Special Coverage: World

From the blogs

Beat the Pundits ... Here's the Afghanistan Speech, What Do You Think?

by Staff, AlterNet

Raw text here.

Why Is Politico Coddling Dick Cheney Again?

by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly

More softballs than summer camp. The Obama administration is understandably vexed.

2011: Obama's Plan for Escalation and Withdrawal in Afghanistan

by Meteor Blades, Daily Kos

Obama's plan will have troops deployed faster than expected.

Naomi Klein: Why Rich Countries Should Pay Reparations To Poor Countries For The Climate Crisis

by Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!

A grassroots movement says that the countries that created the climate crisis should pay for the costs of adapting to a more hostile ecology.

Dubai May Finally Be Broke, But It's Been Morally Bankrupt All Along

by Johann Hari, AlterNet

Yes, it has Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts and the Gucci styles, but beneath these accouterments, there is a dictatorship built by slaves.

Rick Warren Refuses to Condemn Death Penalty for Homosexuals

by Allison Kilkenny, True/Slant

Warren refuses to reject the radical ideas of Martin Ssempa, a rabidly anti-choice and anti-gay Ugandan pastor who has visited to his Saddleback Church.

Selling Out Democracy in Honduras: The U.S. and the Honduran Election

by Isabel Macdonald, AlterNet

Honduras' November 29 election has been rightfully scorned as a sham by political leaders across the hemisphere. With the exception, that is, of President Obama.

Scahill and Olbermann on Blackwater: Murderous Crusaders for Christ

by Joshua Holland, AlterNet

Scary stuff.

Word "Canadian" So "Reviled in Some Places" that Visiting Canucks Say They're Americans

by Joshua Holland, AlterNet

An odd turn.

Tiny Michigan Town Tells Liz Cheney to Take her Fearmongering Elsewhere

by BarbinMD, Daily Kos

Someplace where they're all wusses.

A Humanitarian Disaster in the Making Along the Chad-Cameroon Oil Pipeline -- Who's Watching?

Brendan Schwartz, Valery Nodem, AlterNet. December 2, 2009.
The discovery of oil in Chad was supposed to allieviate poverty and human suffering, but it's only enriched Western Oil companies and the local dictators.

Obama's Misguided War Speech Shouldn't Be the Last Word on Afghanistan

John Nichols, The Nation. December 1, 2009.
Presidents are not supposed to begin and end the discussion about war. With both parties divided over Afghanistan, it's time for Congress to debate the Obama's war plan.

Will A Long-Awaited Israel/Palestine Prisoner Swap Finally Go Through?

Jerrold Kessel, Pierre Klochendler, IPS News. December 1, 2009.
Whether or not Marwan Barghouti will be among those released on the Palestinian side could have important implications for the peace process.

Michael Moore: An Open Letter to President Obama on Afghanistan

Michael Moore, MichaelMoore.com. December 1, 2009.
You still have the opportunity to save thousands of lives and live up to your campaign promises. Don't become the next war president, Mr. Obama.

Former Member of Afghan Parliament: Obama, We Don't Want a Troop Surge in Our Country

Malalai Joya, Comment Is Free. December 1, 2009.
If Barack Obama heralds an escalation of the war, he will betray his own message of hope and deepen my people's pain.

Amy Goodman Detained at Canadian Border; Guards Demand Notes For Speaking Event

Amy Goodman, Juan Gonzalez, Democracy Now!. November 30, 2009.
Border guards held Goodman and her colleagues for an hour and a half, searching their belongings and telling them they could only stay in the country for two days.

Politicians' Symbolic Opposition to Afghan Escalation is Pointless As Long As Congress Keeps Writing Checks

Norman Solomon, AlterNet. November 30, 2009.
It doesn't much matter whether people "support" the escalation. What matters is whether they openly oppose it -- and, if so, how vocally and emphatically.

Whatever Happened to the CIA Black Sites?

David Corn, Mother Jones. November 26, 2009.
The CIA ordered its secret prisons closed, but lawyers for terrorism suspects want them preserved as possible evidence -- and the CIA won't say what's going on.

The Battle of Durban II: New Film Brings Dose of Sanity to Debate Over Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Brian White, Gotcha Movies. November 26, 2009.
It's a great feat to bring an even view to international politics. The Battle of Durbin II does just that.

Citing "National Defense Needs," Obama Administration Says it Won't Sign Ban on Land Mines

Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!. November 26, 2009.
Stephen Goose, director of Human Rights Watch's arms division, called the decision to keep the Bush-era policy "an appalling decision."

Is Obama Following in the Footsteps of Bill Clinton?

Jeff Cohen, AlterNet. November 26, 2009.
Obama's shown a Clinton-like willingness to roll over progressives to enact corrupt legislation and compromise for the votes of Republicans.

Palestinian Children Face Daily Attacks While Going to School

Mel Frykberg, IPS News. November 25, 2009.
A safe walk to school is something many American children take for granted. Not so for many Palestinian youths who are facing attacks from Israeli settlers.

Murder at Guantanamo? The Mysterious, Unsolved Death of Mohammad Saleh al Hanashi

Jeffrey S. Kaye, TruthOut.org. November 25, 2009.
Mohammad Saleh al Hanashi was found dead inside a psych ward at Guantanamo. It was ruled a suicide. But disturbing evidence suggest the truth may be far uglier.

What Nidal Hasan, Timothy McVeigh, and the Beltway Sniper Have in Common: All Were Scarred by Pointless U.S. Wars

Nora Eisenberg, AlterNet. November 25, 2009.
Some of the most notorious massacres of the past 15 years have been committed by veterans whose brains have been severely damaged from trauma or exposure to toxic chemicals.

Obama Will Announce 34,000-Troop Escalation in Afghanistan 'Within Days'

Agence France Presse. November 24, 2009.
Obama faces a U.S. public sharply divided on the war and calls from some Democratic allies to set a flexible timetable for withdrawal.

Did American Commandos Slaughter Afghan Civilians in Bala Murghab? Residents Say Yes.

Mustafa Saber, Institute for War and Peace Reporting. November 24, 2009.
Residents of Takht-e-Bazaar say U.S. commandos landed in their area on November 6 and began shooting indiscriminately during a search for missing U.S. troops.

Blackwater's Secret War in Pakistan Revealed

Jeremy Scahill, The Nation. November 24, 2009.
An elite division of Blackwater plans targeted assassinations of suspected Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives in Pakistan. And everyone's denying it.

The Obama Speech America Is Dying to Hear: "This Administration Ended, Rather Than Extended, Two Wars"

Tom Engelhardt, Tomdispatch.com. November 23, 2009.
Any day now, Obama will make an announcement about the number of soldiers he wants in Afghanistan. Here's the speech he should give.

Are We Really 'Withdrawing' from Bush's Wars? Quietly, US Constructs Even More Bases in the Mideast

Nick Turse, Tomdispatch.com. November 23, 2009.
The news is focused on a future U.S. withdrawal from Iraq -- but the withdrawal isn't to send the military presence home -- it's into bases across the Persian Gulf.

Labor Against the War Shifting Sights to Afghanistan Occupation

Jane Slaughter, Labor Notes. November 23, 2009.
Because of domestic issues like health care reform, many unions have remained silent about Afghanistan. That's about to change.

The Story of 500 Years of Global Greed and Misery

Lucy Komisar, IPS News. November 23, 2009.
"The End of Poverty?", a documentary by Philippe Diaz, paints a lurid picture of globalization's role in the First World/Third World rift.

Will There Be Justice for the Victims of El Salvador's Jesuit Massacre?

Pamela Merchant, AlterNet. November 23, 2009.
El Salvador's President Funes has affirmed his commitment to seeking the full truth of the military's role in the massacre.

Army Sends Mom to Afghanistan, Infant to Protective Services

Dahr Jamail, AlterNet. November 21, 2009.
"This would do irreparable harm to her child. I think they are doing this to punish her."

Why Is Congress Demonizing an Investigation of Israel's War Crimes in Gaza?

Bill Moyers, Bill Moyers Journal. November 20, 2009.
Recognition of human rights expert Richard Goldston's investigation is essential to the peace process in Israel and Palestine -- and the Congress is trying to demonize it.

Reagan Didn't End the Cold War -- Leftist Intellectuals Did

Stephen Zunes, AlterNet. November 20, 2009.
Reagan was inspirational, but to claim he defeated Communism is a disservice to the millions of Eastern Europeans who struggled against great odds for their freedom.

'The Things We Do to Make It Home' -- Novel Takes Us Back to Soldiers' Horrors of Vietnam

Andy Kroll, AlterNet. November 20, 2009.
Author Beverly Gologorsky explores the tragic, scarring experiences for Vietnam vets in her new novel, and discusses the parallels she sees in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Iraq Throws Obama a Curve Ball, Key 2010 Elections in Peril

Raed Jarrar, Erik Leaver, AlterNet. November 19, 2009.
Obama has muddied the waters in his response to the current election crisis.

U.S. Christian Right Activists Pushing Death Penalty for Homosexuals in Poor African State

Christi van der Westhuizen, IPS News. November 18, 2009.
Some believe a slew of new, homophobic laws are an attempt to preserve Uganda's shaky patriarchy.

Still No Justice for Priests in Notorious El Salvador Massacre 20 Years Later

Norman Stockwell, AlterNet. November 18, 2009.
In 1989, six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter, were brutally murdered in El Salvador. Two decades later, the extent of U.S. complicity remains largely unspoken.

An Inside Look at Nepotism and Corruption in Karzai's Afghanistan

Pratap Chatterjee, Tomdispatch.com. November 18, 2009.
An eye-opening inside look at how the system of nepotism and corruption in Afghanistan actually works.

Sign up

RSS Feed

Check out the World News RSS feed!

From the blogs

Sign up

Newsletter

RSS Feed