30 November, 2003
The Indigenous People Of Kerala Are
Forcefully Sterilised
By The Moderator, India ThinkersnetThe news channel 'India Vision' has reported the forceful sterilisation of the indigenous people (adivasis) of Kerala in the Waynad district in an effort to ethnically cleanse them
Extra Judicial Killing Of Women Naxalites in Uduppi
People's Democratic Forum Fact Finding ReportPeople's Democratic Forum, a human rights group from Karnatak reports that the so called encounter death of two women Naxalites on the 17th November at Bollottu in Karkala taluk of Udupi district was actually a cold blooded extra judicial killing by the police
Unwed Mothers Of Wayanad
By M P BasheerIn the Wayanad district of Kerala hundreds of tribal women are lured by the local settlers, leaving them with fatherless children after exploiting them sexually
The Georgian Velvet Revolution (Sort of)
By Andreas HernandezWithout wishing to diminish the incredible accomplishment of evicting a tyrant with minimal bloodshed, this article argues that the new directions of a post-Shevardnadze Georgia have long ago been set by core Western powers and global financial institutions
29 November, 2003
Moving Towards Peace?
By Abbas RashidIndia and Pakistan are again on the peace track. Will this be a lasting one?
Bush’s PR Stunt In Baghdad
Underscores US Crisis
By Patrick MartinPresident Bush’s Thanksgiving Day visit to US troops in Baghdad, organized by the White House to shore up crumbling public support for the occupation of Iraq, only confirms the deepening crisis of the administration
"I Punched An Arab In The Face"
By Gideon LevyAn Israeli soldier's testimony
Caste And Hinduism
By Gail OmvedtM V Nadkarni's recent articles show the fundamental stamp of Hindutva ideology, primary of which is shoddy methodology, selective quotation and illogic
28 November, 2003
A Thanks Giving Soap Opera
By Phil Reeves and David UsborneGeorge Bush cooks up a a secret mission to give thanks to his troops in Iraq in a clearly calculated move to burnish Mr Bush's image as he prepares for a re-election campaign
Blood, Oil, Guns And Bullets
By Aziz ChoudryWeapons production and the maintenance of US military and economic might across the world depends on massive consumption of oil and petroleum. In turn, massive defense and security spending boosts an ailing US economy, and is a boon to the profits of its defense and security corporations
What Has Failed In Palestine, Will Fail In Iraq
By Ali AbunimahFaced with mounting resistance to its occupation of Iraq, the United States is deliberately copying the repressive tactics of the Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza -- including home demolitions, large-scale destruction of trees, barriers and roadblocks, and a careless disregard for the life of civilians
No More Ideas, We Need Implementation
By Rifat Odeh KassisOne wonders why the Geneva Accord has not created any serious debate inside the Palestinian community, despite the fact that the ink in which the Road Map was written had dried already
The Metamorphosis Of Palestine
By Ahdaf SoueifThree years ago, the acclaimed Egyptian novelist Ahdaf Soueif travelled through the West Bank to write a special report for G2. This month, she returned for the first time
Guantánamo: A Monstrous Failure Of Justice
By Johan SteynHow prisoners at Guantánamo Bay have been treated we do not know. But what we do know is not reassuring
A Vatican For Film-Makers
By Chris PayneHow does a Havana film school attract lavish funding and the likes of Soderbergh and Spielberg? With a nod and a wink from Fidel Castro
27 November, 2003
Why I Hate Thanksgiving
By Mitchel CohenImpressions on Thanksgiving day
Attacked For Telling Some Home Truths
By Robert FiskThe bitter truth that is unfolding in Iraq is a taboo in America. And those who prefer to speak out should watch out
The Moral Myth
By George MonbiotSuperpowers act out of self-interest, not morality, and the US in Iraq is no different
Western Powers Redefine 'Democracy'
By Linda S. HeardThose halcyon days when "democracy" really meant "for the people, by the people" are tragically over in countries which purport to expound this ancient method of governance. In its place comes a system which spies on, categorises, labels and restricts "the people" for the benefit of governments
How Occupation Corrupts The Occupiers Absolutely
By Mustapha KarkoutiDecades have elapsed since Israel first occupied Arab territories in 1967. The Jewish state seems to be reaping what it sowed: ordinary Israeli kids join the army and become sadistic monsters, just by complying with its rules
No Regrets or Culprits, Just Cash
For Series of Random Killings
By Rory McCarthyAmerican officers are quietly paying out hundreds of thousands of dollars to relatives of those killed or injured in arbitrary shootings by troops
Acid Death For Refusing To Marry
Statesman News ServiceA 22 year old woman died after criminals threw acid on her face and force to drink it allegedly at the behest of her former tutor whom she had refused to marry
Sons Of The Soil: Unravelling The Idea Of India
By Dilip D'souzaIn nearly 60 years, the spirit of Indianness we have found the strongest expression for is hostility towards other Indians
26 November, 2003
Sorrows Of Empire
By Chalmers JohnsonU.S. has indeed crossed the Rubicon and there is no way to restore Constitutional government short of a revolutionary rehabilitation of American democracy
A New Type Of Imperialism
By Ralph Niemeyer and Lucila GallinoInterview with President Hugho Chavez of Venezuela
25 November, 2003
The Michael Jackson Story Is A Plot
By Antonia ZerbisiasThe world was treated to an orgy of Michael Jackson arrest coverage on CNN on the day that Bush was being trashed in effigy in London, 27 people were killed and 400 injured by truck bombs in Turkey
Looking For A Compromise In Srilanka
By K. RatnayakeAs the political crisis in Sri Lanka drags into its fourth week, heavy pressure is being brought to bear by the United States, the European Union (EU), India and Japan on President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to patch-up some sort of compromise
Hurtling Toward The Abyss
By Hanan Ashrawi and Jon ElmerJon Elmer interviews Hanan Ashrawi - "there will be an awakening, as we are witnessing, among Israeli public opinion. And ultimately Israel will be treated like any other state: not above the law, and not with preferential treatment."
Assam Violence : The 'Neo' Colonial experience
By Sadiqur RahmanThe recent killings of hindi speaking peoples in various parts of Assam is a resultant of the long brewing undercurrent of discontent against the mechanism of the state's economy, some sort of a economic class struggle (but in a regional colour)
War Films Are Right Up The Parivar's Street
By Saibal ChatterjeeAn influential section of the Mumbai film industry has willingly accepted the onus of furthering the one cause that is central to the perpetuation of the might of the rightwing - kindling and sustaining the fire of patriotism in the hearts of the masses. Hasn't anybody around here heard the old adage about patriotism being the last resort of the scoundrel?
24 November, 2003
Leader Of The Free World
By Gary RivlinHow Linus Torvalds became benevolent dictator of Planet Linux, the biggest collaborative project in history
Open Source Everywhere
By Thomas GoetzSoftware is just the beginning … open source is doing for mass innovation what the assembly line did for mass production. Get ready for the era when collaboration replaces the corporation
Myth Of The Mother
By Tishani DoshiMother Teresa has done one thing. She has irreparably changed the idea of "Mother" in India. She has raised the bar of expectation. Already, we have been trained to think of mothers as ultimate sacrificers
23 November, 2003
A War That Can Never Be Won
By Jonathan SteeleTerrorism is a technique, not an enemy state that can be defeated
I Know When Bush Is Lying: His Lips Move
By John Pilger"Now we know that no other president of the United States has ever lied so baldly and so often and so demonstrably . . . The presumption now has to be that he's lying any time that he's saying anything."
The Bubble Of American Supremacy
By George SorosA prominent financier argues that the heedless assertion of American power in the world resembles a financial bubble—and the moment of truth may be here
11,400 Palestinians Need Permits
To Live In Their Homes
B'TselemAccording to the new directives, all Palestinians over the age of twelve who live in the seam area will be required to obtain a "permanent resident permit" from the Civil Administration to enable them to continue to live in the their homes
Gujarat's Victims Completely Isolated
By Harsh ManderAfter the riots, the state authorities in Gujarat have mounted a systematic assault on the rights and security of a segment of its citizens, on a scale and with an impunity that is unmatched in independent India, barring the dark months of the Emergency
Manufacturing History
By Ram PuniyaniIslam spread in India first due to the Arab traders. Later it spread here due the influence of Sufi saints. Those who converted to Islam were the low caste untouchables who wanted to escape the tyranny of Brahmins and Janindars, those who aspired for entry in the places of worship which was barred to the low caste, those who aspired for social equality
21 November, 2003
Who Are The Terrorists?
By Muslehuddin AhmadThe occupying power is terming the Iraqi resistance forces as terrorists, but these resistance forces obviously see the American forces as terrorists on their soil
Terror Blasts In Istanbul:
Atrocities Aid Bush’s “War On Terror”
By Justus Leicht and Peter SchwarzThe series of terror attacks in Istanbul are a provocation. It remains unclear who is really behind them.But in the final analysis, it is the policies of the US, Israel and Great Britain that are responsible for this catastrophe
Press Freedom Falls Short In Iraq
By Robert FiskFreedom of the press is beginning to smell a little rotten in the new Iraq
Dark Heart Of The American Dream
By Ed VulliamyTexas, the most polluted state in the planet's most powerful country. Ed Vulliamy goes into George Bush's backyard to reveal how big oil got in bed with big politics and the price paid by the little people
A dangerous Us and Them mindset
By Sudhanshu RanjanThe situation in Assam today is extremely serious and does not portend well for either Assam or India. Both the Assam and Bihar governments, as indeed the Centre, must do all they can to defuse the situation immediately
20 November, 2003
Israel's Guantanamo - Facility 1391
By Jonathan CookDespite government attempts to impose a news blackout, information about more than a decade of horrific events at Facility 1391 are beginning to leak out. As a newspaper described it, Facility 1391 is "Israel's Guantanamo"
Zionism As A Racist Ideology
By Kathleen And Bill ChristisonWhat Israel is doing to the Palestinians is not genocide, it is not a holocaust, but it is, unmistakably, ethnicide. It is, unmistakably, racism
Tired, Terrified, Trigger-Happy
By Andrew M. CockburnAmong the less publicized incentives propelling Iraq overseer Paul Bremer's urgent dash to Washington last week was the concern in various quarters of the administration that the U.S. expeditionary force in Iraq was in a dangerously unstable state
'Promise Of India'- A New Beginning
By Raju Rajagopal And Aruna SrinivasanRecently, some 80 NRI organisations came together to form an umbrella body called 'Promise of India' (POI), with a view to voicing their collective concerns on communal harmony and development issues. An interview with Raju Rajagopal who chairs the steering committee of POI
Presumed Guilty
By Pratap Bhanu MehtaAlthough the Malimath committee report on reform of the criminal justice system contains some useful suggestions, the overall thrust of the report is dangerous for the health of the criminal justice system in India
19 November, 2003
Tikrit - Iraq's Own West Bank
By Phil ReevesIt is the West Bank and Gaza Strip, but transported to Iraq. A town is imprisoned by razor wire. The entrance is guarded by soldiers, protected by sand bags, concrete barricades and a machine-gun nest
India's Hidden Aids Epidemic
By Maxine FrithCampaigners say a combination of ignorance and huge inequalities between the sexes is allowing HIV to spread quickly, the virus is estimated to infect 25m by 2010
Elitism In Higher Education
By P L Vishweshwer RaoThe proposed Private Universities Bill will put ‘emerging areas of study’ beyond the reach of poorer sections of society
18 November, 2003
Living In The Shadow Of The Wall
By Ida AudehWhen completed,Israel's apartheid wall is expected to be at least four times as long and in many places twice as high as the Berlin Wall. Its impact on Palestinian economy and society is going to be enormous. Ida Audeh conducts detailed interviews with people in the districts affected by the completion of the first phase of the wall
17 November, 2003
U.S. Casualties From Iraq War Top 9,000
By Mark BenjaminThe number of U.S. casualties from Operation Iraqi Freedom -- troops killed, wounded or evacuated due to injury or illness -- has passed 9,000, according to new Pentagon data
Invasion As Marketing Problem
By Noam ChomskyThe Iraq war and contempt for democracy
The Palestine Regiment
By Robert FiskHow an Arab and a Jew fought Hitler, then each other, and died as friends
Alternate Politics - The Search & Need
By Goldy M. GeorgeRustic revolt particularly of the poor and working sector will definitely storm the existing citadels of power, thus emerging the new era of power, a cohesive outburst of people's struggles
Malimath Report: Delusions Of Gender-sensitivity
By Human Rights FeaturesAn Amnesty International report, expressed concern about the Malimath Committee's recommendations relating to the treatment of women in criminal law