In my recently released book, After Zionism, there’s a range of views that don’t fit neatly into traditional categories. On yesterday’s ABC Radio National’s Religion and Ethics Report… with Andrew West, one of the book’s contributors offered his vision: There is a stalemate in the Middle East – no longer any tangible peace process between Israel…
Showing all posts tagged human rights
You’ve been water-boarded but it’s illegal to talk about it
If you need the definition of Orwellian in the American “justice” system post 9/11, here’s the perfect example (via Pro Publica): In a motion… unsealed last week, the government proposed new ground rules for classified information in the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others charged with planning the 9/11 attacks. The new order says…
Remembering the slaughter in Sri Lanka
Last week saw the London launch of a new book by Frances Harrison called Still Counting the Dead. Harrison is a former BBC foreign correspondent. The work is about the civil war in Sri Lanka and the killing of tens of thousands of Tamils in the slaughter. Here’s video of the event:
US peace group Code Pink in Pakistan protesting drone strikes
An Australian friend of mine was on this remarkable march and he’ll be writing something about it soon. It’s vital to raise awareness of the fact that US drone attacks are often indiscriminate and kill countless civilians. American peace group Code Pink, with whom I was in Cairo a few years ago for the Gaza…
This is what we’re leaving in Afghanistan; likely chaos
International Crisis Group doesn’t mince words in its latest report: Plagued by factionalism and corruption, Afghanistan is far from ready to assume responsibility for security when U.S. and NATO forces withdraw in 2014. That makes the political challenge of organising a credible presidential election and transfer of power from President Karzai to a successor that…
Speech in support of Wikileaks and against 11 years of war in Afghanistan
This month is the 11th anniversary of the Afghan war, a disastrous conflict that has achieved nothing more than destruction for Afghans and foreigners. Yesterday Sydney’s Stop the War Coalition held a rally to mark this anniversary as well as supporting Wikileaks and Julian Assange in their struggle to tell the truth about Afghanistan, via…
Recovery in Haiti doesn’t mean selling the joint to the highest bidder
During my recent visit to Haiti, working on a book and documentary about disaster capitalism, it was very clear that the US government, many NGOs and multinationals all wanted a piece of the country. And it’s working out badly. There’s a new book about how outside forces, especially Washington, continually attempt to control Haiti by…
When the corporate media is oh-so-keen to be bought
Here’s a disturbing report from Glenn Greenwald in the Guardian about CNN and its apparent willingness to broadcast sponsored news from less than savoury regimes. Is this what the crisis in journalism is leading to? Bought “news” on a supposedly independent channel?
That is what global “help” looks like in Afghanistan
America and China talk about assisting the war-torn country but the reality is so very different. The result? A supposed need to bring in private companies to fix the mess: