Story

Image

Tracking Your Every Move: ‘Enhancing’ Driver’s Licenses at the Cost of Privacy

Christopher Parsons October 28, 2008 Christopher Parsons

Provincial and state governments in North America are proposing to 'enhance' driver's licenses in coming years by including a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips in them. These 'enhanced' licenses emit unique identifiers and will be optional when they are first available to the public, though they will be required to enter the United States using a driver's license beginning in July 2009. The proposed Enhanced Driver's Licenses (EDLs) are intended to be associated with border security, but are also accompanied with concerns linked to individuals' reasonable expectations of privacy.

Photo from Flickr

Tenuous Agreement on Maintaining U.S. Troops in Iraq

Phyllis Bennis October 27, 2008 Phyllis Bennis

Despite the recent surge of attention to the U.S.-Iraqi negotiations over an agreement to keep U.S. troops in Iraq for years into the future, the resulting agreement or lack of agreement is likely to have little actual impact on the occupation. The negotiations are being conducted by representatives of President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki - neither of whom actually want the U.S. troops to leave.

photos by José Luis Quintana.MIN-PRESIDENCIA/ABI

Bolivia: Congress Approves Referendum on Constitution

Benjamin Dangl October 23, 2008 Benjamin Dangl

Marching to La Paz (ABI)
After months of street battles and political meetings, a new draft of the Bolivian constitution was ratified by Congress on October 21. A national referendum on whether or not to make the document official is scheduled for January 25, 2009. "Now we have made history," President Evo Morales told supporters in La Paz. "This process of change cannot be turned back... neoliberalism will never return to Bolivia."

Image

Come Late, Leave Early: Russia-Georgia-Abkhazia-South Ossetia Negotiations

René Wadlow October 22, 2008 René Wadlow

Palais des Nations
At the Palais des Nations - the UN's European headquarters- on October 15, 2008, there was an uneven start to negotiations among Russian, Georgian, Abkhazian and South Ossetian negotiators. The Russian representatives arrived 50 minutes late unsure if the representatives of Abkhazia and South Ossetia would be able to participate as full members. After a half hour of discussions in the hallways and offices set aside for the negotiators, a meeting was started.

Photo from Africom.mil

Africom, Militarization and Resource Control

Nunu Kidane October 21, 2008 Nunu Kidane

Combined Joint Task Forces, Uganda
For years, the US never considered Africa as a priority foreign policy agenda. The only context in which Africa came up in Washington was for preferential trade as in AGOA (Africa Growth and Opportunity Act) or in AIDS-funding and of course humanitarian assistance. Despite its continued use of the term 'partnership with Africa', no administration viewed Africa as anything but a source of extractive resources and a perpetual conflict ridden region with few business opportunities. So now, when the US declares Africa to be a very important region and pays special attention to it, one has got to be suspicious.