October 2008
The Democratic and Republican Party Platforms and the Middle East
By Stephen Zunes: Neither the Republican nor Democratic platforms appear to adequately address the underlying need for a dramatic shift in U.S. policy in the region away from the disastrous policies of the Bush administration and previous administrations which have led the United States into two ongoing wars, the continued irresolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the standoff with Iran, and the ongoing threat of mega-terrorism. Whoever wins, however, it is imperative that concerned citizens continue to press for the needed changes in U.S. policy that will better the chance of peace and stability both in the Middle East as well as here in the United States. Read More
Iran will be a defining issue of the new US administration’s foreign policy
By Rep. Pete Stark: A month from now, we will know whether the next four years will be an Obama Administration or a McCain Administration. No matter who wins in November, the new administration’s approach toward Iran will be a defining part of their foreign policy. Read More
Rise of the American empire and the imperial presidency
By Arthur Kane Scott: At present, the Iraq war has seen Bush’s popularity dramatically wane as America awaits the outcome of election 2008. But the election, unless it leads to a reassessment of the costs of Empire fed by privatization and Reaganomics and the growing power of the Imperial Presidency by Congress, will deepen the constitutional crisis the country is already in leading to the shredding of Bill of Rights and to a system based on the Roman model of Principia in which the Executive is first among equals and the Senate and House become mere appendages. The question confronting all Americans in this year’s election is whether or not the Republic envisaged by the Founding Fathers can be revitalized and saved. Read More
Playing Al-Anbar roulette in FATA
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Borrowing a page from Al-Anbar experiment, the US has advised Pakistan to enlist tribal leaders in the border areas in the fight against the Taliban, as part of a broader effort to bolster Pakistani forces. Many experts point out that the experiment as it played-out in Iraq had produced disastrous results in El Salvador where it further polarized the populace and turned the people against the US efforts. Tellingly, the consequences of the Anbar model are emerging in the volatile Federally Administered Areas (FATA) where even national army is seen as an occupying army by many fiercely independent-mind tribesmen. Read More
Bush’s “War on Terror” policy has lost global appeal
By Syed Mahmood: The Neocons and pro Israeli groups are working hard to keep the issue of war on so called Islamic extremism alive. The neocons and Zionist forces are committed to put the West and the Muslim World at a collusion path with each other. Read More
Did Bush Plan to Invade Iraq before his Presidency?
By Syed R. Mahmood: Ever since the invasion of Iraq by the Bush Administration, there has been an on-going question around the world. “Did President Bush plan the invasion of Iraq before his Presidency?” Read More
AWSC’s congressional proposals to revive Kennedy’s Peace Corps vision
By Dwayne Hunn: Twenty-one million American volunteers over the next twenty-seven years would robustly address poverty, climate change, ignorance, and hatreds, while raising our public policy IQ. With such involvement and learning in and from the world, we would cease wasting trillions on costly wars that bleed our troops and the world’s economies, while brewing additional costly hatreds. Imagine how many AWSC volunteers could serve at home or abroad using today’s $3+ trillion Iraqi invasion budget? Read More
I Had Become A – Liberal?
By Diane Rejman: The shock of learning some painful truths changed my life, and I could never return to complacency. Life was simpler when I wasn’t paying attention. Read More
Silicon Valley in the early days
By Mertze Dahlin: Silicon Valley is here now, but it has been here for some time making history. We use that term “making history” to imply that something remarkable has been done. In fact it has, it is and it is continuing to do so. Sometimes we remember what has been done but competently, it has been recorded, samples have been kept to put on display so others may learn something about it. It is kept and recorded among similar items, professionally, in a special museum displaying items relating to “Silicon Valley”. Read More