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Sunday, October 25, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
CHALLENGES 2005-2006: A “Conservative” Identity Crisis
One of the most misleading U.S. journalistic conventions has been the use of "conservative" to describe right-wing Republicans, like President George W. Bush and the party's leadership in Congress. More than four years into the "war on terrorism", it is clear to all but the blindest observers that they are anything but.POLITICS: Iraqis Spoke, But Hardly in Unison
The strong turnout in last week's parliamentary elections in Iraq may have been just the kind of civic demonstration that U.S. Pres. George W. Bush needed to restore some confidence in a weary public that Washington's adventure in the country may not turn out to be such a disaster after all.POLITICS-BOLIVIA: Will Washington Engage Morales?
After years of demonising Evo Morales, whose unprecedented first-round victory in Bolivia's presidential elections Sunday has stunned analysts here, the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush must now decide whether to engage him.RIGHTS: Group Exposes CIA’s “Dark Prison” in Afghanistan
Amid efforts by a bipartisan coalition in Congress to ban torture and inhumane treatment of detainees in the "war on terror", a major U.S. human rights groups charged Monday that Washington ran a secret prison in Afghanistan where suspected terrorists were held in total darkness for days and even weeks at a time from 2002 until at least last year.RIGHTS: Group Exposes CIA’s “Dark Prison” in Afghanistan
Amid efforts by a bipartisan coalition in Congress to ban torture and inhumane treatment of detainees in the "war on terror", a major U.S. human rights groups charged Monday that Washington ran a secret prison in Afghanistan where suspected terrorists were held in total darkness for days and even weeks at a time from 2002 until at least last year.LATIN AMERICA: More US Aid Flows Through Pentagon
U.S. aid in Latin America is becoming increasingly militarised, according to a new report, which warns that both the U.S. Congress and the State Department are losing control over Washington's assistance to the region as more of it is channeled through the Pentagon.RIGHTS-IRAN: Two Top Ministers Accused of Atrocities
Amid growing alarm over extreme views voiced by Iran's new president, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, a major U.S.-based international human rights group called Wednesday for the immediate dismissal of two of his top cabinet ministers for their involvement in past repression and atrocities.POLITICS: Israelis Grow Troubled by Bush Priorities
Despite their mutual enthusiasm for ousting Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, Israel and the United States appear increasingly at odds over what to do about the larger Middle East region.SUDAN: Rights Group Seeks Sanctions Against Top Officials
Amid growing frustration over the continuing violence against the African population in Darfur, a major U.S. human rights group called Monday for the imposition of diplomatic and other sanctions against Sudanese President Omar El Bashir and other senior Khartoum officials for their role in war crimes and crimes against humanity.POLITICS-US: NGOs Urge Rice to Curb Bolton
Concerned about an impending confrontation between the United States and other member states over the U.N.'s budget, a group of 20 non-governmental organisations (NGOS) has appealed to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to rein in her ambassador, John Bolton, and take a more conciliatory approach.POLITICS: Arabs Unimpressed by Bush Democracy Drive
Despite a modest decline in hostility toward the United States, opinion in the Arab world appears to have hardened over the past year, according to the latest in an annual series of surveys of six Arab countries released here Wednesday by the Arab American Institute (AAI).RIGHTS-US: Is Condi Channeling Keitel or Condor?
According to his memoirs, Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel considered the secret abduction and rendition to Germany of suspected Resistance members - otherwise known as the Nacht und Nebel (Night and Fog) Decree - to be the worst of all of the orders issued by Adolf Hitler for the western occupied territories of the Third Reich during World War II.ENVIRONMENT: 2005 Costliest Year for Extreme Weather
The world has suffered more than 200 billion dollars in economic losses as a result of weather-related natural disasters over the past year, making 2005 the costliest year on record, according to preliminary estimates released Tuesday by the Munich Re Foundation at the international climate conference in Montreal.ENVIRONMENT: 2005 Costliest Year for Extreme Weather
The world has suffered more than 200 billion dollars in economic losses as a result of weather-related natural disasters over the past year, making 2005 the costliest year on record, according to preliminary estimates released Tuesday by the Munich Re Foundation at the international climate conference in Montreal.POLITICS-US: Ignore Africa at Your Peril, Think Tank Warns Bush
Africa's strategic importance to the United States - both with respect to Washington's "war on terrorism" and the growing competition with China for access to energy supplies and other raw materials - should be given more attention by policy-makers and the public, according to a major new report released here this week by the influential Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).POLITICS: Arab World Remains Hostile, Fearful Toward US
While the past 15 months have brought a slight decline in anti-U.S. sentiment, public opinion in the Arab world about Washington's policies and intentions in the Middle East remains overwhelmingly negative and deeply sceptical, according to a major new survey released here Friday.POLITICS: US Passivity Stoking Sino-Japanese Enmity
Amid growing antagonism between China and Japan, veteran Asia-watchers here are urging U.S. President George W. Bush to make clear to both parties that Washington has no interest in driving a wedge between them and is prepared to take affirmative steps to reverse the deterioration.POLITICS-US: The Unpopular in Pursuit of the Unwinnable?
Hoping to reverse plunging confidence in his strategy for Iraq - and in his own leadership - U.S. President George W. Bush Wednesday launched a major campaign to persuade the public that Washington is indeed prevailing against the insurgency there.IRAQ: Armed Forces Sinking into Sectarian Chaos
While the George W. Bush administration launches a campaign to persuade the public that an accelerated buildup of Iraqi security forces will permit substantial numbers of U.S. troops to begin returning home next year, recent reports from Iraq suggest that the security forces - and their sectarian make-up - are themselves contributing to the country's destabilisation.POLITICS-US: Realists Tighten Grip as Talks Open with Iran
In a new indication that the balance of power within the administration of President George W. Bush has tilted strongly in favour of the realists, Washington's influential ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, has disclosed that Bush has authorised him to open direct talks with Iran about stabilising Iraq.RIGHTS: Wade Urged to Extradite Ex-Chadian Leader
Human rights groups called Friday for Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade to immediately extradite "Africa's Pinochet", former Chadian President Hissene Habre, to Belgium, where he faces trial for atrocities committed during his eight-year reign during the 1980s.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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