Visible Minorities: Salute to the Author of Cartels of the Mind
Ivan Parker Hall, author of landmark book Cartels of the Mind: Japan’s Intellectual Closed Shop, died in Berlin on February 1, 2023, at age 90.
Brazil in the Shadow of Insurrection
Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro appears to be plotting a comeback, but his prospects for a return to power–should he not be willing to wait four years until the next election–will very much depend upon who occupies the White House in the years ahead and how deep his support runs within his country’s military.
Mexico Leads Campaign Against US Embargo of Cuba
Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador vowed over the weekend to lead a worldwide movement to end the 61-year US embargo of Cuba.
Barcelona Cuts Ties with Israel Over Crime of Apartheid
Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau this week announced that her city is cutting ties with Israel and ending its symbolic 25-year-old “twin cities” relationship with Tel Aviv over the Israeli government’s violent anti-Palestinian policies, in particular its “crime of apartheid.”
Hong Kong Democracy Defenders Go on Trial
As the trial of sixteen pro-democracy figures began yesterday in Hong Kong, the global human rights group Amnesty International blasted what it called the “politically motivated” charges against the defendants, urging authorities to drop the case.
Somalia’s Al-Shabab Under Pressure
For years the internationally-recognized government of Somalia, based in Mogadishu, has been in a running battle with the Al-Shabab insurgency, but recent advances by the Somali Armed Forces, backed by the US military, as well as division within the Islamist movement itself, appears to have put Al-Shabab on the back foot.
Western Hyperbole Over a Taiwan War
Western experts and military officials continue to issue dates for a prospective China invasion of Taiwan. The latest such example is a prediction by US Air Force General Mike Minihan that a war will occur between the United States and China over Taiwan in 2025. This was written in a memo which was obtained by the news media.
Ilhan Omar Calls Out Republican Islamophobia
US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar on Sunday contended that some of her Republican Party critics—led by US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy—are trying to oust her from the US House Foreign Affairs Committee because she is a Muslim refugee from Somalia.
Rahul Gandhi Completes Four Month Long Peace March
The Bharat Jodo Yatra peace march led by Rahul Gandhi seems to have opened a tiny door for many people to escape the prevailing political uncertainty and to vent their frustration at BJP rule.
Biden Outpaces Trump on Oil and Gas Permits
Although US President Joe Biden vowed on the campaign trail to phase out federal leasing for fossil fuel extraction, his administration approved more permits for oil and gas drilling on public lands in its first two years than the Trump administration did in 2017 and 2018.