In 1966, two famous Russian literary dissidents, Yuli Daniel and Andrei Sinyavsky, were tried and convicted on charges of disseminating propaganda against the Soviet state. The two were authors and humorists who published satire abroad that mocked Soviet leaders for failure to comply with the Soviet Constitution of 1936, which guaranteed the freedom of speech. … Continue reading “Free Speech and the Department of Political Justice”
Israeli Torture Chambers Aren’t New. They Provoked October 7
For many years I lived just up the road from Megiddo prison in northern Israel, where new film of Israeli guards torturing Palestinians en masse has been published by Israel’s Haaretz newspaper. I drove past Megiddo prison on hundreds of occasions. Over time I came to barely notice the squat grey buildings, surrounded by watch … Continue reading “Israeli Torture Chambers Aren’t New. They Provoked October 7”
Debate Debacle: Our Bleak Foreign Policy Future
The first presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump presented a bleak picture of the future of U.S. foreign policy no matter who wins in November. On the most urgent and important foreign policy issue of the year, the war and genocide in Gaza, Harris repeated empty platitudes about a “two-state solution” and Trump … Continue reading “Debate Debacle: Our Bleak Foreign Policy Future”
Canada Is Ending Jewish National Fund’s Charitable Status
Reprinted from Jacobin with the author’s permission. The recent revocation of the Jewish National Fund’s (JNF) charitable status may be the most important Palestine solidarity victory in Canadian history. The grassroots win is a boost to the global Stop the JNF campaign and efforts to disrupt Canadian charity assistance to Israel. On August 10, the … Continue reading “Canada Is Ending Jewish National Fund’s Charitable Status”
Washington’s Reaction to IDF Killing of Aysenur Eygi is Disgraceful and Hypocritical
Last week, 26-year-old Turkish-American activist Aysenur Eygi was brutally murdered by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). She was killed as she protested, alongside several other activists with the International Solidarity Movement, against settlement expansion and settler terrorism against Palestinians in Beita; a village located in the illegally occupied Palestinian city of Nablus. Multiple eyewitness accounts … Continue reading “Washington’s Reaction to IDF Killing of Aysenur Eygi is Disgraceful and Hypocritical”
Undebatable: What Harris and Trump Could Not Say About Israel and Gaza
Kamala Harris won the debate. People being bombed in Gaza did not. The banner headline across the top of the New York Times home page – “Harris Puts Trump on Defensive in Fierce Debate” – was accurate enough. But despite the good news for people understandably eager for Trump to be defeated, the Harris debate … Continue reading “Undebatable: What Harris and Trump Could Not Say About Israel and Gaza”
As Ukraine Declines, Zelensky Shuffles His Cabinet
As military, economic and political events continue to spiral badly in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky has undertaken the largest cabinet shuffle since the war began. Zelensky says that the cabinet shuffle is intended to reshape the government so that “Ukraine will achieve all the results we need” heading into a difficult period. Specifically, Zelensky says … Continue reading “As Ukraine Declines, Zelensky Shuffles His Cabinet”
Cheney Backs Harris: The War Hawk’s Blessing Reveals Continuity in Foreign Policy
If there is one eternal rule in Washington, it is that “politics makes for strange bedfellows.” If you were to presume twenty years ago, that former Vice President Dick Cheney would one day endorse a progressive Democrat from California for president, you would be sent to an insane asylum. The idea that a diehard neoconservative … Continue reading “Cheney Backs Harris: The War Hawk’s Blessing Reveals Continuity in Foreign Policy”
From the Arsenal of Democracy to an Arsenal of Genocide
During World War II, American leaders proudly proclaimed this country the “arsenal of democracy,” supplying weapons and related materiel to allies like Great Britain and the Soviet Union. To cite just one example, I recall reading about Soviet armored units equipped with U.S. Sherman tanks, though the Soviets had an even better tank of their own … Continue reading “From the Arsenal of Democracy to an Arsenal of Genocide”
On the Frontline of Resistance: The Women of Palestine
During her acceptance speech in August at the Democratic National Convention, Vice President Kamala Harris heaped praise on her mother. She spoke proudly of a childhood full of promise, forged by a single mother who taught her to dream big. As Harris paid homage to her mother, I thought of how Israel has done everything … Continue reading “On the Frontline of Resistance: The Women of Palestine”