Countercurrents Archive April 2006

29 April, 2006

Gorbachev Urges G8 To Back Solar Power,
Not Oil Or Nuclear
By Philip Thornton

Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev urged the world's biggest industrialized nations to set up a 50-billion-dollar (44-billion-euro) fund to support solar power, warning that oil or nuclear energy were not viable energy sources for the future

The United States Of Israel?
By Robert Fisk

But how many people in America are putting their own heads above the parapet, now that Mearsheimer and Walt have launched a missile that would fall to the ground unexploded in any other country but which is detonating here at high speed? Not a lot

"There Is A Fury Building Up Across India"
By Arundhati Roy & Shoma Chaudhuri

In this interview, Arundhati Roy updates her essay on the Narmada issue, The Greater Common Good, published in 1999. It was conducted by Shoma Chaudhuri over a period of several days in person and on email

India'S terrible Toll In Rural Suicides
By M. Kailash

Indebtedness, crop failure and the inability to pay back loans due to high rates of interest have led as many as 25,000 peasants in India to commit suicide since the 1990s, according to official figures

"It's a BLOCKBUSTER!!, Mr. Scorsese"
By Bill Henderson

A letter to Scorses

The Karachi Social Forum And
Its International Significance
By Rousset Pierre

The forum in Karachi was made possible by this world expansion of the process; in return it gives it dynamism in a country and a zone of strategic conflicts. A sole regret: that too few organisations in Europe and Latin America took this opportunity to acquaint themselves with the stakes in South Asia

Hamas’ Impossible Mission
By Ramzy Baroud

It should be established by now that most Western governments are the least interested in honoring the decided democratic choice of the Palestinian people, which elevated to power a movement that is branded ‘terrorist’ by Israel, thus by much of the Western hemisphere

Give Us Your Huddled Masses -
But Not Your Battered Women
By William Fisher

Should the U.S. congress reach agreement on an immigration bill, it is unlikely to include one of the simpler issues in this complex debate: granting asylum to battered women

26 April, 2006

Open Warfare Erupts In Sri Lanka
By K. Ratnayake

After weeks of escalating violence in a murky, undeclared war in the North and East of Sri Lanka, the Colombo government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have resorted to open hostilities

In Nepal, The Saga Of Compromise
And Struggle Continues
By Pratyush Chandra

The recent protests marked a new phase in the Nepalese struggle for democracy and self-determination. From now onwards nothing remains consecrated in Nepal, beyond popular scrutiny and criticism. Every section of the society is politically charged. We see democracy in action in the streets of Nepal

GI's Beware of Radioactive Showers!
By Irving Wesley Hall

Bush's impending, insane nuclear attack on Iran has provoked an unprecedented rebellion within the top leadership of the United States military. At the same time, depleted uranium (DU) is steadily taking down our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's time for the soldiers to follow the lead of their commanders in order to end the war

Big-Mouth Bush Told Clinton
How To Handle OPEC
By Evelyn Pringle

The high energy costs are affecting everyone, from commuters and consumers, to public and private programs. The damage is devastating everywhere

Open Borders
By David Howard

Here’s a two-word proposal for solving the immigration crisis in the USA: open borders. Before you mouse-click me into oblivion or crumple up your newspaper in disgust, hear me out

Kerry's Halfhearted Reversal
By Joshua Frank

The search is finally over. Sen. John Kerry is believed to have found his heroic voice. He apparently misplaced it back in the early '70s after standing up to the U.S. war in Vietnam upon his saluted return from battle. Now many antiwar liberals believe Kerry is dissenting yet again

Have A Koch And A Smile
By Jason Miller

Free Markets and Property Rights Trump Humanity and the Environment!

Wanting This And That
By Amrita Nandy-Joshi

Norway’s government passed an order to ensure that in the next two years, forty percent of the board members of the country’s large, publicly traded private companies be women. The penalty for nonconformity is the disbandment of the defaulting corporation. One still has to come at the price of the other. Female labour-force participation rates might have increased while marriage and fertility rates decreased

Gem Of A Film Festival
By Sonia Nettnin

The Chicago Palestine Film Festival, one of the few of its kind in North America, features films by Palestinian filmmakers and films about Palestine. There will be 22 films playing at the Gene Siskel Film Center (May 6 – 24)

25 April, 2006

King Restores Parliament In Nepal
By Associated Press

Nepal's embattled King Gyanendra on Monday reinstated the lower house of Parliament and offered solace for those killed in weeks of pro-democracy protests, hoping to avoid a bloody showdown between his security forces and demonstrators

U.S. Interests, Plots, And Intrigues In Nepal
By Li Onesto

What the U.S. cannot accept is a revolution that takes up arms in order to overthrow a regime that serves U.S. interests. What the U.S. cannot allow is a revolution which aims to fundamentally change the current economic, political, and social relations under which the masses of Nepalese people are oppressed

Fidel Ordered Chávez's 'Rescue'
Fidel Castro interviewed by Ignacio Ramonet

"They attempted to execute Chávez but the firing squad refused to shoot"

The Corporate Control Of Society
And Human Life
By Stephen Lendman

As corporations have grown in size they've gained in power and influence. And so has the harm they cause - to communities, nations, the great majority of the public and the planet. Today corporate giants decide who governs and how, who serves on our courts, what laws are enacted and even whether and when wars are fought, against whom and for what purpose or gain

West Papua’s Cry For Freedom
By Ghali Hassan

The Australian Federal Treasure, Senator Peter Costello told ABC Radio recently: “West Papua has always been part of Indonesia. Ever since Indonesia has existed as an independent country West Papua had always been part of Indonesia whereas, East Timor, of course was not”. Of course, it is utterly untrue and misleading. The Australian Government thrives on deception and distortion of facts

Baghdad Slipping Into Civil War
By Dahr Jamail and Arkan Hamed

The new clashes between Shia militiamen dressed in Iraqi military and police uniforms and resistance fighters and residents from the Sunni Adhamiya district of Baghdad have convinced many that what Baghdad is witnessing is no less than a civil war

Removing America's Blinders
By Howard Zinn

If Americans were more aware of how often our leaders have lied in order to wage war, would anyone have believed this president's justifications for attacking Iraq?

Chinese President’s Visit Underscores
Washington-Beijing Tensions
By Patrick Martin

The four-day visit to the United States by Chinese President Hu Jintao, culminating in Thursday’s White House meeting with George W. Bush, produced little progress on any of the key issues in dispute between the two world powers. Instead, there was evidence of growing tension

22 April, 2006

The Coming Nuclear Epiphany In Persia
By Chris Floyd

This potential death toll is not pacificist hyperbole; it comes from a National Academy of Sciences study sponsored by the Pentagon itself: three million people killed by radiation in just two weeks, and 35 million people exposed to dangerous levels of cancer-causing radiation in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India

A Path To Peace With Iran
By Scott Ritter

It is said that politics makes for strange bedfellows. If there is to be any hope of forestalling a disastrous war between the United States and Iran, there must be an internal realignment of the delicate Kabuki dance between capitalism and individualism in America that seeks to sustain the American way of life, versus destroy it

Nepalese Protesters Dismiss King's
Pledge Of Democracy
By Justin Huggler

King Gyanendra of Nepal made a desperate attempt to save his throne as hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Kathmandu yesterday calling for his overthrow

Pure And Simple Revolutions In
Nepal And Venezuela
By Pratyush Chandra

For a decade or so, the media has been talking about new color and flower revolutions with colorful revolutionaries like "orange" ones in Ukraine. But, after so many sponsored, colored and sanitized revolutions, once again we are witnessing pure-and-simple revolutions and revolutionaries, in Latin America and Asia. Nepal and Venezuela are two hot centers of pure-and-simple revolutions

Shiite Leader Bows To US Demands As
Iraq Slides Further Into Civil War
By James Cogan

Shiite leader Ibrahim al-Jaafari has bowed to the campaign against him led by the Bush administration and announced that he is prepared to step aside as the prime ministerial candidate of the largest bloc in the Iraqi parliament

Coke Slammed At Shareholders Meeting
For Practices In India
By Haider Rizvi

As the level of anger and resentment against Coca Cola touches new heights throughout India, rights activists in the U.S. have increased pressure on the company to mend its ways of doing operations in rural areas

The Real Meaning Of Deporting
Hamas Members Of Parliament
By Jonathan Cook

In the wake of Monday’s suicide bombing in Tel Aviv Olmert revoked the rights of three Hamas MPs and a Palestinian cabinet minister, Mahmoud Abu Tir, to reside in Jerusalem. The intention is to deport them to the West Bank.Apparently Israel is considering extending this punishment to other members of Hamas in Jerusalem and possibly anyone working for the Palestinian Authority

“US-India Strategic Economic Partnership”:
Kowtowing To American Big Business
By Prasenjit Bose

The Report of the US India CEO Forum titled “US-India Strategic Economic Partnership”, which was released during the recent Bush visit, has not attracted much media attention in contrast to the hype over the nuclear deal

The Real Threat?
By Subhash Gatade

Lal Krishna Advani, ex President of BJP would not have imagined in his wildest dreams that Sangh Parivar's own people, would get caught in making illegal bombs just when he with his entourage was busy sermonising all and sundry about threats before the nation

War Against Naxals In Chhatishgarh:
Will Brahmanical Alternative Work
By V.B.Rawat

If the government wants to tackle the Naxal threat it has to introspect on its own position. It cannot deny tribals and Dalit their legitimate right over their resources. If the state apparatus continue to become more brahmanical by giving huge, palatial land to the corrupt Babas while the marginalized languish of hunger and malnutrition, nothing will move

21 April, 2006

Peak Oil And The Political
Economy Of Terrorism
By Mathew Maavak

Crude oil has breached the $70 psychological barrier again. It is high noon for those prospecting for maximum oil returns. This time, however, it will not be a one-day seduction by the stormy Katrina. The causative culprits are aplenty. Peak Oil is forming a strategic fit with Peak Terrorism

Nepal: Last stand Of A Monarchy
By Justin Huggler

They came in their tens of thousands, ordinary Nepalis who defied a curfew and shoot-to-kill warnings, and marched through their capital to demand the King give up his power and restore democracy. And he greeted them with bullets. Soldiers and police opened fire on the protesters, shooting them down in the streets

The Real First Casualty Of War
By John Pilger

This acute skepticism, this skill of reading between the lines, is urgently needed in supposedly free societies today. Take the reporting of state-sponsored war. The oldest cliché is that truth is the first casualty of war. I disagree. Journalism is the first casualty. Not only that: it has become a weapon of war

A Case For The Palestinian Government
By Ramzy Baroud

Palestinians in the Occupied Territories are on the brink of a humanitarian disaster, being punished for making a democratic choice that has been deemed unacceptable from an Israeli point of view and from its benefactors elsewhere

Anti-Terrorism Financing Laws Unequally Applied
By William Fisher

Muslim charities in the USA are being summarily shut down for supporting terrorist causes while giant firms such as Halliburton are receiving the full protections of American law for allegedly breaking U.S. government sanctions against doing business with Iran

Outing CIA Agent - Keep It Simple
By Evelyn Pringle

For all intent and purposes, the special prosecutor’s duty in the CIA leak case is straightforward. How the investigation ever got so complicated is beyond me. Mr Fitzgerald needs to keep it simple

Tackling Terrorism - Varanasi,
Jama Masjid Show the Way
By Ram Puniyani

The Varanasi example which the Shahi Imam quoted has become a good deal of landmark in how to respond to terror attacks

20 April, 2006

US Greenhouse Gas Emissions Hit Record Level
By Steve Connor

The United States emitted more greenhouse gases in 2004 than at any time in history, confirming its status as the world's biggest polluter. Latest figures on the US contribution to global warming show that its carbon emissions have risen sharply despite international concerns over climate change

Global Warming Hits Canada's
Remotest Arctic Lands
By David Ljunggren

Even in one of the remotest, coldest and most inhospitable parts of Canada's High Arctic, you cannot escape the signs of global warming

Hell On Earth: The Crisis In Northern Uganda
By Joseph Grosso

A longstanding humanitarian crisis continues to fester in northern Uganda. A corrupt, poorly disciplined army has battled for twenty years against a vicious insurgency by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a group made up largely of terrorized, abducted child soldiers (some of whom are made to kill their parents under the threat of death to ensure their loyalty), led by a man who claims to be fighting for the Ten Commandments

The Billion-Dollar Baghdad Embassy
By Leigh Saavedra

That's the estimate, though only half of it has been appropriated so far, a billion dollars to build a new embassy in Iraq. It will be the largest on the globe, the largest the world has ever seen, the size of Vatican City in Italy

A Plan To End The War-Dump The Democrats
By Joshua Frank

Despite the mounting opposition across the US to the war in Iraq, not one major Democrat has endorsed an immediate unconditional withdrawal of troops from Iraq. And what has the antiwar movement done to punish them? Nothing

Dear Mr. Bush, I Understand You
By Mirza A. Beg

If we attack Iran no one in the world, except Israel would even pretend to be with us. But that is a long-term problem. It will actually be advantageous in supplying more terrorists for you and your successors to keep Americans scared for a long time

Sri Lankan Peace Talks On The Verge Of Collapse
By Nanda Wickremasinghe and K. Ratnayake

The Geneva peace talks between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are on the brink of collapse, amid escalating violence in the war zones of Sri Lanka’s North and East

The Corporate Hijack Of Organic
Farming Initiative In Punjab
By Umendra Dutt

The Punjab Government has leased out thousands hectors of land to various companies especially the agri-business corporations for Joint Ventures. Due to one or other reasons best known to government officials no body want to share the exact figure that how much land was given to agri-business corporations so far

19 April, 2006

Civil War In Iraq?
By Dahr Jamail

The armed wing of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the Badr Organization, and Muqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army have been launching ongoing attacks against fighters in the neighborhood. There is a shorter version of this description. Civil war

Stop Us Before We Kill Again!
By Bernard Weiner

The essence of Bush&Co. strategy, from January 2001 to today, can be boiled down to this: We'll continue doing whatever we want to do until someone stops us

Olmert The Fox
By Uri Avnery

Ehud Olmert is now the acting prime minister of Israel, and in a few weeks hence, with the establishment of the new coalition, he will become the head of a regular government. All this is happening without any real debate about Olmert

Bush's Destabilizing Nuclear Deal With India
By Ingmar Lee

It's impossible to imagine a more idiotic and disastrous catastrophe than that which has been inflicted on South Asia by George W. Bush

The Most Evil People In The World
By Doug Soderstrom

I have come to the conclusion that the Christian fundamentalists, also known as the religious right, are the most evil people in the world. Others (such as those of various Islamic terrorist groups) were considered, but after due consideration, the Christians won……. hands down. In fact it was no contest

State Department Memo:'16 Words' Were False
By Jason Leopold

Sixteen days before President Bush's January 28, 2003, State of the Union address in which he said that the US learned from British intelligence that Iraq had attempted to acquire uranium from Africa - an explosive claim that helped pave the way to war - the State Department told the CIA that the intelligence the uranium claims were based upon were forgeries, according to a newly declassified State Department memo

Forget The Middle East
By Jason Miller

North America harbors the world's most dangerous terrorists

Behind The Indian Press’s
Adulation Of Sonia Gandhi
By Sarath Kumara and Keith Jones

The extraordinary rallying of the press around Gandhi and the fawning praise of her leadership underscore that the most powerful sections of the Indian ruling class view that the UPA regime—which holds powers only because of the parliamentary support of the Left Front—currently constitutes the best vehicle for pressing forward with their neo-liberal agenda

18 April, 2006

US Planning Fourth Attempt To
Oust Hugho Chavez
By Stephen Lendman

Let me spell out what's happening now as the US with 100% certainty is heading toward a fourth showdown confrontational attempt to oust Hugo Chavez and possibly try to assassinate him this time

Six Simple Propositions To Solve
The Iranian Nuclear Crisis
By Behrooz Ghamari-Tabrizi

War is not inevitable, no matter how hard the both sides try to make it so. The following six-point proposal is based on an assumption that the most significant element compelling the Islamic Republic to contemplate militarizing their nuclear technology is their threat assessment

Science, Humanity And The Iraq Holocaust
By Gideon Polya

This essay is a message of solidarity from an Australian scientist and writer sent to the Brussells Tribunal on the occasion of the Madrid International Seminar on the Assassination of Iraqi Academics and Health Professionals, 22-23 April 2006

American Support For Iraq War In Sharp Decline
By William Fisher

Only 20 per cent of Americans thinks President George W. Bush's goal of spreading democracy to other countries is "very important". And even among Republicans, only three out of ten favor pursuing this goal "strongly", with most of the erosion in Republican confidence occurring in the more religious wing of the party

Iraq - Greatest Strategic Disaster In US History
By Evelyn Pringle

It's time for the deceptions and distortions to end. Bush needs to explain once and for all, what he plans to do about Iraq

Why Reservation For OBC Is A Must
By V.B.Rawat

Let Reform mean breaking age old Brahmanical hegemony

Don’t Damn Narmada
By Angana Chatterji

The Congress government must accede to the NBA’s demand and halt construction of the Sardar Sarovar until the affected are ethically rehabilitated as per the provisions of the NWDTA and Supreme Court orders of 2000 and 2005

13 April, 2006

US Planning Major Air Attack On Iran
By Seymour Hersh

An interview with Seymour Hersh who reported recently in the New Yorker magazine reports that the Bush administration has increased clandestine activities inside Iran and intensified planning for a possible major air attack.

The war On Iran
By Pepe Escobar

As was the case with Iraq, Iran is being sold as a threat to world peace (it may be pursuing nuclear weapons). Bush - at least vocally - hopes diplomacy will prevail. But the decision to attack may have been made already, just as it was taken regarding Iraq way before March 2003

Iraqis’ Resistance To Civil War
By Ghali Hassan

There is no civil war in Iraq. The violence in Iraq is a US-orchestrated campaign to destroy Iraq’s nationalism and liquidate any opposition to the Occupation

The U.S. Military Is In DU Denial
By Susu Jeffrey

Of the 580,000 Iraq War 1 veterans, 56 percent have applied for disability treatment and benefits. Depleted uranium is the sin of the father visited upon the next generation, whether it’s parental illness, death, or birth defects and genetic damage inherited by untold generations. Brothers, if you’re going over, bank your sperm. Sisters, if you’re going over—have your babies first

Bush's Nemesis: The Other Americans
By subhash Gatade

One can just go on discussing the saga of life and struggles, of people, groups, organisations – the other Americans - who have refused to buy the sermonising by their rulers whose own hands are dipped in blood. They are inhabitants of the ‘other America’ which jostles for a life of justice, peace and freedom, amidst the warmongering voices of the Bushes, the Cheneys and the Rumsfelds

12 April, 2006

Protests Erupt Against Nepal’s King Gyanendra
By W.A. Sunil and K. Ratnayake

Popular protests and a general strike continued in Nepal for a sixth day yesterday as thousands of demonstrators continued to defy a curfew and a ban on political rallies and to demand an end to the autocratic rule of King Gyanendra

Democracy From Below
By Rana Bose

Democracy from below is replacing democracy from above. The world is witnessing, in Nepal and Venezuela, a phenomena that is rare. Two different types of popular and pragmatic uprisings in a post-doctrinal era

Imminent Decline Of Empire?
By Ramzy Baroud

The miscalculated policies of the US administration in the Middle East are quickly depleting the country’s ability to sustain its once unchallenged global position. Winds of change are blowing everywhere, and there is little that Washington’s ideologues can do to stop it

Don't Attack Iran
By Cindy Sheehan

In order to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear, or "nucular" weapons, we will use tactical nuclear weapons on them! The continued hypocrisy of this regime is absolutely breathtaking!

The American Caesar
By Ralph Nader

In the name of fighting stateless terrorism, George W. Bush is looming as the American Caesar running roughshod over the civil liberties of the American people who have turned against him in ever larger majorities

11 April, 2006

Diversity Of Species Faces 'Catastrophe'
By Steve Connor

Tens of thousands of animals and plants could become extinct within the coming decades as a direct result of global warming

French Government Withdraws
“First Job Contract"
By Rick Kelly

President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin announced yesterday that new legislation will be drawn up to replace the “First Job Contract” (CPE), which sparked a massive wave of protests and strikes in recent weeks

The War On Immigrants
By Stephen Lendman

What's on the table being debated in the Congress is not as extreme as Hitler's infamous Nuremberg Race Laws, but there are some ominous comparisons

Palestinian Health Care Conditions
Under Occupation
By Sonia Nettnin

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 36 health care workers have been killed, 447 health providers have been wounded and 129 patients have died at Israeli checkpoints. How? There have been 375 attacks on health care centers, 383 attacks on ambulances, with 38 ambulances destroyed altogether. Since September 28, 2000, at least 67 women have given birth at Israeli checkpoints. As a result, 39 newborns died or they were delivered stillborn

Forgotten People
By Joe Athialy

India's two best known struggles are waging a battle for justice under the trees of Jantar Mantar in the capital — the Narmada dam oustees and Bhopal gas victims. Both have a 20-year history, albeit emerging from different contexts

And Now, Nepalis Say- Ya Basta!!!
By Pratyush Chandra

And, today the Nepali says in her own way: YA BASTA! Enough is enough!!! A protester told Reuters news agency, "We are not afraid of bullets, we have to get democracy at any cost and we will get it"

10 April, 2006

US Considering Nuclear Strikes Against Iran
By Bill Van Auken

The Bush administration is in the advanced stages of the planning and preparation for a full-scale air war against Iran, including the possible use of tactical nuclear weapons against selected targets

The Iran Plans
By Seymour M. Hersh

The Bush Administration, while publicly advocating diplomacy in order to stop Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon, has increased clandestine activities inside Iran and intensified planning for a possible major air attack

How To Save The World
By Dave Eriqat

Responding to my essay titled “The End of Civilization” , some people suggested I should write about the solutions I referred to in passing. The foregoing fiction is meant to introduce readers of this essay to what I see as one solution to the many crises facing humanity and our planet

Energy Philosophy For Entropic Times
By Andrew McKillop

Waking up to basic facts of nature and existence should be a part of the education process, but the state and religion got there first and filled the schoolbooks with cranky logic and half-baked slogans. Change has to come and will come, Peak Oil means we are going somewhere else where we could or might do better. Be sure of it !

The Darwin Award For Self-Extinction Goes To:
By Bill Henderson

Darwin Awards to all and every person who chooses to remain willfully ignorant of who we are on this planet, our precarious position, and our responsibilities

America’s "Noble" Cause
By Jason Miller

Preserving its Right to Murder, Exploit, Torture, and Impoverish with Impunity

The Lynching Of Cynthia McKinney
By Lucinda Marshall

While most of us would agree that taking a swing at a police officer is not a well considered thing to do, that does not invalidate McKinney’s charges of racism and inappropriate touching. Nor does it justify the vicious and ignorant political and media lynching that followed

The 'Andhra Way' Of Countering
The Naxalite ‘Menace’
By Subhash Gatade

One does not know whether all those people who have been singing euologies to the Andhra model in curbing the ‘menace’ have ever bothered to look for themselves how ferocious it looks at the ground level. One does not know whether they comprehend that the mechanisms to be put in place would just be another name for instituting death squad regime under the canopy of democracy

08 April, 2006

Bush Approved Security Leak
By Patrick Martin

The revelation that President Bush personally approved the release of highly classified information to retaliate against a critic of the Iraq war is a major political event. Once again, the modus operandi of this government is revealed: distortion, falsification, manipulation of the media, secretive methods, dirty tricks, all to defend its ongoing criminal enterprise, the US invasion and occupation of Iraq

The Truth About Lewis "Scooter"
Libby's Statements
By John Dean

There will be more devastating revelations from the Libby case. The Commander-in-Chief-can-do-no-wrong veneer is wearing off, thankfully. For a nation that cannot hold its commander-in-chief responsible is something other than a democracy

Why The United States Will Attack Iran
By Dave Eriqat

There’s been a lot of speculation about whether or not the United States will attack Iran. Roughly equal numbers of people believe the U.S. will and will not attack. Disregarding the public blustering from both governments, I believe the U.S. will attack Iran in 2006. Here’s why

Debating The Pro- Israel Lobby's Influence
On US Policy In The Mideast
By Joe American

It's obvious that Americans need a free and fair-minded national debate that addresses at least three crucial questions (1) Is the pro-Israel lobby a major causal factor in persuading the US government to attack Iran; (2) If not, what are the major causal factors that are pushing the US government to attack Iran; and (3) In either case, is it truly in America's national interests

"Centre-Left" Regimes In Latin America
By James Petras

New Winds from the left or hot air from a new right?

Amnesty Takes On Rendition
By William Fisher

As U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and her team continue to face increasingly harsh criticism from Muslim communities, Amnesty International has issued a new report on one of the practices they criticize most: rendition

Thompson's Dog Wont Hunt
By Sheila Samples

When I first read the March 31 Capitol Hill Blue headline, "9/11 conspiracy theories don't pass the smell test," I thought editor Doug Thompson was pulling an April Fool's joke on us a day early

Assaulting Cynthia McKinney
By Remi Kanazi

Joe Scarborough, political hack and host of Scarborough Country on MSNBC, went on yet another odious rant on April 3. This time his scurrilous remarks were aimed at six-term Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney

The Urgent Need To Fully Fund VAWA
By Lucinda Marshall

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was unanimously reauthorized by Congress late last year. Funding for the act's various programs, however, is far from assured. For the fifth year in a row, President Bush's budget request did not provide full funding for existing VAWA programs

The Miasma Of Growth
By R Siddharth

India and China are recording phenomenal growth. But how good is that for nature and environment?

06 April, 2006

The Big Melt Coming Faster Than Expected
By Stephen Leahy

Many of the world's major cities, including Bangkok, London, Miami and New York, could be flooded by the end of the century, according to a new analysis of current temperatures in the Arctic region published in the journal Science

Another Brick In The Wall
By Robert Fisk

The wall will soon run from top to bottom of the occupied Palestinian West Bank - and it is going to stay

Europe’s Energy Crisis Sharpens
Antagonisms With Russia
By Fergus Michaels

The European Union is largely dependent upon external sources for its energy supplies, particularly Russia, but also Norway and Algeria. That dependency is set to accelerate substantially in the coming period

Evangelicals Rally Their Flocks Behind Israel
By Bill Berkowitz

To prevent the George W. Bush administration from pressuring the Israelis into turning over even more land, Hagee, the pastor of San Antonio's Cornerstone Church recently brought together 400 Christian evangelical leaders for an invitation-only "Summit on Israel"

Ceasefire And Democracy In Nepal
By Pratyush Chandra

The Maoists in Nepal have once again demonstrated exemplary resilience by declaring a unilateral and indefinite ceasefire on April 3, as proof of their commitment to their understanding with the "democrats". They ceased all military actions in the Kathmandu Valley considering "the requests from the seven-party alliance and from the civic societies"

Behind The collapse Of Ukraine’s
“Orange Revolution”
By Niall Green

Ukraine’s March 25 parliamentary elections and the subsequent back-room deals between the main political actors have exposed the fraudulent nature of the so-called “Orange Revolution” of November and December 2004

Adivasis: A Cultural Cooption
By Ram Puniyani

From 1987 Sangh (RSS) has activated its offshoot Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram (VKA) into higher gear of activity. Adivasis, the most neglected part of society are being wooed through newly devised cultural mechanisms

05 April, 2006

New Phone-Tapping Powers In Australia
By Mike Head

The Telecommunications Interception (Amendment) Act 2006, which was pushed through both houses of parliament last week, permits the federal police and ASIO to covertly monitor or read anyone’s phone calls, emails, SMSs and other “stored communications”

The Israel Lobby And Beyond
By Michael Neumann

Why then does the US support Israel? Here I do tend to disagree with Walt and Mearsheimer. Maybe the influence of the Israel lobby is the only logical explanation, but that doesn't mean the explanation is right. Nations do not always behave logically

Protecting Israel: Chomsky’s Way
By Ghali Hassan

A critique of Noam Chomsky in the light of his observations on John Mearsheimer - Stephen Walt study

Bush And Neocons Beating War
Drums For Attack On Iran
By Linda S. Heard

The lunatics have taken over the asylum. Even as most rational people realize that the invasion of Iraq was oiled on the back of fake pretexts and downright lies, the US and its allies are beating their war drums against Iran, using exactly the same pretexts

Last Reflections On The World Social Forum, Karachi
By Ingmar Lee

I didn't hear a whole lot of visionary discussion at the Karachi Forum. There were countless NGO's presenting their efforts, railing against the powers that be, but other than a sense of solidarity, no discussion arose by which the global activist community might grow their movement. I didn't see any "Big Picture" emerging

US Attitude To Hamas: The Disturbing
Parallel With Nicaragua
By Ramzy Baroud

What is currently transpiring in the Occupied Territories is by far a worst-case scenario, ironically one made possible with the direct help of many Palestinians themselves. The democratically elected Palestinian government is now officially isolated.The final outcome is that turning Palestine into another Nicaragua is working

Bush's Mixed Signals
By William Fisher

Bush Administration is sending dangerously mixed signals to the Arab-American and other Muslim communities of USA

How Massacres Become The Norm
By Dahr Jamail

US soldiers killing innocent civilians in Iraq is not news. Just as it was not news that US soldiers slaughtered countless innocent civilians in Vietnam. However, when some rare reportage of this non news from Iraq does seep through the cracks of the corporate media, albeit briefly, the American public seems shocked

04 April, 2006

Is It Too Late To Stop Global Warming?
By Seth Borenstein

Many scientists are not so sure that the oncoming train of global warming can be avoided. Temperatures are going to rise for decades to come because the chief gas that causes global warming lingers in the atmosphere for about a century

Pentagon Thievery - An Interview
With Jeffrey St. Clair
By Joshua Frank

The sooner the Iraqis evict US forces from Iraq, the better off we'll both be. Perhaps then America's imperial ambitions will be chastened. Perhaps the federal budget will be so busted that future forays will be curtailed and provocative and destabilizing weapon systems will be mothballed. And, perhaps, a third party will emerge to reclaim the banner of Jeffersonian idealism

The Price Of Being A Woman:
Slavery In Modern India
By Justin Huggler

The desire for sons has created a severe shortage of marriageable young women. As their value rises, unscrupulous men are trading them around the subcontinent and beyond as if they were a mere commodity

The Israeli Elections - A Decisive
Vote For Apartheid
By Omar Barghouti

The Israeli majority has chosen apartheid. And since Western governments have welcomed the result as a breakthrough for peace, Israel's Wall and colonies can only be expected to grow more aggressively under the pretence of "consolidation" and "separation," condemning the entire region to endless bloody conflict

US-British Diktat Makes Mockery Of
“Democracy” In Iraq
By Peter Symonds

The unannounced trip by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw to Iraq over the past two days has again underscored who is calling the shots in Iraq. For all of the Bush administration’s empty rhetoric about “democracy” in Iraq, it is the White House rather than the votes of Iraqis that will decide the shape of the next government in Baghdad

How Capitalism Threatens Your Health
By Julian Edney

After years of collecting health data, Ichiro Kawachi in the U.S., Richard Wilkinson in Britain and John Lynch in the U.S. and their associates have discovered that more lethal than cigarettes, obesity, alcohol, pollution, AIDS, vehicle accidents, suicides and homicides, is the gradient of inequality in our societies

Coca-Cola: Sucking Communities Dry
By Joe Zacune

University campuses throughout the USA and Europe have now voted to cancel contracts with Coca-Cola in protest at its operations, and in solidarity with the community resistance which has escalated in many countries across the world. It is up to us to keep up the pressure on Coca-Cola and also send a strong message to our elected leaders to rein in irresponsible business practises

03 April, 2006

10 Ways To Help Save The planet
By Terry Kirby and Lucy Phillips

Last week, following the launch of an all-party inquiry into climate change, The Independent of UK asked its readers to send in suggestions for saving the planet. The response was huge. Here is a summary of the most popular ideas which, if put into practice, would be potent weapons in the fight against global warming

Economic Growth-Our Common Foe
By Neil K. Dawe

There seems to be recognition that economic growth is the root cause of climate change along with a host of other environmental problems

Uncle Sam's Scientists Busy Building Insect Army
By Lynda Hurst

Defence research agency creates landmine-sniffing bugs

A Lesson From The Holocaust For Us All
By Robert Fisk

At a second-hand book stall in the Rue Monsieur le Prince in Paris a few days ago, I came across the second volume of Victor Klemperer's diaries.Reading these diaries as the RER train takes me out to Charles de Gaulle airport - I wish President Ahmadinejad of Iran could travel with me

Thought Control
By Ghali Hassan

Like all imperialist forces, the US is heavily relaying on misinformation propaganda campaign to promote and enhance its imperialist ideology. The mass murder of Iraqi civilians by US forces is normalised and welcomed with deafening silence. The purpose is thought control

Locking The Golden Door
By Jason Miller

Inculcated with the belief that they are morally superior and endowed with an inalienable right to world domination, the members of America’s ruling White Patriarchy and their ardent supporters have an immigration problem. Too many “little Brown people” are streaming across their southern border

A Bull Market For Sensex,
Fashion Models And Farmer Suicides
By P Sainath

Farm suicides in Vidharbha crossed 400 this week. The Sensex share index crossed the 11,000 mark. And Lakme Fashion Week issued over 500 media passes to journalists. All three are firsts. All happened the same week. And each captures in a brilliant if bizarre way a sense of where India's Brave New World is headed

Democracy In Ladakh Marginalized Women
By Stanzin Dawa

Democracy in Ladakh doesn't consider women as people, why? Where are the women representation and their leadership in the local democratic set up ? It's shocking that women representation in the existing council of both Leh and Kargil absolutely does not exist

01 April, 2006

The War Drums Are Getting Louder
By Stephen Lendman

It looks almost certain we're now headed for a new one against Iran, and may try to "double our displeasure" by including a "fracas in Caracas." I just learned about an "Operation Bilbao" which appears to be blueprint to overthrow the Chavez government and likely includes in it targeted assassinations starting with the guy in charge

Failed States: The Abuse Of Power
And The Assault On Democracy
By Noam Chomsky

Noam Chomsky has just released a new book titled "Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy." It examines how the United States is beginning to resemble a failed state that cannot protect its citizens from violence and has a government that regards itself as beyond the reach of domestic or international law

The Art Of War For The Anti-War Movement
By Scott Ritter

It's high time to recognize that we as a nation are engaged in a life-or-death struggle of competing ideologies with those who promote war as an American value and virtue

Iraq Is Not In Civil War (Yet) -
Iraq Is Under Occupation
By Laith Al-Sud

The inability to talk about Iraq in an appropriate context has been one of the greatest setbacks to the anti-war movement here in the United States of America, and to describe Iraq solely in terms of being in civil war contributes to this problem. Iraq is under occupation and the current rivalry between what are indeed Iraqi factions has to be interpreted within this context

Rachel’s Words Live On
By Remi Kanazi

On March 22, a congregation of ardent supporters gathered to commemorate Rachel’s life and spread her words in the very church Martin Luther King first chastised the war in Vietnam

World Water Forum Not The Place
To Solve Global Water Crisis
By Laura Carlsen

Water flooded Mexico City the week of March 16-22, causing major traffic jams, provoking street confrontations, and filling the pages of local and international newspapers. Yet nothing got wet

US, India Alliance And Global Scenario
By Ram Puniyani

The bringing together of different countries to face up to the onslaught of US foreign policy is a must. This alliance of non aligned countries can come up with the Global peace movement raising its voice against the adverse economic and political policy of the World bully. Its time this becomes central agenda of human rights groups

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