This is how the US political website Politico, in its daily email, reported yesterday’s Obama administration media appearances to sell the Afghan “surge”. Who really runs the show, the generals or Obama himself? More importantly, do the Afghans themselves really matter to the so-called journalists asking the questions? SECRETARIES CLINTON AND GATES TAPED JOINT INTERVIEWS…
Showing all posts tagged United States
Stranger than fiction
My following article appears in the latest edition of Sydney Ideas Quarterly: Myth or reality? Antony Loewenstein examines the case of the vanishing books The days of mass-produced, printed books may be ending. At the recent Frankfurt Book Fair, leading American publishers brought fewer staff, which may suggest some ugly truths about the state of…
Stop 30 billion dollars in “aid” to Israel
Muzzlewatch on the brave souls in the US fighting America’s slavish relationship with the Jewish state: Back in April, after gaining approval for text and design, anti-occupation activists in New Mexico signed a contract with Lamar Advertising to display 10 billboards (pictured at left) for 8 weeks. But after only 3 weeks, and a pressure…
Americans want some quality time on their own (and the world says thanks)
The idea of American engagement around the world bringing greater stability and peace is highly questionable. Ask the people of Palestine, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and a host of other countries how they feel about Washington’s footprint. These results aren’t all that surprising. Perhaps some in the US will start to wonder what their country is…
Haaretz says American officials face ‘pro-Israel’ background check
This Haaretz story is the kind of tale that would rarely if ever appear in the Western press: Every appointee to the American government must endure a thorough background check by the American Jewish community. In the case of Obama’s government in particular, every criticism against Israel made by a potential government appointee has become…
Refugees in America are given a terrible deal
A terrible reality about America’s immigration policy is how little the general public actually sees: The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency’s increasing practice of transferring immigrants facing deportation to detention centers far away from their homes severely curtails their ability to challenge their deportation, Human Rights Watch says in a report released today. The agency…
Saudi Arabia loves the smell of burning flesh in the morning
It isn’t only the Israelis and Americans who use banned weapons (and boast about it): Houthi fighters say Saudi forces have intensified their attacks on northern Yemen, using unconventional weapons against civilians in residential areas. According to the fighters, Saudis use toxic materials including white phosphorous bombs against civilians in north Yemen, Arabic-language Sa’ada Online…
Truth and lies in journalism, it’s really doesn’t matter
Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting highlights a really extraordinary piece of commentary: Time columnist Joe Klein (12/3/09)was not altogether impressed by Obama’s announcement of a 30,000 troop escalation in Afghanistan (an “iffy proposition,” as Klein put it). But Klein’s main point was that Obama should have justified the war differently: “Once you have made the…
Crushing balls has become an American favourite
Salon’s Glenn Greenwald: With the new [poll] numbers, it’s virtually impossible to find a country with as high a percentage of torture supporters as the… U.S. has.
How to resist every day of our lives
Resist is a project devised by Marc Silver, a global attempt to document ways in which people challenge the established power structure. Here’s the trailer thus far: Having received hundreds of stories of resistance from all over the world, we’ve spent the last few months focusing on the Wall that is being built along the…