Story Archives - Page 523 of 662

Middle East Nuclear-weapon Free Zone: A Serious Start?

Rene Wadlow April 19, 2007 Rene Wadlow

Mohamed ElBaradei, Director of the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) called on Iran and Israel to enter into serious negotiations to create a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East - a zone in which both Israel and Iran would be members. He was speaking on April 15, 2007 following talks in Jordan with King Abdullah II. Jordan, caught between Iraq and growing tensions between Israel and Palestine, has been trying to play a more active role of regional peacemaker.

Soy cultivation spells doom for Paraguayan campesinos

April Howard & Benjamin Dangl, In These Times April 17, 2007 April Howard & Benjamin Dangl, In These Times

Rural eastern Paraguay used to be full of jungle, small farms, schools and wildlife. Now it is a green sea of soybeans. The families, trees and birds are gone. The schools are empty. The air is filled with the toxic stench of the pesticides like paraquat and 2,4-D used to protect the soy crops.

Behind the Road to War: Part III of A People’s History of Iran

Bob Feldman April 17, 2007 Bob Feldman

Much of the hidden history of Iran since the CIA helped the Shah of Iran set up a police state in Iran prior to the 1979 Iranian Revolution remains unknown to many U.S. voters.

Militarizing the Border

Frida Berrigan, FPIF April 16, 2007 Frida Berrigan, FPIF

The sun was strong and so was the rhetoric, as President George W. Bush headed to Yuma, Arizona on April 9 to tackle the problem of illegal immigration. Flanked by uniformed border agents, national guardsmen and members of local law enforcement whose stiff formality emphasized his bare-armed enthusiasm, the president asserted that "securing the border is a critical part of a strategy for comprehensive immigration reform Congress is going to take up the legislation on immigration. It is a matter of national interest and it's a matter of deep conviction for me."

Oil and Violence in Sudan Drilling, Poverty and Death in Upper Nile State

Egbert Wesselink & Evelien Weller April 12, 2007 Egbert Wesselink & Evelien Weller

The discovery of oil in a developing country can be a blessing or a curse. In Sudan's case, oil exploration and development has helped fuel vicious warfare. The 2005 Sudan Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which brokered an end to fighting between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), offers a framework to depart from that brutal legacy, but so far its promise has not been realized.

Chiquita in Colombia: Terrorism Gone Bananas?

April Howard April 11, 2007 April Howard

What happens when "Business as Usual" clashes with the vocabulary of the "War on Terror"? We got a glimpse of one case this March when the Cincinnati-based Chiquita Brands International, Inc., paid a $25 million settlement to the United States Justice Department for paying off right-wing paramilitary groups in Colombia, groups which Washington classifies as "terrorist organizations."