April 2019 - Page 2 of 5 - Toward Freedom

Trump’s Veto of Yemen Bill Will Lead to Escalation of Regional Conflict

Thalif Deen April 22, 2019 Thalif Deen

President Donald Trump’s decision to veto a bi-partisan Congressional resolution to end US military involvement in a devastating Saudi-led four-year conflict in Yemen is expected to escalate the ongoing war in the trouble-plagued region.The weapons used by the Saudis in the reckless bombing of mostly civilian targets, including schools and hospitals, are largely from the United States: F-15 fighter planes, Bell helicopters, drones, air-to-surface missiles, M60 battle tanks, laser-guided bombs and heavy artillery.

Kenya’s Refugee Reporters

Sally Hayden April 22, 2019 Sally Hayden

"We need more than rations," explains Asrat, who came to a refugee camp in Kenya from Ethiopia. "We want to express our views and be heard."

Winona LaDuke: How To Build the Zero-Carbon Economy

Winona LaDuke April 22, 2019 Winona LaDuke

The Green New Deal sets an ambitious goal. Here’s how to get there.

We must ensure US public lands stay public, or risk ‘demolition of society’

Kate Aronoff April 22, 2019 Kate Aronoff

Source: The Guardian

A lawyer and longtime energy lobbyist, the new interior secretary, David Bernhardt, has one goal in mind: handing as much land as possible to corporations.

Who are America’s public lands for? The answer to that question might seem self-evident: the public. The newly confirmed interior secretary, David Bernhardt – officially charged with stewarding them – has a different interpretation. A lawyer and longtime energy lobbyist, he has shuffled between posts on K Street and in the federal government with one goal in mind: handing as much of that land as possible over to corporations, particularly his friends and clients in the oil and gas industry eager to snap up new leases for mining and drilling. read more

The Persisting Relevance of Walter Rodney’s “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa”

Giovanni Vimercati April 22, 2019 Giovanni Vimercati

Source: Los Angeles Review of Books

THAT WALTER RODNEY’S How Europe Underdeveloped Africa still reads cogently after almost 50 years has more to do with how little things have changed rather than with any prophetic quality of the text or its author. If anything, it shows how resilient (neo)colonialism has proved to be as well as how fundamentally untouched its economic edifice remains. The apparent paradox whereby the richest continent on earth (in natural resources) is also the poorest hasn’t lost any of its bitter irony. Africa is at the very center of global economic interests, with major powers still scrambling over its highly lucrative resources. Though stereotypically perceived as the quintessential recipient of humanitarian aid, Africa still is, for the most part, being deprivedof (its own) wealth rather than benefiting from charitable, outside help. read more

How Sudan’s Protesters Upped the Ante, and Forced al-Bashir from Power

Andrew Edward Tchie April 16, 2019 Andrew Edward Tchie

Many have described the Sudanese uprising as a “bread protest” against a rise in inflation. In fact the Sudanese people took to the streets for much more than a struggling economy, or the price of bread. They have been calling for freedom, peace, justice and the downfall of the regime. And they have finally won.