Posts Tagged ‘ US ’

On most metrics, the US is a dog

October 8, 2012
By

The provocative title of this post is not an opinion but a quote from a recent book by Howard Steven Friedman, a statistician and health economist for the United Nations and an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. The book, entitled “The Measure of a Nation,” compares the US’ standings on a variety of metrics concerning health, safety, education, democracy and income equality to those of 13 carefully chosen competitor OECD nations: Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Portugal, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain and the UK, all of whom have populations of at least ten…

Read more »

The Israel Lobby Swims The Atlantic (by Grant Smith)

March 6, 2012
By

Jeffrey Goldberg’s current cover story in The Atlantic, “The Point of No Return,”achieved massive distribution across a broad spectrum of old and new media in the United States. Some observers – including Glenn Greenwald in “How Propagandists Function” – noted how well the methodology and message of Goldberg’s piece serves the Israeli government’s efforts to push U.S. military action against Iran. Gareth Porter views it as part of an overarching strategy to keep the U.S. from restoring productive relations with Iran. A huge trove of newly declassified documentssubpoenaed during a Senate investigation reveals how Israel’s lobby pitched, promoted, and paid to have content placed…

Read more »

Remaining committed to obstructionism and doublespeak

November 1, 2011
By

UNESCO finally voted to admit Palestine as a member state: 107 countries supported the motion, 52 abstained, and the US and Israel managed to pressure only another 12 countries to vote against it.  The US responded to this small but significant exercise in global democracy by immediately announcing that it would cut off all funding to UNESCO, an educational, scientific, and cultural organization. This announcement was yet another crystal clear example of US obstructionism on the Palestinian issue, its utter disregard for world public opinion, and its unwavering and irrational support for Israel. But listen to the announcement itself, in…

Read more »

Tags

Democracy Now