Greatest Hits Archives — Page 36 of 160 — Alternative Radio

Responsibility to Protect
Vijay Prashad
Following the mass killings in Rwanda and the international communities’ failure to act, the UN formulated a new doctrine called Responsibility to Protect (R2P). Its key provision is “Sovereignty no longer exclusively protects states from foreign interference.” Libya is a perfect example of R2P gone haywire. There were hyperbolic reports of atrocities, bloodbaths and massacres. […]
The Body Toxic
Nena Baker
More than 4 decades ago Rachel Carson, in “Silent Spring,” first warned that man-made chemicals were taking a deadly toll on birds and wildlife. Now we are recognizing that chemicals are effecting human sexual development and reproduction and can cause central nervous system diseases, cancer, and liver disease. Everyone is carrying a dizzying array of […]
Myths of Israel
Ilan Pappé
A myth is a story passed down through generations that attempts to explain the origins of something. The foundational myth of Israel was “a land without people for a people without a land.” That myth had profound consequences that reverberate today. There were people there – the Palestinians. Such myths are characteristic of settler colonial societies such […]
Pandemics, Democracies & Dictatorships
Nader Hashemi
Today, fear stalks the globe. The grim reaper is taking a heavy toll. The coronavirus pandemic has led to many thousands of deaths and tremendous economic dislocation. In this climate of fear, authoritarian regimes from Saudi Arabia to Hungary, from Russia to Turkey, from Iran to the Philippines use the crisis as a pretext to […]
Inequality Kills Us All
Stephen Bezruchka
In the 1950s the United States had among the lowest mortality rates and highest life expectancy in the world. Today, other rich nations and quite a number of poor ones have better health outcomes than Americans. Why? How can the U.S., probably the wealthiest country in history do so poorly? Starting with Reagan in the […]
Racing to the Precipice
Noam Chomsky
The warnings about the climate emergency are coming in fast and furious, yet public awareness and political action remain at a low level. The latest report is from the World Meteorological Organization, a UN agency. Its director said, “The impacts of climate change” are “often felt through water—more intense and frequent droughts, more extreme flooding, […]
Jordan, Palestine, Israel & the U.S.
Rami Barhoush
Jordan’s borders were drawn by British imperial cartographers after WW1. It was then called Trans-Jordan and sparsely populated. Today, it has a large Palestinian population, many of them refugees from the naqba, catastrophe, of 1948 and the 1967 war. In recent years it also has had a huge influx of refugees from Iraq and Syria. Jordan is […]
Artists & Social Responsibility
Wallace Shawn
Artists, creative people, occupy a special place in our hearts and minds. They interpret the world around us and imagine things outside the box. What is the connection between them and their creative output and society? Is it just to take curtain calls and sign autographs or is there something more? Picasso asked the question, […]
Climate Justice
Brian Tokar
Earth Days come and go. Wonderful speeches are made. Corporations, the biggest polluters, take out ads assuring the public they are green and are dedicated to preserving the environment. And then it’s plunder and exploit business as usual. Planet Earth, the ship we are all passengers on is gradually going down. Moving deck chairs around […]
Outsourcing the War on Terror
Pratap Chatterjee
When the U.S. goes to war, private contractors salivate. When it comes to making money, there is no business like war business. Control or oversight? Not much. There is a feeding frenzy at the troughs of public money accompanied by the almost inevitable cost overruns, waste, fraud and theft. The corruption is fueled by the […]
Tyranny of the Minority
Steven Levitsky
The United States is moving toward a multiracial society. But that demographic development has sparked an authoritarian political backlash. Powerful forces like things just the way they are. Our political system makes the U.S. vulnerable to minority rule. Perhaps the most undemocratic mechanism enabling minority rule is the antiquated Electoral College. No other country has […]
Iran: The 1953 American Coup
Stephen Kinzer
Regime change started long ago. The new version is just a change of clothes. Dwight Eisenhower was president when the U.S. overthrew the popular democratic government of Mohammad Mossadegh in Iran in 1953. What was Mossadegh’s transgression? He wanted Iran’s oil to benefit the Iranian people. The coup brought the Shah back from exile and […]

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