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Hungary: The Radical Right and the Neo-Liberalist State

It's no longer raining in Budapest. Although the clouds of commotion which hung over the October 23rd anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution should have dissipated along with the official end to the ceremonies, they still hang heavy over the capital. Indeed, Friday, October 26th saw a new round of disturbances as groups of protesters blockaded traffic on two major bridges in the capital as well as on a major street. Still, all things considered, the anniversary commemorating the Hungarian Revolution passed off in a relatively peaceful manner this year.

"Nationalized" Bolivian Gas Plant

Latin America’s New Petro-Politics

"Nationalized" Bolivian Gas Plant
In his 2006 State of the Union address, President Bush famously stated that "America is addicted to oil." He soon followed that proclamation with an announcement that his solution to the addiction is to diversify U.S. sources of oil - not to diversify away from oil with clean, renewable sources of energy.  That is sure to mean increased U.S. political attention to Latin America. Oil multinationals are already looking to intensify drilling operations in Latin America, because that's where the oil is.

Michael Servetus

Michael Servetus: To Kill a Man Does Not Defend an Idea

Servetus
At a time when there is increasing sectarian violence in Iraq, when the Baha'i are banned in Iran, when questions of belief are increasingly part of political debate, it is useful to mark the milestones on the long road to freedom of conscience. October 27, 1553 was such a milestone, for October 27th was the day Michael Servetus was burned at the stake on a hill outside the walls of the Republic of Geneva. His crimes were heresy and blasphemy.

Photo from indymedia.org.nz

21st Century Colonialism: New Zealand Government Not Fit to Sit on UN Human Rights Council

On September 14th of this year, the New Zealand government and three other governments (Canada, USA and Australia) shared the dubious distinction as the only states to vote against the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The announcement came at the end of a shocking week where Maori sovereignty campaigners, environmentalists, and other activists had been arrested in a major series of Police raids throughout the country, under the post-9/11 Suppression of Terrorism Act.