On the 33rd anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on Nov. 9, 1989, we look back on why the wall was built in this essay by the late William Blum, published on July 28, 2011 on Consortium News.
The Other Side of the Berlin Wall
November 9 in German History
The Berlin Wall fell 33 years ago today on Nov. 9, a strangely important date in German history, reports Joe Lauria.
Climate Change, Commentary, Environment, United Nations, Until This Day--Historical Perspectives on the News
COP27: Limits to Growth — Inconvenient Truth of Our Times
The main fears of the Club of Rome’s 1972 study have been reaffirmed, the authors say. But there is still a scenario allowing for widespread increases in human wellbeing within the planet’s resource boundaries.
American Empire, Biden Administration, Commentary, Militarism, Nuclear Weapons, Obama Administration, Pentagon, U.S.
Caitlin Johnstone: Blame the Managers of Empire
If there is a hot war between the U.S. and a major power, it will be the result of the U.S. choosing escalation over de-escalation, brinkmanship over detente — not just once but over and over again.
COP27: The Debt Crisis Hanging Over Global Climate Meeting
Global South countries that are least responsible for the climate crisis are being forced to take on the devastating costs, writes Jerome Phelps.
COP27: Oxfam Sizes Up a Single Billionaire’s Investment Emissions
As the U.N. annual climate gathering is underway in Egypt, Oxfam spotlights the role of big corporates and their rich investors in driving the global climate crisis.
The Double Standard on US Campaign Contributions
Sam Pizzigati offers a reminder of how the Supreme Court aided the plutocracy in 2010 with its Citizens United decision.
The Workers Running US Election Systems
Amel Ahmed says more attention goes to the voting machinery than the people running the polling process, who are often overworked, underpaid and feeling pressured.
American Empire, Assange extradition, Australia, Books, Censorship, Intelligence, Julian Assange, Press Freedom, Secrecy, Surveillance, Sweden, U.S., United Kingdon, WikiLeaks
Secret Power: The War on WikiLeaks
Owen Bowcott on Italian investigative journalist Stefania Maurizi’s new book documenting attempts to demonise and destroy Julian Assange and WikiLeaks and her seven-year battle to access government information.
Column, Commentary, Iraq, Israel, Middle East, Palestine, U.S., Until This Day--Historical Perspectives on the News
THE ANGRY ARAB: The Irrelevance of the Arab League
The glory days of the league during the era of Nasser are gone, writes As`ad AbuKhalil. Statements were made during last week’s summit, but Arabs were not listening.
Biden Administration, Commentary, COVID-19, Income Inequality, Iraq, Media, Middle East, Militarism, Ukraine
Chris Hedges: Destroyers of US Democracy
With the U.S. midterm elections on Tuesday, Biden and other establishment politicians hope to paper over the rot and pain of the system they created with the same decorum they used to sell the country the con of neoliberalism.
Advanced Technologies, Australia, Biden Administration, Commentary, Intelligence, Propaganda, Russia, Social Media, U.S., Ukraine
Researchers Find Massive Anti-Russian ‘Bot Army’
An Australian university has unearthed millions of Tweets by fake accounts pushing disinformation on the Ukraine war, Peter Cronau reports. The sample size dwarfs other studies of covert propaganda about the war on social media.
Gauging the Chances of a Biden-Putin Meeting in Bali
M.K. Bhadrakumar says there are discernible signs that both sides are striving to lower tensions as much as they can so as to create a “cordial” enough atmosphere.
Biden Administration, Brazil, Cuba, Israel, Obama Administration, Politics, Trump Administration, U.S., Ukraine, United Nations
Near-Unanimous UN Call to End Cuba Blockade
Thursday’s vote was 185-2. The only two “no” votes were those of the United States and Israel, with Ukraine and Brazil abstaining.
Chris Hedges: Death of an Oracle
Gerald Stern said poets had a sacred calling. They must not allow the oppressed to remain voiceless, the crimes of the oppressor to go unnamed or memory to be obliterated.
The Poverty of US Politics
Given the breadth and depth of deprivation in the richest country in the world, it should be surprising how little attention has been paid to the priorities of poor and low-income voters in the 2022 election season, writes Liz Theoharis.
Africa, American Empire, Biden Administration, China, Commentary, European Union, Libya, NATO, Russia, U.S., U.S. Congress, Ukraine
Africa Doesn’t Want to Be a New-Cold-War Breeding Ground
Efforts by the U.S. and NATO to draw Africa into their geopolitical conflicts raise serious concerns, writes Vijay Prashad.
American Empire, Biden Administration, Brazil, China, Commentary, India, NATO, Politics, Russia, U.S., Ukraine
What Worries the US Most About Lula
Steve Ellner says opposition to NATO’s stance on Ukraine has created fertile ground for the expansion of a bloc of non-aligned nations, now with a progressive possibly at the helm.
Maximizing Hurricane Damage for the Rich
Sam Pizzigati flags a taxpayer-subsidized insurance program that keeps wealthy people flowing into Florida’s most climate change-threatened coastal areas.
SCOTT RITTER: A ‘Dangerous, Bloody & Dirty Game’
Vladimir Putin’s address at the Valdai Club last week, coming on the heels of the Biden administration’s release of its National Security Strategy, shows how the battle lines have been drawn.