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SPECIAL REPORT: How Iraq is Being Destroyed "A weak Iraq suits many." Three years after the US attack, Iraq is breaking apart. Eyewitness report from Patrick Cockburn in Irbil. One of the great left journalists of his time, he was on the front lines in Korea and Vietnam. Chris Reed on Wilfrid Burchett, the man who made Murdoch foam at the mouth. Katrina washes whitest. Bill Quigley in New Orleans reports tales of lunacy and hope. CounterPunch Online is read by millions of viewers each month! But remember, we are funded solely by the subscribers to the print edition of CounterPunch. Please support this website by buying a subscription to our newsletter, which contains fresh material you won't find anywhere else, or by making a donation for the online edition. Remember contributions are tax-deductible. Click here to make a donation. If you find our site useful please: Subscribe Now! |
Today's Stories April 3, 2006 Roger
Morris April 1 / 2, 2006 Alexander
Cockburn Ralph
Nader Dave
Zirin David
Underhill Earl
Ofari Hutchinson Dave
Lindorff P.
Sainath Fred
Gardner Clancy
Chassay Heather
Gray Greg
Moses John
Chuckman Ron
Jacobs Jeffrey
St. Clair Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend
March 31, 2006 Gary
Leupp Patrick
Cockburn Saree
Makdisi Ron
Jacobs Mark
Engler Curtis
F.J. Doebbler Laith
al-Saud Website
of the Day
March 30, 2006 Uri
Avnery Sen.
Russell Feingold Winslow
T. Wheeler Dave
Lindorff Juan
Santos Frida
Berrigan Joshua
Frank Vonnie
Edwards Neve
Gordon Website
of the Day
March 29, 2006 CounterPunch
News Service Patrick
Cockburn John
Ross Omar
Barghouti William
S. Lind Missy
Comley Beattie Earl
Ofari Hutchinson Website
of the Day
March 28, 2006 Sharon
Smith Paul
Craig Roberts Tariq
Ali Manuel
Garcia, Jr. Ramzy
Baroud Evelyn
Pringle Seth
Sandronsky Patrick
Cockburn
March 27, 2006 Patrick
Cockburn Joshua
Frank Ron
Jacobs Jeff
Lays Davey
D. Robert
Billyard Jim
Rigby Lisa
Viscidi Nick
Dearden Gideon
Levy Website
of the Day
Alexander
Cockburn Patrick
Cockburn Ralph
Nader Christopher
Reed Jeff
Ballinger Joseph
Massad Brian
Cloughley Chris
Floyd Elaine
Cassel Dave
Zirin John
Chuckman Sharon
Smith Christopher
Fons Chris
Kromm John
Bomar Ron
Jacobs Maymanah
Farhat St.
Clair / Walker / Vest Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend
March 24, 2006 Cockburn
/ Sengupta / Duff P. Sainath Todd
Chretien Marty
Omoto Michael
Carmichael Peter
Phillips Gabriel
Kolko Website
of the Day
March 23, 2006 Charles
V. Peña Joe
DeRaymond Robert
Fisk Jonathan
Cook Tom
Engelhardt Joshua
Frank Norman
Solomon Robert
Fitch / Joe Allen Patrick
Cockburn CounterPunch
News Service Website
of the Day
March 22, 2006 David
MacMichael Juan
Santos Paul
Craig Roberts Patrick
Cockburn Ramzy
Baroud Jason
Leopold Dennis
Perrin William
Blum Jeffrey
St. Clair Website
of the Day
March 21, 2006 Paul
Craig Roberts Winslow
Wheeler Tom
Engelhardt Arnold
Oliver Earl
Ofari Hutchinson Mike
Whitney William
A. Cook Sophia
A. McLennen
March 20, 2006 Paul
Craig Roberts Dave
Lindorff Ralph
Nader Diane
Christian Jeff
Halper Harry
Browne Norman
Solomon Patrick
Cockburn Website
of the Day
March 18 / 19, 2006 Cockburn
/ St. Clair Werther Chris
Kromm Patrick
Cockburn Elaine
Cassel S. Brian
Willson Fred
Gardner Brian
Cloughley Laura
Carlsen Eamon
Martin Julie
Hilden Alison
Weir Jeffrey
St. Clair Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend
March 17, 2006 Eduardo
Galeano Greg
Moses Richard
Falk / David Krieger Cindy
and Craig Corrie Amira
Hass Mike
Marqusee James
Petas and Robin Eastman-Abaya Website
of the Day
March 16, 2006 Norman
Solomon Tom
Philpott Heather
Gray Amira
Hass Missy
Comley Beattie Sen.
Russell Feingold Lucinda
Marshall Andrew
Bosworth Clancy
Sigal Website
of the Day
Jonathan
Cook Winslow
Wheeler Diane
Christian Ron
Jacobs Missy
Comley Beattie Jared
Bernstein Noam
Chomsky Website
of the Day
March 14, 2006 Earl
Ofari Hutchinson Dave
Lindorff Kevin
Zeese Todd
Chretien Jason
Kunin Thomas
Palley Cockburn
/ St. Clair Website
of the Day
March 13, 2006 Uri
Avnery Dave
Lindorff Mike
Whitney David
Green Jeremy
Scahill Mike
Ferner Corey
Harris Paul
Craig Roberts Website
of the Day
Alexander
Cockburn Ralph
Nader Paul
Craig Roberts Ben
Tripp John
Strausbaugh Landau
/ Hassen Robert
Bryce Gary
Leupp Fred
Gardner Ron
Jacobs Jonathan
Scott Ramzy
Baroud Jordan
Flaherty John
Chuckman Joe
Allen Julia
Kendlbacher St.
Clair / Walker / Pollack / Vest Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend
March 10, 2006 Ben
Rosenfeld Lila
Rajiva Saree
Makdisi Elena
Shore Joshua
Frank Dave
Zirin Aura
Bogado
March 9, 2006 John
Walsh Annie
Zirin Brian
McKenna Chris
Floyd Rachard
Itani Niranjan
Ramakrishnan Wylie
Harris Alexander
Cockburn Website
of the Day
March 8, 2006 Patrick
Bond Brian
Concannon, Jr. Pat
Williams Lance
Selfa Mokhiber
/ Weissman Walter
Brasch Vijay
Prashad Website
of the Day
March 7, 2006 Werther John
Blair Dave
Lindorff Mike
Whitney Warren
Guykema Sen.
Russell Feingold Robert
Jensen Norman
Solomon Bernie
Dwyer Website
of the Day
Ralph
Nader Dave
Zirin Vanessa
Redgrave Walter
A. Davis Joshua
Frank Nate
Mezmer Paul
Craig Roberts Website
of the Day
Alexander
Cockburn Jennifer
Van Bergen Steven
Higgs Winslow
T. Wheeler Ron
Jacobs Rev.
William E. Alberts Colin
Asher Fred
Gardner "Pariah" John
Scagliotti Seth
Sandronsky Joan
Roelofs Arjun
Makhijani Ardeshr
Ommani Diana
Barahona Ben
Tripp St.
Clair / Socialist Worker Staff Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend March 3, 2006 Laura
Carlsen John
V. Whitbeck Chris
Floyd Mohamed
Hakki Pratyush
Chandra John
Scagliotti Website
of the Day
March 2, 2006 Paul
Craig Roberts Dave
Lindorff Ramzy
Baroud Saul
Landau Joe
Allen Steve
Shore Denise
Boggs Norman
Finkelstein Website
of the Day
March 1, 2006 Mairead
Corrigan Maguire Niranjan
Ramakrishnan Faheem
Hussain Antony
Loewenstein Elizabeth
Schulte Mike
Whitney John
Ryan Michael
Donnelly Tom
Reeves Website
of the Day
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April 3, 2006 Vietnam Diary, Part One "What Socialism?" By SAUL LANDAU I arrived in Hanoi in the late morning. The sun flitted through the clouds, and I couldn't decide whether I needed my light wind-breaker. The temperature hovered in the mid 60s, with enough humidity to let some reality into my brain to share space with older graphic images etched in my brain--from a very different era. The January 1968 Life magazine cover showed Lee Lockwood's photo of a Hanoi street covered with man holes and covers, where people took shelter when the B-52s conducted their daily bombing of the city. Who in my generation could forget the image of the napalmed little girl running naked down the road or the South Vietnamese general shooting a prisoner in the head with a pistol? Most Vietnamese I talked to either in English or through an interpreter see the war as ancient history. Thang, a hotel manager, insists that "most Vietnamese have no memories of it." Indeed, the majority of the country was born after 1975, when the war ended. In the early 1970s Vietnam had a population of about 40 million. That number has more than doubled: 82.7 million in 2004. Unlike many of my students, who know only that the Vietnam War occurred sometime after the Greco-Roman era, several Vietnamese university students, one with an NBA T shirt had learned the details of war--such as the facts that US planes dropped 15 million tons of bombs on their country and sprayed huge areas of forest with agent orange in order to defoliate the countryside, which produced lasting health effects among the sprayed populations. I met an American expatriate who runs an NGO to help rural children incapacitated by the effects of that chemical. One student, at a cafe near Hanoi's Hoan Kiem Lake, sang a few bars of heavily accented hip hop. I laughed. Others joined her. They were disappointed that I didn't know about US youth music. Nor were they impressed that I recalled the 1954 battle of Dien Bien Phu when General Vo Nguyen Giap surrounded twelve French battalions attempting to stop his armies' advance. They had studied in school the famous siege, which included waves of assaults followed by artillery attacks. As the French military situation worsened, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles proposed dropping of an atomic bomb on the Viet Minh forces to relieve the French. Ike refused, and after almost two months of siege, Giap's forces had captured or killed the entire French force (13,000) and won independence--or so it seemed. The students also knew about the subsequent conference in Geneva, when France, the United States and Ho Chi Minh's Vietnam agreed to a series of steps toward independence. The US made sure, however, that the scheduled 1956 elections would not take place. In his Memoirs, Eisenhower estimated that Ho would have won 80% of the vote. Instead, the United States created "South Vietnam" and imported a Catholic president, Ngo Dinh Diem, to run a non-Catholic country. Diem's regime was characterized by corruption and oppression of those who sided with national unification. One student described how his history books taught that ordered armed resistance units (the National Liberation Front or Viet Cong) to attack Diem's forces. I told them I recalled how Eisenhower and Kennedy responded by sending in armed "advisers" and multiplying the size and technology of the newly created South Vietnamese armed forces. The Vietnam War had begun even before Lyndon Johnson used the fabricated Gulf of Tonkin attack on a US ship to ask Congress for authority to send in massive numbers of US troops. In 1975, after 58 thousand Americans died, hundreds of thousands were wounded and God knows how many went crazy, Congress cut off funds for the war. The US cut and ran. I asked them if it was true that 3 million Vietnamese died. They did not know the casualty figures. But one young woman, studying linguistics emphasized that "that period of our history is over. We like Americans." Over the first four days in Hanoi, I sensed no anti-Americanism. Indeed, people assured me that the war is remembered in museums and history books. The country has entered a new era. The nation that 1960s Defense analysts described as having no "industrial backbone," has begun a visible and dramatic development program. Some of Hanoi's estimated 4 million people--many freshly arrived from the impoverished countryside -- now work in industrial parks, clusters of factories owned or controlled by foreign multinationals. A giant Canon plant, built amidst rice paddies on the road from the airport to the city, shares the landscape with billboards advertising major companies, not consumer products. There are plenty of those signs - Coke, Samsung, Nokia -- in the city. Adidas and other sporting goods chains have assembly plants in Vietnam. A US businessman who runs a company here told me that the Vietnamese resent the methods of Taiwanese and Korean managers. Young men and women fresh from the countryside earn sweatshop wages, but that pittance is more than they eked out on the farm. The government contracted with foreign companies to build huge highway and bridge projects across the Red River--no sign of redness in it -- on Hanoi's east. The modern construction machinery stands in sharp contrast to the house boats and shacks along the river's edge. A delegation of US investors from major corporations arrived on March 10. They declared their intentions of building plants in Vietnam and supporting the country's bid to join the WTO. The government appears overly friendly with the United States. Indeed, last year, the United States was Communist Vietnam's largest trading partner. Two US expatriates and a retired Vietnamese diplomat chuckled when I asked if Vietnam was truly "socialist," as in Socialist Republic of Vietnam. "Socialists don't invite the most aggressive of the multinational corporate elite into their country to exploit their people," sneered one American who owns a small business in Hanoi. "What socialism?" asked the retired diplomat. "The government should at least stop being hypocritical and make their politics coincide with their economic policies and allow for open parties and a free press as well." The businessman said that government leaders routinely promise development with environmental controls and social equality. All three complained of corruption, poor leadership and a deteriorating environment. What development means in daily life is heavy air pollution in the capital city. A Vietnamese friend gave me a tour of Hanoi. I sat on the back of his motorbike and imagined myself starring in a remake of "Perils of Pauline" as he weaved the small motor bike through the densely populated streets. Perhaps, I thought, this constituted a population control measure. I assumed the mortality rate from traffic accidents and respiratory diseases should be impressive. Hundreds of thousands of these Japanese, Korean and Chinese-made engines emit noxious, unfiltered gasoline exhaust. Until recently, bicycles prevailed, but these recently arrived machines have taken over the streets and the sidewalks. The Vietnamese drive as if they had watched archival footage of OJ Simpson. Instead of eluding enemy tacklers on foot they navigate on wheels through fields of oncoming and competing bicycles, motorbikes, cars, SUVs and buses. They must also negotiate with fearless pedestrians. Miniature women with bamboo poles and loaded baskets of fruit hanging from each end stride into swarms of oncoming cars and miraculously get to the other side of the street. Frying meats, fish oil and engine exhaust mix together with the scent f fresh roses, carried by women or sold from shops on the street. The vehicles, like fish of distinct shapes and species, head toward their own individual locations, motivated by impersonal but urgent need to get to someplace as quickly as possible. We passed only one accident on the way. I closed my eyes as I imagined imminent death. Yet, no driver gets intimidated. Rather, each moves forward as if the only important thing is to continue the journey. Why did no one tell Lyndon Johnson that he could not intimidate the Vietnamese? A day trip to a "snake village" just outside Hanoi looked like an extension of the city. The driver talked to the snake handler who reached into a tank with a forked stick and put a cobra in my face. A chill crept up my spine. I continued filming with my video camera as the snake's head formed a wide hood and hissed. Maybe I just imagined the sound and the angry look in the serpent's eyes as its slimy tongue swept from left to right. Would this cause my fatal heart attack? I didn't look in the tank to see how many more deadly vipers were inside; nor did I try to find another snake establishment. I declined lunch at the snake man's dining room--broiled cobra over rice. More next week from Hue and Ho Chi Minh City.
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from CounterPunch Books! The Case Against Israel By Michael Neumann Grand Theft Pentagon: Tales of Greed and Profiteering in the War on Terror by Jeffrey St. Clair Sick of sit-on-the-Fence speakers, tongue-tied and timid? CounterPunch Editors Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St Clair are available to speak forcefully on ALL the burning issues, as are other CounterPunchers seasoned in stump oratory. Call CounterPunch Speakers Bureau, 1-800-840-3683. Or email beckyg@counterpunch.org. |