DhafirTrial

The Looming Crisis at the Pentagon

By Chalmers Johnson Tomdispatch 2/02/09

Like much of the rest of the world, Americans know that the U.S. automotive industry is in the grips of what may be a fatal decline. Unless it receives emergency financing and undergoes significant reform, it is undoubtedly headed for the graveyard in which many American industries are already buried, including those that made televisions and other consumer electronics, many types of scientific and medical equipment, machine tools, textiles, and much earth-moving equipment — and that’s to name only the most obvious candidates. (more…)

Telegraph.co.uk February 2, 2009

The Government should allow every distressed bank to go bankrupt and set up a fresh banking system under temporary state control rather than cripple the country by propping up a corrupt edifice, according to Joseph Stiglitz, the Nobel Prize-winning economist. (more…)

By Aziz Huq The Nation 1/31/09

President Obama’s repudiation of the Bush administration’s keystone counterterrorism policies on detention, torture and blanket surveillance has been neither consistent nor complete. To the contrary, the new administration’s actions and statements in its first week in office hint at a clear ordering of priorities when it comes to rolling back its predecessor’s most troubling decisions. While opponents of torture have cause for celebration, those worried about excessive electronic surveillance should be especially concerned. (more…)

Bush’s War Totals

By John Tirman The Nation 1/29/09

Now that Bush is gone, perhaps we can honestly face the damage we have wrought and the responsibilities we must accept from it. (more…)

By Katherine Hughes 9/29/08

Given the surge of interest in Islam in the post 9/11-period, Parvez Sharma’s decision to focus his movie, A Jihad for Love, on Islam was very timely. His decision was an opportunity for some redress of western anti-Muslim propaganda that has been incessant since 9/11 (more…)

It Won’t Save the Economy; It May Make the Crisis Worse

By MICHAEL HUDSON Counterpunch 1/31/09

First, here’s the silhouette of the giveaway, as outlined Thursday in the New York Times:

“Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner said Wednesday the administration is working on a comprehensive plan to “repair the financial system.” (more…)

U.S.-Latin American Relations in the 21st Century

By Cyril Mychalejko Information Clearinghouse 1/31/09

Much is being made across the political spectrum in the United States about Washington’s waning influence in Latin America. (more…)