United States
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Team Obama/Cult Obama By Bill Blum
I could go through the talk Obama gave in Cairo and point out line by line the hypocrisies, the mere platitudes, the plain nonsense, and the rest. (“I have unequivocally prohibited the use of torture by the United States.” — No mention of it being outsourced, probably to the very country he was speaking in,… Continue reading
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William Blum: Anti-Empire Report, Number 70 The great, international, demonic, truly frightening Iranian threat
On May 12, in New York City, a debate was held on the proposition that ‘Diplomacy With Iran Is Going Nowhere’ (English translation: ‘Should we bomb Iran?’). Arguing in the affirmative, were Liz Cheney, former State Department official (and daughter of a certain unindicted war criminal) and Dan Senor, formerly the top spokesman for Washington’s… Continue reading
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M. Junaid Levesque-Alam, “Pakistan at the Precipice”
After some searching, I realized that Pakistan’s existential crisis should not be seen as a shock but rather as an expected disappointment. The train of the Pakistani state did not jump the tracks; it merely arrived at the destination announced long ago by a series of indifferent conductors. Continue reading
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Unfit for Combat By Dahr Jamail
The shocking story of a soldier killing five of his comrades does not come as a surprise when we consider that the military has, for years now, been sending troops with untreated PTSD back into the US occupation of Iraq. Continue reading
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The Smearjob On the Durban World Conference Against Racism By Sid Shniad
Michel Warschawski of the Alternate Information Center in Israel provided a particularly powerful analysis of the significance of the original Durban conference and the events that have transpired since. According to Warschawski, the Durban conference marked a major success in the struggle against colonialism – so successful that it became a catalyst for an alliance… Continue reading
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Video – US strike in Afghanistan kills dozens
HERAT: Afghan villagers yesterday mourned relatives buried in mass graves after US-led airstrikes that the Red Cross said killed dozens and local officials said may have killed 100 civilians. Continue reading
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William Blum: Anti-Empire Report, Number 69 – Some thoughts about torture. And Mr. Obama.
the new administration has not categorically banned the outsourcing of torture, such as renditions, the sole purpose of which is to kidnap people and send them to a country to be tortured. Moreover, what do we know of all the CIA secret prisons, the gulag extending from Poland to the island of Diego Garcia? How… Continue reading
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Jamal Dajani, “Pakistan: Who’s to Blame?”
Pakistan is on a precipice. The Swat Valley, once called the Switzerland of Pakistan for its great natural beauty, is now the Taliban’s battle ground for Islamic fundamentalism where harsh Islamic (shari’a) law is imposed on the population and fully sanctioned by the Pakistani government. Continue reading
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Matthew Thomas Clement, “Energy (and Empire) in World History”
Nations like England and the United States, which have consumed and continue to consume vast quantities of energy, are not considered important factors in the changing relationship between human society and energy. By drawing from various other works (e.g., Bagchi 2005; Cronon 2003; Davis 2002), this paper will attempt to correct for Smil’s failure to… Continue reading
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War, Oil and Gas Pipelines: Turkey is Washington's Geopolitical Pivot By F. William Engdahl
For Washington Turkey today has become a geopolitical “pivot state” which is in the position to tilt the Eurasian power equation towards Washington or significantly away from it depending on how Turkey develops its ties with Moscow and its role regarding key energy pipelines. Continue reading
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No Coincidences in Iraq by Dahr Jamail
Following George W. Bush’s example of keeping war funding off the books, President Barack Obama is seeking $83.4 billion in additional “emergency” funding for the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which, if approved, would bring the 2009 funding to around $150 billion and the overall costs of the two wars to nearly $1 trillion. Continue reading
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Luis Bilbao: The grand duel — At the Fifth Summit of the Americas, a crucial battle is to be waged By Luis Bilbao
The time has arrived: to align with the North to engage in the futile business of saving capitalism, or define positions and accelerate towards South American unity, the complementary solidarity of the region’s economies and authentic sovereignty towards the good life for all. That is the option for which there is no possible postponement. Continue reading
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THE WINTER OF OMAR BASHIR’S DISCONTENT Keith Harmon Snow
The ICC can now be viewed as a tool of hegemonic U.S. foreign policy, where the weapons deployed by the U.S. and its allies include the accusations of, and indictments for, human rights violations, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Continue reading
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William Blum: Anti-Empire Report, Number 68, 4 April, 2009 Some thoughts about socialism
Wall Street has not only an army of lawyers and accountants, but a horde of mathematicians with advanced degrees searching for the perfect equations to separate people from their money. Continue reading
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Azmi Bishara: New US Thinking
The new US administration has stated repeatedly that it views the region from a perspective of Israeli security when it comes to Iran and uranium enrichment, as well as to resistance against Israeli occupation. Continue reading
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Pakistan’s Democracy Movement Flexes its Muscles By Tom Burghardt
It is no secret that the United States, first under Bush, and now under Obama, view Pakistan as the ‘central front’ in imperialism’s oxymoronic ‘war on terror.’ For decades, the U.S. has viewed Pakistan as little more than a ‘strategic asset’ to advance America’s geopolitical goals in Central- and South Asia. Continue reading
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Naval Gazing
The Pentagon argued that the United States can do whatever it wants in international waters. China responded that the Impeccable was in China’s 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone, which it says should be restricted to peaceful activities. Continue reading
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Yana AMELINA Saakashvili vs. Opposition
The opposition’s inability to unite is due not only to the colliding ambitions of its leaders but also to the fact that Washington has not yet offered financial support to Saakashvili’s potential successors. Nevertheless, the insane Saakashvili is no longer Washington’s favorite. Continue reading
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Ramzy Baroud – Durban II: Politicising Racism
Many countries are set to participate in the Conference against Racism, scheduled to be held in Geneva, April 20-25. But the highly touted international meet is already marred with disagreement after Israel, the United States and other countries decided not to participate Continue reading
The New Dark Age 