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Dahr Jamail

Unembedded Reporting From Iraq: An Interview with Dahr Jamail

Benjamin Dangl October 31, 2005 Benjamin Dangl

In 2003, tired of the US media's inaccurate portrayal of the realities of the Iraq War, independent journalist Dahr Jamail headed to the conflict himself. Instead of following in the footsteps of mainstream media's embedded, "Hotel Journalists," Jamail hit the Iraqi streets to uncover the stories most reporters were missing. His countless interviews with Iraqi citizens and from-the-ground reporting have offered a horrific look into the bowels of the US occupation. From covering the bloody siege of Falluja to breaking a story on Bechtel's failure to reconstruct water treatment plants, his writing and photographs depict an Iraq that is much worse off now than it was before the US invasion. As one Abu Ghraib detainee explained to Jamail, "the Americans brought electricity to my ass before they brought it to my house."

Uruguay Protest

Cellulose and Forestation: Two Sides of a Predatory Model

Raúl Zibechi October 27, 2005 Raúl Zibechi

The construction of two huge cellulose factories on the Uruguay River that threaten to pollute the binational stream illustrates how a model of forestry imposed by neoliberalism in the 1990s is gaining ground in the Southern Cone. Standing on a makeshift stage in the center of Montevideo, writer Eduardo Galeano addressed the crowd in a calm tone: "There are decisions that are made in 15 minutes but have consequences for centuries." It was May 27, 2005 during a demonstration against the construction of two huge cellulose factories on the shores of the Uruguay River. It was not the first time that environmental and social organizations had taken to the streets to protest the two megaprojects, which threaten to pollute the country's main river, shared with Argentina. But it was the first time that it was done under a progressive or leftist government.

Laura Flanders

Laura Flanders: Anti-War Radio Journalist

Bob Feldman October 26, 2005 Bob Feldman

Laura Flanders is one of the most influential anti-war journalists in the United States. Her tough debating skills, powerful intellect and sharp wit have made her a force to reckon with in media today. In addition to hosting countless radio shows, including her current program on Air America Radio, she recently came out with Bushwomen, a book that examines the background of powerful Republican Party women like Condoleezza Rice and Lynn Cheney. Flanders became involved in activism in the 1980s as a student Barnard College, where she circulated petitions against the U.S. government's intervention in Central America and demonstrated against Columbia University's refusal to divest itself of its investments in U.S. corporations doing business in South Africa during the apartheid era. Flanders initially became involved in the U.S. alternative media world as a radical filmmaker.

9/11 Collapse

Mission improbable: Challenging the official story of 9/11

Greg Guma October 24, 2005 Greg Guma

For more than four years, the public has repeatedly been urged to ignore "outrageous" conspiracy theories about the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that set in motion the so-called "war on terrorism." However, the official explanation that has been provided - and widely embraced - also requires the acceptance of a theory, one involving a massive intelligence failure, 19 Muslim hijackers under the sway of Osama bin Laden, and the inability of the world's most advanced Air Force to intercept four commercial airplanes.

Abidjan

Conflict, Crisis and Soccer in Côte d’Ivoire

R.G.C. October 19, 2005 R.G.C.

Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire is the world's largest cocoa exporter, producing 43% of the planet's supply. For thirty years, cocoa production, in addition to coffee crops, logging and seaport activities, constituted the backbone of this West African republic's economic success, enabling political stability and social harmony. Thus, while most African countries were engaged in violent struggles for independence, Cold War geo-politics or ethnic conflicts, Côte d'Ivoire was one of the continent's success stories. Today however, Abidjan's modern skyline is only a reminder of the days of peace, unity and prosperity. The critical Presidential election of October 30 has been postponed due to technical and political unfeasibility, and that is only the tip of the iceberg.