30
June, 2004
Iraqis
Have Lived This Lie Before
By Haifa Zangana
What is happening in Iraq now, "liberation-mandate-nominal
sovereignty" is a replay of what took place in the 1920s and afterwards
Alice In An Iraqi
Wonderland
By Robert Fisk
What is supposed to be the most important date
in Iraq's modern history was changed--like a birthday party--because
it might rain on Wednesday
The Ethnic Cleansing
Of The Palestinians Revisited
By Ghali Hassan
Ethnic cleansing is what Hitler used against innocent
people because of their race, religion and ethnicity. We must resist
any unjust action to prevent such crimes against the Palestinians from
taking place again
How Hitler
Became A Dictator
By Jacob G. Hornberger
The story of how Hitler became a dictator is set
forth in The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, by William Shirer, on
which this article is based
Re-thinking
Kashmir
By Beena Sarwar
A review of the documentary 'Crossing The Lines:
Kashmir, Pakistan, India' by Pervez Hoodbhoy and Zia Mian
29 June, 2004
Indian
Farmer's Final Solution
By Devinder Sharma
Ever since Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y.S.Rajasekhar
Reddy took charage on May 14, more than 300 farmers have committed suicides.
This was the official death toll in the suicides register till June
25. Unofficially, the death toll is estimated to be much higher
US Supreme Court
For Human Rights
By James Vicini
In one ruling the US Supreme Court court said the
hundreds of foreign terror suspects at the U.S. military base at Guantanamo
Bay in Cuba could turn to American courts to challenge their confinement.
In another ruling it said an American held in his nation is entitled
to procedural protections to contest his detention
Leaving Iraq
By Dahr Jamail
How does one reconcile being able to leave here?
We all know its going to get so much worse, and I get to leave,
while my dear friend must stay and do his best to get by day after day
Why Israel Is Still
Afraid Of Mordechai Vanunu
By Jonathan Cook
The current gagging orders are a desperate attempt
to prevent Vanunu from talking to journalists and to keep an embarrassing
spotlight off Israel's nuclear stockpile. And the restriction on Vanunu
leaving the country is a cynical ploy to stop him inspiring a campaign
in the West to disarm the only rogue nuclear state in the Middle East
Encounter or Murder?
By Sukla Sen
Given the seriousness of the allegations and counter-allegations
made about the Ahmedabad encounter killings of three men and a nineteen
year old girl, a full-scale judicial enquiry headed by a serving supreme
court judge, assisted by a team of dedicated professional investigators,
is very much the need of the hour
28 June, 2004
US
Exits Backdoor
By Alistair Lyon and Lin Noueihed
The United States has handed over sovereignty to
an interim Iraqi government, formally ending a 14-month occupation two
days earlier than expected to try to forestall guerrilla attacks
'Fahrenheit 9/11'
a No. 1 Hit Across America
By Dean Goodman
Bush-bashing became America's favorite spectator
sport over the weekend as Michael Moore's red-hot documentary "Fahrenheit
9/11" earned more in its first three days of release across North
America than his previous record-breaking movie did in its entire run
The Cost Of Liberty
By Ariana Eunjung Cha
In a Chaotic New Iraq, A Young Widow Turns to Prostitution
Where Children
Laugh At Bombs
By Dahr Jamail
Just before lunch, several loud bombs exploded
nearby. My friend Christian Parenti and I looked at each other. This
is normal, even my children laugh at the bombs now, said the Sheikh.In
the next room the children were laughing excitedly.
26 June, 2004
Inside
The Iraqi Resistance
By Ghaith Abdul-Ahad
Who exactly are the Iraqi resistance? In a remarkable
essay, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad joins the front-line anti-American fighters
in Kerbala, Falluja and Sadr City, and discovers that they are not always
the well-trained, highly motivated fanatics we imagine
I Am A Terrorit:
Come shoot Me
By Shabnam Hashmi
A powerful article written in the context of the
Gujarat encounter killings in which four persons including a young girl
lost their lives
25 June, 2004
Fighters
Tactics Surprised The U.S.
Over 100 people were killed and 320 wounded in
Thursdays severe attacks that was targeting mainly Iraqi security
personnel across the country, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's claimed responsibility.
Reports said that most of the casualties were Iraqi civilians
Baqouba Sealed
Off As U.S. Forces
Lose Control of City
By Dahr Jamail
Insurgents appeared to have taken control of the
Al-Mufraq district in western Baqouba. Residents here said occupation
forces had retreated from the area after being ambushed
Standing Against
The Claws Of The Wall
By Tanya Reinhart
Along the route of the separation barrier in the
West Bank, a new culture is springing up: on one side, soldiers and
bulldozers; on the other, Israelis and Palestinians embracing the land
and the trees, trying to save them both
24 June, 2004
Saudi
Exodus Grows
By Ewen MacAskill
Western firms are offering substantial sums of
"danger money" to expatriate staff in Saudi Arabia to stem
a panic-driven exodus from the kingdom in the wake of al-Qaida attacks
Prisoner Abuse:
US Backs Down
Over Immunity For Soldiers
By Rupert Cornwell
The US has bowed to international outrage over
prisoner abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan by abandoning its bid to secure
a United Nations exemption for its soldiers from prosecution by the
new International Criminal Court
Seven Questions
And Answers With Dahr Jamail
By Brian Dominick
Dahr Jamail answers readers queries
Deep-rooted
Corruption In Palestine
By Hasan Abu Nimah & Ali Abunimah
The enquiry into the allegation that cement imported
from Egypt through Palestinian companies and ready-made concrete manufactured
in the Palestinian village of Abu Dis were being used to build Israeli
settlements and the apartheid wall is nearing completion
Torture In Custody
By ACHR
The government of India legitimises torture by
encouraging its use in the administration of justice and by providing
impunity to the law enforcement personnel
23 June, 2004
Flurry
Of Suicide Attempts At Guantanamo
By Associated Press
There was a flurry of Suicide Attempts at Guantanamo
after Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller took over as commander in November 2002.
Miller is now in charge of all military-run U.S. prisons in Iraq
US Tortured
Afghanistan Detainees
By Duncan Campbell and Suzanne Goldenberg
Detainees held in Afghanistan by US troops have
been routinely tortured and humiliated and five detainees have died
in custody, three of them in suspicious circumstances, and survivors
have told stories of beatings, strippings, hoodings and sleep deprivation
Exporting Violence
By Dahr Jamail
Ramadi and Baqubah both remain tense with recent
fighting; the potential of them turning into the next Fallujah remains
quite present
Struggling
To Survive
By Dahr Jamail
This is a hospital that can spend only $200 per
day to feed its 308 in-patients. This is a hospital that is regularly
invaded by US troops who, according to several of the doctors, walk
straight into wards looking for fighters without consulting the doctors
first
Irreversible
Mental Damage
By Uri Avnery
Ariel Sharon wants to annex at least 55% of the
West Bank, hoping that the life of the Palestinians in the remaining
45% will become so impossible that they will leave the country of their
own accord
How Kerala
Behaves With Women
By Sreedevi Jacob
Six women reporters of Malayala Manorama travelled
acrosskerala unescorted, to experience at first hand the safety and
security that Gods Own Country was offering them
Interface
With Anand Patwardhan
By S Prince & Anand Patwardhan
Documentary film maker Anand Patwardhan talks about
his politics and his movies
22 June, 2004
This
Is Just Like Afghanistan
By Dahr Jamail
Theyve destroyed the foundations of
Iraq. What do you think we can do with no foundations. Even if the Americans
stay here 15 years, there will be no security.
World
Bank Rebuked For Fossil Fuel Strategy
By Paul Brown
The World Bank's drive to promote fossil fuel-generated
power for 1.6 billion people lacking electricity will drive developing
countries deeper into debt
A Crusade Of
Torture
By Joel Wendland
The pattern of abuse at Abu Ghraib did not result
from the acts of individual soldiers who broke the rules. It resulted
from decisions made by the Bush administration to bend, ignore, or cast
rules aside. Administration policies created the climate for Abu Ghraib
Reservation
For Dalits In Private Sector
By Dr. Udit Raj
It shocks me that some corporate houses are heard
opposing the private sector reservation saying that private businesses
are the result of their hardwork and money. I want to know if Indian
software industry which is flourishing could have done even one per
cent of it had their been no IITs and IIMs around?
21 June, 2004
Water
Theft In Palestine
By Fred Pearce
Israel has drawn up a secret plan for a giant desalination
plant to supply drinking water to the Palestinian territory on the West
Bank. This project will give Israel full control over the natural water
sources in West Bank and also it will be able to cut off water pipelines
any time Israel wishes
Some Mother's
Son
By Beena Sarwar
There is strength and inspiration to be drawn from
those who use their pain, not to cause further destruction, but to heal
and move ahead. One such woman is Visaka Dharmadasa, whose young son
Achinte went missing in September, 1998 when the LTTE attacked his unit
of the Sri Lankan army
Detroying
Human Rights, Desecrating Kashmir
By David Devadas
Torture is not a method employed by security forces
in Iraq alone,it is happening everywhere, including Kashmir where even
false reports to settle scores lead to the torture of innocents at the
hand of security forces
Triple Divorce
- Need For Change
By Asghar Ali Engineer
It is high time that Muslim women in democratic
society like that of India struggle for reform within the Qur'anic frame-work
and win their rights guaranteed by the scripture
Private Sector
Arrogance Is 'Civilisational'
By Chandrabhan Prasad
In the grotesque eyes of Indian industrialists,
the 250 million-plus Dalits must be born with some genetic problems
which make them naturally "incompetent". The very existence
of the shadow of a Dalit in a corporate office would make private industry
lose its "competitive advantage" vis a vis the multinationals
20 June, 2004
Missile
Strike Kills 22 Civilians In Iraq
By Patrick Cockburnand Raymond Whitaker
US air forces fired two missiles into a residential
area of the troubled Iraqi city of Fallujah , killing 22 people
The Iraqi
Who Sold His Life To The Americans
By Peter Beaumont
An intelligence battle is going on in the streets
of Baghdad, huge sums being paid out to the informants, and informants
being gunned down in the streets
Three-Month-Old
Baby Ali Dies in Iraq
By Scheherezade Faramarzi
A three-month old Iraqi baby who prompted an outpouring
of sympathy around the world after he was photographed lying emaciated
in an undersupplied Iraqi hospital has died, doctors said Saturday
Passion Of The
Christ In Abu Ghraib
By Walter A. Davis
The past year has witnessed two important Events.
(1) a film, The Passion of the Christ by Mel Gibson; (2) a body of photographs
from Abu Ghraib. The two events are united by the secret they share:
that of their psychological identity and what that fact reveals about
what has happened to the American Psyche since 9-11
Corporate
Tax - A Tool For Affirmative Action
By S Sharath
For each 10% addition of backward castes to total
recruitment for the year, provide a tax relief of 1%. For dalits, each
10% must attract 2% tax relief. The same may be extended to women and
other weak sections
Debt
Trap Or Suicide Trap?
By RM Vidyasagar and K Suman Chandra
About 3,000 Andhra Pradesh farmers committed suicide
in the past five years owing to debt trap, drought and crop failure.
After the government of Y S Rajashekhar Reddy announced free electricity
for agriculture , waiver of electricity dues and a Rs.150,000 financial
assistance for the relatives of the farmers who committed suicide ,
there is a spate of suicides, on an average 70 farmers a week
Speedily Implement
The CMP
By Praful Bidwai
The UPA has a historic opportunity on its hands-to
transform domestic politics and India's global role. It must not squander
it through indecision or pusillanimity
19 June, 2004
Who
Is Allawi?
By Ghali Hassan
After more than thirty years in exile (London and
Washington) and a "bogus" medical degree, the Iraqi people
expected "their" Prime Minister to speak their language, not
broken English. Unfortunately, Dr. Allawi has failed the Iraqi people
Jerusalem,
Al Quds, Yerushalaym
By Bisan Abou Gharbiyeh
After years of observing the media, one might conclude
that the West Bank and Gaza Strip are Palestinian areas and the rest
(including Jerusalem) is Israeli
Truth
About Godhra: Case For A
Fresh Commission Of Inquiry
By Siddharth Varadarajan
Now that the UPA government is in power, it should
speed up the investigations into the Godhra tragedy. It should also
actively support the NHRC's demands, now pending before the Supreme
Court, that the CBI be tasked with investigating Godhra and that the
case be transferred out of Gujarat.
Options Before
The BJP
By Valson Thampu
It would be a mistake if the BJP assumes that a
return to militant Hindutva can revive its political fortunes
18 June, 2004
Atlantic
In Bloom: Hope For Global Warming
By Steve Connor
Hurricanes sweeping across the North Atlantic ocean
have triggered a spectacular "bloom" of phytoplankton which
can soak up huge amounts of carbon dioxide from the air immediately
over the sea surface and deposit it deep within the ocean
Let's
Plant Ideas
By Fidel Castro
The dilemma into which humanity has been dragged
by the system is such that there is no option now: either the present
world situation changes or the species runs a real risk of extinction.
But let's not lose heart, Let's plant ideas
Getting Used
To Bombs In Baghdad
By Dahr Jamail
"I used to read about how the Lebanese got
used to the bombs in Beirut. I never thought that could happen to me,
yet here I am.
Zionism, Anti-Semitism
And The People Of Palestine
By Noel Ignatiev
A profound analysis which delves deep into the
history of zionism, the state of Israel and it's moral contradictions
Agent Blue
And The Business Of Killing Rice
By Gerard Greenfield
Companies that were involved in the US military's
rice-killing operations are now telling us that they hold in their hands
the future of rice. 'Rice is Life' -- that is why the US government
dedicated so much money and military power to killing it in Vietnam.
And that is why US corporations are targeting rice today, because taking
over rice means taking over life
Ralph Nader, A
Dreamer At The White House
By Bianca Cerri
An interview with Ralph Nader
Lashkar-e-Taiba,
Who?
By The Hindu Correspondent
The Ahmedabad police gunned down four motorists
including a 19 year old girl student on the way to Ahmedabad alleging
them to be terrorists plotting the murder of Gujarat Chief Minister
Narendra Modi. But relatives and friends of the girl, Ishrat Jahan Shamim
Raza vows her innocence, raising doubt over the encounter death
17 June, 2004
Shell
Chief Worries Over Planet Earth
By David Adam
The head of one of the world's biggest oil companies
has admitted that the threat of climate change makes him "really
very worried for the planet"
9/11 Commission:
No Link Between
Al-Qaida And Saddam
By Andrew Buncombe
The Bush administration's credibility was dealt
a devastating blow when the commission investigating the attacks of
11 September said there was no credible evidence that Saddam Hussein's
regime had assisted al-Qa'ida - something repeatedly suggested by the
President and his senior officials and held up as a reason for the invasion
of Iraq
Protest Halts
Work On Israel's Security Wall
By Eric Silver
Israel suspended construction of a security fence
near the village of Iskaka yesterday, east of the settler town of Ariel,
after hundreds of Palestinian and Israeli demonstrators traded stones
for tear gas with troops and paramilitary police. The bulldozers are
expected to be digging again soon
Good Morning
Bomb
By Dahr Jamail
Morning, man, I said. Morning,
he replied as we both stare at the huge, brown mushroom cloud that rises
above the buildings out our window. Our daily car bomb viciously welcomed
another day of this wretched occupation of Iraq.
16 June, 2004
"Treate
Prisoners Like Dogs"
Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski who was in charge of
Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison said she was being made a scapegoat for the
abuse of detainees and claimed her counterpart at Guantanamo Bay once
told her that prisoners were ``like dogs.''
The Nightmare
Comes True
By Uri Avnery
West Bank is turning into a crazy quilt of walled-in
enclaves, "connected" by bridges, tunnels or special roads,
which can be cut off at any moment at the whim of the Israeli government
or of a local army officer . Every Palestinian town - Jenin, Nablus,
Tulkarm, Kalkilia, Bethlehem, Hebron and others - will become the "capital"
of a tiny enclave, cut off from all the others, from their "hinterland"
and villages, except by tortuous roundabout routes
Climate Change Experts
Despair Over US Attitude
By Maggie Fox
Climate change experts said on Tuesday they are
frustrated the U.S. government and the public are not taking the risk
of global warming seriously
Indian Elections-2004:
Implications
For Democratic Polity
By Ram Puniyani
Social movements will be faulting in their commitment
to social issues if the divisive politics is not combated at social
level. And this government must feel duty bound to morally uphold these
initiatives for harmony and the efforts in the directions, which strengthen
the grass root bonding and amicable atmosphere
Hardline Hindutva
Or Rudderless Drift -
The future of the BJP
By Praful Bidwai
The BJP can at best hope to operate as a pressure
group, representing sectoral upper-caste interests. That's exactly what
the Jana Sangh was
Alerting
On The Film "Girl Friend"
After watching a film like this, it is impossible
for anyone to think of 'women who love women' as normal human beings
with two hands and two feet, who may be a friend, a sister, a mother,
an aunt, a neighbour, a grand mother and least of all a caring lover