Russia and China’s Dirty Partnership
When the world’s largest consumer of fossil fuels teams up with one of the world’s largest suppliers, the planet is the biggest loser.
A Wounded But Still Dangerous Burmese Python
Corporations want what Myanmar has, and NGOs are going after those corporations.
Working with North Korean Defectors
Nam Bada discusses the challenge of North Korean human rights and the experiences of North Korean refugees in South Korea.
Islam Wasn’t the Threat — Islamophobia Was
While peaceful American Muslims were hounded and harassed after 9/11, far more dangerous right-wing extremists got a pass.
Death and Taxes
Military spending combines the two certainties in life: death and taxes. U.S. taxpayers are paying more than anyone else on Earth to support an industry devoted to death.
Drug-Law Reform Genie Freed From Bottle at Summit of the Americas
The legacy of the Cartagena summit, however, will likely be the beginning of a serious regional debate on international drug control policies.
Scraping the Bottom
We are all trust fund babies living off the wealth of our ancestors. I’m not talking Mommy and Daddy. I’m talking Barney. That cuddly T-Rex and all his dinosaur friends, along with those giant ferns and tiny trilobites, died millions of years ago only to become, very gradually, the energy that fuels our modern life. Until very recently, in geologic time at least, the earth held virtually all of that powerful carbon in a lockbox. “You can’t touch this buried treasure until you come of age,” the earth told humanity.
Iran Errata: Israel “Tunes up” Iran for U.S.
Israel insists that Fordow, Iran’s nuclear-enrichment facility, remain vulnerable to attack.
North Korea’s Failed Fireworks
In early February, Iran launched its third successful commercial satellite in three years. The Barack Obama administration, the United Nations, and the news media barely acknowledged the accomplishment. North Korea, on the other hand, has created a furor each of the three times its satellites failed to reach orbit.
U.S. Thinking on Afghanistan Is Not Just Magical, But Hallucinatory
The Taliban shut down preliminary talks with Washington, because, according to its spokesman, the Americans were “shaky, erratic and vague.”
Militias Still Have the Run of Libya
Many fear that militias will interfere with Libyan elections.
The Crusades Are Back
Fear replaces rational thinking; FDR knew this. Most Americans don’t personally know any Muslims but we do know that those who caused 9/11 claimed to be Muslim. So today in 2012, we are in the grips of Islamophobia. The Institute for Policy Studies’ John Feffer has a new book out called Crusade 2.0 which sheds much needed light on the crusade of a thousand years ago and the similarities to current fears and policies.
The “Hot Potato” of the Summit of the Americas: Cuba’s Absence
Cuban leader Raoul Castro had expressed a desire to attend the meeting but was delicately told by the host, Colombian President Santos, it that would be impossible because of President Obama’s presence.
Bolivian President Morales Bows to Pressure and Cancels Amazon Highway
Others were concerned that Brazil would derive the bulk of the benefits from the road at the expense of Bolivia.