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Newest Blog Entries:
Dying on Our Doorstep: Mexico’s War and the US Drug Problem
Posted by Michael Butler, Thursday, September 2, 2010NYT (4): Foreign Affairs
Mideast peace talks begin; Sweden re-opens Assange rape case; E.U. says French expulsion of Roma was illegal; and no apologies for Iraq in Blair's memoir (sidebar includes review of book).Posted by Ian Alterman, Thursday, September 2, 2010
John Pilger: Flying the Flag, Faking the News [MUST READ]
Pilger ...Edward Bernays, the American nephew of Sigmund Freud, is said to have invented modern propaganda. During the First World War, he was one of a group of influential liberals who mounted a secret government campaign to persuade reluctant Americans to send an army to the bloodbath in Europe. In his book Propaganda, published in 1928, Bernays wrote that the "intelligent manipulation of the organised habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society", and that the manipulators "constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power in our country". Instead of propaganda, he coined the euphemism "public relations". The American tobacco industry hired Bernays to convince women that they should smoke in public. By associating smoking with women's liberation, he made cigarettes "torches of freedom". In 1954, he conjured a communist menace in Guatemala as an excuse for overthrowing the democratically elected government, whose social reforms were threatening the United Fruit Company's monopoly of the banana trade. He called it a "liberation". Bernays was no rabid right-winger. He was an elitist liberal who believed that "engineering public consent" was for the greater good... read more
Posted by Mike Blaxill, Thursday, September 2, 2010
NYT Editorials & Op-Eds (5)
"There was no victory to declare as America’s combat mission in Iraq officially ended, and President Obama was right not to try" (Editorial); "To see what immigration hard-liners really have in mind, ride the Lake Shore Limited, a daily Amtrak train that is regularly searched by the Border Patrol" (Editorial); "With the Israelis, the Palestinians and the Iraqis, President Obama makes an ambitious reach to change the Middle East" (Friedman); "The biggest obstacle that now stands in the way of success is psychological. We must work toward rebuilding trust and a sense of security" (Mubarak); "Do we really desire Google to tell us what we should be doing next? Yes, but with some qualifiers" (Gibson)Posted by Ian Alterman, Wednesday, September 1, 2010
NYT (3): Foreign Affairs
Obama, Iraq, and the remaining force; Mysterious gas poisons girls in Afghan school; and champagne makers go for "greener" bottle.Posted by Ian Alterman, Wednesday, September 1, 2010
NYT Op-Eds (3)
"There is no silver lining to the war in Afghanistan, and its toll — in dollars and in lives — is growing" (Herbert); "Last week’s attack of a New York taxi driver is a reminder that choosing between blaming an individual and blaming a culture is, for some, a matter of convenience" (Fish); "Though Iraq’s achievements remain fragile and incomplete, its progress must be acknowledged" (Brooks)Posted by Ian Alterman, Tuesday, August 31, 2010
NYT (3): Foreign Affairs
RIGHTS GROUP SUE U.S. OVER ASSASSINATION ORDER FOR CLERIC; If settlements don't scuttle them, peace talks may bear fruit; and India gives Blackberry ban a temporary reprieve.Posted by Ian Alterman, Tuesday, August 31, 2010
NYT Op-Eds (3)
"In a repeat from the 1990s, the Republicans appear bent on ugliness and paralysis" (Krugman); "Will a fight over the theology of Zionism derail Mideast peace?" (Guest Op-Ed); "Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally on the Washington Mall was long on piety and patriotism, but not on politics" (Douthat)Posted by Ian Alterman, Monday, August 30, 2010
NYT (2): Foreign Affairs
Will end of settlement moratorium scuttle peace talks?; and deep drilling goes on, despite lack of ability to control risks.Posted by Ian Alterman, Monday, August 30, 2010
NYT Op-Eds (6)
"The Koch brothers and Rupert Murdoch have self-interested agendas that go well beyond the interests of those who carry their banners" (Rich); "Democrats have done nothing to stop an anti-choice, pro-abstinence, socialist-bashing Tea Party enthusiast from becoming the 21st century symbol of women in politics" (Guest Op-Ed); "The Republican primaries have been about more than anti-incumbency fervor" (Guest Op-Ed); "While households are on a saving spree, the government must spend to boost job creation and economic growth" (Tyson); "New Orleans is emerging as a model of rebirth and reinvention" (Guest Op-Ed); "President Obama inherited a peace in Sudan that could soon turn into the world’s bloodiest war" (Kristof)Posted by Ian Alterman, Sunday, August 29, 2010
NYT (3): Int’l Affairs
Still playing games, Karzai fires prosecutor looking into corruption; New and dangerous nationalism emerges in Japan; and a new book re the status and future of nuclear weapons.Posted by Ian Alterman, Sunday, August 29, 2010
American power: After Iraq | The Economist
So much nowadays about Iraq. Mostly propaganda to make Americans feel good about results from the worst war ever which has turned out to be disaster in blood and treasure for us and for the Iraqis.Posted by Michael Butler, Saturday, August 28, 2010
NYT (2): Foreign Affairs
In unexpected move, Netanyahu seeks twice-monthly meetings with Abbas; and video shows majority of trapped Chilean miners in good health.Posted by Ian Alterman, Saturday, August 28, 2010
NYT Op-Eds (4)
"This isn’t a recovery, in any sense that matters. And policy makers should be doing everything they can to change that fact" (Krugman); "Raise the economy the way you raise a child — instill good values and create a secure climate" (Brooks); "Four reasons why the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks on Sept. 2 might succeed" (Guest Op-Ed); "Will the limit on religious displays in the public square survive a challenge in Roberts court?" (Greenhouse)Posted by Ian Alterman, Friday, August 27, 2010
NYT (4): Foreign Affairs
Devastation in Pakistan sets country back years, possibly decades; Chile sparing no expense in rescuing miners; Carter secures release of American held in North Korea; and Russian environmentalists win a huge (if temporary) victory.Posted by Ian Alterman, Friday, August 27, 2010
Wikileaks Releases CIA ‘Exporter of Terrorism’ Report
Posted by Michael Butler, Thursday, August 26, 2010NYT Editorial & Op-Eds (3)
"Republican insurgents from the far right did well in Tuesday’s primaries because of a fiercely committed voter base that is nowhere to be seen on the Democratic side" (Editorial); "Maybe the citizenry should demand a Voter Bill of Rights. Article Five: more cat stories in political campaigns" (Collins); "As refugees in Baluchistan suffer, the military and politicians have other priorities" (Guest Op-Ed)Posted by Ian Alterman, Thursday, August 26, 2010
NYT (4): Foreign Affairs
KEY KARZAI AIDE IS CIA ASSET; Iran bars news re opposition leaders; Sweden still playing games with Assange; and how the U.S. debate over the Islamic center looks abroad.Posted by Ian Alterman, Thursday, August 26, 2010
TomDispatch: Tomgram: Tony Karon, The Bomb-Iran Debate From Hell
Posted by Michael Butler, Wednesday, August 25, 2010t r u t h o u t | Wanted: Tough Trade Negotiator | Paul Krugman
Posted by Michael Butler, Wednesday, August 25, 2010NYT (2): Foreign Affairs
Iraq troop level falls below 50,000 for first time; and Pakistani floods disrupt supply lines for Afghan war.Posted by Ian Alterman, Wednesday, August 25, 2010
NYT (2): Foreign Affairs
Unexpectedly, Germany will downsize its military; and was timing of accusation against Assange conspiracy or coincidence?Posted by Ian Alterman, Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Withdrawal from Iraq: What Does it Mean? – The Daily Beast
Posted by Michael Butler, Monday, August 23, 2010What You Will Not Hear About Iraq ICH
Posted by Michael Butler, Monday, August 23, 2010NYT (4): Foreign Affairs
Venezuela more dangerous than Iraq; South Africa may clamp down on freedom of the press; Wyclef Jean does not go quietly; and "Gaza Mall" is not entirely what it seems.Posted by Ian Alterman, Monday, August 23, 2010
