Author: Dave

John Mearsheimer on Israel National Radio

John Mearsheimer
John Mearsheimer

John Mearsheimer, during his 2008 visit to Israel, interviewed on Arutz Sheva‘s Israel National Radio show.

John does a great job arguing for his positions yet his extremist pro-settlement hosts seem determined to paint him as an anti-Semite. All Mearsheimer really argues is that he wants it to be possible to criticise Israel’s bad policies in the United States – it’s difficult to see why any sensible person could have a problem with this.

Toward the end, after they’ve ditched John, they even claim the next Holocaust will be in America and that it’s being brought about by a new sophisticated anti-Semitism, contained in Mearsheimers & Walt’s book The Israel Lobby, and this new anti-Semitism is the “most dangerous thing on the market today.”

Mearsheimer on Israel National Radio (48:31) | MP3

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Pilger on Honduras and Palestine

“Legendary author and filmmaker John Pilger talks about the expansion of US empire in Asia and Latin America” on Flashpoints Radio.  This is a promotion for Socialism Conference, which will presumably upload Pilger’s saturday lecture, and has many great speakers, including friend of Pulse Dahr Jamail.

Pilger on Flashpoints: MP3

US: Israel’s Puppet Government

Paul Craig Roberts, former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration, on Russia Today, explains that when it comes to the Middle East, the US Government is the puppet of Israel (or rather its lobby).

Included below is his recent counterpunch article on Israel’s kidnapping of the  ‘Spirit of Humanity’ activists titled Pirates of the Mediterranean.

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Liberals, Conservatives battle for Jewish support in Canada

Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, celebrating the
60th anniversary of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine.

The following is an illuminating look at Canada where a perverse race to the bottom is taking place to gain Zionist electoral support.  Apparently Michael Ignatieff is trying to out-Zion that staunch supporter of Israeli crimes Stephen Harper.  Quite a task: one that has Ignatieff appologising for daring to call the bombing of civilians in Qana, Lebanon, 2006, a war-crime.

By Jennifer Ditchburn, The Canadian Press:

The fact Liberal MP Anita Neville is Jewish just didn’t seem to hold as much sway with her Winnipeg community last election.

Neville watched as some of her formerly faithful Jewish supporters left for the Conservative party, impressed by its unequivocal pro-Israel stance.

It was a phenomenon felt in other Liberal ridings with significant Jewish populations. One of those ridings actually went blue.

“I have some constituents who for them, (Israel) is the only issue, and they will vote based on that issue and we were not in a good place at that time and not clear in our responses,” Neville said of the period before the 2008 campaign.

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Maximizing Rights: The One State Solution to the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

Palestinian-American law professor and commentator George Bisharat.
Palestinian-American law professor and commentator George Bisharat.

In April George Bisharat wrote an article for the San Francisco Chronicle titled Changing the Rules of War giving a legal perspective on Israeli conduct in Gaza.  He stated that “what is less appreciated is how Israel is … brutalizing international law, in ways that may long outlast the demolition of Gaza.”  I’m sure if you read it in April, you’d remember it, and if you haven’t read it, I can’t recommend it more highly.

Maximizing Rights is a previous work of his, published 2008 in the Berkley journal Global Jurist.  In it he states that it’s time to face the painful truth: the two-state solution has failed.  He argues for a new paradigm, with a rights-based approach, that favours a one-state solution as it provides “the widest array of rights to the greatest number of Palestinians and Israelis.”  Simply put: the one-state solution is the most just solution and is most likely to bring lasting peace.

The article can be downloaded for free on the journals website. I’ve included the abstract below.

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Are British Jews ending their affair with Labour?

David “I am a Zionist” Cameron, leader of the opposition, said recently, at the Conservative Friends of Israel (CfI) annual business lunch, that his belief in Israel’s right to exist and to defend itself was “indestructible”. No surprises there.  He did however refer to old supporters giving a special thank you to some of the party’s biggest donors and, more importantly, he welcomed new arrivals such as Victor Blank.  Victor, former chairman of Llyods Banking Group and one of Gordon Brown’s favourite businessmen, is more commonly associated with Labour Friends of Israel (LfI) and this switching of sides seems to have prompted the Guardian podcast show Sounds Jewish to ask “are British Jews ending their affair with New Labour and returning to the Tories?”

Stuart Polak, director of Conservative Friends of Israel (13:35): MP3

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Iraq Inquiry: Freedman & Gilbert

Notorious propagandist Martin Gilbert
Notorious propagandist Martin Gilbert

The Iraq war was driven by the neo-conservative, Israel firsters, as the beginning of a plan to reshape the Middle East in Israel’s favour. In the Independent, Richard Ingrams explains that by having at least two Zionists, on a committee of five, the Iraq war inquiry is unlikely to explore this.

For more on Freedman and Gilbert see Michael Crick’s Newsnight blog where he opines that “critics of the war might argue Sir Lawrence was himself one of the causes of the war!”

Sir Martin Gilbert, the allegedly distinguished historian who is one of those appointed to investigate the Iraq war, has let it be known that one day in the future Bush and Blair might be seen in the same light as Roosevelt and Churchill. A good example of the rule that when it comes to talking nonsense it’s hard to beat a historian.

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The Shock Doctrine and the Economic Crisis

Naomi Klein, interviewed by Bob McChesney, on her book the Shock Doctrine with respect to the financial crisis.  Klein goes on to explain her current project, writing a piece on America’s boycott of the UN Durban II review conference on racism, and is critical of the US anti-war movement for ignoring the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Naomi Klein on the Shock Doctrine (52:45): MP3

The Day of Destiny: ‘Tanks, guns, Basiji, you have no effect now’

Robert Fisk witnesses the courage of one million opposition protesters.

tehran-shot-man-EPA_188001s
A demonstrator who was shot during a protest in the streets of the capital Tehran today

It was Iran’s day of destiny and day of courage. A million of its people marched from Engelob Square to Azadi Square – from the Square of Revolution to the Square of Freedom – beneath the eyes of Tehran’s brutal riot police. The crowds were singing and shouting and laughing and abusing their “President” as “dust”.Mirhossein Mousavi was among them, riding atop a car amid the exhaust smoke and heat, unsmiling, stunned, unaware that so epic a demonstration could blossom amid the hopelessness of Iran’s post-election bloodshed. He may have officially lost last Friday’s election, but yesterday was his electoral victory parade through the streets of his capital. It ended, inevitably, in gunfire and blood.

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The American Empire Is Bankrupt

Chris Hedges examines moves by Russia/China to dump the Dollar as a global reserve currency stating that “it marks the start of a terrible period of economic and political decline in the United States. And it signals the last gasp of the American imperium. That’s over. It is not coming back.”

I’d also recommend the Michael Hudson article De-Dollarization: Dismantling America’s Financial-Military Empire referred to by Hedges.

This week marks the end of the dollar’s reign as the world’s reserve currency. It marks the start of a terrible period of economic and political decline in the United States. And it signals the last gasp of the American imperium. That’s over. It is not coming back. And what is to come will be very, very painful.

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