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Fidel Castro on Fidel Castro

Greg Grandin, The Nation. July 19, 2008.
Readers of Fidel Castro's 'My Life' will hear all about the Cuban Revolution, but no apologies for its suppression of dissent.

As Obama Heads to Middle East and Europe, Let's Talk About U.S. Imperialism

Roberto Lovato, Of America. July 19, 2008.
As Obama prepares for his world tour, we must prepare to ask him the tough questions about imperialism and the U.S. global military machine.

Will Israeli Settlers' Violence Finally Be Prosecuted?

Mustafa Qadri, AlterNet. July 16, 2008.
Shocking video of Palestinians being lynched by four youths has shown a bright light on settler violence.

Food: A luxury Item?

Frei Betto, Latin America in Movement. July 16, 2008.
The average price of food has tripled in the last twelve months. We may soon be buying our groceries from a boutique.

Obama Wants to Shrink One War, But Expand Two Others

Tom Hayden, AlterNet. July 16, 2008.
Obama is serious about a withdrawal plan for Iraq, but he's committed himself to expanding the wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Dumb Idea.

How Mad Cows and "Free Trade" Threaten Korean Democracy

Gavan McCormack, Foreign Policy in Focus. July 15, 2008.
"Through the prism of beef, South Koreans confront the limitations of key contemporary institutions: democracy, capitalism, and nationalism."

The Mess in Sudan and Zimbabwe

Robert Dreyfuss, The Nation. July 15, 2008.
With the world suspicious of American motives in world crises, U.S. policy toward Sudan and Zimbabwe is raising hackles.

Iran's Missile Test: A Clear Reminder That an Attack Would Be Disastrous

Scott Ritter, Truthdig. July 15, 2008.
Iran’s recent missile test should remove all doubt that an attack by either the United States or Israel would be a terrible mistake.

The Wedding Crashers: U.S. Jets Have Bombed Five Ceremonies in Afghanistan

Tom Engelhardt, Tomdispatch.com. July 15, 2008.
We have become a nation of wedding crashers, the uninvited guests who arrived under false pretenses, tore up the place, offering nary an apology.

U.S. Mercenary Company Implicated in Mexican Torture Videos

Laura Carlsen, Huffington Post. July 14, 2008.
Videos depicting torture-training sessions with Mexican police raise alarm over human rights under Calderon's US-assisted war on crime.

Cruising to Destruction: Why the Leisure Industry Isn't all Fun and Games

Kent Paterson, CorpWatch. July 14, 2008.
Cruise business is booming at the expensive of the environment, local communities, their own workers, and even the safety of their customers.

Africa: The Next Victim in Our Quest for Cheap Oil

Scott Thill, AlterNet. July 14, 2008.
The new book Curse of the Black Gold shows how Nigeria may be the epicenter of the full-blown resource wars to come.

Is the Global Oil Crunch a Myth?

Ismael Hossein-zadeh, Middle East Online. July 14, 2008.
Bush and his allies want the focus to be on OPEC, not the instability his foreign policy has wrought.

Free Trade a Clear Wedge Issue in '08 Election

Todd Tucker, Eyes on Trade. July 13, 2008.
With McCain for NAFTA and Obama critical of it, trade is sure to be on the minds of voters in November.

Pakistan's America Problem

Zia Mian, Foreign Policy in Focus. July 12, 2008.
Al-Qaeda and the Taliban are on the rise. But many of the people of Pakistan see the U.S. as their biggest threat. What's a super-power to do?

Ballot vs. Bullet: Elections in Kenya and Zimbabwe

Briggs Bomba, AlterNet. July 12, 2008.
The best path to democracy in Africa? Strengthening institutions and pressuring them to uphold their protocols on human rights and good governance.

John Cusack: Bypassing the Corporate Media

Joshua Holland, AlterNet. July 12, 2008.
Cusack's anti-war polemic, War, Inc., continues to defy expectations, despite the traditional media's dismissive reception.

Israel Bars UN Human Rights Watchdog From Occupied Territories

Linda Mamoun, The Nation. July 11, 2008.
An interview with Richard Falk.

Brilliant Plans to Destroy the Planet: The World Bank Tackles Climate Change

Janet Redman, Institute for Policy Studies. July 11, 2008.
The World Bank's new Climate Investment Funds will do nothing to help the climate; they'll just give the bank more clout.

Are Cheney's Iran Dreams Shattered?

Tom Engelhardt, Tomdispatch.com. July 11, 2008.
Just because there's a will doesn't mean there's a way.

China and Taiwan Declare Peace

Robert Scheer, Truthdig. July 9, 2008.
America's military hawks will have to find a new reason to blow money on weapons we don't need.

Israelis Assault Award-Winning Journalist

Mel Frykberg, IPS News. July 8, 2008.
The act was anything but unusual, but the victim wasn't just another traveler.

Can Bush Attack Iran With Oil at $140 per Barrel?

Jim Lobe, IPS News. July 7, 2008.
Forswearing military action against Tehran would ease the upwards pressure on world oil prices.

World Yawns at McCain's Coalition of Democracies

Melinda Brouwer, AlterNet. July 2, 2008.
Creating a "League of Democracies" is a central tenet of John McCain's foreign policy "vision," but in other democracies, the idea's a non-starter.

Sy Hersh: Congress Is Funding Major Escalation in Secret Operations Against Iran

Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!. July 1, 2008.
Hersh reports on a secret Congress-approved plan for activities ranging from supporting dissident groups to spying on Iran's nuclear program.

Starting the Next Cold War

Conn Hallinan, Foreign Policy in Focus. June 28, 2008.
NATO is an organization without a mission -- will it create its own?

Israel Lobby Authors Walt, Mearsheimer Travel to Tel Aviv

Linda Mamoun, AlterNet. June 28, 2008.
Many Israelis consider the authors' critique to be not only thoroughly mainstream, but also perfectly obvious.

The Last Superpower and an Opportunity to End War

David Korten, YES! Magazine. June 27, 2008.
In a time when the old order is shattering a global movement is emerging to challenge the use of war as a tool of statecraft.

Will the Last Superpower Recognize In Time What We Must Do to Save the Planet?

David Korten, YES! Magazine. June 27, 2008.
In a time when the old order is shattering, a global movement is emerging to challenge the use of war as a tool of statecraft.

A Hidden Agenda: John McCain and the International Republican Institute

Sarah Hamburger, Council on Hemispheric Affairs. June 26, 2008.
The senator's ties to the infamous quasi-governmental organization require far greater scrutiny.

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Auditing Conventional Wisdom

In partnership with the MIT Center for International Studies, AlterNet is pleased to present these Audits of the Conventional Wisdom.

This ongoing series of essays tours the horizon of conventional wisdoms that animate U.S. foreign policy and puts them to the test of data and history.

By subjecting particularly well-accepted ideas to close scrutiny, the series aims to re-engage policy and opinion leaders on topics that are too easily passing such scrutiny.

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