Month: December 2020

Russia’s Geopolitical Ambitions in Africa

Nikola Mikovic December 31, 2020 Nikola Mikovic

On November 16, 2020, Vladimir Putin authorized his Ministry of Defense to sign an agreement with Sudan to create a permanent Russian military base in Sudan on the Red Sea, guaranteeing Russia’s first substantial military foothold in Africa since the fall of the Soviet Union. In a continent which is fast becoming the new focus of East-West rivalry for control of its abundant natural resources--chief among them oil—observers are assessing Russia’s motives. What lies behind Moscow's decision to open a naval base in Sudan? And how has Russia’s chief adversaries in the great game for oil – the United States and its allies – responded?

Deb Haaland’s Nomination for Interior Sec. Is “Important Step” for Native Americans

Amy Goodman December 27, 2020 Amy Goodman

When President-Elect Joe Biden announced on December 17th that he had nominated a Native American congresswoman from New Mexico to head up the Department of Interior, indigenous communities across the nation reacted with astonishment and tears of joy. The Washington Post responded cautiously: “American Indians have high hopes that Deb Haaland, Biden’s pick for interior secretary, can reset the troubled relationship between the federal government and Indigenous peoples.” But then the paper added a caveat, “Can she deliver?” .

How Covid-19 is wiping out India’s traditional craft-making…and millions of jobs

Sanket Jain December 21, 2020 Sanket Jain

Narayan Desai, a traditional toymaker in India, has 1000 sheets of colorful paper – each a meter long—to make 12,000 pinwheels. It takes him roughly 200 hours of work over 24 days in order to convert the paper into that many pinwheels. In normal times, the 62-year-old toymaker would then travel to over 100 villages – covering 1000 miles to sell each pinwheel for Rs 10 (14 cents). This was Narayan’s routine for over four decades. However, in this year of the coronavirus pandemic, he managed to cover only 20 miles in eleven months. February 24 was the last he could sell pinwheels and other toys he handcrafts – earning only the equivalent of $27.00 in two days. Narayan didn’t know he would have to survive on this paltry sum for the next eight months.

Progressive Media Promoted a False Story of ‘Conflict Beef’ From Nicaragua

John Perry December 16, 2020 John Perry

Before publication of this article, attempts were made to persuade Reveal News and PBS Newshour to correct their stories or provide a right of reply. They refused, hence this article was first published by the website FAIR, which aims to correct false news coverage, on December 4. Reveal News editors, the journalist Nate Halverson and the Oakland Institute's director were all sent links to article and again asked to correct the original false story

All American Nativism: A Must Read on the Macabre History of America’s Long War on Immigrants

Jared Olson December 11, 2020 Jared Olson

The victory of Joe Biden occasions relief only insofar as we’ve prevented the immediate consolidation of twenty-first century fascism. But under Biden, a man who, along with President Obama, oversaw mass deportations of a scale surpassed only by Trump, the battle for ending border violence, and the system of global apartheid it upholds, will be a long one. Trump may have been one of the ugliest examples of All-American Nativism. But in a world buckling under the weight of climate change, inequality and militarism, fighting back against it means recognizing the problem goes far beyond just him.

A Cry for Help: Burlington’s Sister City in Nicaragua is a Major Disaster Zone

Charlotte Dennett December 8, 2020 Charlotte Dennett

Members of the Burlington (VT)-Puerto Cabezas Sister City Program (established in 1984 by then-Mayor Bernie Sanders and the Burlington City Council) are putting out an urgent call for help. Dan Higgins, a professional photographer who has documented the lives and livelihoods of the people of “Port” over two decades, is heading up the campaign., “A lot of communities lost their roofs," he told Toward Freedom.  "Houses are wrecked. It's a major disaster." Roughly 2,000 homes were destroyed..