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30 April, 2014

Ukraine Moves Closer To Civil War
By Countercurrents

Propagating “threat of a Russian Invasion”, the Ukrainian army has been put on full alert while the acting president in Kiev Aleksandr Turchinov admits that the authority in Kiev cannot control the situation in the east of the country

Playing Chicken: To The Edge With The USSR And Russia
By JP Miller

The struggle in Ukraine is the latest contest between East and West, Russia and the US. And, revisiting the forgotten Cold War could offer some clarity for Eastern Ukraine and Russia. The US and NATO have a long history of projecting imperial power, defying long-established agreements, ignoring acceptable or reasonable behavior and continue to manipulate international law. Pay attention Russia and East Ukraine. NATO’s build-up in the former Soviet Caucuses is the largest since the Cold War

Another Successful American Propaganda Effort
By Tim Gatto

Russia needs a civil war or a confrontation in Ukraine like most people need cancer. There is nothing in it for them. They sell natural gas to Ukraine and I'm sure they don't want that income to stop. The provinces that are protesting against the people that pulled the coup in Kiev were given to Ukraine by Russia. Kerry is lying, Obama is lying and nobody seems to care

Half Of All Americans — 148 million — Live With Unhealthy Levels Of Air Pollution
By Countercurrents

An American Lung Association (ALA) report said: Nearly half of all Americans, 148 million, are living in areas where smog and soot particles are health risk. The report, which is based on data collected between 2010 and 2012, found smog, or ozone, had worsened in 22 of the 25 biggest US metropolitan areas, including Los Angeles, Houston, Washington-Baltimore, New York City and Chicago – and said there was a high risk of more high-ozone days because of climate change

Labor’s “Rarest” Hour In Bangladesh And Around The world
By Farooque Chowdhury

A “rarest” hour “glorified” Bangladesh labor. One can also define the development as world labor’s “rarest” hour as labor around the world carry the same shackle that capital craftily constructs to enslave and rob labor. The “rarest” hour was mothered by the now world-“renowned” Rana Plaza massacre on an April day in 2013

Kathy Kelly's Challenge: Witness, Courage, Compassion, Becoming
By Gary Corseri

Kathy Kelly is probing basic questions about the meaning of life. Personally, I'd like to see this timely and timeless book in every parochial school in America. I hope that progressive teachers in public high schools and colleges will recommend this book to their students. This is America's own Diary of Anne Frank . This is our mirror now.

Elizabeth Warren Wants Public Schools To Serve Big Business
By John Spritzler

Here's Senator Elizabeth Warren's own words about the purpose of our public schools, taken from her own website. She writes: "Good public schools, good community colleges, good public universities, and good technical training can give us a workforce better than any in the world. Well-trained workers are cost effective, and they can give us a powerful competitive advantage in world markets. Investments in our people pay the highest dividends and must become one of our highest priorities."

The Insanity Of Nuclear War Thinking
By Alan Johnstone

India and Pakistan rely heavily on the diplomatic mediation of third-party states, particularly the US, to resolve their stand-offs and its presence in the region as “insurance against escalation to war". Yet the 2001–02 crisis highlighted that “what-if"... is it possible in the next crisis, US diplomacy may fail to prevent nuclear first use by Pakistan and/or nuclear retaliation by India. Decisions about nuclear use in many of these cases came down to only a handful of people. Nuclear weapons require constant vigilance and caution. For as long as nuclear weapons exist, the risk of an inadvertent, accidental or deliberate detonation remains

Tsundur Massacre: Normalising Injustice The Judicial Way
By Subhash Gatade

Tsundur, Guntur, A.P. which had made headlines way back in 1991 when eight dalits were lynched by a 400 strong armed mob of Reddys supposedly to teach the dalits a lesson, is again in the news.The recent judgement of the A.P highcourt has overturned the judgement of the Special courts and has acquitted all the accused involved in the case for 'want of evidence'

Ambedkar’s Ideology Is The Only Way For Dalit Liberation In Nepal: Om Prakash Gahatraj
Interview By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

Om Prakash Gahatraj is an encyclopedia of Ambedkarite movement in Nepal. He spoke to Vidya Bhushan Rawat on various issues concerning the Ambedkarite Dalit movement in Nepal

29 April, 2014

Washington, EU Impose New Sanctions On Russia
By Alex Lantier

Washington and the European Union (EU) imposed a new round of sanctions on Russian firms and business and political leaders, as violence mounted across eastern Ukraine between pro-Russian protesters and supporters of the Western-backed regime in Kiev. Gennady A. Kernes, the mayor of the eastern city of Kharkov, was shot and remains in critical condition, amid violent clashes and rising social distress in Ukraine’s second-largest city

South Asian Monsoons Increasingly Experience Extreme Wet And Dry Spells
By Countercurrents

Since 1980 South Asian monsoons are increasingly experiencing extreme wet and dry spells. Scientists from the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment have identified significant changes in the patterns of extreme wet and dry events that are increasing the risk of drought and flood in central India , one of the most densely populated regions on Earth

Holding The Silent Killers Of Environmental Destruction Accountable
By Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers

The findings of the most recent IPCC report are sobering. We have 15 years to mitigate climate disaster. It is up to us to make a major transition to a carbon-free, nuclear-free energy economy within that timeframe. Big Energy and our plutocratic government are not going to do it without effective pressure from a people-powered movement

Over 4% of US Death Row Prisoners Are Innocent, Finds Study
By Countercurrents

A new study – “Rate of false conviction of criminal defendants who are sentenced to death” – estimated that no less than four percent of the approximately 3,000 US prisoners waiting to be put to death are in fact innocent of the crimes they committed. The study report observed: “The number of innocents waiting for death is shocking, and it’s far less than the inmates who are freed before execution.”

Defending The Defensible: Jewish And Palestinian Boycotts
By Vacy Vlazna

Poor barbaric Israel is being picked on by the non-violent Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement which champions, out of simple human decency, Palestinian inalienable rights under international law. As BDS gradually gains moral momentum the Zionists, in desperate retaliation, shamefully exploit the spectre of the holocaust and tediously daub (over and over and over ad nauseum) the pro-Palestine BDS efforts with the slanderous smear of a Nazi menace

Zionist-Perverted Western Mainstream Media Ignore Horrendous US Alliance
And Apartheid Israeli Child Abuse
By Dr Gideon Polya

Horrifying physical, emotional, intellectual and/or sexual child abuse is variously inflicted by racist Zionists, by Apartheid Israel and by pro-Zionist US Alliance allies of the Apartheid rogue state on 6 million exiled Palestinian children, 4.3 million Occupied Palestinian children, 0.9 million Palestinian Israeli children, 2 million Jewish Israeli children, 5 million Jewish children in general worldwide, 750 million Muslim children, 3 billion Third World children and indeed potentially, through worsening climate genocide, all 3.5 billion children of the world

How The U.S. Created The Afghan War -- And Then Lost It
By Anand Gopal

The Unreported Story of How the Haqqani Network Became America's Greatest Enemy

Worshipping Gods In The Times Of Elections
By Ram Puniyani

The very measures for affirmative action, the implementation of Mandal Commission and the like were opposed either directly or subtly by RSS-BJP-Modi politics. Demands of electoral politics makes strange demands, one starts making public postures and makes statements which are polar opposite to their core ideology and manifest actions. That’s ‘Ambedkar-worshipping’ Modi for you!

When Interests Clash: The "95-Paise Nexus"
By S.G.Vombatkere

Extension of Mysore's Mandakalli airport runway from 1.85-km to 2.60-km to accomodate bigger aircraft for better air connectivity – “Project Air” – and the development of NH-212 in the Mysore-Nanjangud stretch to 15-metres width - “Project Road” - are projects that have clashed. Government of Karnataka (GoK) has asked for realignment of a portion of NH-212 to permit lengthening the airport runway, while the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) maintains that work has commenced and NH-212 cannot be realigned at this stage

Media’s Role During Sikh Agitation Of 1980-90s In Punjab Questioned
By Jaspal Singh Sidhu

A discussion report on latest book, ‘Embedded Journalism, Punjab’

Lathicharge, Tear Gases And Air Firing On Striking Workers In Bhivadi, Alwar, Rajasthan
By Rajasthan Patrika

In Bhivadi's Pathred Chaupanki industrial area, the workers sitting for a strike had a violent conflict with the police who came to move them from the site of resistance. Brutal Lathicharge was done on striking workers at Sriram Pistons factory in Bhiwadi, Alwar yesterday at 5am by 2000 policemen on 'court orders'. 10 round of firing, 30 tear gas shells bombing by the police was supplemented with 200 bouncers attacking with knives and lathis. 70 workers have been hospitalized, 4 with serious injuries, 26 workers arrested on attempt to murder charges

Masala Republic: A Parable Of Our Times
By Ajithkumar B

The film exposes the injustice and inhumanity of our contemporary life through dark humour that approaches the absurd

27 April, 2014

Governments Meddling In Crucial UN Climate Report
By Countercurrents

A top climate expert has claimed officials from all main countries 'insisted on changes in late-night meeting', and the intervention amounts to 'serious conflict of interest' although IPCC reports are supposed to be independent as they help shape policy. Harvard professor Robert Stavins electrified the worldwide debate on climate change on Friday by sensationally publishing a letter online in which he spelled out the astonishing interference

Climate Crisis: Don't Wait Until You Feel It
By Countercurrents

Despite overwhelming scientific evidence for the impending dangers of human-made climate crisis, policy decisions leading to substantial emissions reduction have been slow. New study by Carnegie's Katharine Ricke and Ken Caldeira focuses on the intersection between personal and global impacts

Geological Extinction Events And Runaway Climate Change
By John Scales Avery

A runaway, exponentially increasing, feedback loop involving methane hydrates could lead to one of the great geological extinction events that have periodically wiped out most of the animals and plants then living. This must be avoided at all costs

War, Economic Catastrophe And Environmental Degradation
Under The Guise Of Progress And Development
By Colin Todhunter

This warped notion of development has seen the poverty alleviation rate in India remain around the same as it was back in 1991 or even in pre-independence India (0.8 percent ), while the ratio between the top and bottom ten percents of the population has doubled during this period. According to the Organisation for Co-operation and Economic Development, this doubling of income inequality has made India one of the worst performers in the category of emerging economies

International Initiative On Global Internet Governance
By Countercurrents

“Brazil believes that the governing of the internet should be multi-sector, democratic and transparent. We consider the multilateral model to be the best way to govern it,” said Dilma Rousseff, the Brazilian president. Dilma Rousseff was speaking at the beginning of a global conference in Sao Paulo on governing a safer, less US centered internet. She convened the two day meeting following revelations that she and other world leaders were spied on by the US National Security Agency

Ukrainian Crisis: Moving Closer To War
By Paul Craig Roberts

The Obama regime, wallowing in hubris and arrogance, has recklessly escalated the Ukrainian crisis into a crisis with Russia. Whether intentionally or stupidly, Washington’s propagandistic lies are driving the crisis to war. Unwilling to listen to any more of Washington’s senseless threats, Moscow no longer accepts telephone calls from Obama and US top officials

Can World War III Be Far Behind
By Prof. Francis A. Boyle

At the end of Clash of Civilizations, after confronting the Muslim world in the Mideast in order to steal their oil, Sam then has the US “pivot” to confront China. The book ends with a war between the US and China. It is this Brzezinski-Huntington Policy that we are now seeing put into operation by the Obama administration both in Ukraine against Russia and against China at the same time. Can World War III be far behind?

Obama And Kerry; Out Of Their League
By Timothy Gatto

I cannot stay silent any longer. I watch the news on American TV and watch the BBC and I want to throw up. The reason for this is that I also read Op-Ed News and other so called "alternative" media. Most people don't take the time to read the media that isn't government branded and government sanctioned. They hear how the evil Russians are pushing around the poor Ukrainians that only want their "freedom". What a crock of shit

The Sickly Smell Of Lies And Death
By John Chuckman

Only the other day, Benjamin Netanyahu earned a small note of immortality when he said the peace talks were ended by the new arrangements between the Palestine Authority and Hamas: Netanyahu’s announcement bundled a record number of lies into one mouthful of words. There, of course, never was anything properly called peace talks with Israel

Kissinger Prefers The Missionary Position
By Mickey Z.

When asked to explain America’s duplicity towards the Kurds, Kissinger delivered a one-liner that effectively sums up U.S. foreign policy: “Covert action should not be confused with missionary work.” Remember, comrades, this is what we’re up against...

Utopian Dreamers
By Alan Johnstone

Is it possible to mobilise people to fight oppression without fashioning models for a socialist economy for people to fasten on to? The capitalist slogan ‘There is No Alternative’ was answered by ‘Another World is Possible’. We need to know and say much more about this other world. Socialist thought has to deal in prediction, but only in broad terms. We live in dark days. One often has to aim at objectives which one can only very dimly see. Socialism is a vision of the future, while its advocates are actively at work in the present

25 April, 2014

Ukrainian Regime Launches Fascist-Led Crackdown
By Alex Lantier

The Western-backed regime in Kiev and fascist militias allied to it launched a bloody crackdown against pro-Russian protests across eastern Ukraine yesterday. With the Kremlin massing forces on Russia’s border with Ukraine, threatening to intervene defend ethnic Russians, the situation is on the brink of a war between Russia and Ukraine, which could escalate into a direct clash between Russia and NATO

Fraud With “Russian Soldier In Ukraine ” Photo: US-KievFalse Claims Exposed
By Countercurrents 

Photographs presented as proof of Russian involvement in Ukraine by the US and Kiev junta has been exposed as unverified and contradictory to the claims. Freelance photographer Maxim Dondyuk said photos were taken without permission from his Instagram account. The photographs were published on Monday by the New York Times

Marshall Islands Sues US, Obama And US Secretaries of Defense And Energy
By Countercurrents

In an unprecedented move for a peaceful, nuclear arms free-world, the Marshall Islands, a Pacific nation, has sued nine nuclear-armed powers including the US. The country has also sued the US president Barack Obama and three US secretaries

The Signing Of The Palestinian Spring
By Dr Vacy Vlazna

The signing of 15 UN multilateral treaties and conventions by the Palestinian Authority signifies the end of its collaborative role as Israel’s proxy police force and consequently is the first step towards Palestinian unity and the long overdue Palestinian Spring

American Democracy Now An Oligarchy
By Joel S. Hirschhorn

History has been made. But few Americans are aware of it or angry about it. I say: Wake up Americans. A war has been waged against US democracy, from the inside. Time to pick a side and fight back

Let This Earth Day Be The Last
By Wen Stephenson

End the dishonesty, the deception. Stop lying to yourselves, and to your children. Stop pretending that the crisis can be “solved,” that the planet can be “saved,” that business more-or-less as usual—what progressives and environmentalists have been doing for forty-odd years and more—is morally or intellectually tenable. Let go of the pretense that “environmentalism” as we know it—virtuous green consumerism, affluent low-carbon localism, head-in-the-sand conservationism, feel-good greenwashed capitalism—comes anywhere near the radical response our situation requires

An Earth Day Under The Trees
By Anitha.S

An Earth day under the trees with children painting and birds singing

Public Spaces or Urban Commons?
By Sushmita Verma

Indian cities are finally becoming a bourgeoisie affair with little space for poor as Partha Chatterjee claimed in an essay few years back. The rise of elitist NGOs and acceptance of development in the name of exploitation of many and benefit of a few has led to the strengthening of residents' associations etc, many of whom claim their rights on public space and commons and ensure that certain sections of society become more excluded than ever in the name of promoting aesthetic sense

David Hume And A Treatise of Narendra Modi:
Infusion of Religious Nationalism, Cult And Neoliberalism
By Richard Kamei

The aggressiveness of neoliberalism of Gujarat model and their vision is more extreme than the one of UPA. The application of Gujarat model in other states or to the whole of India cannot fill the existing inequality gap. Each state is dynamic and their needs are different. The elements essential to democracy in the form of regulation and access to social security, justice etc, cannot be negated in the development model promoted by Modi. These elements will stand nowhere in the neoliberalism promoted under the Gujarat model. Researchers link this context as the reason why Modi is a big favourite among the capitalists to lead India , and it bothers them the least about the State policy in protecting its citizen

24 April, 2014

US Troops In Poland; Neo-Nazis Prepare For Fratricidal War In Ukraine
By Countercurrents

While Kiev’s neo-Nazis are preparing for fratricidal war in Ukraine the first contingent of US troops have arrived in Poland. The US move is seen as support to the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev

2012 Benghazi Attack On US Diplomatic Facilities: US Collaboration Found
By Countercurrents

The deadly 2012 attack on US diplomatic facilities in Benghazi, Libya, could have been prevented if Washington had not allowed arms shipment to reach al-Qaeda-linked militants, said the Citizens Commission on Benghazi (CCB), a group launched to unearth truth behind the attack, in its interim report – “How America Switched Sides in the War on Terror.”

Earth: Game Over?
By John Feffer

We're in the middle of a sixth mass extinction, and this will be the first one—and possibly the last—we will witness as human beings

Putting The ‘Sharing’ Back In To The Sharing Economy
By Adam Parsons

A vibrant debate is beginning to question the meaning of sharing in relation to the big questions of our time. In a recent article printed in STIR magazine, STWR argues that this emerging economic concept should not be beholden to solely personal, consumer-oriented or commercialised forms of collaboration, and must ultimately be reflected in government policies on the national and international level

Internet For The Wealthy On The Way Unless We Stop It
By Kevin Zeese

Take Action Today: Immediate mobilization required to save open Internet

Martin Indyk’s Galloping Horse: Moral Crisis At Heart of Obama’s Peace
By Ramzy Baroud

Now, it’s Indyk, the die-hard Israel lobbyist, being sent along with another galloping horse outside Abbas’ window. We all know well how this is going to end, and we can imagine Indyk giving another speech at an AIPAC or J Street conference deriding Abbas for failing to jump

Power, Politics, Money And Free Speech
By Fazal M. Kamal

Like all other human endeavors, democracy too is an evolving concept, maybe, in future the trend will begin swinging in the opposite direction, as is often the case due to laws of nature. Meanwhile, let us consider the pros and cons as presented by two quotations: Historian Theodore H. White commented that “The flood of money that gushes into politics today is a pollution of democracy.” However, on a completely different tangent astute social commentator/humorist Will Rogers is reported to have declared, "America has the best politicians money can buy."

Dalits Of Bhagana Village Seek Justice For Rape Victims
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

Rape as an instrument of caste dominance

Let's Counter The Argument In Similar Fashion
By Suraj Yengde

Rather than getting into the on-going debate over the row of Arundhati Roy 's introduction to the prophetic text of Ambedkar, I would rather surmise a different approach. It has been over 8 decades that the discussions on Annihilation of Caste has dominated mostly Dalit's upbringing. In this short essay I will attempt to summarise the sentiments of Navayana as I experienced through the text and provide an alternative approach. If this debate continues it will probably be one of the influential debates of twenty-first century literary tradition in India

23 April, 2014

Kiev Regime Orders Crackdown As US Steps Up Threats Against Moscow
By Bill Van Auken

Vice President Joseph Biden’s two-day visit to Ukraine has ended with a resumption of the Kiev regime’s military crackdown against its political opponents in the southeast of the country and a dangerous escalation of US threats against Russia. Oleksandr Turchynov, who is both acting president and chairman of the parliament following the US-backed, fascist-led coup of February 22, announced Tuesday that he had ordered the country’s security forces to “carry out effective counterterrorist activities aimed at defending Ukrainian citizens living in the country’s east from terrorists.”

Carter Opposes West's Sanctions That Hurt Russian People
By Countercurrents 

Former US president Jimmy Carter said Tuesday the West should not impose sanctions that would hurt the Russian people over their leaders' actions in Ukraine . And, hours after the US vice-president Joe Biden's Kiev visit, the Kiev authority has relaunched military assaults against the federationists in the east of Ukraine . The federationists are opposing the authority that has seized parliament and usurped power in Kiev

“Remaking The Middle East”: The American Gulag
By Prof. James Petras

During the beginning of his first term in office President Obama promised “to remake the Middle East into a region of prosperity and freedom”. Six years later the reality is totally the contrary: the Middle East is ruled by despotic regimes whose jails are overflowing with political prisoners. The vast majority of pro-democracy activists who have been incarcerated, have been subject to harsh torture and are serving long prison sentences

Five Questions for IPCC Chairman On Future Of Climate Change Action
By Yale Environment 360

This month, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a report on steps the world can take to avoid the worst impacts of future climate change. The report by the panel’s Working Group III was the final interim report before the IPCC’s major Fifth Assessment Report due to be released in October. Yale Environment 360 asked Rajendra Pachauri, who has served as IPCC chairman since 2002, five questions about the latest report and about the prospects that the international community will finally take decisive action to address climate change

Know Your NaMo: Dalits In Search Of 'Gujarat Model'
By Subhash Gatade

We intend to look at the state of Gujarat itself and see for oneself situation of dalits in a 'Vibrant Gujarat' led by him since last 13 years, a question which has largely remained unanswered all these years

Is Secularism Dead?
By Abul Kalam Azad Shaik

We, the citizens of Secular India, solemnly declare that its Secularism has passed away today after surviving repeated assaults by these liberal voices, for the past few months, in the hospital opposite to the Indian Express Office. Shekhar Gupta is going to be felicitated tomorrow for striking the final nail in its coffin by the Sangh Parivar

The Idea of Israel - A History of Power And Knowledge By Ilan Pappe
Book Review By Jim Miles

This is a powerfully written unsettling work that relates the story of Israel from the perspective of how ideas are changed and manipulated for the benefit of the state

Not Stoltenberg But Disbanding Of NATO Is The Answer
By Dr. Vivek Kumar Srivastava

Jens Stoltenberg is right choice for the NATO. He used to be an opponent of NATO in the previous years. He is having good relations with European leadership. His interaction with Russia is not so much problematic. He can manage the troubled phase in the European history. He must shed his soft-hard approach to Russia. He must realize that it is high time that NATO which shapes the European military policies not the CSDP , must be given a new thought by the Europe. Europe must look beyond NATO. Wales meeting nay be starter in this direction

22 April, 2014

Earth Needs More Than A Day
By Mickey Z.

We need a loud global alarm clock and we need it now. In fact, we could use a bunch of 'em -- tick-tick-ticking in every city and town on the planet to remind us humans that time is of the essence. Our eco-system is finite and there is a point of no return. With this in mind, we could all kick things up a notch or three in terms of urgency, solidarity, and methods

On Earth Day, An Economics For People And Planet
By Helena Norberg-Hodge

The localization movement is beginning to bridge the divides between groups that are working to make the world a better place: environmental activists, small business owners, community leaders, educators, social justice campaigners, farmers, workers’ rights advocates, religious and spiritual groups. An exciting, once-in-a-generation coalition is emerging: a coalition that offers real hope for broad-based and lasting renewal

Food Can Be A Politically Destabilizing Issue By 2050
By Countercurrents

The world is less than 40 years away from a food shortage that will have serious implications for people and governments, said Dr. Fred Davies, senior science advisor for the US Agency for International Aid's bureau of food security

The Socialist Ecotopia
By Alan Johnstone

The scientists striving against the environmental destruction of the world have to start with the struggle for socialism. If they can convince people of the reality of climate change, they must also explain the economic cause and present the only feasible solution

Civil Wars: Manufactured To Reduce Global Demand For Limited Resouces?
By Daniel Gibbins

When available supplies of commodities are limited in terms of decades we can be sure that future holds some surprises and that we as individuals need to be prepared for an altogether different way of life

US Is Sending Forces To Poland, Says Washington Post
By Countercurrents

Citing Poland's defense minister Tomasz Siemoniak The Washington Post has said US ground forces will be sent to Poland to expand NATO's presence there. The minister also told there is possibility of sending US troops to other Baltic states

NATO’s Military Build-Up In Poland: A Reverse Cuban Missile Crisis
By RIA Novosti

NATO’s military build-up in Poland is a dangerous and provocative development which might lead to another Cuban Missile crisis, Professor Francis Boyle told RIA Novosti Tuesday. “This is an extremely dangerous and provocative development in the crisis between the United States and Russia over Ukraine,” said Boyle, a Harvard-educated professor at the University of Illinois. “It’s just another step in the direction, I regret to say, of perhaps a reverse Cuban Missile crisis,” the expert stressed

Reflections On Laclau 
By Ritchie Savage

Ernesto Laclau, who passed away on Sunday, April 13, 2014 , is known primarily as an Argentinean political theorist who wrote about populism, socialism, and political discourse. Populism is commonly referred to as a type of politics that exalts the ‘people' and pits them against the elite. Laclau's work on populism and political discourse has important ramifications for how we can reconceptualize the role of new social movements, such as Occupy

Iraq And Syria, The Need For A new Nuremberg
By Hussein Al-alak

At the Nuremberg Trials, ignorance and claims to only be following orders, were no defence for those wanting to diminish their responsibility in the Holocaust, and ignorance to the current war crimes of Britain's Jihadists, is as inexcusable today, as NAZI crimes were to the people of Germany

Postcard From The End Of America : Bensalem
By Linh Dinh

When I told my friend, Anwar, of my plan to traverse Bensalem by foot, he laughed, “You can't even walk there. There are no sidewalks!” Though this is not quite true, I did find myself mostly schlepping on edges of roads or people's lawns. To not get splattered by SUVs, sometimes I had to hop puddles or even step in mud. Covering twenty miles over two days, the only other pedestrians I encountered was a Mexican immigrant, a few derelict types, perhaps homeless, and a well-tattooed teen couple with bad skin and wearing black T-shirts. Since I didn't chatter with them, I can't tell you if they were going to their meth dealer, the Wawa or a bible study group

Six Questions For Narendra Modi
By Shamsul Islam

Narendra Modi, BJP’s nominee for prime-ministership dreams of ruling Indian polity which is constitutionally based on the principles of democracy, secularism, federalism, socialism and justice. However, there is going to be a serious conflict of interests between above mentioned fundamental principles of the Indian polity and Modi’s world-view which is controlled and dictated by the RSS, the most prominent protagonist of the politics of Hindutva. It is a critical issue as Modi publically admits that he is a member of RSS. And RSS hates and denigrates all fundamental principles of democratic-secular India. There are SIX important QUESTIONS which need urgent response from Narendra Modi so that Nation comes to know which side of the divide he stands

India And Pakistan: A Road To Peace
By Dr. Arshad M. Khan

Imagine a prosperous subcontinent freed from the fear of war and nuclear apocalypse, on its way to joining the First World. It is a vision worth fighting for and high time a worthy people rid themselves of their painful legacy of colonialism

The Surge of The Heavy Brigades
By Sazzad Hussain

The former Cold War adversaries are making war cries at the cost of a population who would face Nazi and Fascist forces if the so called, media hyped ‘democratic regime change’ in Ukraine succeeds. Yes, it is the surge of the heavy brigade (read Russia and NATO) in Ukraine, for Crimea which can escalate into an transnational conflict in the fragile Caucasus-Caspian region—known for diversity and most importantly for its energy reserves

21 April, 2014

Western Powers, Ukrainian Regime Call For Military Buildup Against Russia
By Alex Lantier

Amid the crackdown on pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine being carried out by his Western-backed regime, Ukraine’s acting prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, called for a military buildup against Russia in an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” program Sunday. He advocated measures, including US military aid to his government, that pose the risk of a direct clash between nuclear-armed powers

What’s Left of Reformism?
By Alan Johnstone

It is economic theory that underlies our case against reformism. A revolution is the work of a class which has gained political power in order to transform society to suit its interests; a reform is carried out only within the framework of the social system. Reforms cannot end capitalism; they can modify it to some extent, but they leave its basis untouched. To establish socialism, a revolution - a complete transformation of private property into social property - is necessary

The Myth Of The Pro-Labor Democrat
By Ann Robertson and Bill Leumer

As these movements increase and working people rely on themselves, a new political reality will open up where working people can begin to successfully fight for their interests and make real gains. This new reality will provide a basis upon which working people can build a party that exclusively represents their interests so they will no longer feel compelled to vote for candidates that represent the interests of the 1%. Then the tables will begin to turn

Horrendous Pro-Zionist, Zionist And Apartheid Israeli Child Abuse Exposed
By Dr Gideon Polya

Decent people reject racism apartheid and genocide. Zionism is genocidal racism in its awful theory and ghastly practice of subjugation, dispossession, and ethnic cleansing of another people. This evil is most starkly exposed when one considers the horrendous child abuse variously inflicted by racist Zionists, by Apartheid Israel and by pro-Zionist US Alliance allies of the Apartheid rogue state on exiled Palestinian children, Occupied Palestinian children, Palestinian Israeli children, Jewish Israeli children, Jewish children in general, Muslim children, Third World children and indeed potentially all children of the world as systematically outlined below

3rd Worlders! Americans Funding Atrocities Multi-nation Invasions of Syria Must Face Trial!
By Jay Janson

Don't cry can't be done - imperialists own the courts! Syrians grieving their dead and normal people everywhere have already prosecuted them in their hearts. When enough people demand justice, a way is found. Special courts are created when the court of public opinion is strong! Nuremberg Principles and other laws await use! Only accessories report prosecutable crimes against humanity as mistaken foreign policy-Realpolitik!

Jobless Growth In Gujarat: Some Statistics
By Sanjeev Kumar

One can imagine the concern of a State for providing employment for her citizen, were there has not been a single Public Service Commission exam held in last 10 years. NSSO’s data shows that the growth rate of employment in Gujarat during 1993-94 to 2004-05 was 2.43% which reduced to near zero per cent during 2005 to 2010. The stagnant employment growth in the last five years in Gujarat is better than negative employment growth rate at the national level but lags far behind other equally well off states such as Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. Unemployment rate in Gujarat in 2009-10 was 9.9% while the national figure was 9.3% and 5.8% for Tamil Nadu, 5.9 for Maharashtra and 8.6 for Haryana. It rose to 10% in 2011-12 for Gujarat

Whither Community Profiling
By Subhash Gatade

It was quite a coincidence that when the world at large was discussing how NYPD tried to stigmatise a community and terrorise a people, reports about the 'informer-cop nexus behind Islamic Fundamentalism in Tamil Nadu' were already making rounds. What is important to note here is that a (retd) senior police officer's confidential correspondence with higher officials formed a key evidence in this unfolding drama

Is Today’s Education System Just A Bunch Of People Lost At Sea?
By Madhulika V Narasimhan

Educational institutions are an extremely important part of an individual’s life, where the education must create thinking, critical and keen minds instead of clones that are all expected to know everything under the sun, and have the exact same interests and abilities in learning

The ‘Common Party Agenda Of Polarization’ And The AAP
By Mathew Jacob

It will probably take some more time for the common man to trust the common man’s party and definitely he will seek for more causes other than just corruption but for now AAP has for sure sowed the seeds of an alternative political force and agenda in Indian democracy

19 April, 2014

Elections 2014: Where Is India Headed?
By S.G.Vombatkere

This crystal ball may be defective, but the reader might like to activate his/her own crystal ball to gaze into the future. But even if the details of crystal gazing differ, it is clear that India is “on the verge of entering into a reactionary phase in our political history”, and entering “a dark chapter in the political life of the nation”

The Unholy War - Part 1 Development
By Gopal Menon

 

Elections 2014: Indian Democracy Fighting For Its Life
By India United Against Fascism

The most common question being asked about the ongoing Indian elections is: Will Narendra Modi win? This in itself is strange, because India has a parliamentary, not presidential, system, and the usual question asked is: Which party will win? If the focus has shifted to an individual, it is worth asking why

Joint Document On De-Escalation Of Ukraine Crisis Adopted In Geneva,
But Kiev Pushes With Military Operation
By Countercurrents

Russia, the US, the EU and Ukraine have adopted a joint document on the de-escalation of the Ukraine crisis, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said, after talks in Geneva. However, the Kiev authority said: Military operations in east Ukraine will continue

The Long-Term Future
By John Scales Avery

Looking at the very distant future simplifies some issues. For example, one can argue about the size of reserves of coal, oil and metals, but it is certain that in the very long run, such non-renewable resources will become extremely rare and extremely expensive

Exposing The Greenwash Falsehood Of “Renewable Ethanol”
By Dr Gideon Polya

Huge wealth disparities have meant that our democracies have become anti-science Lobbyocracies and Corporatocracies in which Big Money determines “truth” and “reality”. No better example is the use of the term “renewable ethanol” by fossil fuel corporations and Mainstream media despite the reality from a science-based perspective that “renewable ethanol” is a blatant lie because no matter the source of the biological feedstock for bio-ethanol production, the CO2 generated and energy used from producing bio-ethanol are always greater than the CO2 generated and the energy obtained from burning the bio-ethanol

Sharing: The Common-Sense Solution
By Graham Peebles

Not only would sharing be a huge step towards alleviating worldwide poverty and reducing inequality, it would help in the creation of social justice: an essential pre-requisite in establishing peace

UN Report On Palestine: Military Occupation, Apartheid, And Torture
By Dr. Ludwig Watzal

The outgoing Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Richard A. Falk, submitted in accordance with Human Rights Council (HRC) resolution 5/1 his last report on the dire conditions under which the Palestinian people have to live. Falk’s final presentation addresses Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the wall in the eyes of the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice, and considers Israel’s policies and practices in Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) in light of the prohibition on segregation and apartheid. It also addresses concern in relation to the deterioration of the human rights situation of Palestinians living under the Israeli blockade in the Gaza Strip

Why Israeli Officials Are Chuckling: The ‘Stable’ West Bank Dilemma
By Ramzy Baroud

As long as the West Bank is ‘stable’, and as long Abbas, and those that follow him continue to sell Palestinians old illusions of revolutions that never took place, and heroes that only exist on colored posters hung around the streets of Ramallah, Elkin will continue to chuckle

Survival Is The Saudi Key Word
By Nicola Nasser

Survival is the key word to understand the Saudi dynasty’s latest external and internal policies. These are designed to pre-empt change but paradoxically they are creating more enemies in a changing world order marked by turbulent regional geopolitics and growing internal demands for change

The Rise of Our Dumbocracy (A review of Paul Craig Roberts' How America Was Lost:
From 9/11 to the Police/Warfare State)
By Gary Corseri

This is one busy guy! And smart! Being somewhat hip, and accelerating towards codgerdom, I must declare that PCR is simply one of America's best chroniclers of this sad, brutal era of imperial overreach and moral decline. Anyone who wants to understand where we've been recently, where we are now, and where we're heading, had better read this book pronto!

Crisis Of Democracy In Europe
By Farooque Chowdhury

Democracy is falling sick in Europe. In the US, the reality is not much different. At least, for the present time, this appears the reality. Most of the European countries, writes the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, are facing “very worrying” challenges to human rights, democracies and the rule of law. The 72-page CE report, State of Democracy, Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Europe (SG (2014) 1-Final), said: Rule of law in Europe is going through its most severe crisis since the Cold War

Seattle’s Elite Begin Their Counter Attack
By Shamus Cooke

The ultimate success of the $15 demand will depend on the energy, organization and resources dedicated by labor and community groups, combined with the mobilization of the broader community. Its failure would mean yet another victory for the corporate elite

The Second Mystery Around Malyasia Airlines Flight MH 370
By John Chuckman

A second mystery around the disappearance of Flight MH370 has largely gone unnoticed: why hasn’t the United States been in the forefront of providing information about it? The implications of this question are massive

Secrecy And Lies: Government Collusion With The GM Biotech Sector In Britain
By Colin Todhunter

The GM biotech sector's corrosive influences on governments must be challenged now, before it's too late - before we end up eating and being poisoned by its products and before the sector and its backers in the US State Department destroy each and every nation's food sovereignty by weaponising food in order to control entire populations

An Un-Ethical Code
By P K Vijayan

A “Code of Professional Ethics” came into effect for Delhi University teachers last month. It is nobody's case that the teaching community should not abide by a code of ethics; that is certainly not what this piece is about. But such a Code should emerge from within that community – for surely that community is best able to determine its own ethical requirements, standards and parameters – and not be punitively enforced on it from outside. Ultimately, the teaching community owes it to the larger ideals of higher education, as much as to itself and its students, to protest, in the most implacable way, against this “Code”

Celebrating Pakistan Day In India
By Devika Mittal

Every year, the National day of Pakistan that falls on 23rd March is celebrated in New Delhi. The National day of Pakistan commemorates the Lahore resolution of 1940 that had called for the establishment of an independent state for Muslims and the adoption of the first constitution of Pakistan. Every year, Pakistan and the Pakistan High Commissions in other countries celebrate this day. Our Indo-Pak friendship initiative named Aaghaz-e-Dosti was fortunate to be invited for the celebration this year

16 April, 2014

US-Backed Crackdown Threatens Civil War In Ukraine
By Johannes Stern

Having received the green light from Washington and the European Union, the Kiev regime launched a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests in eastern Ukraine, threatening to provoke a full-blown civil war that could escalate into a war between the Western powers and Russia

Odessa Announces Independence, Ukraine Army Units Switch Sides,
Anti-Kiev Protesters Seize Ukrainian APCs
By Countercurrents

People in Odessa in Ukraine have declared independence as army units sent to the eastern region by the Kiev authorities take positions to assault people opposed to the Kiev rule. People in the eastern parts of Ukraine have seized armored personnel carriers (APC) while a number of Ukraine army units have switched sides as their APCs were seen flying Russian flags

Campaign Against Russian-Speakers In Ukraine Coordinated With More Sanctions Against Russia
By Prof Francis Boyle

"It looks like this is part of an orchestrated campaign with the crackdown by Kiev against the Russian-speakers in eastern and southern Ukraine coordinated with more sanctions against Russia. It could be, if these thuggish authorities in Kiev shed more blood of the Russian-speakers, that the Geneva negotiations would be fruitless, suggested by the Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov. So, I certainly hope it doesn’t come to that, but the signs are not very good"

The Oligarchs Rule
By Ron Forthofer

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, and other wealthy and powerful groups and individuals have staged a slow-motion takeover of our government. These oligarchs, through their money, have corrupted all branches of government as well as many of the regulatory agencies. This corruption has led to a system of crony capitalism. Here are a few examples demonstrating the extent of the takeover

What Does It Mean To “Do Something” About Climate Change?
By Carolyn Baker

When I speak of preparing for near-term extinction by surrendering to the severity of our predicament or adopting a hospice attitude, I do not mean that we put on our favorite pair of pajamas, ingest a large dose of Ambien, draw the shades, lie down and set the electric blanket on “womb,” and then proceed to play dead and become comatose as we approach our demise. In fact, there is far too much we can do, both externally and internally to succumb to such meaningless sloth

Hurtling Into Darkness: America's Great Leap Towards Global Tyranny
By John Chuckman

There is evidence, in America especially, that something altogether new is emerging in human affairs. The real middle class, at least a critical mass of it, has been folded into the interest of the modern elites, the relatively small number of people who own a great portion of all wealth just as they did in the 17th century, wealth today being generated by great global enterprises rather than the ownership of vast national estates

Guantanamo Bay: America’s Sevastopol?
By Sean Fenley

Not only is Guantanamo Bay an illicit torture and concentration camp for alleged terrorists, but numerous legitimately recognized legal scholars have called into question the continued acceptance for the US government to still be occupying its military enclave there

Forgiveness Is Dysfunctional
By Robert J. Burrowes

Certain religious traditions, including Christianity, emphasise the importance of forgiveness. I want to explain why forgiveness is misconceived and, therefore, a bad idea. And why there are important psychological reasons for this. In essence, the key question is this: What is the appropriate psychological response to inappropriate behaviour if we want change in the direction of improved functionality in future?

Matang Community Of Maharashtra: Re-Examining Inequality From Within
By Swapnil Dhanraj

Matang is the largest community after Mahars. They are fretful because of the fact that the constitutional opportunities are largely ripped by the Mahar community which creates certain issues of equal representation in Maharashtra. It is in this context this article will be reflecting upon the internal differences and demands of representation of the Matang community

15 April, 2014

Indian Supreme Court Recognises Transgender People As Third Gender
By Countercurrents

In a landmark ruling, Supreme Court of India recognised transgender people as a third gender. "It is the right of every human being to choose their gender," it said in granting rights to those who identify themselves as neither male nor female. The court ordered the government to provide transgender people with quotas in jobs and education in line with other minorities, as well as key amenities. The court clarified that its verdict pertains only to eunuchs and not other sections of society like gay, lesbian and bisexuals who are also considered under the umbrella term 'transgender'

Ukraine Launches Military Operation In Eastern Ukraine
By Aljazeera

Kiev has said an "anti-terrorist operation" against pro-Moscow separatists is under way, as Russia declared Ukraine on the brink of a civil war. The Kiev crackdown appeared to get off to a slow start, if at all, however. Twenty-four hours after the Ukrainian ultimatum expired for the separatists to lay down their arms, witnesses on Tuesday reported no signs yet that Kiev forces were ready to storm state buildings, in the Russian-speaking east that the rebels had occupied

Vilifying Putin’s Russia
By Radha Surya

The media coverage of Russian integration with Crimea has been shameful, irresponsible and misleading. It is vitiated by the myopic inability to see beyond US-EU interests. And it is incorrect on essentials. Despite what the New York Times says it’s not tr ue that Russia is facing international isolation

The Death Of Yarmouk Palestinian Camp
By Franklin Lamb

After months of studying the political, social, military, and economic situation in Yarmouk camp, and based on insightful meetings with former camp residents and PLO stalwarts who have been active in the Palestinian cause going back to the 1980’s, or earlier, Yarmouk’s survival prospects appear fatally bleak

We Don't Want You To Swim In The River
By Kathy Kelly

In early April, 2014, the U.S. Navy unveiled its Mach 7 Magnetic Mangler, “ a railgun straight out of Star Trek that can take out targets at 100 miles with a projectile flying at nearly 7,000 feet per second. ” So far, the U.S. military has spent $240 million developing the railgun over a period of ten years. CBS News reports that the railgun won't go to sea until 2016 , but one article, published in The Gazette, suggests that the U.S. military may have decided to show off the Magnetic Mangler in order to send a message to the Russian government

“Human Rights” As An Instrument Of Coercion
By Kourosh Ziabari

Only a few weeks after the UN Human Rights Council endorsed a resolution in condemning the alleged violations of human rights in Iran on March 28, the European Parliament also took action to do its share of attacking the Islamic Republic for its “human rights violations” in what was introduced as the “European Parliament resolution on the EU strategy towards Iran.”

Violence And The Struggle For Power In Egypt
By Chandra Muzaffar

There is no sign to show that political violence in Egypt is abating. Political violence has become even more pronounced since the ouster of the democratically elected President, Dr Mohamed Morsi, on the 3rd of July 2013. The ouster is in fact one of the primary causes for the increased violence

Is There Disarray In Empire’s Position Around The World?
By Farooque Chowdhury

Disarray, it seems, is pervading all around the Empire. It’s, probably, the perception of at least a part of conservatives in the US. To Republican Senator John McCain, diplomatic efforts to end the Syria crisis is “a total collapse”, Palestine-Israel peace talks are “finished”, and Iran talks “will collapse, too”. All the three points of contention – Syria, Israel-Palestine and Iran – are too delicate to handle. In a waning single pole world, it’s not easy to impose whatever one likes. In case of Ukraine, the senator’s observation is: US is talking strongly and carrying a small stick, in fact, a twig. But it should be a big stick and soft talk

Diclofenac For Vultures Has Been A Disaster
By Marianne de Nazareth 

Now research conducted over the years is revealing that diclofenac could have also possibly caused decline in numbers of other vulture species such as Red-headed and Egyptian Vulture. However, a positive trend observed is that all vulture species previously affected, seem to be benefitting after the ban on veterinary diclofenac in 2006

Gujarati Muslim Can Forget Godhra, But What About These Economic Figures?
By Sanjeev Kumar

Even if we forget Godhara pogrom, the continuous killing of Muslims in fake encounter in the name of fighting terrorism and good governance cannot be ignored. For the time being, even if we ignore these judicial killing, how can we ignore the fact that the conditions of Muslims in Gujarat in terms of poverty, literacy, health, economic empowerment, employment etc either remain stagnant or deteriorated during the rule of Narendra Bhai Modi

The Psycho-Social Implications Of War Crimes On People Of Gurez (Kashmir):
A Study Of Landmine Risks
By Aijaz Ahmad Mir

Due to landmines, unexploded shells and indiscriminate firing of shells across the borders many people including children got affected. People especially children are unaware to reduce the risks and such kind of incidents happen due to ignorance and lack of knowledge. As the Gurez and Tulail are situated on LOC between India and Pakistan and therefore happenings of such kind of incidents is always there

11 April, 2014

Civil War Looms In Ukraine
By Alex Lantier

Ukraine stands on the brink of civil war, as the unelected pro-Western regime that seized power this February in Kiev threatens a bloody crackdown on protesters occupying local government offices in cities across traditionally pro-Russian sections of eastern Ukraine. Protesters are demanding a referendum to federalize Ukraine and limit the authority of the new, far-right regime in Kiev. Some protesters have also called on their areas to vote to join Russia, as the former Ukrainian region of Crimea did last month, or declared independent “people’s republics” in Donetsk and Kharkiv

Why US Fracking Companies Are Licking Their Lips Over Ukraine
By Naomi Klein

From climate change to Crimea, the natural gas industry is supreme at exploiting crisis for private gain – what I call the shock doctrine

The Parable of The Gazelle And The Lion
By Peter D. Capen

I sometimes think that modern civilization is like the gazelle and global warming is the lion. Our modern culture continues to happily graze on the comforts and distractions cheap fossil fuel energy has made possible, all but oblivious to the peril that it has created in its wake, which is now knocking at our door. But will humans wake up in time to escape their fate?

We’re A’ Jock Tamson's Bairns
By Alan Johnstone

If the workers were ever to put their misplaced passion for “their” nation into socialism, then it would be the end of the ruling class

Mayhem In India: Cars, Lorries And Weddings
By Graham Peebles

What may have once been considered simply part of the chaotic charm of this extraordinary country − to be endured along with poor sanitation, burgeoning, filthy slums and open sewers − noise, air and water pollution are now seen as a major environmental issue demanding urgent government and community action

What Will Modi Do Next?
By Firdaus Ahmed

Wisely the BJP delayed releasing its manifesto till the last minute to make sure that its contents would not affect the personality cult built up around NaMo. The manifesto has three elements that are likely to vitiate societal, Indian and subcontinental security: the building of a temple at Ayodhya; introduction of the uniform civil code; the removal of Article 370; and the rethinking of the nuclear doctrine respectively

10 April, 2014

Venezuela’s Maduro Charges US With Fomenting Ukraine-Style Coup
By Bill Van Auken

Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro has charged that Washington is fomenting a Ukrainian-Style “slow-motion” coup against his government in a bid to “get their hands on Venezuelan oil.” At least 39 people have been killed in the violence, including eight members of the police and security forces and several supporters of the Maduro government. Hundreds of people have been wounded and over 2,200 arrested, of which roughly 190 remain in custody

Is the US or The World Coming To An End? It Will Be One or The Other
By Paul Craig Roberts

One of two things is likely: Either the US dollar will be abandoned and collapse in value, thus ending Washington’s superpower status and Washington’s threat to world peace, or Washington will lead its puppets into military conflict with Russia and China. The outcome of such a war would be far more devastating than the collapse of the US dollar

Commercialisation: The Antithesis Of Sharing
By Mohammed Mesbahi

'Sharing is the key to solving the world’s problems’. Such a statement is so simple that it may fail to make an appeal, so we must go much deeper into this subject if we want to comprehend what this means. In order to understand how sharing is the surest guide to justice, peace and right human relations, we need to investigate its meaning and significance from many angles – including psychologically and spiritually, as well as from a social, economic and political perspective

New American Reality: An Empire Beyond Salvation
By Ramzy Baroud

The US has truly lost the initiative, in the Middle East region and beyond it. The neo-cons’ drunkenness with military power led to costly wars that have overwhelmed the empire beyond salvation. And now, the US foreign policy makers are mere diplomatic firefighters, from Palestine, to Syria to the Ukraine. For the Americans, the last few years have been more than a ‘reality check’, but the new reality itself

How To Keep The Palestinian Cause Alive
By Alan Hart

If the Palestinian diaspora is unwilling to play its necessary part in keeping the cause alive, the judgement of history one day will most likely be that it was complicit by default in Zionism’s final ethnic cleansing and the closing, never for re-opening, of the Palestine file. My question for the Palestinian diaspora is this. Can you not hear the alarm?

Libertaria: A Libertarian Paradise
By John Spritzler

In Libertaria, the wealthy few talk about "freedom." The rest are starting to talk about equality and mutual aid, and the freedom to live in an egalitarian society. If there is to be anything approaching paradise on earth for the many, it will be in an egalitarian, not a libertarian, world

Plunder, Poorism And Profit
By Fazal M. Kamal

What is now practiced and known as free enterprise has lost its moral anchoring. But if a nation or society has to remain robust and healthy and retain its humanism some modicum of ethics must temper the relentless hunt for ever-increasing mounds of lucre at any cost. This irrationality just cannot continue to dominate the human enterprise

The U.S. And The Indonesian Right: A Look At Anti-Democratic Pro-Capitalist Crimes
By Brian McAfee

The use of torture by the Indonesian military on the indigenous population is widespread as is rape and sexual assault by the military and police against the indigenous population. The Indonesian military has been able to act with impunity with the full support of the U.S. and Great Britain

War For Dummies
By David Swanson

Sorry for the headline if it got you hoping for a quick 1-step guide on how to bomb a country without breaking a sweat. I didn't actually mean that I could teach a dummy to wage a war. I meant that only dummies want to wage wars. Need proof? Check out a recent Washington Post report on Ukraine

GMOs And Scientific Hegemony
By S.G.Vombatkere

Prof.Montagu, as a scientist and strong promoter of GM for food crops, was recently invited to India by the Association of Biotech Led Enterprises Agriculture Group (ABLE-AG), a collective of agro-biotech industrial corporations, to help it push Government of India (GoI) for introduction of GM food crops into India. This piece is a response to statements made by Prof.Montagu in an interview

Bombers For A Cause?
By Subhash Gatade

In Kagal, a town in Kolhapur district the police discovered a bomb making factory in the Lakshmi Hill near MIDC area. The culprits involved in this action could be nabbed before they could 'operationalise their bomb'

An Indian's Reply To The Open Letter By The Chairman, All Party Hurriyat Conference
By Ravi Nitesh

I as a citizen of India, promise you that I shall work for peace for Kashmir and at the same time, also request you to reach out to other people in Kashmir to find out methods of resistance without violence. By this letter, I also request all politicians and political parties to become sensitive towards the sufferings of people in Kashmir and towards their demands. Violence must end. The heavy military deployment of more than a decade has not and cannot bring any solution, it cannot bring peace within hearts and minds of millions who are living there. I request them to favor demilitarization, protection of human rights and ensure peace

For Whom The Elections?
By S.N .Rahman

815 million voters who will cast their votes in nine phases from April 7 to May 12 spread across 9.3.lakh polling stations. This is proof enough to show to the rest of the world that in India democracy is still thriving. Yes it is. But for whom? It is thriving for the rich, by the rich but not for the poor, the down trodden, the marginalized population of our country. The rest of our multi-religious, multi-lingual populations are mere spectators. The poor segments of our society will remain wherever they have remained- within the fringes of our vast country. Barely surviving on two square meals a day. Leave aside starvation deaths elsewhere in the country

Opposing The Award Of Death Penalty As Punishment For Rape
By Peoples Union for Democratic Rights

Peoples Union of Democratic Rights (PUDR) is concerned that close on the heels of the Supreme Court’s judgment of 21st January 2014, whereby the Court had commuted the death sentences of 15 convicts to life imprisonment, the Delhi High Court and the Mumbai Sessions Court, have in two significant judgements delivered separately have chosen to uphold the death penalty as punishment for rape in both the 16 December 2012 rape and murder case and the Shakti mills rape case of 22 August 2013

09 April, 2014

Leaked IPCC Climate Plan Could Worsen Global Warming: Ecologists
By Nafeez Ahmed

A British environmental organisation that has reviewed the draft of a forthcoming UN IPCC report on mitigating climate change has questioned many of the document's recommendations as deeply flawed. Dr Rachel Smolker, co-director of Biofuelwatch, said that the report's embrace of "largely untested" and "very risky" technologies like bioenergy with carbon capture and sequestration (BECCS), will "exacerbate" climate change, agricultural problems, water scarcity, soil erosion and energy challenges, "rather than improving them."

Assad Is There To Stay
By Nicola Nasser

Long gone the days when the U.S.-led so-called “Friends of Syria” could plausibly claim that two thirds of Syria was controlled by rebel forces, that Syrian capital Damascus was under siege and its fall was just a matter of time and that the days of President Bashar al-Assad were numbered and accordingly he “should step down.” The war on Syria has taken a U-turn during the past year. Assad now firmly holds the military initiative. The long awaited foreign military intervention could not take off; it was prevented by the emerging multi-polar world order. Syrian and non-Syrian insurgents are now on the run. Assad stands there to stay

Will A Syrian Victory At A Posh London Auction House Accelerate Global Cultural Protections?
By Franklin Lamb

Protecting the memory of King Adad-Nerari and preserving his place in the world’s cultural heritage may appear a modest victory given the nearly unimaginable suffering imposed daily on the people of the proud Syrian Arab Republic. But what happened to stop one auction house—from selling one stolen Syrian antiquity—was made possible by the people of Syria and others of good will who greatly value our Global Cultural Heritage

Corrupt To The Core: The Fire Power Of The Financial Sector
By Colin Todhunter

The enormous power and destructive influence of financial markets became apparent after the global economic collapse of 2008. This event revealed a need for bringing the sector under democratic public ownership; failing that, stronger regulations for financial markets at the very least. But political will has been lacking on both counts. The sector enjoys massive financial resources and successfully translates them into political influence

Europe Needs To Be Independent
By John Scales Avery

Whatever debt of gratitude Europe may owe to the United States for its past help, we must now ask whether the time has not now arrived for Europe to be independent. Just as the US once declared it is independence from England, Europe must now declare its independence from the United States

Bukowski Quits At The Post Office
By Mickey Z.

That rebellion lives on every time a store has to shelf Post Office and other Buk books behind the counter to prevent shoplifting. Hank’s books, it seems, are the most commonly pilfered. As a bookstore owner once explained to me: “Bukowski was an anti-establishment writer, he took a lot of risks and pretty much did whatever he wanted. Perhaps people consider stealing his books as an act of solidarity. Because of Bukowski’s style, they most likely see it as okay to steal his books; it’s a gesture against the establishment.”

08 April, 2014

Civil War/War Looms In Ukriane
By Johannes Stern

Tensions between the Western-backed interim government in Kiev and the eastern parts of Ukraine with close economic and linguistic ties to Russia are escalating, posing the threat not only of civil war in Ukraine, but of military conflict between the imperialist powers and Russia

Artists Put Human Face To Drone Victims In Pakistan
By Countercurrents

In an attempt to put a face on civilian victims of US drone strikes, a group of artists has installed a massive portrait of a girl facing up from a field in Pakistan . The poster, measuring 90 by 60 feet and made of vinyl, was unrolled with the help of locals two weeks ago in a village in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region in northwest Pakistan, where residents say attacks by the pilotless aircraft are a part of daily life

How CIA Used Doctor Zhivago As A Propaganda Tool
By Countercurrents 

Doctor Zhivago, the novel by Boris Pasternak, was turned into an anti-Soviet propaganda tool by CIA. An exclusive report in the Washington said the CIA officials had rave reviews for Boris Pasternak's Russian novel Doctor Zhivago, not for its literary merit but as a propaganda weapon in the Cold War

1.6 Million People Urgently Need Food In The Central African Republic
By Countercurrents

In the Central African Republic (CAR), overall, 1.6 million people are in need of urgent food assistance. As of late March, some 625 000 individuals were displaced due to conflict in the country. Unprecedented crisis in the country is devastating the economy and people's ability to secure basic necessities. An assessment report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) paint a grim picture

Indoctrinating A New Generation
By William Blum

Is there anyone out there who still believes that Barack Obama, when he’s speaking about American foreign policy, is capable of being anything like an honest man? In a March 26 talk in Belgium to “European youth”, the president fed his audience one falsehood, half-truth, blatant omission, or hypocrisy after another. If George W. Bush had made some of these statements, Obama supporters would not hesitate to shake their head, roll their eyes, or smirk

We Are All Foreigners
By Alan Johnstone

All nation-states are criminal enterprises, and borders are among their most dangerous weapons. Socialists rejects borders and nation-states. We are about changing minds and not chaining minds. You can't pick and choose solidarity based on when or what is convenient at the time

In Pursuit Of Shelter: Chin Community of Burma
By Ravi Nitesh

An Interview with David, President Chin Refugee Community of Burma in India

Babasaheb Dr. Ambedkar On Indian Democracy And The Need For Strengthening It
By Umakant

As India’s tryst with democracy continues it would be pertinent to look at Babasaheb Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s views on democracy in theory and in practice. His views were quite prophetic in nature and on a careful reading one would always find its relevance even now

What If Modi Is A Loser?
By Farzana Versey

Think about Narendra Modi as loser. Almost everybody, including his detractors, has been talking about the Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate in terms of victory. The reason is the so-called ‘wave', which ought to be a cue for the ebb. Why, then, are the experts not conceding even the possibility of such a scenario?

07 April, 2014

Time Running Out To Meet Global Warming Target- UN Report
By Countercurrents

“World powers are running out of time to slash their use of high-polluting fossil fuels and stay below agreed limits on global warming”, says the IPCC draft report. This is the third and final study in a UN series about climate change, updating findings from 2007

Call Climate Change What It Is: Violence
By Rebecca Solnit

Social unrest and famine, superstorms and droughts. Places, species and human beings – none will be spared. Welcome to Occupy Earth

An Ode To Seasons For Peter Matthiessen
By Subhankar Banerjee

Peter Matthiessen passed away on Saturday, at his home in Sagaponack, New York. He was 86. I’m sure you will read about him in many places now. Peter was one of the greatest human beings to have ever lived on this Earth. He loved wild places and animals. He fought for the indigenous peoples and conservation of nature…all his life

New Exposé By Seymour Hersh: Turkey Staged Gas Attack To Provoke US War On Syria
By Patrick Martin

In a lengthy article published Sunday by the London Review of Books, investigative journalist Seymour Hersh reports that the sarin gas attack on a Damascus suburb on August 21, 2013 was actually carried out by Syrian “rebel” forces acting at the behest of Turkey, for the purpose of providing a pretext for a US attack on Syria

Metadata Is More Intrusive Than Direct Listening Of Phone Calls Says Snowden
By Countercurrents

Government monitoring of “metadata” is more intrusive than directly listening to phone calls or reading emails, cautioned Edward Snowden, the US NSA whistleblower, and Glenn Greenwald, the reporter who disclosed leaks by Snowden about mass US government surveillance last year

Donetsk Region's Independence From Ukraine Proclaimed
By Countercurrents

In the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, a group of activists have declared their region independent from Kiev. This comes after protesters stormed a local government building a few hours ago

Unfulfilled Responsibilities Of The Media
By John Scales Avery

The media are a battleground where reformers struggle for attention, but are defeated with great regularity by the wealth and power of the establishment. This is a tragedy because today there is an urgent need to make public opinion aware of the serious problems facing civilization, and the steps that are needed to solve these problems. The mass media could potentially be a great force for public education, but in general their role is not only unhelpful: it is often negative

What Really Happened During The Talks
By Jonathan Cook

If negotiations collapse, it should be clear that, while both sides were supposed to be talking, one side – Israel – was vigorously and unilaterally acting to further its goals. It now seems the Palestinian leadership will respond in kind, by pushing their bid for statehood at the UN. Israel has already threatened “punitive measures”, meaning things are likely to turn yet uglier. But the era of wishful thinking may finally be coming to an end – and that will be progress in itself

Why Do Soldiers Commit Suicide And Global Warlords
By Dr. Mahboob A. Khawaja

“22 Soldiers Commit Suicide Every Day, One Veteran Says Many Die For A Profit”…. the benzodiazepine is used to treat the returning war veterans, “Pentagon officials also released reports in which they strongly encourage doctors working with veterans who have P.T.S.D. to focus more on therapy and less on medication, one class in particular, the benzodiazepines, for which ‘risks exceed benefits.'”

A Silent Coup Against Indian Constitution
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

India is passing through one of the most crucial phases of its political life. As the exercise of the 'democracy' begins the future of the country would also be locked and will be opened on May 16th only. It is important to understand the dangers of what has happened so far. The results will be out in a month but it is for the first time in our history that 'someone' has already 'declared' himself as the prime minister of the country

Of UN Human Rights Council And Kashmir
By Abdul Majid Zargar

The month of March 2014 has witnessed a mixed bag of news on human rights front. A news that is good, bad as well as sad. First the good news. The UN human rights Council has passed a resolution which paves way for an international investigation into alleged war crimes by the Sri lankan Govt. in the final stages of its war with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The bad news is that in case of Sri Lankan resolution, Pakistan has opposed the move along with China and ten other Countries. The position taken by Pakistan has considerably eroded the credibility of its oft repeated stand of political, moral and diplomatic support for Kashmiris

Know Your NaMo: Like 'Father', Like 'Son' ?
By Subhash Gatade

Not very many people - living outside Gujarat - know that Narendra Modi, the Parivar's 'PM in waiting' also happens to be a 'passionate writer, poet and a lover of culture..' and how '[d]espite his busy, .. schedule, ..devotes time to ..writing, interacting with people on social media etc.' We are also told that he has been writing 'since he was young.'

From The Left Roots
By S.G.Vombatkere

The two major Left parties, CPI and CPI(M), speak of a Third Front that is both non-INC and non-BJP, and have sought to join hands with AIADMK in a pre-poll alliance (since withdrawn as a “mistake”). Any thinking person would find it odd that these major Left parties are trying to forge pre-poll or post-poll alliances with non-Left parties and groups without making any moves towards unity among smaller Left parties and groups and other socialist and progressive forces, which are ideologically closer to themselves

Understanding Marx
By William T. Hathaway

Review of Crisis and Change Today By Peter Knapp and Alan J. Spector

Senator Paul’s Early Campaign Meetings Cloud Ultra-Right Purported Libertarian Worldview
By Sean Fenley

Rand Paul has certainly received his fair share of ink since entering the United States Senate. And his impending run for the presidency will no doubt make that ink puddle akin to a flurry much like some of the largest political wastes of carbon black ever envisioned before

06 April, 2014

South Sudan Facing Famine Crisis
By Brian McAfee

3.7 million people in this nation of 11 million are at severe risk of starvation. Conditions in South Sudan now parallel those of Ethiopia in the 1980s when hundreds of thousands died from famine

Terracidal Climate Change Inaction
By Dr Gideon Polya

We are witnessing terracidal climate change inaction from both explicit, anti-science climate change denialism and craven effective climate change denialism. The world is facing a worsening climate emergency but remains committed to an ever-expanding carbon economy and is unable to take requisite effective climate change action. Energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and the atmospheric CO2 continue to inexorably increase and it is becoming clear that we are rapidly running out of time to deal with the climate emergency

Climate Uncertainty Monster Unmasked
By Countercurrents

Scientific uncertainty has been described as a 'monster' that prevents understanding and delays mitigative action in response to climate change. New research by Professor Stephan Lewandowsky of the University of Bristol , and international colleagues, shows that uncertainty should make us more rather than less concerned about climate change. The findings challenge the frequent public misinterpretation of uncertainty as a reason to delay action

“Voting With Their Feet”
By Afghan Peace Volunteers

In Afghanistan , Dr. Hakim and the Afghan Peace Volunteers Plant Trees not Bombs

Too Old To Be A Terrorist
By Nilantha Ilangamuwa

We came to know the news about the President Rajapaksa’s new move of banning selected organizations and people who are associated with them. Around 16 groups were banned and over four hundred people, almost every one of them of Sri Lankan Tamil origin, were black listed

A Mothers Tragedy
By Younus Farooq

Najibullah was 18, when he was killed by troopers.They shot him thrice in the chest, says Zooni Begum mother of Najibullah. Sitting in the corner of her kitchen, she laments the death of her son. He was killed just outside their home at Wadwan village in Budgam, almost 40 kilometers from Srinagar

The Impunity Continues: Kunan Poshpora Public Prosecutor
Appointed As Central Government Standing Counsel
Press Release

On April 5, 2014, the revision petition filed by the Indian army to shut down investigations in the 1991 Kunan Poshpora mass rape and torture case was listed for arguments before Sessions Judge, Kupwara. Advocate Parvez Imroz, appearing for the survivors, raised an objection that the Public Prosecutor, Ghulam Mohammad Shah had also been appointed as a Central Government Standing Counsel [CGSC] during the pendency of the revision petition

05 April, 2014

Reoccupy The World: A Global Campaign Initiated
By Farooque Chowdhury

Reoccupy the world – an initiative expected to gradually spread around the globe – has begun on April 4, 2014. It’s hoped that the campaign will ignite a global spring for change in future

US Secretly Built “Cuban Twitter” To Topple Cuban Government By Stirring Unrest
By Countercurrents

The United States engineered a text messaging network, a “Cuban Twitter”, to spread unrest in the communist country and bring down the Castro government. The communications network was built with secret shell companies and financed through foreign banks

Witnessing Collateral Murder; The Conscience Of Chelsea Manning
By Nozomi Hayase

Four years have passed since WikiLeaks' sensational release of the classified US military video titled Collateral Murder. On April 5 2010, the raw footage was published depicting airstrikes by a US Army helicopter gunship in the Iraqi suburb of New Baghdad

Socrates Rebukes The NSA
By Gary Corseri

Esteemed gentlemen of Athens, colleagues, friends, and less-than-friends. I thank you for this opportunity to speak in my defense against the charges brought against me by the Network of Spies of Athens, our NSA. You want, I believe, something of an apologia. And I shall offer nothing less

Australia – Still Yearning For A Dignified Way To Remember
The Human Waste At Gelibolu (Gallipoli) (PDF)
By George Venturini

During the next four years the Australian Government will spend AU$ 325 million to celebrate the first world war, opening with the 'glorious defeat' at Gallipoli, and going on with other wars fought overseas under a 'foreign' flag. All wars will be celebrated. There will be dawn services, marches, children in miniature uniforms, and exceptional drinking. In a triumph of induced ignorance, history will be 'militarised'. 'Events' will be marketed and business will be booming. Alcoholic consumption 'spikes' on Anzac Day, with the ensuing public and domestic violence. Yet, a clear head is needed to remember anything

The Future We Want: The City We Need Is A Human Rights City!
By People's Movement for Human Rights Learning

Given that two billion people live in cities today and that four billion people will live in cities in 15 to 20 years, a new urban paradigm is needed to ensure that urban dwellers know and own the support systems to live with one another in ways that reflect their hopes expectations for economic and social justice and the moral values they share in today's fast changing world. The future we want is one in which women and men design, plan, build and manage their cities to make them sustainable and to contribute to harmonious development

The Struggle For Justice And Freedom Cannot Be Determined By Temporary Setbacks
An Interview With Rev. S. J. Emmanuel By Nilantha Ilangamuwa

REVEREND Father S. J. Emmanuel is a priest, activist and the president of the Global Tamil Forum, an umbrella organisation for Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora groups.In this interview he extensively elaborates the situation in Sri Lanka from the geo-political perspectives with his personal experiences

An Open Letter To Indian Democracy
By Amit Chamaria

I know your ‘grand festival’ is around the corner and I wish you the best for it. Simultaneously, I offer my sincere apology for asking your attention at such a crunch time. But some unusual situations have emerged and I could not stop myself to make you known about it. It is my request that you must think over it after reading the letter. Some solution might come out of it. In addition to that, my conscience would also be satisfied

04 April, 2014

Russia Warns NATO Over Military Build-Up In Eastern Europe
By Johannes Stern & Alex Lantier

Russian officials formally protested NATO’s military build-up in Eastern Europe yesterday, warning that it is undermining treaties that have governed NATO-Russian relations since the dissolution of the USSR by the Stalinist bureaucracy in 1991

Rosenberg’s Rubbishing of BDS Misses The Point
By Alan Hart

The Jews, generally speaking, are the intellectual elite of the Western world. The Palestinians, generally speaking, are the intellectual elite of the Arab world. Together in peace and partnership in one state they could change the region for the better and, by so doing, give new hope and inspiration to the whole world. If that vision or something very like it was promoted by the BDS Movement, I think its critics and detractors would be exposed for the irrelevance they are

Constitution
Directed By Gauhar Raza

 

Big Questions = Big Patience (Occupy This Book Excerpt)
By Mickey Z.

The 1% is killing the planet partly because these elite players have chosen to look no further into the future than the next fiscal quarter. Meanwhile, our spectacle culture exists to train and condition the 99% to maintain an equally narrow and lethal perspective

Religion - Thy Name Is Superstition
By Alan Johnstone

As scientific knowledge grows, God is relegated more and more to the background. The God of the modern capitalist is a different God than the slave owner's of ancient times. And the "role" that God plays in the explanation of the working of the material world has changed.The role of God has changed from that of belief in predestiny, to God as a personal God, from God as the first creator of the world and the "cause", to God as an afterthought (agnosticism) who has no control and the question of belief in him as irrelevant

Which Way Turkey? – A Personal Reflection
By Terry Cowan

In examining my own growing disaffection with the new Turkey, I realize the problem lies more in our own expectations. We warmed to the western-oriented Istanbul, where supposedly casual Islam accommodated nicely with modernity. We were charmed by its exotica, and somehow expected its religion to be of the emasculated variety which would not jar our secular sensibilities. This now appears more wishful thinking than reality. As realists, we should face the Turkey that is, not the people we imagined them to be

Postcard From The End Of America : Columbus
By Linh Dinh

America 's priapric dreams, however, are nothing to be chuckled at. Increasingly vehement and bloody, they're on course to blow up this Columbus experiment, if not the rest of the world also

The Two Main Lies In Modi’s Propaganda
By People’s Alliance for Democracy and Secularism

Not so long ago, Modi was described in the media as a mass murderer, a man who used his state machinery to track a young woman who was important only because she attracted him, a man who repeatedly mixed up names and historical facts in his public speeches. But now many of the media, clearly toeing the line of owners who care only for the profits that big capital can make, have suddenly begun to see only good in him. They have forgotten the damning things they said

Car Parking Is Becoming Murderous Business
By Vidyadhar Date

Disputes over parking are now rampant everywhere.Some motorists are now killing each other .Four people were killed in Delhi in the last two months in disputes over car parking. One of them was a law student who was assaulted by other students inside the law college and elsewhere three members of a Mishra family were shot dead

03 April, 2014

NATO Maneuvers With Georgia, Ukraine Threaten War With Russia
By Alex Lantier

NATO is provacatively seeking to install its forces on Russia's borders, moving to recruit Georgia and Ukraine's unelected, pro-Western regime to the military alliance, a move that threatens a NATO-Russia war. NATO and Georgian officials met yesterday in Brussels to plan talks on a Membership Action Plan (MAP) to admit Georgia into NATO as early as September

Disband NATO: Demand Communists
By Countercurrents 

Communists in a number of countries have demanded disbanding of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). A proposition to this demand has been made. At the same time, Kiev authorities have decided to stage a number of military exercises with NATO, and NATO is expanding its military presence in eastern Europe

A Howl Against TIME
By Subhankar Banerjee

The TIME’s story of the Washington mudslide, however, is different. It is not “false balance”, but instead, suppression–by–silence, a form of self–censorship. If we don’t talk about it, it doesn’t exist. By not discussing clear cutting and global warming, a deadly mudslide becomes a natural tragedy that we are supposed to mourn, without critical thinking

New Lows For Obama’s Failed Middle East Policy
By Shamus Cooke

Obama seemed so traumatized by his Middle East blunders he decided to take a break, giving Ukraine a try instead. The distraction was just what the president needed. And the U.S. media followed obediently, while barely glancing at the flames in the rear-view mirror — until another explosion piqued their interest. The predictable break down of peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians occurred when the Palestinian Authority backed out of a “peace process” they had zero to gain from

Kerry’s Looming Deadline And The Peace Process Industry
By Ramzy Baroud

As the US-imposed April 29 deadline for a ‘framework’ agreement between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority looms, time is also running out for the American administration itself. The Obama administration must now conjure up an escape route to avoid a political crisis if the talks are to fail, as they surely will

Razor Wire, Prison Cells, and Black Panther Robert H. King's Life of Resistance
By Angola 3 News

A new 40-minute documentary film by Canadian History Professor Ron Harpelle, entitled Hard Time , focuses on the life of Robert Hillary King , who spent 29 years in continuous solitary confinement until his conviction was overturned and he was released from Louisiana's infamous Angola State Prison in 2001. Here is an interview with filmmaker Ron Harpelle

A 15-Year Murder Spree
By David Swanson

Fifteen years ago, NATO was bombing Yugoslavia. This may be difficult for people to grasp who believe the Noah movie is historical fiction, but: What your government told you about the bombing of Kosovo was false. And it matters

Europe’s Bumblebees Are Going Extinct
By Marianne de Nazareth

Their striking yellow and black stripes, larger size than honey bees and loud buzzing sounds make them seem slightly fearsome. But twenty four percent of European bumblebee species are threatened with extinction on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, according to a recent study assessing the species group at the European level

Sri Lanka: In The Mid Of Water-Energy Nexus
By Darshana Ashoka Kumara

It is our common sense that water and the human life are inextricably linked. Water is part and parcel of all the aspects of human life: health, food production, economic vitality, etc. In a country like Sri Lanka, still we are rich with a good number of water sources. But Sri Lanka has been facing hardships in recent years due to changes of rain patterns, a result of the climate change

Democracy In A Gutter, Literally
By Samar

A man entered a gutter to clean it and fainted in the bad air. His comrade waiting outside realized this and entered the gutter to save him. He too fainted. They both died of asphyxiation. This happened a mere two days after Supreme Court outlawed manual scavenging again, and ordering, not 'directing', the states to strictly enforce the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 passed by the parliament last year

A Letter To Comrades
By Saumya Mohanty

Today the situation demands a united left front across the country to defeat the communal forces and corrupt forces. It is time for the left to show solidarity among themselves and adapt a united pan India left front

A Charter of Demand For A Truly Federal India
By Sudip Bhattacharyya

Ours is the largest functional democracy. We take pride in it and rightly so. But at the same time we must recognize that it often does not reflect the vast diversity inherent in its largeness (124 cr people, 28 states + Telangana and 7 union territories) and appreciate the aspirations of all language groups and cultures. In view of that, we have the following charter of demand to the new govt. post2014 national election and major political parties

Letter To The Representatives Of Political Parties In India By Aaghaz-e-Dosti
By Aliya Harir

Regardless of believers in Allah, Ishwar, and God or in none, we are all human beings who are also entitled to a just and dignified life, a promise of the state. It is high time that we should put an end to racism. It is time to find effective solutions to strengthening Indo-Pak ties. It is time to end our indifferences and forge a ‘we are same’ conversation about our mutual development and unity

A Second Chance—25 Years Later
By Shepherd Bliss with Assumpta Ortiz

We both carry what Assumpta describes as “the suffering and cruelty of war.” We have the “genetic information of torture and isolation. I do not think that it is possible to reach the depth of feelings without the extreme experiences. The same capacity that makes us sensitive to pain can make us sensitive to love. Some dream of a deep love but live on the surface.”

02 April, 2014

What To Do When You Suspect We’re Headed For Collapse
By Rob Dietz

In this age of worldwide environmental and social turmoil, it’s natural to want to help. It’s also natural to wonder how you can possibly make a difference. These troubled times prompt each of us to ask a simple, but absolutely critical question: “What should I do?”

The Dimming Prospects For Human Survival
By Noam Chomsky

What are the prospects for survival then? They are not bright. But the achievements of those who have struggled for centuries for greater freedom and justice leave a legacy that can be taken up and carried forward - and must be, and soon, if hopes for decent survival are to be sustained. And nothing can tell us more eloquently what kind of creatures we are

Carbon Delirium: Shooting Up On Big Energy
By Michael T. Klare

The Last Stage of Fossil-Fuel Addiction and Its Hazardous Impact on American Foreign Policy

Break The System By Creating Something New

Interventionists Planning Chemical Attack On Damascus
While Death Toll Reaches 150,000 In Syria
By Countercurrents

Interventionists are planning to launch attacks using chemical weapons in Jobar area, Damascus, and to accuse the Syrian government of it, Syria's Permanent Representative to the UN Bashar Al-Jaafari said April 1, 2014

CIA Misled Government And People On Interrogation Program, Says Senate Report
By Countercurrents

The CIA misled the government and the public about aspects of its brutal interrogation program for years. The intelligence agency concealed details about the severity of its methods, overstating the significance of plots and prisoners. Even, the agency took credit for critical pieces of intelligence that detainees had in fact surrendered before they were subjected to harsh techniques. These were the conclusions made in a report by the Senate Intelligence Committee

Poetry As Spiritual Practice: An Interview With Alicen Grey
By Mickey Z.

Alicen Grey is the author of Wolves and Other Nightmares, a provocative, lyrical, and just-released collection of her poems and prose from Hologram Press. In the age of memes and irony, she chooses verse and metaphor as her avenues of expression. Chronicling her spiritual journey, Grey lays bare the trauma, the insights, the lessons, and the redemption. This is the “beautiful poetry” Rumi warns us about -- but you best check your illusions at the door

Western Hypocrisy: US Alliance Sanctions Russia Over Crimea-Backed Reunion
While Backing Apartheid Israel's Occupation And Ongoing Palestinian Genocide
By Dr Gideon Polya

The war criminal leaders of the US Alliance condemn Russia but have remorselessly backed democracy-by-genocide Apartheid Israel in its over 46 year Occupation of Palestine and its ongoing Palestinian Genocide. However in advocating and applying Sanctions against Russia and Crimea the Western war criminals have unwittingly shown what decent people should do: they should apply Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Apartheid Israel, its supporters and the war criminals of the US Alliance involved in an ongoing Muslim Genocide

The Goal Of The BDS Movement Is Justice: Israel Denies Justice
And Therefore Does Not Exist As A Legitimate State
By William A. Cook

Justice and legitimacy are one and inexorably linked to the Charters and Declarations of the United Nations. This is a truth that Michael J. Rosenberg does not address as he castigates the supporters of the BDS movement in his recent article: “The Goal of the BDS Movement is the Dismantling of Israel.”

Protesters The USA Supports, Protesters The USA Opposes, And Why
By Robert Barsocchini

The obvious conclusion is that the USA/West is an anti-democracy; a violent military empire that supports anything it can get away with that will further its domination of the planet, and opposes anything that hinders its domination

Extra-Judicial Killings In Philippines
By Brian McAfee

On March 25, William Bugatti, a 43 year old human rights worker for Karapatan, one of the Philippines main human rights organizations, Bugatti was shot to death. He was the 12th activist killed so far this year

Stopping The Corporate Plunder Of The TTIP/TAFTA
By Campaigning For An Alternative Trade Mandate
By Colin Todhunter

A European alliance of over 50 civil society organizations are in the process of launching the ‘Alternative Mandate' pledge campaign , calling on European Parliament election candidates to make EU trade and investment policy serve people and the planet, not just the profit of a few large corporations

Lenin On The Paris Commune (1871): An Heroic Uprising
By Thomas Riggins

Chapter Three of State and Revolution is devoted to Lenin's commentary on Marx's analysis of the 1871 Paris Commune. It is divided into five parts. This article deals with the first part of the chapter

The Struggle For Humanity
By Robert J. Burrowes

Humans are on the brink of precipitating our own extinction because a substantial proportion of the population – including all of the global elite and most of its agents – has been terrorised into insanity during childhood. Unless we radically alter our approach to parenting and all of our social institutions so that they nurture, rather than destroy, the genetic potential of each human being, we are doomed to extinction, whether sooner or later. The struggle to save humanity is, obviously, a monumental undertaking. And will require fearless endeavour in pursuit of this objective by those of us who remain sane enough to recognise, acknowledge and act on the problem

What Should We Do In These Elections?
By Prem Kumar Mani

What should we do? My request would be that you should study the political scenario deeply. In no case should you give your vote to the corrupt, the immoral and the debauch. Vote you must, but use your vote in a manner that preserves and protects the democratic polity of the country and keeps open scope for discourse, debate and dissent

Ballad of Resistance
By Leena Manimekalai

 

 

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