Global Notebook 8-10-05
GLOBAL
Factions fighting over
MEXICO CITY – Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who left his job as
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The New American Security State
Fresh on the heels of the London bombings, the U.S. government has been quick to exploit these incidents to further usher in the new security state, which claims to protect citizens from a threat it wishes the public to imagine requires governmental solutions. Never mind that none of these new measures actually increase anyone's security, except the security of those in power from those they govern.
The IMF and Usury: Crime Without Punishment
"Blaming the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the difficulties faced by a country in times of crisis is like blaming the doctor for the patient's disease". This statement and others like "the IMF does not represent the interests of the G8" are part of an outrageous manual that teaches the organization's officers how to reply to the uncomfortable questions asked by the press. Perhaps, the text became effective after a reporter asked Anne Krueger - First Deputy Managing Director of the IMF - if her organization was responsible for the increasing poverty in
Fear and the Nuclear Option
Twenty years ago, when people concerned about nuclear weapons warned about a "war without winners," they were accused of spreading fear and negativity. The counter-argument was that the U.S. nuclear arsenal was a shield protecting the west from a Soviet Union bent on world domination.
60 Years Later: A Look at Hiroshima
August 6, 2005 marks the 60th anniversary of Democratic President Truman's use of the atomic bomb against the people of
Israel-Palestine: Solutions in the Midst of Crisis
International media has failed itself in covering the conflict in Israel and Palestine. Following the standard tenet, "if it bleeds, it leads," newspapers, radio, and the internet have continued to showcase the gore and ignore the solution-oriented work that many people in the region have dedicated themselves to. During a recent trip to Palestine, I stayed in the home of Fatima Khaldi in Qarawa Bani Hassan, a town in the West Bank continually threatened with the construction of the separation wall. Fatima founded and directs the organization Women for Life in the village of Biddya. Her group has a range of purposes, which revolve around empowering Palestinian women to take charge of their lives and become involved in politics. [Photo: Doors recovered from bombed homes, painted by children's art therapy group, Nablus, West Bank]