In Bahrain as well as in the rest of the Gulf states, the Tunisian and Egyptian method just doesn’t work to attain even the minimum goal of the majority. Calling for negotiation as the ITUC does below, needless to say, is no solution in this case since the Bahraini ruling class has full support […]
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News updates or analysis.
Libya and the Laws of War: Interview with Michael Mandel
With respect to international law, in what ways does this intervention in Libya differ from those carried out in Afghanistan and Iraq? The intervention in Afghanistan, despite protestations to the contrary, was not authorized by the Security Council, whose relevant resolutions did not even mention Afghanistan, let alone authorize “all necessary means.” That was because […]
Syria: Banias Refinery Workers March for Syria and Bashar
Could it be that Syrian refinery workers thought it wise to warn imperialists not to descend on Syria to liberate their oil and jobs from them in the name of liberating them from Bashar? — Ed. Tartous, Syria, 29 March 2011 Cf. “Syria is the only significant crude oil producing country in the Eastern Mediterranean […]
America’s Libyans
The Benghazi council chose as its leader the colorless former justice minister Mustafa Abdel Jalil. Jalil’s brain is Mahmoud Jibril, a former head of the National Economic Development Board (NEDB). A U.S. embassy cable from May 11, 2009 (09TRIPOLI386) describes Jibril as keen on a close relationship with the U.S. and eager “to create a […]
The Occupation Cookbook or the Model of the Occupation of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb
Excerpt from Marc Bousquet, “Introduction”: The Occupation Cookbook is a “manual” that describes the organization of the student occupation of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences that took place in the spring of 2009 and lasted for 35 days. It was written for two reasons: to record what happened, and to present the particular […]
Unemployment for African Americans Rises, Despite Job Growth
The economy added 216,000 jobs in March, pushing the overall unemployment rate down to 8.8 percent. The growth was driven entirely by a 230,000 gain in the private sector, as the government sector lost jobs for the fifth consecutive month. The employment-to-population ratio (EPOP) also edged up to 58.5 percent — the highest ratio since […]
Why Has the Syrian Opposition Failed to Grow? Interview with Bassam Haddad
Paul Jay: So, first of all, talk about what happened on Friday. The protesters, the opposition, were hoping for a big turnout, and apparently they didn’t get it. Bassam Haddad: On Friday, a few hundred people, in some places more than a thousand, came out in protest, to continue the string of protests since last […]
Bahrain: Revolutionaries under Siege
Bahraini government forces backed by Saudi troops have completely blocked access to several villages. Reports say the military have set up checkpoints and deployed secret police around the village of Ma’ameer, to prevent anyone from entering or leaving the village. Saudi and Bahraini troops have also fired tear gas to disperse protesters in the […]
China Reacts to Fukushima
The dark cloud hanging over the future of nuclear power because of the unfolding crisis in Japan may have a silver lining in China by increasing attention to reactor safety. Within days of the earthquake that crippled the nuclear plants in Japan, the Chinese government abruptly suspended approvals for new plant construction, suspended work […]
Ohio: The Name of the Game Is REPEAL
31 March 2011 As hundreds of union activists chanted, “Vote them out. Vote them out,” history was made yesterday as the majority of the members of the Ohio General Assembly voted in the most punishing and regressive anti-union, anti-middle class, anti-public worker bill this state has every seen. But you stood strong. > Late last […]
Syrians Living Abroad, Standing Up for Syria and Bashar
Bashar al-Assad is a lucky man. Even the mother of the Angry Arab (himself no fan of the Syrian president) seems to like him: “As my mom says about him: he is the best educated among Arab leaders (many of whom are illiterate) and it shows.” — Ed. Beirut, Lebanon, 27.03.11 Cairo, Egypt, 31.03.11 Bucharest, […]
Disturbing Events in Dara’a
Syrian citizens have been shocked by the disturbing events taking place in Dara’a for the last few days, during which violence led to the death of innocent young people, the destruction of public as well as private properties, and demonstrations and unjustified violence. Demands were raised, some dealing with Dara’a, others going beyond the […]
Jena Six Activist Convicted, Faces Decades in Prison
March 31, 2011 Caseptla Bailey and Catrina Wallace Civil rights activist Catrina Wallace, who received national acclaim for her central role in organizing protests around the Jena Six case, was convicted today of three counts of distribution of a controlled substance. She was taken from the courtroom straight to jail after the verdict was read, […]
The Syrian Communist Party (Unified) Emphasizes the Importance of National Unity and Investigation of the Causes of the Recent Events
The Syrian Communist Party (Unified) would like to reiterate what its newspaper An-Nour said on Wednesday, 23 March 2011: it is necessary to restore normal life to Dara’a Governorate, to effectively deal with the consequences of the deplorable events which took place last week, and to do the following while dealing with the problems: 1. […]
Russia Opposes West over Arming Libyan Opposition
The West should not arm the Libyan opposition, says Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. This video was released by Press TV on 30 March 2011. Cf. “Moscow absolutely disagrees with statements by certain participants in the operation in Libya and their intentions to arm rebels who resisted Muammar Gaddafi’s troops” (“Russia, Austria Reveal Close […]
What Do the Syrians Want? Interview with Joshua Landis
Joshua Landis: Well, this [speech delivered by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on 30 March 2011] was a classic hard-line speech. It was a nationalist speech. It was an us-against-them speech. And he rallied the nation. And that’s what he sought to do. He was fairly relaxed. He made some jokes. But he said this is […]
Fukushima: IAEA Confirms Very High Levels of Contamination Far from Reactors
Today the IAEA has finally confirmed what some analysts have suspected for days: that the concentration per area of long-lived cesium-137 (Cs-137) is extremely high as far as tens of kilometers from the release site at Fukushima Dai-Ichi, and in fact would trigger compulsory evacuation under IAEA guidelines. The IAEA is reporting that measured soil […]
D’Escoto: The United Nations Is a Deadly U.S. Weapon
United Nations, Mar. 31 (Prensa Latina) — Former Nicaraguan foreign minister Miguel D’Escoto, now appointed as the representative of Libya to the UN, said Thursday that the United Nations has become a “lethal weapon of the Empire (United States).” “We have to get it back, because if it dies it will not be born again,” […]
The Lessons of Fukushima
Testimony before the US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, 29 March 2011 The Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant in Japan experienced a station blackout. A station blackout occurs when a nuclear power plant loses electrical power from all sources except that provided by onsite banks of batteries. The normal power supply comes from the plant’s […]
Millions of Syrians Rally for Syria and Bashar
Millions of Syrians rallied all over Syria, pledging loyalty to the country, in support of Bashar al-Assad, on 29 March 2011. The dialectic of the regime and the opposition in Syria, it is safe to say, is neither like Tunisia and Egypt, nor like Iraq and Libya. Instead, it is more like what happened in […]
