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How the U.S. Army Kills Its Own Soldiers A horrifying, exclusive report from JoAnn Wypijewski on the grim secrets of Fort Sill, Oklahoma. How a sadistic drill sergeant tortured basic trainees, amid brutal indifference that led to the death on March 19,2006,of 21-year-old PFC Matthew Scarano. Dead Movement Marching? Cockburn and St Clair assess the failures of the national antiwar groups, even as popular opposition to the war tops 60 per cent. Stalin or Confucius? Chris Reed on the Secrets of the Garden of Bliss, otherwise known as North Korea. 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 March 31, 2006 Saree
Makdisi 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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March 31, 2006 If You Think the Third World Debt Crisis was Solved Last Summer at the G8, Think Again There's Much More to be Done on Debt Relief By MARK ENGLER Last July, debt relief was all the rage. Bono crooned at the Live 8 benefit concert in London--one of almost a dozen taking place worldwide--and the leaders of the G8 nations met in Scotland to negotiate a response to the issue. In the end, the elected officials agreed to a breakthrough debt relief deal for some of the poorest countries in the world. They unanimously declared that providing relief, especially for sub-Saharan Africa, was a moral and economic imperative. President George W. Bush remarked that struggling nations "should not be burdened by mountains of debt" and announced that the G8 proposal would "eliminate 100 percent of that debt." All that was left, the rhetoric suggested, was for the heads of state to congratulate themselves for their high-minded deeds. Fast forward to the present. Public attention has shifted elsewhere and, while some genuine gains have been secured, much more work remains to be done to eliminate unjust debts that stifle countries in the developing world. The on-going task has boiled down to addressing three problems. First, until this week, the World Bank had yet to follow through on its part of the G8 deal. Pressuring the Bank to implement in a fair way has required continued pressure. Second, many desperately poor countries do not qualify for relief from the World Bank, IMF, or regional banks under last year's agreement; G8 leaders must expand the deal to include timely cancellation for more nations. Third, citizens in countries that have overthrown undemocratic leaders are still stuck paying the debts of their past oppressors--because even after proclaiming that the Iraqi people should not be burdened with Saddam Hussein's debts and rallying creditors to forgive Iraq's "odious" obligations, President Bush has failed to apply the same standard of forgiveness to countries the U.S. army has not recently invaded. So, first of all, if everyone agrees that debt relief is needed, why was the World Bank still dragging its feet over eight months after the Scottish summit? In December the International Monetary Fund hammered out the details for implementing its part of the deal, and it cancelled relevant debts in January. Yet the World Bank lagged behind. The Bank's Executive Board finally met this week to resolve lingering issues. The meeting produced some wins for activists, but there are also some devils in the details. Prior to this week's meeting, the World Bank was offering a plan that would have forced indebted countries to continue making payments for up to the next 15 months. Rather than following the IMF's lead in giving debt relief right away to qualified nations, the Bank pursued an annual approval process that would keep all the debtors sending non-refundable payments until July--a full year after the G8 agreement. Newly eligible countries would have to wait still another year for cancellation, until July 2007. These include the AIDS-ravaged nations of Burundi, Guinea, Malawi, and Sierra Leone. The central reason for the delay was the World Bank's drive for bureaucratic self-preservation. The institution wanted to make sure that donor countries will give it extra funds to make up for lost interest payments from poor nations. It showed itself willing to hold impoverished countries hostage to get the money. As the Bank delayed, funds which could have been spent on health, education, and human development in Africa and beyond were being sent back to Washington. In a positive development, the World Bank finally agreed this week to implement the G8 deal. Pressure from debt activists helped to convince the Bank to drop its annual review process and the long waiting periods it would have created. This represents a real, if incremental, victory. However, while the IMF forgave debts accumulated by the eligible countries through the end of 2004, the World Bank will only cancel debts accumulated through 2003. Rather than living up to promises of "100% cancellation," the Bank is milking poor nations for payments on an extra year's worth of debt. Moving forward, the fight will shift from compelling the Bank to clear the hurdles of self-interest. Two especially pressing concerns must be addressed not only by the World Bank and IMF, but also by their paymasters at the G8: finding a way to include more poor countries in the deal without making them submit to onerous economic conditions, and canceling illegitimate debts amassed by the dictators of the past. The current G8 agreement, while representing a historic advance, is only a limited response to the debt problem. Only a fraction of the poor countries that need relief are now getting it. In order for others to qualify they must spend years submitting to a long list of "neoliberal" economic mandates, such as downsizing government and opening markets to foreign corporations. The track record of these reforms at reducing poverty is dismal. And the fact that countries pursuing other strategies for development must forgo needed assistance is offensive. Many advocates in the international Jubilee Debt Campaign contend that poor countries should proactively renounce unjust debts rather than wait for overdue "forgiveness." That lender agencies continue to make debtors adopt neoliberal policies as a pre-condition for debt forgiveness lends considerable weight to the activists' argument. The stance in favor of renunciation is doubly valid in cases of "odious" debt, and addressing these cases represents the third critical task ahead. Wealthy nations are still pushing for payments from countries whose bills were run up by dictators that have since been deposed. Money lent to military governments was often used to line the pockets of corrupt officials or, worse yet, to purchase American and European-made arms, which were then deployed to repress democratic movements. After the U.S.-led assault on Baghdad in 2003, President Bush argued that odious debts endangered Iraq's "long-term prospects for political health and economic prosperity." He insisted that the future of a people "should not be mortgaged to the enormous burden of debt incurred to enrich" a despot. The U.S. then mobilized its political will to persuade national and multilateral creditors to erase the bulk of Saddam Hussein's debts. The Bush administration was right to do this. The problem is that it didn't go far enough. Washington has yet to push for the elimination of debts accrued by tyrants like Pinochet in Chile and Suharto in Indonesia, whom the United States supported when they were in power. This double standard has tragic implications. Evidence shows that debt cancellation can be a most effective form of humanitarian assistance, allowing developing countries to draw on their own resources to provide critical social services. The Jubilee USA Network has highlighted the Zambian government's announcement, just before the G8 deal was finalized, that it would "use debt relief proceeds to provide anti-retroviral drugs to 100,000 HIV/AIDS patients." The bottom line, Jubilee advocates note, is that debt cancellation can save lives. "In a situation where literally thousands of children die from preventable diseases every day, it's our duty to act," said British Prime Minister Tony Blair in advance of last year's G8 summit. That sentiment is as true now as it was when the cameras were rolling. And if leaders like Bush and Blair are not willing to honor it, solutions like debt renunciation present the only moral alternatives for the poor. Mark Engler, a writer based in New York City, is an analyst with Foreign Policy In Focus. He can be reached via the web site http://www.DemocracyUprising.com. Research assistance for
this article provided by Kate Griffiths.
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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. |