Archive | Commentary

Testimony before the Congressional Out of Poverty Caucus Hearing on “An Emergency Response to the Crisis of Poverty in America,” 30 September 2010. Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak today to the Congressional Out of Poverty Caucus on the poverty crisis facing America. In 2009, the national poverty rate hit 14.3 percent, […]

In June of last year, when the Honduran military overthrew the social democratic government of Manuel Zelaya, President Rafael Correa of Ecuador took it personally.  “We have intelligence reports that say that after Zelaya, I’m next,” said Correa. Yesterday it turned out to be true.  Some analysts are still insisting that what happened was just […]

  Part 1 Aijaz Ahmad: Israel, which is completely isolated in the region, is very unhappy about the fact that Turkey is rising as a power which is establishing very productive and extensive contacts in the region.  Israel was very happy when both of them were completely isolated in the region: Turkey was in the […]

An alarming trend is sweeping Europe.  Far-right parties, using anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant rhetoric, have made electoral gains in several European countries.  In the June European parliament elections, these parties were able to garner votes in a way they haven’t before.  The British National Party (BNP), which has its roots in fascist parties of the past, […]

  From the Carondelet Palace, President Correa expressed his condemnation of the attitude of police.  He congratulated the people for their courage.  With such loyalty no one can defeat us, he said.  He thanked the world leaders and organizations that expressed their support for the government.  He declared that Ecuador will not submit to anyone. […]

  On Oct. 2, tens of thousands of people from across the United States — members of civil rights organizations, labor unions, community groups and religious institutions — will rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., to demand “Jobs, Justice and Education!”  (See www.onenationworkingtogether.org.) As part of this effort, the peace movement is mobilizing […]

Indigenous brothers of the world: I am deeply concerned because some are attempting to use certain indigenous leaders and groups to promote the commodification of nature and in particular of forests through the establishment of the REDD (Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) mechanism and its versions REDD+ and REDD++. Every day an expanse […]

  The article “Palestinian Economic Dependency on Israel,”1 published on the Alternative Information Center’s website on 23 September 2010, briefly mentioned official development assistance (ODA) to Palestinians.2  This article will elaborate more fully on foreign aid to the Palestinians, particularly in relation to the Israeli economy. Trade Deficit The Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) has an […]

Admiral Jorge Gross, chief of Joint Task Force 2 of the Ecuadoran Armed Forces, said that the armed forces are gradually taking control of the situation in the country.  He announced that during the five days of the state of emergency his task force will have the responsibility to maintain order in the Ecuadoran territory. […]

General Ernesto González, Chief of the Joint Command of the Armed Forces of Ecuador: “The Armed Forces of Ecuador, as determined by the Constitution, is an institution to protect the rights, guarantees, and freedoms of Ecuadoran citizens.  Therefore, we respect the state of law.  We, the Armed Forces, are an institution organized by, led by, […]

As I was concluding some Reflections on the dismissal of Colombian Senator Piedad Córdoba, incredible news began to arrive from Ecuador.  I’ve spent hours listening to it.  Minute by minute, ferment is growing. At 5:12 PM, Cuban time, condemnations of the coup are proliferating.  The most prestigious Latin American leaders, such as Chávez and Evo, […]

Michael Norton (of Harvard Business School) and Dan Ariely (of Duke) have released results (pdf) from a series of experiments they did in 2005 on the subject of wealth inequality.  They asked individuals in a nationally representative online panel to (1) estimate the current US distribution of wealth and (2) “build a better America” by […]

  As’ad AbuKhalil, or Angry Arab as he is more commonly known after his blog The Angry Arab News Service, is in real life a most friendly and forthcoming man.  A Lebanese-born author of four books on the Middle East, he is professor of political science at California State University and is visiting professor at […]

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine announced in a press conference on September 25, 2010 that it was suspending its participation in the PLO Executive Committee in response to Abu Mazen’s return to negotiations and the illegitimate “approval” of the EC for this dangerous action. At a press conference held in Ramallah led […]

With the economy suffering from near double-digit unemployment, public debate is dominated by concerns over the budget deficit and national debt.  This discussion is unfortunate both because there is no reason for people to be concerned about the deficit at present, and more importantly, because it discourages action on the unemployment crisis that is devastating […]

Eneko Las Heras, born in Caracas in 1963, is a cartoonist based in Spain.  This cartoon was first published on his blog . . . Y sin embargo se mueve on 27 September 2010.  29 September 2010 is a European Day of Action — “No to Austerity!  Priority for Jobs and Growth!” — called by […]

Periods of economic recession are known to foster protectionist tendencies.  This has been especially marked after the global crisis, when trade openness has become a useful battering ram in the developed world, skillfully used by policy makers and employers to pass the buck on to the threat posed by foreign producers.  The significantly increased threat […]

Wednesday,29 September 2010:Move your ass, or sit on your ass and stay unemployed! This cartoon was published by Rebelión on 28 September 2010.  Translation by Yoshie Furuhashi (@yoshiefuruhashi | yoshie.furuhashi [at] gmail.com). | Print

27 September 2010 Iranian and Iraqi youth were the stars at a 24 September ceremony to celebrate peace between their countries.  On this date thirty years ago began the eight-year Iran‐Iraq war that killed and injured hundreds of thousands of both sides.  With a whole generation of orphans wishing to prevent future conflicts, the focus […]

Yesterday’s election for 165 representatives in the National Assembly is significant but unlikely to bring about major change in Venezuela, despite the opposition having done better than expected.  As this article goes to press, the pro-government United Socialist Party won 94 seats, with 60 for the opposition Democratic Unity, five for other parties, and the […]