The breakup of Yugoslavia triggered a catastrophe in the Balkans. Bosnia, which declared its independence in 1992, has become synonymous with death and destruction on a scale not seen in Europe since the Nazi era. Unlike the genocide of the Jews, the killings in Bosnia are a matter of near universal knowledge. Under media observation, […]

The Enron scandal again focuses attention on corporate malfeasance and greed. Enron did not pay taxes in 4 of the last 5 years as it stashed away money in offshore accounts. As hotelier Leona Helmsley famously said, “Only little people pay taxes.” She wasn’t kidding. A recent report says the IRS is much more inclined […]

Voter turnout in the U.S. continues to plunge. The conventional explanation for the lack of interest is that the citizenry is apathetic. They’d rather be watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. A more radical analysis is that people are fed up with choices like Clinton-Dole or Gore-Bush. Many see them as guys in suits […]

Polls indicate widespread public discontent with the political system. Fewer and fewer people bother to vote for what Ralph Nader calls the “Tweedledum and Tweedledee” options of the Republicans and Democrats. People are diverted from the real issues of political economy and corporate power and privileges. Much of the media are devoted to “infotainment” and […]