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Monthly Review Magazine

Iran, Brazil, and Turkey: What’s The Deal?

The New York Times, among others, is reporting that Turkey, Brazil, and Iran have agreed “in principle” to a nuclear fuel-swap that the three countries hope can placate the United States and its P5+1 partners at least enough to avoid a new round of Security Council sanctions on Iran. More details will be available today, […]

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Thailand: What Would End the Violence in Bangkok?

If the military-backed government of Abhisit Vejjajia dissolved parliament, announced fresh elections, and ordered a ceasefire, the violence would end immediately and the Red Shirts would all go home. In capitalist democratic countries, when there is a crisis, dissolving parliament and calling elections is a normal way to defuse serious tension.  In the 1970s British […]

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Turkish Foreign Minister: Iran’s Uranium Will Be Safeguarded in Turkey Till Tehran Reactor Receives Its Fuel

  Tehran — The Turkish Foreign Minister said at the joint press conference with the Foreign Ministers of Iran and Brazil after signing the trilateral agreement on Tehran Research Reactor fuel: Turkey and Brazil guarantee that, until fuel for the Tehran Research Reactor is delivered to Iran, Iran’s low-enriched uranium will be kept in Turkey. […]

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The Benefits of State and Local Government Employees

In a recent report, the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) found that state and local government employees pay a wage penalty of about four percent for working in the public sector, relative to those at the same age and education level in the private sector.1  In the “raw” data — that is before […]

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Market Irrationality in the Eurozone

Markets can be irrational, as Keynes famously pointed out, and the Eurozone/Greek crisis is a classic example.  “The markets” for months have been demanding more blood from Greece, as the financial press has continuously and often unquestioningly reported: more commitment to spending cuts, tax increases, and “procyclical” policies that the bondholders, EU authorities, and the […]

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Minnesota’s Great Anishinaabe Fish-Off

On May 14, the day before the Minnesota walleye fishing opener, activists from two northern Minnesota Ojibwe bands exercised what they regard as their right to fish off reservation and outside of the state’s prescribed season.  They dubbed their action the “Great Anishinaabe Fish-Off” and held a Stop Treaty Abuse Rally on the shores of […]

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Thailand: In the Killing Zone

What kind of human being in army uniform calmly sits in a building and picks off unarmed civilians with their rifle like shooting targets at a fair?  This is what the Thai army is really like: cowardly, corrupt, brutal.  Time to abolish the Thai army and bring the generals to justice. See this slide show: […]

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Spain: Transition from Dictatorship

The transition . . . at the expense of victims of Francoism. Eneko Las Heras, born in Caracas in 1963, is a cartoonist.  This cartoon was published on his blog . . . Y sin embargo se mueve on 9 April 2010.  Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón was indicted, and suspended from his post on 14 […]

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How to Make Peace with Iran

There seems to be a growing international consensus that the search for a “cold peace” with Iran is a desirable, even essential approach on the part of the international community.  Indeed, successive “war games” at specialised institutions in the United States have shown that bombing Iran’s nuclear installations is militarily unviable.  Even some Israeli and […]

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Thailand: Live Fire Zone

Unconfirmed reports indicate that Abhisit’s soldiers have shot dead at least 50 people so far.  Hundreds are injured.  They say there are 500 “terrorists” in the protest site.  Earlier they said that they would use snipers to shoot “terrorists.” The only terrorists are in the government, the army, and the palace. The tyrants say that […]

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The Wage Penalty for State and Local Government Employees

Executive Summary: As recent reports in the media have emphasized, on average, state and local government employees appear to earn more than private-sector workers. But, on average, state and local workers are also older and substantially better educated than private-sector workers.  Half of state and local employees have a four-year college degree or more, and […]

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Arizona: The Ethnic Purge Continues

  Anti-Immigrant Law Ethnic Studies Ban More videos and cartoons by Politic Vic may be viewed at <www.politicvic.com>.  See, also, Julianne Hing, “AZ to Teachers: Take Your Accents and Ethnic Studies Outta Here” (RaceWire, 30 April 2010); Julianne Hing, “Arizona’s Gov. Brewer Signs Ethnic Studies Ban Into Law” (RaceWire, 12 May 2010); Dave Zirin, “New […]

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Thailand: On the Brink of Civil War

UDD Leadership Statement, 16:13 Bangkok Time, 14 May 2010: 1.  The government must stop the use of force, cease fire, and immediately withdraw troops back to barracks.  The government must end the state of emergency which has been an excuse to kill citizens. 2.  Parliament should be dissolved immediately, and Abhisit and Deputy Sutep must […]

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Hunger, Dispossession and the Quest for Justice

Address at the Convocation of the Class of 2010, Asian College of Journalism In 1876, Lord Lytton, who was then Viceroy of India, decided to arrange a massive celebration in Delhi to mark the accession of Queen Victoria as the Kaiser-i-Hind, Empress of India.  The feasting, with all rajas and maharajas in attendance, went on […]

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Scissors

A pair of scissors, made of PSOE (Partido Socialista Obrero Español, Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party) and PP (Partido Popular, People’s Party), ready to cut wages, pensions, public investment. . . . Eneko Las Heras, born in Caracas in 1963, is a cartoonist.  This cartoon was published on his blog . . . Y sin embargo […]

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