AlterNet.org: World News

Army Sends Mom to Afghanistan, Infant to Protective Services

Dahr Jamail, AlterNet — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 PST

"This would do irreparable harm to her child. I think they are doing this to punish her."

Why Is Congress Demonizing an Investigation of Israel's War Crimes in Gaza?

Bill Moyers, Bill Moyers Journal — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 PST

Recognition of human rights expert Richard Goldston's investigation is essential to the peace process in Israel and Palestine -- and the Congress is trying to demonize it.

Reagan Didn't End the Cold War -- Leftist Intellectuals Did

Stephen Zunes, AlterNet — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 PST

Reagan was inspirational, but to claim he defeated Communism is a disservice to the millions of Eastern Europeans who struggled against great odds for their freedom.

'The Things We Do to Make It Home' -- Novel Takes Us Back to Soldiers' Horrors of Vietnam

Andy Kroll, AlterNet — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 PST

Author Beverly Gologorsky explores the tragic, scarring experiences for Vietnam vets in her new novel, and discusses the parallels she sees in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Iraq Throws Obama a Curve Ball, Key 2010 Elections in Peril

Raed Jarrar, Erik Leaver, AlterNet — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:00:01 PST

Obama has muddied the waters in his response to the current election crisis.

U.S. Christian Right Activists Pushing Death Penalty for Homosexuals in Poor African State

Christi van der Westhuizen, IPS News — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:01 PST

Some believe a slew of new, homophobic laws are an attempt to preserve Uganda's shaky patriarchy.

Still No Justice for Priests in Notorious El Salvador Massacre 20 Years Later

Norman Stockwell, AlterNet — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:01 PST

In 1989, six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter, were brutally murdered in El Salvador. Two decades later, the extent of U.S. complicity remains largely unspoken.

An Inside Look at Nepotism and Corruption in Karzai's Afghanistan

Pratap Chatterjee, Tomdispatch.com — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:01 PST

An eye-opening inside look at how the system of nepotism and corruption in Afghanistan actually works.

What Makes a Young Person Embrace Death and Murder? Former Jihadists Speak Out

Johann Hari, Independent UK — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 PST

Former radical Islamists share their tales of why they turned to extremism, and why they repented.

Copenhagen: An Anti-Globalization Movement Comes of Age

Naomi Klein, The Nation — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:00:01 PST

Ten years after the Seattle protests, climate activists are poised to make the U.N. climate change summit their "growing up party."

Obama Signs Military Basing Deal with Colombia -- Could Set Stage for Expeditionary Warfare

Moira Birss, AlterNet — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:00:01 PST

One of the principal concerns of the pending agreement had been the possibility of the basesâ€™ use for aggression against neighboring countries.

Did Big Oil Win the War in Iraq?

Antonia Juhasz, AlterNet — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:01 PST

As U.S. and British oil companies sign contracts with the Iraqi government, is it time to declare Big Oil the "victor" in the bloody venture?

Those Stories About Religious Groups Taking Over the World with Birth Rates Are for Suckers

Scott Thill, AlterNet — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:01 PST

Many have fallen sway to demographically data about cultural or religious birth rates -- here's why it's a fool's game.

Stealing Money, Selling Heroin and Raping Boys -- The Very Dark Side of the Afghan Occupation

Patrick Cockburn, CounterPunch — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:00:01 PST

One reason Afghan villagers prefer dealing with the Taliban than govt. security forces is that the latter have a habit of seizing their sons at checkpoints and sodomizing them.

Berlin Wall: Worst Anniversary Celebration Ever

Tim Mohr, AlterNet — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:00:01 PST

Would-be revelers divided by a fake Berlin Wall shuffled along in the rain looking for a way out of a festival of freedom.

9/11 Plotters Will Be Tried in New York

Agence France Presse — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:00:01 PST

The trial will be held not far from Ground Zero, once the site of the World Trade Center destroyed by two hijacked planes in the September 11 attacks.

How the U.S. Funds the Taliban

Aram Roston, The Nation — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:01 PST

The U.S. government is funding the very forces its troops are fighting -- funds that add up to a huge amount of money for the Taliban.

What Obama Can Learn from Gorbachev

Robert Scheer, Truthdig — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:01 PST

On the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, it's worthwhile to remember that ending a stupid, harmful war is the most admirable thing a great leader can do.

There's No Such Thing As a Kinder, Gentler War In Afghanistan

Norman Solomon, AlterNet — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:01 PST

Fine-tuning the U.S. war in Afghanistan is no substitute for acknowledging -- with words and with policy -- that there will be no military solution.

Whistleblower: Thereâ€™s a Lot Less Oil Than We Think and U.S. Has Been Trying to Cover It Up

Terry Macalister, The Guardian — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:01 PST

Warning of a deliberate underplay at the International Energy Agency of a looming shortage for fear of triggering panic buying.