George Crile (Charlie Wilson’s War, 2003) credits the Houston Congressman with convincing House Members to overcome their valid doubts and keep funding Zia ul Haq. Members knew in 1979 that the Pakistani dictator had overthrown and murdered President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (Benazir‘s father), that his human rights record was abominable, and that he fostered a […]
Geography Archives: Americas
South America, Central America, United States & Canada
Reply to Stephen Zunes on Imperialism and the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict
Are there valid reasons to question the ICNC’s role in contemporary U.S. imperialism? We think so.
Africom: The New US Military Command for Africa
On 6 February 2007, President Bush announced that the United States would create a new military command for Africa, to be known as Africa Command or Africom. Throughout the Cold War and for more than a decade afterwards, the U.S. did not have a military command for Africa; instead, U.S. military activities on the African […]
The Futility of Sanctioning Tehran
Do facts matter in international relations? One day after the latest US National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) established with high confidence that Iran is not developing nuclear weapons, President Bush stepped in front of the cameras to declare that the NIE makes it clear that Iran needs to be taken seriously as a threat to peace. […]
Biofuels, BP-Berkeley, and the New Ecological Imperialism
British Petroleum, Beyond Petroleum . . . Biofuel Promoter, Biosphere Plunderer. Regardless of what the BP abbreviation actually stands for, one thing is clear: this oil giant knows a good deal when it sees one. For a relatively small financial contribution, BP appropriates academic expertise from a leading public research institution, founded on 200 years […]
The Failure of Climate Change Economics
In 1896, the Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius developed a theory to explain the likely impact of burning coal on the climate. Arrhenius claimed that, due to human activity, the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere would increase, creating an “enhanced” greenhouse effect. His theory did not enjoy consensus in his time, but the scientific community […]
After Bali: Time for a Different Kind of Climate Politics
“We are ending up with something so watered down there was no need for 12,000 people to gather here in Bali to have a watered-down text. We could have done that by email.” — Dr. Angus Friday, Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States In a narrow and formal sense, last month’s Climate Change […]
Beyond Abstract Art — Reflections of Life: The Amazing World of George Brodsky
The Cantellops Art Gallery at La Roche College will feature the first-ever exhibition of American artist George Brodsky (1901-1999) from Jan. 14-31. “Beyond Abstract Art — Reflections of Life on Shell, Rock, Bark and Flat Surfaces: The Amazing World of George Brodsky” will be open to the public for viewing daily from 10 a.m. to […]
Karl Marx, Journalist: An Interview with Jim Ledbetter
DISPATCHES FOR THE NEW YORK TRIBUNE: Selected Journalism of Karl MarxBUY THIS BOOK Jim Ledbetter recently edited a volume of Marx’s journalism entitled Dispatches for the New York Tribune (published in Britain last year and available in February in the US). I interviewed Jim via email about the content and significance of these writings. Q: […]
More on “Nonviolent Imperialism”
To the Editors: I am writing in response to Michael Barker’s commentary titled “Peace Activists, Criticism, and Nonviolent Imperialism” (MRZine, January, 2008). I agree with all of his observations and would just like to add a few of my own. I have never heard of the International Center for Nonviolent Conflict, but the name implies […]
Straight Facts about the Persian Gulf “Incident”
Iran’s release of the video taken on the morning of Sunday, January 6th in the Strait of Hormuz, clearly debunks Pentagon’s hype of depicting a routine patrolling operation by the Iranian Navy as an act of unfathomable aggression against the United States. The timing of this so-called “provocation” incident in the Persian Gulf just before […]
PNU’s Coup: How Can Kenyans Fight Back?
PART ONE From the look of things, it would appear that we are still a long way from resolving the serious post-election crisis that is gripping and almost crippling Kenya. Even after Raila Odinga and the Orange Democratic Movement considerably softened their pre-conditions for internationally mediated talks with their opposite numbers by dropping their […]
People’s Power in Venezuela
“If we want to talk of socialism,” says Argenis Loreto, “we must first resolve the people’s most urgent needs: water in their homes, accessible health care, easy access to housing.” In the Venezuelan municipality of Libertador (state of Carabobo), of which Argenis is mayor, “we have 90% poverty. Ending that is our first task. I […]
Peace Activists, Criticism, and Nonviolent Imperialism
All peace activists want peace, but do activists want peace at any cost? In Aldous Huxley’s classic book, Brave New World, peace came at a high price, but there was ‘peace’ nonetheless. Arguably, ‘peace’ also exists within most Western citizens’ minds, mainly because their daily lives are neatly partitioned off from the multitude of ultra-violent […]
From False to Real Solutions for Climate Change
Amidst her welcome critique of the biofuel mania, Vandana Shiva‘s ZNet commentary last month (December 13, 2007) also made this point: “The Kyoto Protocol totally avoided the material challenge of stopping activities that lead to higher emissions and the political challenge of regulation of the polluters and making the polluters pay in accordance with principles […]
The Writers Strike: Why We Fight
or what does the Internet have to do with you watching so many damned reruns The Writers Strike: Why We Fight Haskell Wexler Supports WGA UNITED HOLLYWOOD is an unofficial blog started by a group of Writers Guild of America West strike captains. The contributors are both writers and non-writers. If you’d like to […]
Haiti’s Debt
Despite being the most impoverished country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti lags behind many countries in the Americas in obtaining debt relief through a program run by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. A hard-hitting paper published in December by the Washington D.C.-based Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) argues that […]
Latin America at the Crossroads: Cuban Communist Makes the Case for International Revolution
Roberto Regalado. Latin America at the Crossroads. Translation by Peter Gellert. Ocean Press (www.oceanbooks.com.au), 2007, US$17.95; América latina entre siglos. Ocean Press, 2007, US$17.95. This compact book by Roberto Regalado, a veteran member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, strongly reaffirms the need for revolution in Latin America and beyond. Regalado, […]
The Man Who Hated Work and Loved Labor
THE MAN WHO HATED WORK AND LOVED LABOR by Les LeopoldBUY THIS BOOK I just finished reading Les Leopold’s biography of Tony Mazzocchi, The Man Who Hated Work and Loved Labor. I finished it in about a day. It’s that kind of a read, an old-fashioned page turner for anyone interested in the working class […]
Fear and Loathing in Bolivia: New Constitution, Polarization
Right & Left confront at blockade “Let’s go unblock the road, compañeros!” a man in an old baseball cap yells as he joins a group of people hauling rocks and tires from a central intersection in Cochabamba. This group of students and union activists are mobilizing against a civic strike led by middle-class foot soldiers […]
