Archive | Commentary

An exhibition of Iason Athanasiadis’s photographs of Iran, “Exploring the Other: Contemporary Iran,” opened on 25 January 2009, at the Craft and Folk Art Museum (co-produced by the Society of Cinema and Arts) in Los Angeles.  “Exploring the Other” offers an alternative narrative of the country famously included in the “Axis of Evil” by George […]

On the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the Iranian Revolution, Al Jazeera is running a special series of programs on Iran. Rageh Omaar, “I Knew the Shah,” Part 1 (Al Jazeera, 17 January 2009) Rageh Omaar, “I Knew the Shah,” Part 2 (Al Jazeera, 17 January 2009) Rageh Omaar, “I Knew Khomeini,” Part 1 […]

  His face the color of the Turkish flag, his right arm pinning the panel moderator to his seat, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan preferred not to listen to any more Israeli bullshit about Gaza.  With finger-wagging Israeli president Peres regurgitating the usual self-serving argument of self-defense to justify the criminal acts of his state, […]

The Gaza massacre, at least for the moment, is over — ended just before Barack Obama’s inauguration, so as not to cast an unwelcome cloud over his first hours as U.S. President.  The initial Palestinian death toll is 1,300 . . . and expected to rise.  (Four times that number were injured, and more wounded […]

New Orleans — Hurricane Katrina was a catastrophic event that forced many people in New Orleans to start over.  Since then, several hurricanes, such as Ivan and Gustav, continued to damage some of the oldest and most significant historical sites in the United States.  One of the sites in jeopardy is the Wesley United Methodist […]

Early speculation on the motive behind Israel’s slaughter in Gaza that began on 27 December 2008 and continued till 18 January 2009 centered on the upcoming elections in Israel.  The jockeying for votes was no doubt a factor in this Sparta-like society consumed by “revenge and the thirst for blood,”1 where killing Arabs is a […]

  In 1997, the AFL-CIO established the American Center for International Labor Solidarity by merging its four regional institutions that had operated around the world.  Solidarity Center stated its mission: “to help build a global labor movement by strengthening the economic and political power of workers around the world through effective, independent and democratic unions.” […]

Following close on the United Socialist Party of Venezuela’s (PSUV) electoral victory in the November 23 regional elections, Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez re-proposed a constitutional reform that would allow indefinite re-election.  The first attempt, bundled with various constitutional amendments that would have accelerated economic restructuring, was defeated 51 to 49 percent in December 2007. Predictably, […]

Thursday, 29 January 2009 On 29 January, the united mobilization organized by the initiative of all trade unions resulted in very broad participation in the strikes in many sectors and demonstrations of rare magnitude.  It’s a resounding rejection of the “gravediggers” of unionism. Several million workers in the private and public sectors, the unemployed, the […]

Liberals swooning over President Barack Obama’s recent speechmaking are also much impressed by his rhetorical overtures to Arabs and Muslims, first articulated during his inaugural address and reiterated on a major Arabic-language news channel. The sharp divergence in tone and tenor from Bush’s rhetoric is certainly welcome after eight years of hubris and arrogance. Quoting […]

Hadash (the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality – Communist Party of Israel) launched its new election campaign on Monday, January 26, 2009, facing the general elections to be held on February 10.  The campaign’s focus is the fight against fascism and racism. The Arab-Jewish front’s new campaign slogan is “Jews and Arabs Refuse to […]

The UGTG Appeal to the International Democratic Movement of Workers Dear comrades and friends, The French colonial authority is getting ready to suppress the workers, youth, and people of Guadeloupe as well as their organizations. In response to the call of 47 trade unions, political organizations, consumer associations, popular organizations, and cultural associations, a general […]

The torture of prisoners in US custody is not only found in military prisons in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo.  If President Obama is serious about ending US support for torture, he can start here in Louisiana. The Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola is already notorious for a range of offenses, including keeping former Black Panthers […]

After Bolivia’s new constitution was passed in a national referendum on Sunday, thousands gathered in La Paz to celebrate.  Standing on the balcony of the presidential palace, President Evo Morales addressed a raucous crowd: “Here begins a new Bolivia.  Here we begin to reach true equality.” Polls conducted by Televisión Boliviana announced that the document […]

La Paz, 25 January (ABI) — The new Political Constitution of the State (CPE) was approved this Sunday with 61.96% of the votes in the constitutional referendum, according to the exit poll results broadcast by Televisión Boliviana (TVB), Channel 7. The No vote, on the other hand, obtained 36.52%.  Blank and null votes together constituted […]

On Tuesday, December 9, the anti-immigrant lobbyists at the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) held a press conference in downtown Washington, DC to promote their “Immigration Reform Agenda for the 111th Congress.” The press conference followed the new line that groups like FAIR have adopted since the financial crisis broke out last September.  Undocumented […]

25 January 2009 Today’s referendum on Bolivia’s new constitution took place on a rare sunny day for this time of year in La Paz.  Since traffic is prohibited on voting day, families taking advantage of the abnormally quiet streets walked their dogs, ate ice cream, and strolled into the local schools to vote. Across the […]

London, 24 January 2009 Salma Yaqoob, Councilor, Birmingham, Respect Shahrar Ali, Policy Coordinator, London Green Party Azzam Tamimi, Director, Institute of Islamic Political Thought Maryam Abu Daya Lindsey German, Convener, Stop the War Coalition Danny, Age 11 Bill Morris, Former General Secretary, Transport and General Workers’ Union (the first Black leader of a British trade […]

  The Israeli Embassy in Greece, in the name of Ambassador Ali Yahya, sent three bottles of wine as a holiday gift to Theodoros Pangalos.  Pangalos returned the gift, thanking the ambassador in the following letter. Dear Mr. Ambassador, Thank you for the three bottles of wine that you sent me as a holiday gift.  […]

First, Prime Minister Geir Haarde.  Then, Commerce Minister Bjorgvin Sigurdsson.  Now, Jónas Fr. Jónsson, director of the Financial Supervisory Authority (FME), and the entire FME board.  Ministers and officials are quitting one by one, unable to withstand the wrath of the people of Iceland demanding their immediate resignation.  Haarde’s proposal that new elections be held […]