Hidden Agendas

Private contractors replacing American troops in both wars

2009-06-12T04:06:00.000-07:00

A report says that Iraq and Afghanistan are being left to mercenaries, as the number of private contractors in both countries has risen by over a quarter - all with the approval of the White House. read more

Marriot Blast: Presence of undercover FBI/CIA agents, US Marines suspected

2008-09-23T17:10:00.000-07:00

ISLAMABAD: The intelligence agencies probing the Marriott blast suspect the presence of under cover FBI/CIA agents in the hotel a few days before it was reduced to rubble by the most horrific terrorist attack in the capital's history.

The authorities are trying to ascertain the reason for the terrorist attack at the Marriott, Islamabad and whether it has any connection with the stay of American Marines and CIA/FBI agents there.

source: The News

Also see: Sify News

Battle for the Amazon

2008-08-24T18:13:00.000-07:00

Supreme Court case pits exploitation of the Amazon against Indigenous rights in Brazil

On August 27th, the Brazilian Supreme Court will decide a case that could have far reaching effects on the Amazon and the half-million indigenous people who live there. The case questions the legality of a process that created an Indigenous Territory in northern Brazil, and threatens to reverse decades of progress on indigenous and social rights throughout the country.

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Syria to discuss arms with Russia

2008-08-20T07:17:00.000-07:00

Since Israel has supplied Georgia with weapons, there is nothing stopping Russia supplying Syria. We will, of course, be told that Georgia is a democratic state whereas Syria is not. Syria is on the infamous ‘axis of evil’. At the essence of the argument is that If America and Israel can supply weapons to Russia’s enemies then Russia can supply to Israel’s enemies.

Read the article here

Source: Al Jazeera

How Foreign Policy Affects Gas Prices

2008-08-19T19:37:00.000-07:00

But how does foreign policy affect gas prices? One important factor is that oil on the world market has been priced in dollars exclusively since 1973. Only two leaders have gone against this arrangement - Saddam Hussein in 2000 and more recently Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with the recently opened Iranian Oil Bourse which trades in non-dollar currencies. But since oil is otherwise exclusively traded in dollars, this means that oil producers have vast amounts of assets held in dollars. Especially since the War on Terror and the PATRIOT Act, many oil-producing nations and banks are concerned the US government may freeze assets based on flimsy pretexts. This fear contributes to dollar weakness, and therefore also high oil prices.

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War in Georgia: The Israeli connection

2008-08-16T18:16:00.000-07:00

The Georgians received Israeli weapons and training. The Georgian Defence Minister is an Israeli. What is going on in the Caucasus?

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CIA Agents Executed 1980 Liberia Coup

2008-08-06T17:43:00.000-07:00

A former official of the administration of slain President William R. Tolbert has linked agents of the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to the execution of the 1980 coup d'état.

It is widely believed that the 1980 Coup was carried out by 17 non-commissioned officers of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) of the People's Redemption Council (PRC).

Following the coup, 13 senior government officials of the Tolbert regime were executed by firing squad.

Cllr. Chea Cheapoo who served as Justice Minister under the PRC government told the Truth and Reconciliation (TRC) Tuesday that it was an American CIA agent that killed President Tolbert.

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How far will America go to start a war?

2008-08-05T17:14:00.000-07:00

Western Oil companies close in on Iraq's oil

2008-06-30T18:40:00.001-07:00

The Iraqi oil ministry has approved six of its oil fields open to “development” granting contracts to foreign firms. Iraq has the world’s third-largest reserves. This very fact has fuelled suspicion that the invasion was for Iraq’s oil.

According to the New York Times, advisors from the American state department helped draw up the contracts between the Iraqi government and oil companies. This is further proof of the neo-liberal agenda in Iraq. The objective of the war was to open up the Iraqi economy to foreign (American and British) companies; the ultimate aim was to get at the vast oil reserves.

Foreign oil companies were thrown out of Iraq by former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein when he nationalised the oil 36 years ago. The Iraqi oil ministry looks set to announce deals with Shell, Exxonmobil, BP, Chevron and Total.

According to Al-Jazeera:
Iraq wants to increase oil output by 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) from the current average production of 2.5 million bpd, equal to the amount being pumped before the US-led invasion in March 2003.
Exports of 2.11 million bpd currently form the bulk of the war-torn nation's revenues.

The oil ministry is keen to raise capacity over the next five years to 4.5 million bpd.
Iraq's crude reserves are estimated at about 115 billion barrels.

Last year Alan Greenspan, the former chairman of the Federal Reserve said: "Everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil."

The deals are controversial as the Iraqi parliament has not yet passed law on how the oil revenues will be distributed.

The Iraqi government is American backed, the contracts were drawn up by the Americans, the companies awarded the contracts are American approved, who do you think runs Iraq?

Sources: AlJazeera, The Associated Press, The Guardian, New York Times

Rage: What will it take to make this generation passionate about change?

2008-06-30T18:27:00.000-07:00

When it wells up from deep inside you, it is immediate, compelling, real. It is the only emotion strong enough to start a war – or stop one. Rage can change laws, take down corporations and topple governments.

Rage drives revolutions.

In the sixties, black America raised its fist and refused to take any more abuse from white society. In the seventies, women turned the age-old masculine order on its head. In the eighties, environmentalists mobilized en masse against the death of nature. But what about today? What is this generation up to? Is there any fire burning inside their guts?

At the Battle in Seattle, I asked people, “Why are you here?”
The answers ranged from Buddhist homilies to anarchist rants. But one man said something I’ll never forget: “Ever since I was a baby, crawling around the TV, I’ve been lied to. I’ve been propagandized. I’ve been told all my life that I’ll be happy if I buy stuff and worship the cool. Now I feel diminished, warped. I’m a pale version of what I could have been. I’ve been mindfucked. And now it’s payback time.”
Three generations have now been raised not as a part of the natural world – like the 30,000 generations before – but in a synthetic reality. A reality defined by advertising, media and consumer-driven culture. These generations have been hyped, suckered, aroused, thrilled – their fears, needs and desires manipulated in the most grotesque ways. Capitalist hype is the music of their anxiety, the gray noise of their depression, the muzak of their despair.

Now, finally, a rage is beginning to stir deep within. And out of this discordant rage, the movement of our information age will be born.

Source: Adbusters

The World’s Top 20 Public Intellectuals

2008-06-27T17:21:00.000-07:00

1 FETHULLAH GÜLEN

Religious leader • Turkey

An Islamic scholar with a global network of millions of followers, Gülen is both revered and reviled in his native Turkey. To members of the Gülen movement, he is an inspirational leader who encourages a life guided by moderate Islamic principles. To his detractors, he represents a threat to Turkey’s secular order. He has kept a relatively low profile since settling in the United States in 1999, having fled Turkey after being accused of undermining secularism.

2 MUHAMMAD YUNUS

Microfinancier, activist • Bangladesh

More than 30 years ago, Yunus loaned several dozen poor entrepreneurs in his native Bangladesh a total of $27. It was the beginning of a lifetime devoted to fighting poverty through microfinance, efforts that earned him a Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. Over the years, his Grameen Bank, now operating in more than 100 countries, has loaned nearly $7 billion in small sums to more than 7 million borrowers—97 percent of them women. Ninety-eight percent of the loans have been repaid.

3 YUSUF AL-QARADAWI

Cleric • Egypt/Qatar

The host of the popular Sharia and Life TV program on Al Jazeera, Qaradawi issues w .eekly fatwas on everything from whether Islam forbids all consumption of alcohol (no) to whether fighting U.S. troops in Iraq is a legitimate form of resistance (yes). Considered the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Qaradawi condemned the September 11 attacks, but his pronouncements since, like his justification of suicide attacks, ensure his divisive reputation.

4 ORHAN PAMUK

Novelist • Turkey

Part political pundit, part literary celebrity, Pamuk is the foremost chronicler of Turkey’s difficult dance between East and West. His skillfully crafted works lay bare his native country’s thorny relationship with religion, democracy, and modernity, earning him a Nobel Prize in literature in 2006. Three years ago, Pamuk was put on trial for “insulting Turkish identity” after mentioning the Armenian genocide and the plight of Turkey’s Kurds in an interview. The charges were later dropped. Today, Pamuk teaches literature at Columbia University.

5 AITZAZ AHSAN

Lawyer, politician • Pakistan

President of Pakistan’s Supreme Court Bar Association, Ahsan has been a vocal opponent of President Pervez Musharraf’s rule. When Musharraf dismissed the head of the Supreme Court in March 2007, it was Ahsan who led the legal challenge to reinstate the chief justice and rallied thousands of lawyers who took to the streets in protest. He was arrested several times during the period of emergency rule last year. Today, he is a senior member of the Pakistan Peoples Party, formerly led by Benazir Bhutto, and one of the country’s most recognizable politicians.

6 AMR KHALED

Muslim televangelist • Egypt

A former accountant turned rock-star evangelist, Khaled preaches a folksy interpretation of modern Islam to millions of loyal viewers around the world. With a charismatic oratory and casual style, Khaled blends messages of cultural integration and hard work with lessons on how to live a purpose-driven Islamic life. Although Khaled got his start in Egypt, he recently moved to Britain to counsel young, second-generation European Muslims.

7 ABDOLKARIM SOROUSH

Religious theorist • Iran

Soroush, a former university professor in Tehran and specialist in chemistry, Sufi poetry, and history, is widely considered one of the world’s premier Islamic philosophers. Having fallen afoul of the mullahs thanks to his work with Iran’s democratic activists, he has lately decamped to Europe and the United States, where his essays and lectures on religious philosophy and human rights are followed closely by Iran’s reformist movement.

8 TARIQ RAMADAN

Philosopher, scholar of Islam • Switzerland

One of the most well-known and controversial Muslim scholars today, Ramadan embodies the cultural and religious clash he claims to be trying to bridge. His supporters consider him a passionate advocate for Muslim integration in Europe. His critics accuse him of anti-Semitism and having links to terrorists. In 2004, Ramadan was denied a U.S. visa to teach at Notre Dame, after the State Department accused him of donating to Islamic charities linked to Hamas.

9 MAHMOOD MAMDANI

Cultural anthropologist • Uganda

Born in Uganda to South Asian parents, Mamdani was expelled from the country by Idi Amin in 1972, eventually settling in the United States. His work explores the role of citizenship, identity, and the creation of historical narratives in postcolonial Africa. More recently, he has focused his attention on political Islam and U.S. foreign policy, arguing that modern Islamist terrorism is a byproduct of the privatization of violence in the final years of the Cold War. He teaches at Columbia University.

10 SHIRIN EBADI

Lawyer, human rights activist • Iran

Iran’s first female judge under the shah, Ebadi founded a pioneering law practice after she was thrown off the bench by Iran’s clerical rulers. Having initially supported the Islamic Revolution, she cut her teeth defending political dissidents and campaigning for the rights of women and children. A fierce nationalist who sees no incompatibility between Islam and democracy, Ebadi became the first Iranian to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003.

11 NOAM CHOMSKY

Linguist, activist • United States

Chomsky is perhaps best known for his scathing criticisms of U.S. foreign policy extending back to the Vietnam War. An outspoken activist, a lively debater, and an icon of the international left, Chomsky rarely shies away from assailing American power and venerating those he deems the world’s oppressed. The failures of American mass media and the greed of big business are also frequent targets of his critiques. Beyond his political provocations, Chomsky’s contributions to modern linguistics are immense, particularly his theory of generative grammar. The bestselling author of more than 30 books, Chomsky has taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for more than half a century.

12 AL GORE

Climate change activist, politician • United States

From the dejection of losing the 2000 U.S. presidential election, Gore has come to define political renaissance—and vindication—in the years since. For his second act, Gore found his true voice in raising public awareness of the effects of global warming. His efforts have earned him an impressive list of titles—Oscar winner and Nobel Peace Prize recipient among them—and acclaim as perhaps today’s most influential environmental crusader.

13 BERNARD LEWIS

Historian • Britain/United States

Professor emeritus at Princeton University and the author of dozens of books, Lewis is one of the foremost historians of the Middle East. He is also one of the most sought-after advisors on the region’s politics and on Islamic society. Lewis’s works have recently focused on the source of antagonism between Islam and the West, a conflict he attributes to Islam’s failure to adapt to modernity.

14 UMBERTO ECO

Novelist, semiologist • Italy

Renowned for intricate, richly written novels that blend obscure historical events with complex plots and symbols, Eco is easily one of the world’s most scholarly writers of fiction. His day job, professor of semiotics at the University of Bologna, provides him ample material for his bestselling books, which have been described as encyclopedic in their historical breadth.

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What Barry says - Project for the New American Century

2008-06-14T18:40:00.000-07:00

A short but concise criticism of American foreign policy.

"Bush, Shut the hell up!" part 1

2008-05-19T04:23:00.000-07:00

"Bush, Shut the hell up!" part 2

2008-05-19T04:20:00.000-07:00

New media is killing journalism

2008-04-28T14:30:00.000-07:00

Journalism is under threat from internet bloggers, with un-accountable news, views and analysis. Newspapers have seen declining sales since the advent of online media as readers switch to the internet.

According to a poll carried out in 2006 by the Institute for the Protection of Journalism, news journalists are trusted less than mechanics and slightly higher than used car salesmen. This poll shows the distrust of journalists in society. A profession that is supposed to be the eyes and ears of the people.

However regardless of how suspicious the public is of journalists, it is still journalists the public turns to for news. The most accessed website for news, is the BBC. This demonstrates that regardless of the opinion of the institutional news media, people still return to an identifiable and trusted brand.

This is what the business of media has become, another commodity to be bought and sold. A survey carried out by a consumer think tank, CHECK, suggested that many journalists see readers as consumers. Journalists felt like they have to sell a story to the reader.

This has resulted in competition between journalists especially on the internet where millions of blogs compete for readers. But competition brings its own problems such as inaccuracy and sensationalism. Journalists constantly sensationalise stories in an attempt to outdo each other.

In Britain about 50% percent of journalists are university graduates. This shows that institutional journalism recognises the need for qualifications and an adequate education to become apart of the profession. There is no way of finding out a figure for the credentials of those that post on blogs or websites.

The internet is littered with badly written articles ranging on a broad number of issues. Yet from the war in Iraq to domestic politics, people are turning to the internet for alternative answers. The traditional media has responded by expanding their field of play by providing an online product, however this does not appear to have improved the standard of work produced by the new breed of news posters.

This new breed is being identified as a major threat and the beginning of the end for traditional journalism. According to one internet provider the number of homes in the UK that have the internet has increased ten fold in the last year. As this internet revolution takes place readers no longer see the need for having a newspaper posted through the letter box or to walk to the local newsagents.

A prime example of how new media is killing traditional journalism, and the dangerous implications for society, is the story of the Indonesian island of Kangean.

The Internet had recently reached the main town of Pabean and with it came the age of new media. The local newspaper experienced a decrease in readership resulting in local journalists leaving the island; those that remained had to compete with the Internet for readers.

This was something new for journalists to deal with, traditionally they had concentrated on local issues, bringing news from other islands in the locality, but now they had to do it faster and more frequently if they were to compete.

In 2006 a story broke over the Internet about one of the main tribes and its leaders on the island. The Indonesian government had paid money to tribal leaders so that to allow a foreign corporation on to the island to excavate a number of sites the indoasianews website alleged.

The local journalists came across the story. In their haste to get the story out to the islanders, and without much investigation the local paper printed the story. After locals read the story, incensed at the claim that certain tribal leaders had been taking kickbacks from the government, protests followed. Some of the protests ended in violence and local council headquarters were burnt down.

The allegations turned out to be a fake, started by a blogger just to fill some space on his blog. The blogger had thought that no one from this remote island would read the story.

Now it is time to come clean. The statistics I have supplied above are all false, even the story itself is a lie. So are the ten-fold claim, the think tanks and percentage of university graduates. How many people would have taken for fact and quoted the statistics and story above? It is an attempt to make my point that new media is not killing journalism. Journalists are killing journalism, as a result of corporate influence, shorter deadlines but increased output has lead to flawed journalism. Nick Davies, award winning journalist and author of Flat Earth News, a book taking a look at the journalism industries sources and practices, calls the drive for stories in a shorter time frame “Churnalism”.

Journalists are now more than ever relying on press releases for their news, not given the time to get out in the field and investigate, interview people and find the news for themselves.

Both new media and institutional journalism can produce incorrect material. The Drudge Report, the online news website that broke he Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, carried a story, during the Kerry presidential campaign in 2004. The Drudge Report alleged to have uncovered an extra marital relationship between John Kerry and an intern. This well respected news source, regularly checked out by journalists across the world began a rumour that turned out to be completely untrue.

The same can be said for other media formats, from print journalism to broadcast journalism. The un-questioning, by many journalists, of lies told before the war in Iraq, from WMD clams to the alleged links between Saddam Hussain and Al-Qaeeda, resulted in the readership losing faith in journalists after the lies were exposed, mainly due to no WMD being found in Iraq and the spurious decision to go to war. The media also convinced people that advocacy of going to Iraq was the correct decision, in failing to do what journalists are meant to do, that is to hold those in power to account.

Journalists have been unaccountable to readers, instead they respond to market pressures, consumerism and their corporate masters. We cannot blame new media for the death of journalism; we have to look at the systemic failures of traditional media as a whole. New media if anything has displayed a greater plurality of journalism, allowing for myriad views free from the constraints of corporate influence.

New media effectively is holding institutional journalism to account, exposing its sickness. The new breed is free from corporate influence dictating the agenda and newsroom practices. This new breed is not the threat - it is, potentially, the saviour.

13 injured in separatist attack and two shot dead: Police

2008-04-22T08:02:00.000-07:00

13 people were injured including a small child in Southern Thailand on Sunday according to Thai officials. Two policemen were also shot dead when separatists attacked a police station.

More than 3000 people have been killed since unrest broke out in the Muslim-majority south in 2004. The region was an independent sultanate until the British cut a deal with the Buddhist leaders of Thailand and it was annexed just over a century ago.

The separatist movement wants independence for Southern Thailand. Thailand is accused of economic and cultural imperialism. There have long been allegations of police brutality, rape and disrespect of Islam, which has fuelled the insurgency.

The former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra used wide ranging emergency powers to deal with the separatists in July 2005. The former Prime Minister is also accused of giving the order to police to fire on unarmed civilians, protesting against the arrest of Pattani leaders. He was removed from office after a military coup in 2006; Thaksin is now the owner of Manchester City football club.

This conflict is another example of the imperialism of Britain that has left a legacy of unrest in the region. Until the root causes of the conflict are dealt with, (which are mainly economic and cultural) then there will not be peace in the region. The resistance will only grow.

This conflict is another example of the legacy of unrest left behind by the scrooge of British imperialism.

Amnesty International calls on India to investigate mass graves

2008-04-22T05:44:00.000-07:00

Amnesty international has called upon the Indian government to investigate mass graves found in Indian administered Kashmir believed to contain the remains of thousands, victims of enforced disappearances, torture and murder.

The conflict in Kashmir has raged on since the creation of Pakistan from former British colonies in 1947. Pakistan and India have fought three wars over the region since 1947. Kashmir is said to be a 'heaven on Earth'. Situated in the himalayan region, it is known for its scenic mountainous views and beautiful valleys.

Human rights groups have accused the Indian government of abuses in administered Kashmir. There is a UN resolution on Kashmir calling for a referendum. India has never allowed one, since the majority Muslim province would either vote for independence or vote to be apart of Pakistan.

The region is the most militarised zone in the world. Both Pakistan and India are nuclear powers. India accuses Pakistan of supporting militant groups in Kashmir. Pakistan denies funding groups and says the only support they receive is diplomatic.

The Western world seems to ignore the issue of Kashmir, since India is an ally of the West in its ‘War on Terror’. Also India can and may well be used as a pawn against China in the future. China and India had a war over the border in 1962. This may be used against the Chinese in the future.

Many neo-conservatives in Washington are uncomfortable with Pakistan, a Muslim country possessing a nuclear weapon, and the growing power of China. The only friendly ally in the region is India. This was evident when America proposed a nuclear deal with India in 2006.

This deal is extremely hypocritical since Iran is being bullied into stopping its nuclear program. America, during its discussion with India did not mention India’s human rights abuses in Kashmir. Human rights seems to be a common theme when America talks about China, Zimbabwe or Sudan, but when big nuclear deals are at stake, we soon come to realise where the American administrations interests really lie [sic].

Our reign of terror, by the Israeli army

2008-04-20T16:27:00.000-07:00

Former Israeli soldiers reveal of abuses commited whilst they served in Hebron. Those that campaing around Palestine are well aware of how the IDF act in the occupied terrortories, but this is one of the few times that soldiers themselves have spoken out.

Read the story here

Western hypocrisy: China

2008-04-20T13:58:00.000-07:00

Over the last few weeks we have witnessed the numerous protests against China as the Olympic torch is carried around the world.

Pro-Tibet protesters have attempted to disrupt the carrying of the torch on every leg of its journey. In the case of France the protests cut short the olympic relay.

The world’s media has shown china as oppressing the people of Tibet. Politicians have called on their leaders to boycott the opening ceremony and in some cases the entire Olympics.

Although china is oppressing the Tibetan population and not allowing them autonomy, it is a bit of an over reaction to start calling for a boycott. Would it not be better to engage with the Chinese government and attempt to influence them. But this is if the Western governments actually care about Tibet. They don't.

The reason for such an anti-china movement is in response to Chinas growing economical power. China is also asserting itself as a world super power, already investing heavily in Africa to ensure a supply of natural resources for the future.

Hilary Clinton has called upon George Bush to boycott the Olympic ceremony. Gordon Brown has said he will not be attending, his reasons are not clear.

What is amazing is the extent of the hypocrisy shown by Western states and media. Maybe china should boycott America and Britain for embarking on an illegal war in Iraq resulting in tens of thousands of civilian deaths. Why is it that the western media seem to ignore America’s human rights abuses, illegal prisons and numerous accounts of torture?

Britain sells billions of pounds of arms to tyrannical regimes, Saudi Arabia for one. Extraordinary rendition, detention without charge and . Western countries have no right to preach about human rights to anyone.

The attitudes shown towards China are a classic example of Western colonial orientalist thinking; how some western states have the moral high ground and can preach to China.
China is portrayed as a foreign entity with different people, customs and language. This may all be true, however this reinforces racism within peoples minds, and sense of racial superiority.

Robert Fisk: The only lesson we ever learn is that we never learn

2008-03-30T09:21:00.000-07:00

Five years on, and still we have not learnt. With each anniversary, the steps crumble beneath our feet, the stones ever more cracked, the sand ever finer. Five years of catastrophe in Iraq and I think of Churchill, who in the end called Palestine a "hell-disaster".

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