When the war in Afghanistan is truly over – ie. never – mineral exploitation is likely to bring further strife to the country. Western multinationals aiming to make a killing? Alas, yes, writes McClatchy: An Afghan-American company that failed to win a multibillion-dollar contract to develop one of Afghanistan’s most lucrative mines alleges that the…
Showing all posts in June 2019
RIP Anthony Shadid
The New York Times has a moving obituary of this truly great journalist; a rare mainstream reporter who realised that the big stories aren’t about “important people but the effect of power on citizens of the world, in his case the Middle East.
Helping PNG by leaving the country breath on its own
During my recent visit to Papua New Guinea, I constantly heard complaints about the absurd number of Western advisers who were coming to the country telling locals how to live their lives. It’s a form of neo-colonialism. This is therefore good news: Australia’s international aid agency says it has now saved more than $US90 million…
American “freedom fighter” in Libya
Matthew VanDyke fought alongside Libyan forces opposed to Gaddafi. His message when he returned to America? It [Libya] will be a democratic, capitalist country. Apparently that’s what freedom means:
Wikileaks shows failure of MSM in pursuing real leaks (not officially sanctioned one)
I was recently interviewed for a global series about Wikileaks called Did You Have Any Idea? (part one is here):
American disaster in Yemen; Jeremy Scahill on blowback personified
American independent journalist Jeremy Scahill believes in actual reporting. Controversial idea in an age where the vast majority of corporate hacks in the MSM barely leave the office or simply receive sanctioned leaks. He’s just returned from Yemen where he finds the Obama administration conducting a violent counter-terrorist program that is achieving little more than…
What you need to know about the Afghan war and aren’t afraid to ask
With the war in Afghanistan an unmitigated clusterfuck, it’s remarkable still how many voices in the corporate press talk about goals, achievements and possibilities (usually given by anonymous “officials”). American journalist Michael Hastings obtains a fascinating document recently that reveals the depth of the mess: Earlier this week, the… New York Times’ Scott Shane published… a bombshell…
Civil strife serious possibility in PNG due to vulture capitalism
My following investigation appears in Crikey today: The story led the business pages in Papua New Guinea’s… Post-Courier… in early February. “Analyst: PNG on verge of change” screamed the headline. British-based market analysts Bdaily Business Network praised the $US17.3 billion Exxon-Mobil led LNG project. “[It] is the most important single development in the history of PNG”, it…
Post Gaddafi Libya for North Koreans
My friend Yaara Bou-Melhem on Al-Jazeera tells the story of Asian migrant workers: