At a time when the Iraq war continues to be a defining issue on the American scene, it is ironic that the most powerful and uncompromising documentary on the subject remains almost entirely unknown and unseen in this country. It took Japanese filmmaker Takeharu Watai a year and a half to film more than 123 […]
Geography Archives: Iraq
Iranian Anti-Censorship Crusader Accepts Censorship at Amnesty International
At a press conference today, journalist Akbar Ganji had just finished vilifying the “intolerant culture” of non-Europeans when he failed to intervene against Western censorship happening right before his eyes. He is touring the United States to, in his words, raise awareness about government abuses in Iran, including his six-year imprisonment that ended last March. […]
Neocon Redux: Blame Iran, Back Israel
Israel’s military offensives in Gaza and Lebanon have reenergized the neoconservatives, who see an opportunity to regain influence lost as a result of setbacks in Iraq. While insisting on unconditional U.S. support for Israel, the neoconservatives are also pushing for possible U.S. attacks on Tehran’s nuclear facilities in retaliation for its support of Hezbollah. […]
Palestine Sans Frontières
Since the commando assault on 25 June 2006 that led to the death of two Israeli soldiers and the abduction of Corporal Gilad Shalit, Israel has intensified the almost daily bombing of Gaza which it had started six months ago in response to the Qassam missiles launched towards the Israeli town of Sderot and the […]
Letter to President George W. Bush
Dear President Bush: You have been a weak president, despite your strutting and barking, when it comes to doing the right things for the American people within the Constitution and its rule of law. This trait is now in bold relief over the Israeli government’s escalating war crimes pulverizing the defenseless people and country of […]
When Worlds Collide
When Fabio Grosso placed his penalty kick into the back of the French goal, Italians around the globe erupted into a state of euphoria. I was one of those Italians, hungrily following every kicked ball throughout Italy’s run to winning its fourth World Cup, which ranks second only to Brazil’s five. For my brother […]
A Tale of Two Quagmires
A significant sentence. On the Al Jazeera Web site, there was a report of Saudi Arabia’s condemnation of Hamas’ and Hizbullah’s “adventurism.” The Saudis claimed that “gains” made by Arab leaders were being put in danger. The Al Jazeera report carried the pithy comment to the effect that the Saudi government did not say […]
Declaration of the Syrian Communist Party
Glory to the Heroic Palestinian Resistance! Shame and Humiliation on the Collaborators! To our steadfast people, The Palestinian people in the occupied territories are being subjected to a humanitarian disaster as a result of the Zionist criminal escalation that has led to the deaths of dozens, the destruction of the vital infrastructure of electric power […]
What They Want Is the Head of the Resistance Movement
Click on the image to watch the program at the Mosaic Archive. “Israel Mobilizes Towards Hezbollah Positions,” Abu Dhabi TV, UAE, Mosaic: News from the Middle East, 14 July 2006 It’s war again. As in the past, it’s an Israeli war in terms of the men and materiel; a joint Israeli-American war in terms […]
Toward a New Politics? After the CAW-NDP Divorce
On April 21, 2006, the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) broke with a tradition that extended over half a century and voted to leave the New Democratic Party (NDP). A few CAW activists shrugged their shoulders: the impact of the NDP on their daily struggles had been minimal, so setting it aside did not seem to […]
“Recognize the Centrality of the Palestine Question”: An Interview with George Galloway
George Galloway MP is the controversial British politician who has proved a thorn in the side of advocates of the Iraq war. He is a fierce advocate of the Palestinian state, and a redoubtable campaigner against oppression and injustice throughout the world. In 2005 he made a memorable appearance before the US Senate, successfully […]
What Do the Iranians Want?
The priority of the Iranian people, according to the Zogby poll released on 13 July 2006,1 is economy: 41% say economy should be Iran’s top priority, a far larger proportion than those who regard nuclear capability (27%) or freedom (23%) as the most important. The correct priority if you ask me, as the Supreme Leader […]
Global Oil Market Dangers
International intrigues and eventually war — with all its now daily horrors — flow partly from the highly unstable economics of global oil. Not only has this been true for a long time, it promises to continue that way unless and until some mass movement ends it. The report of US planning to bomb Iran […]
CUPE “Boycott Israel” Debate Rages On
As trade union and community activists, socialists, and officials in our respective union organizations, we strongly support the recent Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario resolution supporting the international Boycott Israel campaign. The resolution criticizes Israel’s continuing occupation of Palestinian territory, characterizing it as “apartheid.” It calls on the union to develop an […]
Impeach the President of the United States
We have pledged to help reclaim the honor of the United States of America. Accordingly, we call for the impeachment of the president of the United States, George W. Bush. Since lying in combat could needlessly cost the lives of fighting men and women, West Point graduates have been trained to live by a code […]
Towards A Radical Youth Movement: The New SDS
From August 4th through the 7th, a new incarnation of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) will hold its first national convention. This organization will have been around for almost a year when it meets in Chicago. Obviously taking its inspiration from the famed US student organization of the 1960s, the new SDS is an […]
Bush in Stralsund: “Not Welcome, Mr. President!”
How welcomes can vary in content within one week in Germany! In the past four weeks, Germany was seized by a soccer fever which sometimes seemed almost alarming. The outdoor temperature was steadily hot and dry, but it was the hot fever of flag-waving patriotism — or was it nationalism — which affected so many. […]
Darkness on the Edge of Cairo
Every day I walk from my fashionable neighborhood to the university and pass a pair of very kind, white-uniformed police officers. They stand in their almost blindingly clean attire, only a block from my crumbling apartment building, smoking Egypt’s cheapest Cleopatra cigarettes and directing traffic. “Ya Pasha!” they shout, “Habibi!” This is my daily greeting […]
When Will the AFL-CIO Leadership Quit Blaming the Chinese Government for Multinational Corporate Decisions, US Government Policies, and US Labor Leaders’ Inept Reponses?
The AFL-CIO has just formally petitioned the Bush Administration to “take immediate action to stop exploitation by the Chinese government and multinational corporations of workers in China, who are paid as little as 15 cents per hour” (AFL-CIO, “AFL-CIO Files Workers’ Rights Case Against China ,” Press Release, June 8, 2006). It appears that the […]
Gaza: Do the Palestinians Have the Right to Exist?
I am so tired of hearing Tel Aviv complain that certain Palestinian factions do not recognize Israel’s right to exist. Regardless of their opinion of Israel’s right, even Hamas leaders have stated that the fact is that Israel does exist. Meanwhile, Israel is once again waging a military campaign against the Palestinians that, in essence, […]
