Keyword: United States of America

The People Speak

The 2009 Sundance Film Festival took place from 15-25 January in the United States. The festival profiles independent film makers and alternative issues. This year the festival honoured Howard Zinn, political scientist and co-author of  "Voices of a People's History of the United States." Robert Redford, Marissa Tomei, Josh Brolin and Woody Harrelson read excerpts from his book at the festival. To view their recitals, watch the clip on this page. The book constructs the lives...

Noam Chomsky: Obama's Stance on the Gaza Crisis is Similar to the Bush Position

Picture: Barack Obama Democracy Now - JUAN GONZALEZ: President Obama has made his first substantive remarks on the crisis in Gaza since being elected. Obama was speaking at the State Department, flanked by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as he named two key envoys. Retired Senate majority leader George Mitchell, who negotiated a lasting agreement in Northern Ireland, will be Middle East envoy. And Richard Holbrooke, who brokered a deal in the Balkans in the mid-1990s, will be envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan. In his...

The Role of Corporations and International Financial Institutions in the Congo Conflict

Maurice Carney of Friends of the Congo contends that corporate interests drive all decision-making in Congo. Quoting from research conducted by the International Rescue Committee and NGO Global Witness, Carney names American and Canadian companies involved in the plunder of Congo. The IMF and World Bank are also implicated in reports that reveal how their conditional loans further exacerbate the conflict and the suffering of the Congolese people. Nita Evele of Congo Global Action sheds light...

Obama and Gaza

Author of the book, "American Raj," Eric Margolis argues that Hamas is regarded by US-backed governments in the Middle East as a threat.  These states tend to be monarchies, dictatorships and oligarchies that do very little for their people, while Hamas delivers a revolutionary message against corruption, he says. Margolis contends that there was a collusion between the United States, israel, Egypt and Britain to lock up Gaza, put it under siege and try and crush the life out...

A Message From Progressive Americans to President Obama: Ten Things to Avoid

Picture: www.art.com Alternet Staff - As Inauguration Day arrives, the citizens of our country are on the edge of their collective seats waiting to see who the real Barack Obama is, and how he will step up to address the worst economic crisis since the Depression. Adding to his burden, Obama is following George W. Bush, who may go down as the most failed and destructive president in history. As a result, in addition to the financial disaster, Obama inherits two wars and a huge array of counterproductive policies perpetuated by...

Bush's Unconscionable Legacy

Picture: Steve Garfield Democracy Now - American President George W. Bush held his final news conference this past week. Bush fervently defended his record, saying he made the nation safer following the 9/11 attacks, rejected the idea that the nation’s moral standing has been damaged over the past eight years and defended the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina. Amy Goodman speaks with veteran White House correspondent Helen Thomas. She’s the most senior member of the White House press corps and has...