U.S. Attacks UN To Undermine International Law, Not Reform International Institutions
The recent attacks on the United Nations have nothing to do with the so-called 'scandals' involving the oil for food program. Rather, they are part of a well-orchestrated campaign by elements of the Bush administration and their far-right allies in the U.S. press, aimed at punishing the UN for its refusal to support Bush's war in Iraq, and at undermining the overall power and influence of the UN and international law.
EU and US Economic Policies Spell End for the Caribbean’s Sugar Industry
Caribbean nations have been heavily dependent on sugar exports since colonial times, and the commodity remains the backbone of many regional economies. An August 17, 2004 article featured in the Caribbean and Central America Report revealed that annual revenue from sugar exports totaled $121 million for Guyana alone, $70 million for Jamaica and $34 million for Belize.
The Bush Administration vs. Human Rights: The Double Standard that Threatens America
The Bush administration has rejected bipartisan calls for an independent Guantanamo Bay prison commission. The White House insists that the military, the very organization suspected of systematically violating human rights, is perfectly capable of investigating the situation and punishing any offending parties.
Free and Fair Elections in Haiti
'...the incoming Bush administration pressured the Inter-American Development Bank to take the lead in canceling over $650 million in development assistance funding in order to undermine Aristide’s presidency. Since the latter’s expulsion, Washington, after superimposing an extra-constitutional interim government on Haiti, has lifted its weapons ban on the island and now has given the corrupt and ill-trained local police force the firepower to terrorize peaceful demonstrators.'
Darfur: “Acquiescence to Genocide is Indefensible” : PA Commentary
The Bush administration secured Khartoum’s promises to promote Bush administration foreign policy objectives in Northeastern Africa and the Middle East in exchange for material assistance and tacit legitimation of its ruthless regime.
People's Republic of China: “World Needs a Healthy, Strong China”
'The “China threat” theory which ceased to beat the drum for a while following the breakout of the war in Iraq shows a trend of making its way back in America recently. Among those who preach the “China threat” theory, some have little knowledge of China’s contemporary development and policies, hence many misunderstandings.'
The Not So Odd Couple: Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez and Cuba’s Fidel Castro
Chávez and Castro’s mutual affection for each other began 11 years ago when Chávez visited Havana upon his release from a Venezuelan prison in 1994, after staging a failed coup. Since then, the two men have remained friendly and after Chávez won the Venezuelan presidency in 1998, they have collaborated on several trade and political programs.
South Africa: Building Working Class Power, Building a Strong, United ANC
There are ideological forces in our country ... whose entire political programme is premised on [obedience] to the G8. Whether it is the developments around comrade Zuma or worker rights, these forces do not give our local challenges their own value and dignity - they are all conceptualized as useful sacrifices to the G8, tokens of our compliance. These forces do not look at their own country with the eyes of South Africans...
Challenge to Guantanamo 'Gulag' Continues
Human rights organization, Amnesty International, last week described the Bush administration’s decision to expand the prisons at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as a 'wrong decision.' Amnesty International calls for closing the Guantanamo prisons and for charging the prisoners held there under US laws in US courts or release them.
CAFTA: “Free” Trade vs. Jobs, Environment, and Health
Experts who have tracked the outcomes resulting from NAFTA’s policies have described it as a disaster for small farmers and working people in all three countries. US workers lost 879,280 jobs and real wages in Mexico have fallen as a result of NAFTA in the past 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Economic Policy Institute.
