Fair Trade: CAFTA Will Fail the Test
The Bush administration intends to exert maximum political pressure to produce a win because it fears if a high priority agenda item like CAFTA goes down, it will signal that the Lame Duck phase of Bush’s presidency has really begun.Also, the defect of CAFTA would dissipate the already flagging momentum behind the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), signifying that the President’s trade efforts (a huge chunk of his legislative “must list”) are dead in the water.
Nuclear Weapons: US Isolated in its Own 'Backyard'
The Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly adopted a resolution in support of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) at its thirty-fifth Session earlier this month. The resolution, entitled 'Inter-American support for the CTBT' was adopted at the fourth plenary session, held on 7 June 2005 in Florida, United States of America. It is the sixth such resolution to have been adopted by the OAS General Assembly since 2000.
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.
Labor: Union Advantage Reaches New Highs
Since the 2001 recession, wages and benefits for nonunion workers have been pushed down, while wages and benefits for union workers have remained more consistent and rising costs for health care have pushed up the benefits portion of hourly costs of union workers...Wages for union workers averaged $20.76 per hour in March 2005, compared with $16.72 for nonunion workers.
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.
Iraqi Communists Demand Troop Withdrawal and Restoration of Sovereignty
Dr Ibrahim Al-Jaafary [the Iraqi Prime Minister] presented late last month his government program to the National Assembly, which in turn set up a committee to study the program and give notes about it in a session to be convened with the Prime Minister present.
Republican Social Security Privatization Plan is a 'Bait and Switch'
Retirees groups, labor, and House Democrats yesterday criticized a new congressional Republican plan to privatize Social Security. Worried about a sinking approval ratings and a stalled political agenda, the Republican leadership in the House offered a modified version of the privatization plan heavily promoted in past months by President Bush.
The New Deal and the Holocaust
When dealing with the historical background to the Jewish Holocaust, it is important to remember that anti-Semitism in Europe,particularly,was deeply intertwined with class struggle and political development...Thanks most of all to the victory over fascism in World War II, anti-Semitism and racism are no longer “normal,” in the Euro-American world...
Lebanese Communist Party Condemns Assassination of Leader
“This cowardly political assassination comes at a time when the region and Lebanon in particular are witnessing a very grave and sophisticated political rebirth,” Abed Rabbo(PLO official) said. “The series of assassinations against the Lebanese national and political symbols basically aims at undermining the ability of the Lebanese people and national movement to build an independent and sovereign Lebanon, and targets the democratic and secular movement” in Lebanon
