Features

It is his 76th birthday today. Here are some links for you to commemorate. Be inspired by his life, work, voice and visions.Imagine what he and his movement could have achieved had he still been alive.“History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.” Feature by CNNHuman rights defenders honor King with truth  CodePink – Women for peaceIn memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. Stanford UniversityThe Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project The King Center Martin Luther King’s Acceptance SpeechThe occasion of the award of the Nobel Peace Peace PrizeOslo, December 10, 1964 TFF Nonviolence Forum TFF Links to Nonviolence In Swedish – med en mycket viktig folder på svenskaMartin Luther King Dagen

Elections amidst ongoing violence The Iraqi election is scheduled for 30th January. The vote will be for a 275-member transitional National Assembly. This will choose a president and two deputy-presidents from among their own members. This so-called presidential council will in turn appoint a prime minister who will hold the main power, and other ministers. The National Assembly will then draft a constitution to be voted on in a referendum by 15 October 2005, and if approved it will be followed by another election for a permanent government in December 2005. So, the 30th January election is only the first stage in a long process. While President George Bush, Prime Minister Tony Blair, Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, and many others have insisted that the election will be held as scheduled, many others including the Iraqi insurgents have vowed to disrupt the election. Meanwhile, the...

We’ve selected a few rather different articles about the elections in Ukraine. We hope this will be pedagogically useful for teachers, students, journalists and media critics. Again, there may be many aspects of truth in what is basically the same story. Together these articles offer important insights into what happened and happens in Ukraine – but also into the variety of approaches and lenses. Analyse what you believe in yourself – and why! March Almond in the GuardianThe price of People Power APF – The Turkish PressUS pro-democracy programme looks further east after Ukraine Nadia Diuk in The Christian Science MonitorIn Ukraine – homegrown freedom Jackson Diehl in The Christian Science MonitorPutin’s unchallenged imperialism moves to Ukraine Larry Chin at GlobalResearch.caThe Cold War Crisis in the Ukraine.Control of Oil: Grand Chessboard “Pivot” at Stake Joel Brinkley in The International Herald TribunePowell rejects claim by Russia that West meddled in Ukraine

Fallujah den 14. oktober 2004 Hans Excellence, Hr. Kofi Annan, generalsekretær for De forenede Nationer, New York Deres Excellence. Det står helt klart, at de amerikanske styrker begår folkemord hver eneste dag i Iraq. Nu, mens vi skriver til Deres Excellence, begår de amerikanske styrker disse forbrydelser i byen Fallujah. De amerikanske krigsfly kaster deres kraftigste bomber mod de civile i byen og dræber og sårer herved hundredvis af uskyldige mennesker. Samtidig angriber deres tanks byen med tungt artilleri. Som De ved, er der intet militær i byen. Fallujahs modstandsbevægelse har ikke haft nogen aktioner gennem de sidste uger på grund af forhandlingerne mellem byens repræsentanter og regeringen, som gik godt. I den atmosfære får vi USAs nye bombardement, mens borgerne i Fallujah forbereder sig til Ramadanens faste. Mange af dem er nu fanget under ruinerne af deres ødelagte huse og ingen kan hjælpe dem, mens angrebet fortsætter. Alene i...

Manuel Valenzuela, ICHThe Ghost of Orwell is Upon us  Alexander Cockburn, ICHBush v. Kerry? Not Even a Dime’s Worth of Difference Ray McGovern, ICHNot scared yet? Try connecting these dots J. Stanton, News InsiderKings of Pain: Britain, United States and Israel Related Feature Collections Who is George W. Bush? – October 27, 2004 US Presidential Elections – August 16, 2004 US Presidential Elections – October 24, 2004 The US Empire – what future, what end? – November 1, 2004 Ronald Bruce St. John, FPFHigh Time Bush Defines the Enemy William Rivers Pitt, TruthoutFabricating Terror Paul Krugman, TruthoutBush’s Own Goal Waging PeaceUS Presidential Candidate Report Card: Turn the Tide in US Nuclear Policy

Is there any significant difference between Bush and Kerry? Gina Doggett, IHTMeanwhile: When I was a child, I believed in America James Caroll, Boston GlobeWhy Americans back the war Linda Feldmann, Christian Science MonitorWhy woman are edging toward Bush Michael Moore.comMr. Bush and His 10 Ever-Changing Different Positions on Iraq: “A flip and a flop and now just a flop.” Common DreamsMy congressman stands for money, not for me.And, what’s even worse, there’s no way I can get rid of him William Safire, IHTKerry: America’s newest neocon, more hawkish than Bush… Stephen Zunes, FPIFWhile criticizing implementation, Kerry endforses Bush’s unilateralist agenda Antoine Audouard, IHTMeanwhile: Dear President Kerbush Stephen Zunes, FPIFFact and fiction in foreign policy: Misleading statements by the two candidatesRelated Feature Collections The US Empire – what future, what end? – November 1, 2004 Ivan Eland, The Independent InstituteThe Empire has not clothes. U.S. foreign policy exposed Alexander Cockburn,...

Af Jack Dalton* Information Clearing House jack_dalton@ommp.org 11. oktober, 2004 Kort efter at George W Bush slap “krigens hunde” løs mod Irak sidste år og lige efter, at modstandsbevægelsen var begyndt at vokse, spurgte Bush: “Hvad er der i vejen med de mennesker: ved de ikke, hvor gode vi (amerikanere) er ?” Og det er lige præcis det, jeg ser som et meget stort problem med så mange af mine amerikanske medborgere – og et problem der bliver værre i stedet for bedre. Her i USA er der “en dybt følt tro på at ligegyldigt, hvad denne nations regerende organer gør i udlandet, ligegyldigt hvor galt det ser ud til at være, ligegyldigt hvilke rædsler der kommer ud af det, så mener den amerikanske regering det godt”. At regeringen har gode hensigter og mener det godt. Og generelt undrer den amerikanske offentlighed sig over, hvorfor resten af verden ikke kan...

The U.S. is history’s militarily strongest power. It’s global influence is second to none. The personality at the helmet of such an actor in global affairs cannot but attract curiosity and scrutiny. Over the last couple of years, TFF has collected articles about Mr. Bush, his personality, mode of operation, leadership, his family background, etc. Below we offer you a mini library of links to the essential reading. We have avoided all that smacks political propaganda, anti-Americanism and hate. Each is based on considerable knowledge and scholarship, some on personal experience. Virtually all are from American sources. The lack of similar discussions in Europe and elsewhere – Japan for instance – is conspicuous, if not mind-boggling. There are aspects in these article that should make every concerned reader ask: will democracies survive without a minimum of quality control of their leaders? Browse, read here and there and ask yourself: Should...

Are you sick and tired of only hearing and seeing negative stuff about the world? Do you feel powerless, losing hope?Then be inspired and charge you social change batteries by reading some of these stories…stories about civil courage, standing up, speaking out, showing solidarity, about inventiveness, new ideas – in short, about the fact that individuals do make a difference!We hope to make this a recurrent theme in TFF’s work. Daniel Ellsberg – Common DreamsA call to patriotic whistleblowing The Japan TimesFormer Japanese hostage in Iraq to help rebuild Fallujah school– moving story about courage and the Japanese government misunderstanding it all…Here is another, from Asahi ShimbunTrauma notwithstanding, former hostage continues humanitarian battle Transnational Institute, HollandWalden Bello: Beirut 2004 is a Milestone in the global struggle against injustice and war The Beirut Declaration – representing millions of people, it has hardly been mentioned in the mainstream press…and neither has this one:...

Tributes to Iraq’s Mother TeresaHeartbreak over Margaret Hassan’s fate November 3 – Breaking and alarming newsNew video: Margaret’s kidnappers threaten to hand her over to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, she faints on the video that Aljazeera calls “too graphic”. November 3 – Alarming newsNew video: Margaret’s kidnappers threaten to hand her over to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, she faints on the video that Aljazeera calls “too graphic”. Google News to world news about Hassan’s fate BBC – Profile of Margaret Hassan BBC – Charity worker kidnapped in Iraq CNN – Charity chief kidnapped in Iraq CARE International’s work in Iraq Outpuring support by the Iraqi people – CARE international UK Aljazeera.Net, October 20, 2004 International Herald Tribune, October 20, 2004 CNN – CARE suspends its operation in Iraq after kidnapping, October 20, 2004 GOOGLE News – Numerous very informative articles from all over the world, October 21, 2004 ABC – PM, Australia –...

The New York Times – EditorialThe verdict is inEditor’s note I Could it be said more clearly? The GuardianDear Mike, Iraq sucks – letters from Iraq to Michael Moore The Guardian, Jamie WilsonTariq Aziz lost faith in Saddam. Miscalculations and divisions at top exposed New York TimesIraq’s disappearing election Sunday HeraldThe West’s battle for oil – five months before September 11 it was advocated to use force to secure control over oil… Los Angeles TimesRamadi – Iraqi city on edge of chaos Ray McGovern, TruthOutMore troops to Iraq…After the election Peter Grier & Faye Bowers, Christian Science MonitorIraq efforts by the numbers. Details in little-seen government report(Amazing facts…) James Glanz and Thom Shanker, IHTIraqi rebels show wide pattern of resistance Foreign Policy in FocusA failed “transition”: the mounting costs of the Iraq war(Why it is going to go worse…) Michelle Goldberg, SalonMarine declares war on Bush Michelle Goldberg, SalonBush lied,...

Bush upbeat as Iraq burnsBob Herbert, op-ed columnist in The New York Times Why we should leave IraqJonathan Schell in The Nation & TomDispatch Baghdad Year Zero: Pillaging Iraq in pursuit of a Neocon UtopiaA conversation with Naomi Klein, from New Democracy A strident minority: anti-Bush US troops in BaghdadAnn Scott Tyson in The Christian Science Monitor Who are the progressives in Iraq? The Left, the Right, and the IslamistsFrank Smyth, Foreign Policy in Focus Arab League condemns terrorism in Iraq & pledges to support BagdadTruthout – AFP Iraq losing its best and brightestHoward LaFranchi in The Christian Science Monitor Iraq: A descent into civil war?Luke Harding in The Guardian Factbox: Guerilla strongholds in Iraq – where the US has no controlReuters Classic guerilla war forming in IraqBrad Knickerbocker in The Christian Science Monitor The reconstruction. U.S. intelligence pessimistic on Iraq’s futureDouglas Jehl in The New York Times Warring visions...