September 2009

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The Existential Threat: The US, Iran and Nuclear Terror

Picture: Cecilia Anthony DiMaggio - Iran’s admission that it will be enriching uranium at a second nuclear site was greeted with alarm in the halls of Washington and in American newsrooms on last Friday. Obama has long warned about the “existential threat” that Iran poses to the U.S. and its allies. Concern over a nuclear Iran is understandable for those who are committed to the abolition of nuclear weapons, and for those who worry about the danger that nuclear proliferation poses for human survival. It should...

G20, Great Show

Picture: Cacioman Fazila Farouk - How charming it’s been to see photographs of the “Obama’s looking cute” waiting for their guests to arrive at the G20 dinner in Pittsburgh. We are told that the leaders of the world’s strongest economies dined on organic food, giving the nod to Michelle Obama’s organic food garden at the White House and also connecting the summit to the principle of sustainability. First lady Obama played the part of hostess with aplomb, as she shepherded the presidential...

The G20 Meeting, the Ascendant State and What It Tells Us about the Cycle of Fate and Life in General

Picture: International Monetary Fund Saliem Fakir - The recent G20 meeting is prescient. It reinforces the idea, despite scepticism about state intervention, that only the state can bring back balance. The G20 statement is full of measures that speak to a throng of interventions that demonstrate the state’s capacity is not nascent, but real. The financial crisis like the “War or Terror” legitimises state activism within the economy. If you thought the state was dead you cannot help but feel that its strident zest for life is...

Michael Moore Says Capitalism Killed US Newspaper Industry

Speaking at the recent Toronto International Film Festival, which ran from 10-19 September 2009, Michael Moore commented on the decline of American newspapers, comparing them to the industry in Europe, which still appears to be thriving. In Europe, Japan and many other countries, the primary source of funding for newspapers is circulation. Advertising is the secondary source of funding. However, in America, advertising is the primary source of funding and circulation, second. Moore argues,...

President Manuel Zelaya Returns to Honduras

Picture: Presidency of the Republic of Ecuador Democracy Now - Democracy Now interviews Andres Conteris of Program on the Americas, director for Nonviolence International and Mark Weisbrot president of Just Foreign Policy about the return of ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya to Honduras.  Zelaya was unlawfully removed from office by a military coup three months ago and returned to Honduras this week where he is being given refuge in the Brazillian Embassy.  The coup government remains in power, despite lacking the support of a...

Madagascar: Political Instability Speeds Destruction of a Unique Environment

Picture: Jialiang Gao - www.peaceonearth.org Glenn Ashton - Political instability in Madagascar is having a serious effect on the already fragile and highly endangered ecology of this island nation. This is of profound concern as Madagascar contains many unique species that are already severely threatened. Since the start of the year there has been an upsurge of illegal activity, evidently led by alliances between Chinese nationals, allegedly linked to triad gangs and the new government of President Andry Rajoelena, who toppled the incumbent...