Barack Obama and Race in America

Barack Obama's speech on race relations in America, given last week in Philadelphia, had the misfortune of being overshadowed by, or cast as a reaction to, publicized comments made by Obama's long-time spiritual mentor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

Obama's speech was one of the most honest and necessary interventions into American mainstream political discourse in years; obviously, that ought not shield it from critique.This will take you to a reaction piece to Obama's speech featuring contributions by the editorial board of The Black Commentator.

Also, the Real News's Paul Jay focuses on Obama's loudly-demanded 'denouncing and renouncing' of Wright, in conversation with Prof. Dwight Hopkins at the University of Chicago's Divinity School. This can be found in that neat mini-video-library from the Real News at the top of this page.

Paging Cohn-Bendit, Bensaid

For the Guardian, Tariq Ali reflects on the various irruptions in progressive politics that took place between 1965-75, on this, the anniversary of the founding of the 22 March movement in Nanterre in 1968. We're generally wary of nostalgic evocations of '68, as well as its totemic status in Western left politics; Ali's piece, however, is analytic rather than elegiac.

Winter Soldier

Here's a crucial video from the Real News regarding US media reporting of both casualties suffered by American troops in Iraq and the catastrophic acts carried out by some of those troops. They also show a few clips from a news conference conducted by Iraq Veterans Against the War, highlighting the 'Winter Soldier' program, in which Iraq War veterans testify as to the nature of their actions, and those of their commanders, while serving.

Works Consulted #10

Thomas Hardy, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Norton Critical Editions
Frank Norris, McTeague, Oxford World Classics
Lauren Berlant, 'Slow Death: Sovereignty, Obesity, Lateral Agency', Critical Inquiry 33, Summer 2007; and The Queen of America Goes to Washington City: Essays on Sex and Citizenship, Duke University Press, 2002
Elizabeth Grosz, Space, Time and Perversion: Essays on the Politics of Bodies Routlege, 1995
JM Coetzee, Diary of a Bad Year, Harville Secker, 2007

Vacation's over

For today, just a few articles on the devastation of US economy brought to our attention by our dear friend JL.

The first is from NE favorite and ex-Reagan administration official Paul Craig Roberts, who discusses in this article the position of the US as a bankrupt superpower, outlining US financial dependence on foreign countries that will, he projects, grow increasingly unwilling to cover for the superpower in its fiscal irresponsibility. Along similar lines, here are few about the impending federal bailout of the US financial system: one from Paul Krugman, another, more detailed assessment from Pam Martens (which includes a commentary on the Spitzer fiasco that, frankly, we at No Empires can't quite get on board with).

Undoubtedly, there were be more to come on this front.

The death of Rachel Corrie, and the invasion of Iraq, five years on

A brief update from northern Paris.

Five years ago today, International Solidarity Movement activist Rachel Corrie was crushed under an Israeli/American Caterpillar bulldozer in Gaza. As Tom Wright and Therese Saliba report, Rachel Corrie's parents are in Israel this week to ttend the first Arabic-language production of My Name is Rachel Corrie, an immensely powerful one-woman play (we've mentioned it before) brought to New York last year thanks to the courage and tenacity of Alan Rickman and Katherine Viner. Cindy and Craig Corrie come against the backdrop of an utter lack of accountability regarding the circumstances of their daughter's murder; neither Caterpillar, Inc. nor the Israeli government/IDF seem to face any danger of prosecution, and they certainly haven't made any efforts to appear contrite.

RIP, Rachel.

Another (almost anniversary) sees the lead opinion piece in this weekend's Observer making the claim that

Whatever the tragic consequences of the Iraq war, we must learn from them, and when the circumstances are right, not flinch from using all the power at our disposal.

Earlier in the piece it is stated that no one could have foretold the catastrophe that eventually unfolded in Iraq, despite an overwhelming amount of journalistic evidence and political opinion to the contrary. The UK's 'liberal' newspapers continue to lose their way...

A 'bombshell' from Vanity Fair

We urge you to take the time to read this investigative piece from Vanity Fair's David Rose, which lays bare the machinations behind the US's unflagging support of Fatah strongman Muhammad Dahlan, and presents Hamas's takeover of Gaza last summer as the only way for Hamas to pre-empt a Fatah coup that could have happened at any time.

Following Hillary Clinton's recent and crucial primary victories, Alex Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair see only nastiness ahead as Clinton aims to discredit Barack Obama no matter the cost. This, they say, bodes extremely well for John McCain, and could also lead to an increasing rate of attrition among young Democratic voters as Obama's message of "hope" is trampled.