Iraq
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Blair says Muslim “extremists” are all “the same forces”
Blair: No, no, I don’t say that. But I do say, whether you look at Hezbollah in Lebanon, or Hamas in Palestine, or the militia and the al-Qaeda in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is actually the same forces that you’re fighting. Continue reading
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Ali Gharib: Syria Raid: The Question is – Why?
The attack is especially curious one. The cross-border raid – the first of its kind involving a helicopter attack and U.S. boots on the ground that far into Syrian territory – left eight dead, according to Syrian press reports. WASHINGTON – A cross-border raid into Syria by U.S. forces in Iraq, and a subsequent stonewalling… Continue reading
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Action Alert: The Washington Post Undercounts Iraq Deaths
The Washington Post’s weekly Saturday feature on “Iraq War Casualties” has consistently listed a “maximum count” of Iraqi civilian deaths that is dramatically lower than the likely civilian death tolls assessed through surveys of the Iraqi public. Continue reading
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‘Le Feyt Declaration’ on Iraq draws widespread support from world figures
A declaration published mid-September outlines a plan to relieve Iraq of foreign occupation and leave a stable, peaceful nation. It has drawn wide support and endorsement, including from Nobel Prize winners and nominees as well as other well-known figures working for peace from many parts of the world. The declaration points to the principles existent… Continue reading
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Media Lens: Propping Up Propaganda IRAQ, CLIMATE AND THE CORPORATE MEDIA’S FEAR OF THE PUBLIC
October 22, 2008 Since starting Media Lens in 2001, we have learned that corporate journalists are very often ill-equipped, or disinclined, to debate vital issues with members of the public. In 2004, the esteemed Lancet medical journal published a study showing that 98,000 Iraqis had most likely died following the US-led invasion. John Rentoul, chief… Continue reading
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Anti-Empire Report, October 1, 2008 By William Blum
What changes take place in the real world to cause the crisis? Nothing, necessarily. The crisis is usually caused by changes in the make-believe world of financial capitalism. Continue reading
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Dr. Vickramabahu Karunarathne: Postmodernism, Liberal Democracy and the War in Iraq For Meditation on Hajji Festival Day
A speech delivered April 25, 2003 by Dr. Vickramabahu Karunarathne at a seminar organized by the Centre for Islamic studies at BMICH in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Dear friends and comrades, We have tried to understand the motive behind this aggression (against Iraq). This aggression has violated every aspect of international law, all conventions of human… Continue reading
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Peace in Iraq IS an option – sign the Le Feyt Declaration!
The undersigned, friends of Iraq from France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the United States of America, Egypt, Sweden and Iraq, organized in the International Anti-Occupation Network (IAON) and gathered in Le Feyt, France, from 25 to 27 August 2008, have adopted the following position and declaration reflecting our commitment to a true… Continue reading
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Is it the 1930s all over again? By William Bowles
The bottom line then is that the crisis of capital has only two outcomes: remove the competitors or, face the end of capitalism and build a socialist alternative. If the former, then general war (whatever its form, ie “endless war”) is the only conclusion, thereby consuming the over-accumulated capital, ‘taking out’ the major competitors and… Continue reading
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The Anti-Empire Report by William Blum Read this or George W. Bush will be president the rest of your life
The Democrats should run on the slogan “If you liked Bush, you’ll love McCain”, but that would be too outspoken, too direct for the spineless Nancy Pelosi and her spineless party. Or, “If you liked Iraq, you’ll love Iran.” But the Democrat leadership is not on record as categorically opposing either conflict. Continue reading
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MEDIA LENS ALERT: WHEN NEWS IS NOISE – GEORGIA, SOUTH OSSETIA AND THE POLITICAL PIPELINE
The bias is clear, but the deeper point is far more interesting – the entrenched propaganda function of the mainstream media renders it incapable of making sense of events in Georgia and South Ossetia. References to Russian self-interest are allowed, and to Western concerns about energy security. But on the real reasons why people were… Continue reading
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Anti-Empire Report, August 5, 2008 By William Blum Obama and the Empire
We find Obama threatening, several times, to attack Iran if they don’t do what the United States wants them to do nuclear-wise; threatening more than once to attack Pakistan if their anti-terrorist policies are not tough enough or if there would be a regime change in the nuclear-armed country not to his liking Continue reading
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Does a leopard change its spots? By William Bowles
The US government is talking with Iran, so what’s the catch? The simple answer is the November election. The move is clearly aimed at associating McCain/Republican Party with a new, kinder, softer Bush cabal although the Washington Post sees it somewhat differently. Continue reading
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Media Lens Alert: Some Matter More – When 47 Victims Are Worth 43 Words
One would hardly guess from media reporting that Britain and America are responsible for killing anyone in Iraq and Afghanistan, where violence is typically blamed on “insurgents” and “sectarian conflict”. International “coalition” forces are depicted as peacekeepers using minimum violence as a last resort. Continue reading
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Media Lens: ‘Complicit Enablers’ – UK Media Ignore US Whistleblowers
11 June, 2008 — MEDIA LENS: Correcting for the distorted vision of the corporate media In April 2006, George Bush bade farewell to his outgoing White House press secretary, Scott McClellan: “One day he and I are going to be rocking on chairs in Texas talking about the good old days and his time as… Continue reading
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Media Lens: Burma And The Making Of Iraq’s Ghost Towns
MEDIA LENS: Correcting for the distorted vision of the corporate media May 28, 2008 The Rules Of The Game The psychiatrist Harry Stack Sullivan once commented on “how suavely we simply ignore great bodies of experience, any clearly analysed instance of which might present us with a very real necessity for change.” (Quoted, Daniel Goleman,… Continue reading
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Anti-Empire Report, May 1, 2008 By William Blum
Anti-Empire Report, May 1, 2008 The Anti-Empire Report Read this or George W. Bush will be president the rest of your life May 1, 2008 www.killinghope.org Since I gave up hope, I feel better. ‘More than any time in history, mankind now faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness, the other… Continue reading
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MEDIA LENS ALERT: FLEXIBLE FRIENDS – THE OBSERVER, THE INDEPENDENT, AND THE MYTH OF A MEDIA SPECTRUM
On reflection, it seems incredibly naïve to imagine that free speech will flourish under corporate capitalism. It is true that we do not face the kind of physical threats offered by a totalitarian system – but so what? For most people, the threat of serious damage to a lucrative, high status career is enough to… Continue reading
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Media Lens: EXTRA ZERO An Exchange With The Independent’s John Rentoul
9 April, 2008 — MEDIA LENS: Correcting for the distorted vision of the corporate media In the wake of the July 7, 2005 London bombings, the Independent’s John Rentoul commented: “A Muslim friend of mine in the East End of London says that the sense of victimisation and injustice goes so deep among his fellow… Continue reading
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MEDIA LENS ALERT: ‘WITH TOTAL DESTRUCTION’ – THE FAILURE OF JOURNALISM IN IRAQ
<strong class=’StrictlyAutoTagBold’>MEDIA <strong class=’StrictlyAutoTagBold’>LENS: Correcting for the distorted vision of the corporate media On March 22, an Economist magazine editorial described the recent violence in Tibet as a “colonial uprisingâ€, a “revolt†against foreign occupation. This was accurate, as was the implication that China has no legitimate claims over Tibet. (‘A colonial uprising – Tibet,’… Continue reading
The New Dark Age 