AlterNet.org: World News

The Globalization of Hollow Politics

Chris Hedges, Truthdig — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 12:00:01 PDT

The emptying of content in political discourse in an age as precarious and volatile as ours will have very dangerous consequences.

Where Historical Facts Are Crimes: Why Israel is a 'Fear Society'

Max Blumenthal, Al-Akhbar — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 12:00:01 PDT

Key figures in the Israeli government have offered up a famous 'town square' test to determine whether a society is free--and Israel is failing that test.

Drone War Escalation in Yemen Could Bring Blowback to the US

Jim Lobe, Inter Press Service — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 08:00:01 PDT

Critics of the Obama administration's decision to escalate drone strikes in Yemen say it could wind up strengthening Al Qaeda in the country and poison Yemeni opinion of the US.

The World's Insurers Brace For Climate Change -- Except In America

Ben Schiller, Yale Environment 360 — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:00:01 PDT

Climate change is increasing insurance costs all over the world. But a recent Ceres report finds that American firms are still in denial.

Nature Is Not A Commodity: The Path to Rio+20

David Korten — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 08:00:01 PDT

David Korten: Indigenous wisdom reveals a path to the future that does not include a buy-out of the earthâ€™s natural systems.

How a Rising Block of Countries Will Challenge America

Pepe Escobar, TomDispatch.com — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 07:00:01 PDT

There's a rising new bloc on the planet: BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa). What does that mean for America?

How a Group of Japanese Mothers Are Saying No to Nuclear Power

Heidi Hutner, YES! Magazine — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:00:01 PDT

The Fukushima disaster has brought a powerful new demographic to Japan's anti-nuclear movement: mothers.

Are Ghana's Oil Deposits Only for the 1 Percent?

Kwei Quartey, Foreign Policy in Focus — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:00:01 PDT

The initial euphoria over the discovery of petroleum in Ghana has clearly waned, giving way to widespread skepticism.

America's Wars of Attrition

Nick Turse, TomDispatch.com — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:00:01 PDT

More than 40 years after the Vietnam Warâ€™s Tet Offensive, after more than a decade of war in Afghanistan, the U.S. military still doesnâ€™t get it.

The Fetish of National Security: How America's Worst Crimes Are Perpetrated and Excused

Corey Robin, Oxford University Press — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:01 PDT

The creed of national security lets governments justify all sorts of crimes against humanity.

Noam Chomsky on America's Declining Empire, Occupy and the Arab Spring

Joshua Holland, AlterNet — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:01 PDT

According to Chomsky, America's declining power is self-inflicted.

Progress or Promises? Free Trade and Labor Rights in Colombia

James Bargent, Upside Down World — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:00:01 PDT

A free trade agreement with Colombia is moving forward, sparking accusations that the US is rewarding the country for 'promises, not actions.'

Armchair Warriors: Why Are Conservatives the Biggest Warmongers?

Corey Robin, Oxford University Press — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:00:01 PDT

Conservatives in government have fetishized violence. Why?

How America Went Rogue: What We All Need to Know About Our Government's Shadow Wars

Juan Cole, The Nation — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 23:00:01 PDT

Reaganâ€™s shadow government was a disaster, but it was a pygmy compared with Obamaâ€™s.

Argentina's Oil Grab is Timely Retort to Rampaging Capitalism

Will Hutton, The Guardian — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 03:00:01 PDT

Cristina FernÃ¡ndez's actions, however clumsy, are part of a worldwide reaction to exploitation by business and the rich.

Earth Day 2012: Environmental Movement at a Crossroads

Gar Alperovitz, AlterNet — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:00:01 PDT

Forty-two years after the first Earth Day, the biggest environmental task -- changing our economic system -- still lies just ahead.

Revolution 2.0: How The Internet Changed Wael Ghonim's Life and Helped Spark Egypt's Uprising

Terrence McNally, AlterNet — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:00:01 PDT

In a new memoir, Ghonim describes how the Egyptian people finally rejected 30 years of oppression and found their voice. Here, he discusses with Terrence McNally.

The Far Right Takes Root in Europe

Mariano Aguirre, openDemocracy.net — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:00:01 PDT

Anders Behring Breivikâ€™s attacks are part of a worrying trend in Europe: the far rightâ€™s rise within mainstream politics.

News From George Soros' Berlin Conference - Economists Discover Human Beings

Lynn Parramore, AlterNet — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:00:01 PDT

Could economists be leaving behind their mechanistic paradise for the messy, unpredictable human world?

How We're Footing the Bill for Violent Crackdowns on Dissent in the Middle East

Anna Lekas Miller, AlterNet — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 22:00:01 PDT

A global, for-profit system binds together US weapons companies, repressive governments in the Middle East and taxpayer money.