Caught off guard by the collapse of the Soviet Union, Washington’s consensus policymakers drew no meaningful lessons from it. Quite the opposite, successive American administrations would blindly head down the very path that had led the Soviets to ruin. They … Continue reading →

Approximately 1,500 Israeli police came at 5:30 in the morning and evacuated everyone from their beds,” Ranaan said. “They brought tear gas and water cannons, but didn’t use them. There was a handful of Israeli peace activists who had come … Continue reading →

we support egypt’s oppressive regime to the tune of 2 billion dollars every year. how dare we talk about democracy and freedom.

just lovely. The church, which was founded in 1986, has long been controversial in Gainesville. The Koran-burning protest is just the latest in a string of high-profile “protests on other issues, such as homosexuality, same-sex marriage, and abortion,” Religion News … Continue reading →

Published in Guernica, July 2010 (thx Majid) No one has described the victims’ experience more astutely or intransigently than Jean Améry—writer, résistant, Jew—who was captured by the Gestapo in 1943 and survived (or, as he insisted, did not really survive) … Continue reading →

The [following] clip by Sebastian Walker is the best feature report produced by Al Jazeera on Haiti so far and needs to be watched by everyone, no matter how much they think they already know. Of particular interest is Walker’s … Continue reading →

the pakistani army has suffered historically high casualties in the service of the “war on terror”, u.s. drone attacks killed 900 pakistani civilians last year, some 5 million pakistanis have been displaced on account of army actions against the taliban … Continue reading →

Israel is poised to become the largest defence supplier to India, a position currently held by Russia. Israel also trains Indian special forces, which are then deployed in the troubled region of Kashmir and in India’s north-east areas. Full article.

Right now, in the context of the war on terror, we are facing a barrage of claims about the supremacy of Western values. This is leading to a resurgence of white supremacy, and the banner of the superiority of Western … Continue reading →

western feminism – its ties to imperialism and the racialization and demonization of islam. brilliant.

China has an estimated 21 million Muslims, who have developed their own set of Islamic practices with Chinese characteristics. The biggest difference is the development of independent women’s mosques with female imams, something scholars who have researched the issue say … Continue reading →

The video [below] put together by an unknown young person and set to the Everlast song, “Stone in My Hand” — is a short montage documenting the current popular protests in Kashmir Valley against the Indian occupation. The video has … Continue reading →

Pakistani human rights and minority organizations are calling for seven days mourning after two Christian brothers were gunned down outside a courtroom in Faisalabad. The deaths led to nearly 10 hours of street clashes between police and Christian and Muslim … Continue reading →

Tzvi Segal, one of three judges on the case, said: “The court is obliged to protect the public interest from sophisticated, smooth-tongued criminals who can deceive innocent victims at an unbearable price – the sanctity of their bodies and souls.” … Continue reading →

Their [Israel's West Bank settler movement's] visions still fall far short of what any Palestinian advocate of a single state would consider to be just: The Israeli proposals insist on maintaining the state’s character – at least symbolically – as … Continue reading →

fantastic! Author and activist Isabel Allende discusses women, creativity, the definition of feminism – and, of course, passion – in this talk.

?”The implication that this is a balanced conflict, that everyone needs to just listen and understand more respectfully, ignores the brutal realities on the ground and the massive differences in military and political power. Acknowledging that is key to moving … Continue reading →

“That religion, or the duty which we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence, and therefore all men have an equal, natural and unalienable … Continue reading →

Alarmingly, one of the administration officials who spoke to the Washington Post also stated that the administration was prepared to release him because senior officials were “comfortable” with making an exception for him “because of the guy’s background, his family … Continue reading →

We need to transcend systems rooted in human arrogance and greed that lead us to believe that any individual is more valuable than another, that any group of people should dominate another group, or that people have a right to … Continue reading →

?”Genetic damage and health in Fallujah Iraq worse than Hiroshima” – yeah, that’s what 2.4 million pounds of depleted uranium will do to u. so who is evil again? the taliban? read full article.

?”Rapid progress with the technology has raised alarm at the United Nations. Philip Alston, its special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, warned last month of the danger that a “PlayStation mentality to killing” could quickly emerge. According to analysts, however, Israel … Continue reading →

“The country’s largest ethnic group is growing increasingly frustrated and angry with the government and its foreign backers. From house raids and air strikes, to problems in the classroom and civil service, they believe they are the main victims of … Continue reading →

an invasion, occupation and war that pits a military superpower against the second poorest country of the world… check out this photojournalistic essay by ricardo garcia on the helmand refugee camp in afghanistan here.

“Maybe the antiwar left only protests when Republican presidents are in office. Maybe it’s not about Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress, it was only about George Bush. Maybe for the antiwar left, it’s not about pacifism or soldiers’ lives … Continue reading →

?”Sixteen years since apartheid ended, and amid the hoopla and false hopes promoted by the 2010 soccer World Cup, millions of black South Africans still live in self-built shacks – without sanitation, adequate water supplies or electricity. In Durban, almost … Continue reading →