomplished. What’s needed now, he says in an interview with Yale Environment 360, is a transformative change in America’s political economy that will benefit both society and the planet
Rationally Speaking, We Are All Apocalyptic Now
By Robert Jensen
Rather than claiming divine inspiration, we can come to greater clarity about the desperate state of the ecosphere and its human inhabitants through evidence and reason. It is time for a calm, measured apocalypticism that recognizes that the ecosphere sets norms, which we have ignored for too long, and that we need to develop a new sense of solidarity among humans and with the larger living world
Mutually Assured Well Being: The Continuity Of Community And Individual Resilience
By Carolyn Baker
Community resilience and personal resilience cannot be neatly separated, nor can we justly assert that one is more important than the other. They function interdependently and clearly need each other. Community activism is essential as societies and ecosystems continue their decline
Beyond Control: America's Unrivaled Fetish For Guns
By Timothy Dwight Smith
The dilemmas we presently face as a nation are not dissimilar to those we have endured since the founding of this republic. The republic has yet to resolve whether it desires for all of the people within its borders to be free. America in 2013 remains stuck in neutral, undecided on the fundamental ethos which undergirds its very existence, and until that most important self-evident truth, espoused in the founding documents of this country, that all people are created equal, is finally realized, the entire country inches closer to the complete crumbling of this would-be American democracy
A First Hand Account Of What Went Down At The Anti-Modi Protests
By Akhil Kumar
Akhil Kumar shares his personal experience of what went down at the anti-Modi protests, yesterday, 6th February 2013 at the Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi
Time To Rein In Lumpen Mobs And Rabble Rousers
By Shajahan Madampat
Unless the growing culture of intolerance and engineered hurt sentiments and subsequent violence is curbed forthwith, India will soon cease to exist as a secular democratic country
08 February,2013
New Era of Food Scarcity Echoes Collapsed Civilizations
By Lester R. Brown
The world is in transition from an era of food abundance to one of scarcity. Over the last decade, world grain reserves have fallen by one third. World food prices have more than doubled, triggering a worldwide land rush and ushering in a new geopolitics of food. Food is the new oil. Land is the new gold. This new era is one of rising food prices and spreading hunger
World Bank Unmoved on Own Auditor's Criticism of Forest Policy
By Carey L. Biron
Officials at the World Bank are forcefully rejecting a new internal evaluation that is highly critical of the institution's decade-long forest policy, expressing their “strong disagreement” with some assertions in the report
American Foreign Policy – Have Our War Lovers Learned Anything?
By William Blum
Over the past four decades, of all the reasons people over a certain age have given for their becoming radicalized against US foreign policy, the Vietnam War has easily been the one most often cited. And I myself am the best example of this that you could find. I sometimes think that if the war lovers who run the United States had known of this in advance they might have had serious second thoughts about starting that great historical folly and war crime
The Role of Psychological Resistance
By Alon Ben-Meir
The most puzzling aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is that after 65 years of mutual violence, enmity and suffering, it remains unresolved even when coexistence is inevitable and a two-state solution remains the only viable option. Although there are many contentious issues that must be specifically addressed, it is the psychological dimension of the conflict which directly impacts every conflicting issue and makes it increasingly intractable. To mitigate the conflict, we must first look into the elements that inform the psychological dimension and how to alleviate them as prerequisites to finding a solution. This is the first of six articles
Bulldozers And More Talks: Paving The Road For A New Status Quo
By Ramzy Baroud
Despite much saber-rattling by Israel and the US administration and hyped-up expectations by the Palestinian leadership, the recognition of Palestine as a non-member observer state late last year is on its way to becoming yet another footnote in protracted conflict that has endured for 65 years
Racism Versus anti-Semitism
By Heather Stroud
I would like to see the word ant-Semitism scrapped. It’s been abused to almost render it meaningless. I would replace it with the word racism. Racism is a word that is inclusive. It aims to protect all of us – Jew, Muslim, Christian, atheist…, all of us – and yes, it includes Palestinans. In a world that professes to value everyone equally this would be a step toward linguistic clarity and equality
Ethiopian Annihilation of The Ogaden People
By Graham Peebles
In the harsh Ogaden region of Ethiopia, impoverished ethnic Somali people are being murdered and tortured, raped, persecuted and displaced by government paramilitary forces. Illegal actions carried out with the knowledge and tacit support of donor countries, seemingly content to turn a blind eye to war crimes and crimes against humanity being committed by their brutal, repressive ally in the region; and a deaf ear to the pain and suffering of the Ogaden Somali people
Humanity’s Economic Disease: Capitalism
By Frank Scott
We would do well to stop seeking individual villains, though there certainly are many, and pay much closer attention to the system in which wonderful people – and they are far more in number – cannot help but perpetuate growing disaster simply by following the teachings of business as usual and accepting that profits on one side that create loss on the other are some form of decency and humanity when the evidence is, and becoming more so with frightening speed, quite the contrary
More Austerity Cuts Coming To The States
By Shamus Cooke
If unions don’t unite with community groups to demand that public services be fully funded by taxing the wealthy and corporations, the cuts will continue, communities will feel helpless, inequality will continue to spiral out of control, and working people will be further subjected to the policies of the 1%, now implemented in chorus by Republicans and Democrats alike
Empire Of Panic And Ephemera: Applying Rigorous Imagination To America's Paranoid Style
By Phil Rockstroh
As I place these words to pixel, members of the U.S military sit hunched before computer screens, enacting slaughter by means of predator drone strike. These cubicle-bound soldiers of the consumer state (who have spent their lifetimes within the mass media hologram of late capitalism) regard delivering death from across vast distances as a type of instant, consumerist gratification
“Genocide in Iraq, The Case Against UN Security Council And Member States ”
Book Review By Dr Gideon Polya
“Genocide in Iraq . The case against the UN Security Council and member states” by Abdul-Haq Al-Ani and Tarik Al-Ani (Foreword by Professor Joshua Castellino; Clarity Press, Atlanta) is an extremely important book that sets out the case for prosecution of people involved in the Zionist-backed, US-spearheaded genocide in Iraq during the period of Sanctions (1990-2003)
People’s Movement Condemning War Criminals Spreads Across Bangladesh
By Countercurrents.org
Media reports from Dhaka said: The people’s movement against war criminals has spread across Bangladesh as hundreds of thousands people joined in a grand rally in Dhaka, the capital city
My Name Is Khan And… Pain of A celebrity Being An Indian Muslim
By Ram Puniyani
Shah Rukh Khan has been made a deliberate target by the communal forces and it is a part of their game of manufacturing biases against Muslim community as a whole. His expression in the said article is expression of what many Muslims suffer in India, celebrities included
Inequality In Right To Vote: Migration And Vote
By Ravi Nitesh
Large number of people migrate from their place to big cities in search of employment, higher education, opportunities etc. At the time of vote, these people cannot go to their home district to cast their vote. Other means available to vote (such as postal ballot system ) is too complicated to use. Then how can they participate in voting?
07 February,2013
Tokyo Accuses Chinese Navy Of “Locking Onto” Japanese Targets
By Peter Symonds
Amid a tense on-going territorial dispute over islands in the East China Sea, Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera on Tuesday accused the Chinese navy of locking radar guidance systems onto a Japanese warship last month. No weapons were fired. Branding the action as “extremely abnormal behaviour,” he said, “A small mistake could have led to a very dangerous situation.”
Consensus Among Scientists: Climate Crisis Is Due To Human Activities
By Countercurrents.org
Ninety-seven percent of climate scientists agree that global warming trends over the past century are very likely due to human activities [1], and most of the leading scientific organizations worldwide have issued public statements endorsing this position. The following is a partial list of these organizations, along with reference to their published statements and a selection of related resources
You Don’t Know What Has Collapsed
By Countercurrents.org
University of Guelph integrative biologists suggests farmers and resource managers should not rely on seemingly stable but vulnerable single-crop monocultures. Instead they should encourage more kinds of plants in fields and woods as a buffer against sudden ecosystem disturbance
Tribalism And Agreed-Upon Lies
By John Scales Avery
Because of ethics, cooperation became possible over larger and larger areas. Human culture was able to blossom, and the vast accumulation of knowledge upon which modern civilization depends began to accumulate. Nevertheless, narrow tribalism remains today in the form of religious bigotry and fanatical nationalism. We urgently need a global ethic, which will unite all humans
America’s Sniper Fetish
By Mickey Z.
If we want a culture without sniper scorecards and without manipulated soldiers sent home with PTSD (and worse), we must rediscover the subversive pleasure of critical thought… and help others to do the same. We must create and cultivate alternative visions. We must get busy with counter-recruitment. Now
Aussie Wolves In Zionist Clothing
By Vacy Vlazna
While no amount of slaked lime will clean a shonky reputation, there is perverse logic in the likes of Theeman, Saffron, Abeles, Kornhauser et al turning to Israel for (at a price) an extreme makeover as its Zionist hasbara has created a state based on war crimes, crimes against humanity, international law violations into the ultimate disneyland
Unethical, Extra- Legal Coercion In UID Aadhaar Project
By S.G.Vombatkere
Though the Aadhaar project is “not mandatory”, enrolment by threat of exclusion from availing benefits and services, and threat of denial of rights like salary or pension makes it non-optional. This kind of deviousness is unbecoming of a democratically elected government. Coming on the top of many huge scams, the present government may suffer electorally if it persists in using unethical, extra-legal coercion to force the security-defective, technologically unproven, very expensive UID Aadhaar scheme on the public
Cast In A Bankrupt Image: Stealing Health And Wealth In India
By Colin Todhunter
Should we be surprised? In a bankrupt system, nutritious, healthy, life-sustaining food or healthy environments are but secondary concerns
Forceful Land Acquisition In Odisha: An Open Letter
By Concerned Citizens
We, the undersigned, are deeply anguished over the recent attack on the people of Govindpur and Nuagaon villages of Jagatsinghpur district in Odisha who have been using the most democratic means to resist the forceful acquisition of land for the POSCO project. As you claim that Odisha is on the path of peaceful industrialization, is it a sign of peaceful industrialization to send 12 platoons of police for forceful land acquisition?
Return Of A King: The Battle of Afghanistan
Book Review By Abdul Majid Zargar
Return of the King is an enthralling and elegantly written account of this retreat from Afghanistan. The ghosts of the present haunt this book about the past. The author is far too an intelligent and subtle a writer to make too many overt references to the current War in Afghanistan but The Return of A King cannot help but resonate in light of recent invasion of Afghanistan
All India Protest In Solidarity With Maruti Suzuki Worker's Union
By Maruti Suzuki Workers Union
Thousands of workers and progressive people from at least around 250 trade unions- factory-based, independent and Central Unions, student and youth organisations, human rights organisations, women’s organisations, intellectuals and other progressive forces participated in the solidarity protest actions
Narendra Modi In Delhi -- Biased Reporting
By Mukul Dube
On 6 February 2013 there was a large demonstration outside the Shri Ram College of Commerce to protest the coming to that place of Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat. I was present and took several photographs, and of course I saw what happened before me and spoke to many who were there
06 February,2013
Globalizing Torture:54 Countries Join USA In Global Kidnap, Detention And Torture
By Countercurrents.org
At least 54 countries co-operated with USA inn global kidnap, detention and torture operation mounted after 9/11 attacks, says Globalizing Torture , a comprehensive report. The countries include Afghanistan , Canada , Egypt , Iceland , Iran , Ireland , Jordan , Pakistan and the UK
Secret US Drone Base In Saudi Arabia
By Countercurrents.org
Citing US press reports a BBC reported, the US Central Intelligence Agency has been operating a secret airbase for unmanned drones in Saudi Arabia for the past two years. The facility was established to hunt for members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
The Good Intentions That Pave The Road To War
By Diana Johnstone
Opposing genocide has become a sort of cottage industry in the United States. Everywhere, “genocide studies” are cropping up in universities. Five years ago, an unlikely “Genocide Prevention Task Force” was set up headed by former secretary of state Madeleine Albright and former defense secretary William Cohen, both veterans of the Clinton administration
One Billion Rising—San Francisco’s North Bay
By Shepherd Bliss
Groups of dancers in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as elsewhere around the planet, have been rehearsing and engaging in public Flash Mobs. They are building toward a February 14, Valentine’s Day, One Billion Rising action, scheduled for over 190 countries. One billion women are raped, beaten or sexually abused during their lifetimes. This huge global gathering gives artistic expression to anger and grief to transform them into unifying, uplifting, and healing public events in order to “Break the Chain” of violence against women and girls
Israel Fuels Syrian Fire, Risking Regional Outburst
By Nicola Nasser
The Israeli raid sends a message that the military option could yet be pursued. The rebels who based their overall strategy on a foreign military intervention have recently discovered that the only outside intervention they were able to get was from the international network of al-Qaeda and the international organization of the Muslim Brotherhood. No surprise then that the frustrated Syrian rebels are loosing ground, momentum and morale
Tunisia Rages In Protest Of Assassinating Progressive Leader
By Countercurrents.org
Prominent Tunisian opposition leader Chokri Belaid was shot dead outside his home in Tunis on February 6, 2013, sparking angry protests by his supporters and attacks on offices of the ruling Islamist Ennahda party
Remember The Firebombing of Dresden (What We’re up Against)
By Mickey Z.
As we mark the 68th anniversary of the firebombing of Dresden, I thought I’d offer another not-too-subtle reminder of what we’re up against
Occupy-Type Movement in Bangladesh Condemns War Crime
By Countercurrents.org
From media reports it appears that an Occupy-type movement is being waged in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The movement is condemning war crimes, crimes against humanity, committed during Bangladesh liberation war
Whose Country Is It Anyway?
Book Review By Felix Padel
"Whose Country Is It Anyway?" by Gladson Dungdung is out just when it is needed most: a book touching on every aspect of the Adivasi situation by an Adivasi activist prepared to take on the big questions and the key perpetrators of violence, from the big companies staging takeovers, headed by Tata, to the police increasingly serving these companies rather than India’s citizens, and the politicians facilitating the takeovers
Unseen Reality of Kumbha
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
Millions of people are bathing in the Ganges and washing their ‘sins’. Right from politicians to ‘spiritual leaders’, film stars, business tycoons, all have bathed and washed their dirty linen in Ganges. It is a dying river as it cannot tolerate the dirt of our mind and body. India’s sin will never wash with such hypocrisies when its own people suffer in humiliation
Spectacle As Reality
By Mukul Dube
I find myself in a state of mixed bewilderment and despair. I try to keep abreast of what happens in my part of the world, and what do I see? In Tamil Nadu a motion picture, part of the entertainment industry, becomes the centre of people's universe. In the west, an intellectual says something to a small gathering and that causes tremors across the land. Neither of these provocations would have been nearly so effective when I was a young man. This seems to me the unreal reality in which we live
05 February,2013
Obama Administration Claims Power To Authorize
Pre-emptive Cyberwar Strikes
By Joseph Kishore
The Obama administration has concluded that the president can authorize pre-emptive cyberwar attacks, according to a secret legal review prepared by the US government. The move is part of efforts to expand the ability of the American military to use new technologies to carry out acts of aggression—with Iran and China the most immediate targets
Turkey-Israel Collusion In Syria Strike
By Countercurrents.org
Vice Chairman of Turkish Labor Party, Bulent Esinoglu, stressed on Monday that the government of the Justice and Development Party (JDP) in Turkey has cooperated with Israel in its aggression on a scientific center in Jamraya in Damascus Countryside, pointing out that Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, turned a blind eye to what happened and worked to mislead the public opinion
Mali : Consequences of A War
By Paul Rogers
The war in Mali and the recent attack in Algeria are being seen as the start of a new phase of the war on terror across North and West Africa - an existential threat that could last decades. This is a dangerous simplification of a much more complex problem and risks becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy, writes Paul Rogers of the Oxford Research Group
The Argument For Amnesty: An Immigration Policy That Works for All
By Mark Vorpahl
Millions experience the repressive nature of the U.S. immigration system on a daily basis, lifting its need for reform to a level of urgency. And fixing this broken program is integral to building the unity among U.S. workers that is required to challenge corporate America’s attacks on our wages, rights, public social services, and living conditions
Documentaries That Could Change The World: The Best Non-Fiction Films of 2012
By Tench Phillips
Many of these films could change the world; if only they could reach a wider audience
Arab Leaders: Waiting To Count The Dead Bodies
By Mahboob A. Khawaja
Time and history are not on the side of the besieged rulers doomed to be crushed by the power of REASON and political imagination of the people. As it stands now, Arab leaders have no other thought and priority except to count the dead bodies - soon they will be part of the dead statistic available to global observers and historians
U.S.-Canada Harmonizing Border Security And Immigration Measures
By Dana Gabriel
The U.S. and Canada have made significant progress in advancing the Beyond the Border deal and continue to implement various perimeter security initiatives. Without much fanfare, they have signed an immigration agreement that would allow them to share biographic and at a later date, biometric information. As part of a North American security perimeter, both countries are further harmonizing border security and immigration measures. Canada is further taking on U.S. security priorities and this could include a bigger role in the war on terrorism
Let's Speak For FREEDOM Kashmir
By Ravi Nitesh
When the all women band Pragaash, tried to come before public with music, it is actually something really Pragaash ' (ray of Sun) for hope in the region that only popular for violence, infiltration, stone pelting, militarization these days. A state with sex ratio 883:1000 as per census 2011 (it was 900:1000 as per census 2001) needs attention towards girl child, girl education, empowerment and equality. When these girls came out to prove themselves, to take their steps to match with the time, then again they get suppressed by these religious teachers
Kashmir…. When Voices Are Silenced!
By Asma Firdous
I want to ask those Clerics and Leaders who always dictate terms over acts of womenfolk and never provide a solution which acceptable to all. If music is controversial, what about the DOWRY, which is undoubtedly Haraam, unlawful in Islam
04 February,2013
Oil, Climate And Time: Why Some Problems Will Wait And Others Will Not
By Kurt Cobb
Some say it is the vested interests in the fossil fuel industry and elsewhere that are preventing us from taking the necessary actions to address climate change and resource depletion. There is certainly some truth in this. But those interests are counting on us to stay stuck in our evolutionary training which makes us blind to the most urgent problems around us. Transcending that training will be our most difficult and necessary task ahead if we are to survive as a species in the coming century
The Paranoia of The Superrich And Superpowerful
By Noam Chomsky
This piece is adapted from “Uprisings,” a chapter in Power Systems: Conversations on Global Democratic Uprisings and the New Challenges to U.S. Empire, Noam Chomsky’s new interview book with David Barsamian (with thanks to the publisher, Metropolitan Books). The questions are Barsamian’s, the answers Chomsky’s
Corporate Personhood And The Culture of Pathology
By Nozomi Hayase
Maybe the true nature of corporate power is that of a rootless orphan whose destructive sociopathic behavior is a desperate call to be understood. When culture becomes pathological, restoring sanity starts from each person deeply connecting with what makes them truly human; what makes them real. Only then can we transform and heal our brutal, pathological society and create a humane culture embedded in communal values and connection to the earth
Mali Conflict: Army And Islamist Groups Are Violating Human Rights
By Countercurrents.org
The people in Mali are facing suffering and destitution. There are serious human rights violations by the Mali army and the Islamist armed groups. There are extrajudicial executions also
Child Sentenced To Death in Yemen, Child Prisoners On Hunger Strike
By Countercurrents.org
A child has been sentenced to death there, and in protest to the death sentence child prisoners are on hunger strike
Neither Justice Nor Morality: Just Impunity From Crimes Against Humanity
By William A. Cook
Here's a gathering of events from last week that seems to reveal a dark side of the Zionist intent: Holocaust Remembrance Day,MP David Ward's comments about Auschwitz, the refusal by Israel to appear before the UNHRC, and the unilateral, illegal bombing of Syria by IDF. All coalesce to suggest we've learned nothing from the Nazi actions in WWII
Israel's Perpetual Terrorism
By Dr. Elias Akleh
Israel has done it again. Last Wednesday January 30 th Israeli war planes violated Lebanese air space for the nth time in their way to bomb Syrian military research center. The US and the UN had also done it again. The US supported this Israeli raid as Israel's alleged “right to protect itself”, while the UN denied Israel's aggression claiming it could not verify it due to “bad weather conditions.”
Debating Suicide
By Rosemarie Jackowski
The “Assisted Suicide Bill” does exactly what it is designed NOT to do. It will eliminate choice for the most vulnerable. Unintended consequences are sure to follow if this becomes law. Prejudice cloaked in good intentions is still prejudice
Despite The NRA And The Ultra-Right Most Americans Favor Gun Controls
By Thomas Riggins
According to a recent report in Science Daily (1-28-2013) the majority of the American people support more gun controls to reduce and prevent the epidemic of gun violence in the U.S. Despite the hysteria over the "violations" of the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution generated by the NRA and the lunatic right-wing extremists in the Republican congressional delegations
The Other Side of North Korea
By Kourosh Ziabari
Interview with a North Korean official
U.S. To Become A Second-Rate Power!!
By Mike Ferner
But take heart, Mr. Outgoing Secretary, we just missed a blue ribbon at something – the amount of money spent on health care. A “We’re Number One!” award just slipped through our grasp when those cagey Maltans figured out how to spend even more than we do, so now we’re only…well, a second rate power on health care expenses. You’ve sounded the alarm not a moment too soon
Book Review: “Australian Universities. A Portrait Of Decline” By Donald Meyers
By Dr Gideon Polya
“Australian universities. A Portrait of Decline” by Donald Meyers (AUPOD), is an important and hard-hitting book by an Australian neuroscientist and environmental scientist who argues passionately, cogently and with biting irony for a return to decency of a corrupted, dumbing-down, and managerialist Australian university system
Vishwaroopam: Reinforcing Global Communal Stereotypes,
Namaz, Bombs And Justification For The US Empire
By Feroze Mithiborwala
I want to appeal here to all those who rightly advised the Muslim community on the values of freedom of expression, democracy & modernity. Kindly stand up, script & produce a movie based on the charge-sheet filed by Hemant Karkare, in a movie that can be titled ‘Bharatroopam' . I would love to see as to how many takers there would be from Bollywood, especially all the ones shouting ‘cultural terrorism'
Here Lived An Editor, An Activist
By Farooque Chowdhury
Activism and journalism were integral part of Dipankar Chakroborty's life. It’s difficult to identify the dominant: editor Dipankar or activist Dipankar. His journalism was part of his activism. Activism of new generation will keep Chakroborty’s work alive
Kala Ghoda Festival, Hawkers And Use of Public Space
By Vidyadhar Date
These people selling their wares on the street get heavy police protection. But the hawkers elsewhere face the lathi of the police. This was the contradiction one noticed in the Kala Ghoda festival which opened in Mumbai last weeek. The contradiction lies in this. It shows the double standards in the use of public spaces
Women Empowerment In India: Bouquets And Beautiful Women In Saree
By Devika Mittal
Yes, women do get “empowered” as they are making appearances, they are getting noticed but at what cost? Beauty is a gem, it is not a crime. But do you want people to look at you only because of your looks? Do you want people to look at you, rather than hear what you have to say?
03 February,2013
Hillary Planned To Arm Syrian Interventionists
By Countercurrents.org
Hillary Clinton, former US secretary of state, planned to arm Syrian interventionists. But White House did not accept the plan. A plan developed last summer by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and then-CIA Director David Petraeus to arm and train Syrian rebels was rebuffed by the White House
Afforestation To Bring Cooler Summers
By Countercurrents.org
Afforestation, planting trees in an area where there have previously been no trees, can reduce the effect of climate change by cooling temperate regions, finds a study in BioMed Central's open access journal Carbon Balance and Management. Afforestation would lead to cooler and wetter summers by the end of this century
"Iranian Mothers For Peace" Alert The World On Sanctions And Shortage of Medicines
By Farid Marjai & Mehrnaz Shahabi
"Iranian Mothers for Peace," in an open letter of January 2013 to Mr. Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary General, and Dr. Margaret Chan, the Director General of the World Heath Organization, have alerted the responsible world bodies and human rights organizations to the critical shortage of vital medication due to the US/EU-led sanctions on Iran and their deadly impact on the lives and health of the Iranian population
The Dark Side of America
By Timothy V. Gatto
I’ve been staying out of most world events as of late, preferring to watch things unfold silently as there are so many that seem to have all of the answers. I don’t claim to have any answers, but I sure do have a lot of questions. There is a good chance that many of you have the same questions that I have. Sometimes, the questions are more important than the answers. In this 21st Century, there are so many of our leaders that will give us the answers to any questions we ask, they just aren't the right answers. In fact, they lie continuously
Guatemala And War Crimes (What We’re Up Against)
By Mickey Z.
Here is an example of how the U.S. military-industrial complex works
The UN’s Treaty on Mercury Favors Corporate Wealth Over Children’s Health
By Richard Gale & Gary Null
The future health of women and children throughout the developing world would be better guaranteed if a binding agreement insists that all thimerosal will be phased out of vaccines by a specific deadline. If this had been demanded, the pharmaceutical industry would certainly be motivated to develop safer, non-toxic alternatives to replace mercury
Does Preaching Apocalypse Work?
By Javier Sethness
In an era of hegemonic cynicism and resignation (important countercurrents like Occupy notwithstanding), activists' use of catastrophic rhetoric apparently does not by itself activate mass-revolutionary movements to counter the forces responsible for eco-destruction. What will?
I'd Rather Be A Forest Than A Mine
By ProtectEcuador.org
A film to raise awareness of the Mirador Mine in the High Waters of the Amazon and to show support and solidarity for all Ecuadoreans and the Shuar indigenous poeple, and for the protection of the Amazon
What Is “Hinduism” ?
By Dr. Iniyan Elango
Dr. Iniyan Elango argues that "Hinduism" is a colonial and post colonial contruct which was institutionalised in the 'modern' India against the wishes of the lower castes , and therefore the religious labels of “Hindu and Hinduism” should not be imposed on backward castes (Shudras), scheduled castes (Dalits) and scheduled tribes (aboriginal Adivasis)
Article 370-The Constitutional History of J&K
Book Review By Abdul Majid Zargar
The constitutional History of J&K is much more than simply setting forth the outlines of the state government. And when it is explained Vis-à-vis Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, it assumes more color & significance. That is what A.G.Noorani, the noted legal luminary, has done by writing an admirably clear & concise book “Article 370-The constitutional history of J&K” which brings to fore the intricate relationship between law & politics
Kashmir's Nightmares
By Aijaz Nazir
The new generation of valley is used to listen to the stories of violence rather than the tales of wonderland and fairies. Generations after generations have seen the brutal face of violence and cruelty. At this stage and in this modern world, children of the Valley in these chilly nights don't think of wonders and fairies anymore, but are stuck to the prolonged conflict which has become a nightmare for its inhabitants
02 February,2013
Egypt Flares Up Again
By Countercurrents.org
Flames of protests opposing Muslim Brotherhood’s authoritarian rule flared up again in Egypt. At least one protester is killed and scores injured in clashes outside Egypt's Presidential Palace while Molotov cocktails thrown by the demonstrators ignited fire in the Palace garden
Syria’s First Line of Defense: Dial 133
By Franklin Lamb
There are more than 9000 of them. Predominately young but of all ages. Volunteers everyone. Often risking their lives just to come for a twelve hour work-shift, as many as seven days a week at the Syrian Arab Republic Red Crescent Society (SARCS) Emergency Operation center
US Army Faces Suicide Epidemic Among War Veterans
By Countercurrents.org
In the Last year, more active-duty US soldiers killed themselves than died in combat. And after a decade of deployments to war zones, the problem seems to get much worse
Remembering Stalingrad Victory
By Countercurrents.org
Today, February 2, is the day victory in the Stalingrad Battle was finally achieved by the heroic Red Army and the Nazis tasted defeat for the first time
What Gandhi Says: About Nonviolence, Courage and Resistance
By Vince Emanuele
An Interview with Norman Finkelstein
Change For Good: Dirty Pragmatism or Science Bottom Line?
By Bill Henderson
An editorial in Nature downplaying the carbon emission 'dirtyness' of Canada's tarsands and recommending that President Obama concentrate on reducing coal emissions in the US while approving the Keystone pipeline has been perceived as a body blow to environmentalists planning a Spring campaign against Keystone as a way of keeping tarsands bitumen in the ground
Alone, But Not lonely
By Anitha S
Sundari is alone in the convent at Madurai sitting in the sparsely furnished room on conditional bail. Her friends Xavierammal and Selvi with whom she shared many a laugh and tears, anger and anguish since September 10th when they were taken to Trichy jail has gone back to Idinthakarai
01 February,2013
Israel’s Bombing Of Syria Escalates Threat Of Wider War
By Bill Van Auken
Wednesday’s bombing of a Syrian military site by Israeli warplanes has ratcheted up the danger that the Western-backed civil war in Syria will spill over into a broader regional conflagration
Al Qaeda Rules Eastern Syrian Town
By Countercurrents.org
The town of 54,000 on the Euphrates river offers a snapshot of what life could be like if Islamist rebels take control of significant areas of Syria as President Bashar al-Assad loses further ground
No Security Firms For African Refugees: Opportunities And War in Mali
By Ramzy Baroud
The British security firm G4S is set to rake in massive profits thanks to crises in Mali, Libya and Algeria. Recognized as the world’s biggest security firm, the group’s brand plummeted during the London Olympics last year due to its failure to satisfy conditions of a government contract. But with growing unrest in North and West Africa, G4S is expected to make a speedy recovery
Halt All Settlement Activity, UN Inquiry Calls On Israel
By Countercurrents.org
An independent inquiry mandated by the UN has called on Israel to halt all settlement activity and to ensure accountability for the violations of the human rights of the Palestinians resulting from the settlements
The State of Israel: Unimportant To The NWO
By Sean Fenley
And so I think that the interests of the New World Order, if not Israel’s interests, are more likely what US foreign policy elites; generally, are scheming for and working in pursuit of. Some may quibble, perhaps, with the imperfect term: the New World Order, but it’s become so omnipresent, that I think that any attempts to overtake it, at this point, are essentially impossible to broach
Drones Are A Local Issue
By David Swanson
In the absence of state or federal laws, localities around the United States are proceeding to put unmanned aerial vehicles in our skies as they see fit. The federal government has authorized the flight of 30,000 drones, and the use of drones up to 400 feet by police departments, at least 300 of which already have surveillance drones in operation
17 Camels: Can A Sufi Tale Heal Our Broken World?
By Gary Corseri
America has now degenerated into a nation that cannot walk and chew gum at the same time!
Feeding China
By Peter Goodchild
Canada and China are roughly the same size, with roughly the same amount of arable land and a similar range of climates, but China's population is 43 times larger. The Chinese population has once more outgrown its food supply: the ratio of people to arable land in China is more than twice that of the world average, which is already too high to prevent hunger
Vishwaroopam: An Interesting Film That Ultimately Applauds US Imperialism
By Karthik Ramanathan
Fiction can never be expected to present all facts. But this film consistently errs on the side of imperialism and whitewashes its role in inflaming tensions in the region
Tales of The ‘Secular’, ‘Democratic’ Republic:
Ram ke Naam “Hurt” Hindu Sentiments In Ayodhya
By Devika Mittal
If you think that the court verdict for the Ram janmabhumi was the perfect solution, you need to think again. The recent incident during the Awam ka Cinema, a people’s film festival organised annually, when the screening of “Ram ke naam”, a documentary based on babri masjid demolition, ended up “hurting” the “hindu” sentiments, “represented” by the ABVP activists asks us to re-think
The Expert Approval Committee Has Zero Rejection In Six Years
By Concerned Citizens
Analysis of functioning of MoEF's Expert Appraisal Committee on River Valley Projects
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