There is an entire genre of theory explaining why the Western capitalist democracies did not undergo socialist revolution in the 20th Century, as Classical Marxism had predicted. Not surprisingly, most of this material comes from the Left itself.1 We can include Antonio Gramsci’s work on hegemony in this genre, as well as the entire output of […]
Geography Archives: Asia
Countries in the continent of Asia
Palestine in the Middle East: Opposing Neoliberalism and US Power (Part 2)
Adam Hanieh, “Palestine in the Middle East: Opposing Neoliberalism and US Power: Part 1,” MRZine, 19 July 2008. Neoliberalism, the “New Middle East” and Palestine In the late 1960s, with the definitive collapse of British and French colonialism in the Middle East, the US rose to become the dominant imperial power within the region. Because […]
Has the “Surge” in Iraq Worked?
In 2006, things seemed to be going badly for the U.S. military efforts in Iraq. The Iraq war became a top issue in the 2006 Congressional elections in the United States. It is generally agreed that the Republicans did poorly in those elections, largely because the U.S. electorate had become disillusioned with the viability and […]
Obama, Afghanistan, and the Anti-War Movement
Nine US soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan this week in a major attack attributed to the Taliban. More US troops have been killed in Afghanistan than Iraq in the past several months. We can expect as a result that the Democrats and their Presidential candidate Obama will intensify their calls for shifting the “war […]
Oil Prices and the Economy
With oil prices having more than doubled over the last 12 months, various reasons are being cited for the price increases. Adhip Chaudhuri, a visiting professor of economics at Georgetown University’s campus in Doha, Qatar, explains the cause and effect of high oil prices. Is the increase in oil prices plunging the global economy into […]
The Longest Walk 2008
WASHINGTON, DC — The answer to one of the biggest questions in Washington D.C. has been manifesting for over five months and more than 8,000 miles that span across the sacred grounds of living sovereign nations. The question is what steps can be taken to make known that “All Life Is Sacred, Save Mother Earth?” […]
Universal Patterns within Cultural Diversity: Patriarchy Makes Men Crazy and Stupid
Islamabad, Pakistan — Some lessons learned while spending time in a different culture come from paying attention to the wide diversity in how we humans arrange ourselves socially. Equally crucial lessons come from seeing patterns in how people behave similarly in similar situations, even in very different cultural contexts. This week in Pakistan, as I […]
The Writ of the State: Is Pakistan’s Insurgency Fueled by Too Little State, Too Much, or the Wrong Kind?
ISLAMABAD JULY 8, 2008 — Another couple of days of bombings in Pakistan and Afghanistan, each with its own message and each by a different group. A couple of days ago the Americans hit a wedding party and killed over 20 people in Afghanistan. In Kabul yesterday the Indian embassy was struck by a suicide […]
Is Iran Currently an Existential Threat to the United States? A Side-By-Side Comparison of Military Capabilities
A side-by-side comparison of the two countries’ conventional military capabilities demonstrates the overwhelming superiority of the United States. It is time to inject realism into discussions about U.S.-Iranian relations. Hyping the threat about Iran obscures the bottom line: Iran does not currently represent an existential threat to the United States or its allies, and […]
Can Reparations for Apartheid Profits Be Won in US Courts?
A telling remark about US imperialism’s double standards was uttered by Clinton-era deputy treasury secretary Stuart Eizenstat, who a decade ago was the driver of reparations claims against pro-Nazi corporations, assisting plaintiffs to gain $8 billion from European banks and corporations which ripped off Holocaust victims’ funds or which were 1930s beneficiaries of slave labor […]
Evaluation of the June 28-29, 2008 National Assembly to End the Iraq War and Occupation
Our overall assessment is that the conference was an overwhelming success. Over 400 people from many parts of the country and Canada attended, including a bus of 44 — mostly youth — from Connecticut (see breakdown by states below*). The conference met its main objective, which was to urge united and massive mobilizations in the […]
When the Tough Decide to Become Diplomatic
President George W. Bush and his neo-con coterie made it a point of pride that their relationship to regimes they did not like was one of toughness, not of soft-soap diplomacy. In his State of the Union speech in 2002, Bush denounced the “Axis of Evil” — composed of Iraq, Iran, and North Korea — […]
Interview with Prof. Jose Maria Sison: On His Current Status, People’s War, and Peace NegotiationsPart I
June 27, 2008 Prof. Jose Maria Sison at his office. Thank you for agreeing to this interview. I intend to ask you questions about your legal and political situation, the people’s war in the Philippines and the peace negotiations between the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the Government of the Republic of […]
Interview with Prof. Jose Maria Sison: On His Current Status, People’s War, and Peace NegotiationsPart II
People’s War in the Philippines Q1: The Arroyo regime has vowed to destroy or reduce the CPP, the NPA, and the NDFP to an inconsequential level before she steps down in 2010. Is this possible? Prof. Jose Maria Sison before a painting of the people’s war in the Philippines at the NDF Information Bureau in […]
Interview with Prof. Jose Maria Sison: On His Current Status, People’s War, and Peace Negotiations Part III
GRP-NDFP Peace Negotiations Q1: What is the position of the NDFP on the question of resuming the formal talks in the peace negotiations with the GRP? What is the key step towards overcoming all the impediments? NDFP Chief Political Consultant Prof. Jose Maria Sison (seated second from the left), at the signing of the Comprehensive […]
Arroyo Welcomes More US Participation in the “Killing Fields” of the Philippines in the Guise of Humanitarian Intervention
A historic event worthy of the Guinness Book may have occurred in Washington in the last week of June. The worst “torture” president that the United States has ever had met the most corrupt and brutal president ever inflicted on the Filipino people. Grotesque or farcical? Bush is now credited with the horrendous deaths […]
Iraq: We All Work for the Casino in the Green Zone
As you know, there’s a talk of developing the Green Zone. The Marriott Hotel chain is here, and I too am involved in hospitality. I’m representing interests that are building a hotel. . . . Five stars, a casino, gambling, and it’s going to be here in the Green Zone. The sponsors are a […]
On a Quest for Secular Piety: Reviewing Tarek Fatah’s Chasing a Mirage
Tarek personally asked me to review his book, Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State (CM). With a book being favorably reviewed in the Canadian (and US and UK) media, including the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, the Huffington Post, the UK Guardian, and the Asper-family owned newspapers (Ottawa Citizen and […]
Anti-FSLN Opposition Seeks Unity to Topple Ortega Government
On June 11 the axe of Nicaragua’s Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) came down on the Sandinista Renovation Movement (MRS1) and the old historic Conservative Party of Nicaragua (PCN), now a tiny shell of its former self. The CSE unanimously decided to deregister both parties on the grounds that they had failed to fulfill the requirements […]
Power to the People: A NAFTA Corridor Victory
“After a dozen town hall meetings, nearly 50 public hearings, and countless one-on-one conversations, it is clear to us that Texans want us to use existing roadways to start building the Texas portion of Interstate 69,” said Texas Transportation Commissioner Ted Houghton (Texas Department of Transportation News Release, June 11, 2008). This news release reflects […]
