Auteur/autrice : Heidi Barathieu-Brun

Published on Al-Ahram weekly online, by Nasser Arrabyee in Sanaa, March 26, 2015.

While Yemen’s different groups are continuing to attend the country’s national dialogue, each is preparing for civil war.
The rebel Houthi group leader Abdel-Malik Al-Houthi this week declared a “war on terrorists” from the Al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS) groups that he says are trying to take over the volatile south and north of the country. Continuer la lecture de « War threatens Yemen »

on Global Research.ca (first on Web of Debt), by Ellen Brown, March 26, 2015.

In California’s epic drought, wars over water rights continue, while innovative alternatives for increasing the available water supply go untapped.

Wars over California’s limited water supply have been going on for at least a century. Water wars have been the subject of some vintage movies, including the 1958 hit The Big Country starring Gregory Peck, Clint Eastwood’s 1985 Pale Rider, 1995’s Waterworld with Kevin Costner, and the 2005 film Batman Begins. Most acclaimed was the 1975 Academy Award winner Chinatown with Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, involving a plot between a corrupt Los Angeles politician and land speculators to fabricate the 1937 drought in order to force farmers to sell their land at low prices. The plot was rooted in historical fact, reflecting battles between Owens Valley farmers and Los Angeles urbanites over water rights.   Continuer la lecture de « California Water Wars: Another Form of Asset Stripping? »

Published on ZNet (first on Venezuelanalysis.com), by Rachael Boothroyd, March 25, 2015.

… What the hearing did reveal, however, aside from Senator Rubio’s lack of regular interaction with reality, is that U.S. intervention in Venezuela looks set to intensify over the coming year and will be implemented through a variety of mechanisms. Chiefly; further “targeted” sanctions against Venezuelan officials, more funding for Venezuelan opposition groups and NGOs, destabilisation of Venezuela’s economy, specifically its oil industry, an international media campaign against the country aimed at constructing a matrix of opinion surrounding human rights abuses and through further efforts to weaken Latin American integration and unity … // Continuer la lecture de « But What About the Oil? »

Published on Spiegel Online International, by Manfred Ertel, Katrin Kuntz and Walter Mayr, March 21, 2015:

Is Germany liable to Athens for loans the Nazis forced the Greek central bank to provide during World War II? A new study in Greece could increase the pressure on Berlin to pay up … //

… Outstanding German Debt:

• The central question in the report is that of forced loans the Nazi occupiers extorted from the Greek central bank beginning in 1941. Should requests for repayment of those loans be classified as reparation demands — demands that may have been forfeited with the Two-Plus-Four Treaty of 1990? Or is it a genuine loan that must be paid back? The expert commission analyzed contracts and agreements from the time of the occupation as well as receipts, remittance slips and bank statements.   Continuer la lecture de « Nazi Extortion: Study Sheds New Light on Forced Greek Loans »

Published on Russia Today RT, March 20, 2015 – (with Picture: Screenshot from Bank of Greece.gr Website)

While Mr Tsipras isn’t saying what’s left in the bank, he acknowledges Greece is facing « liquidity pressure. » The country’s cash shortfall is projected to hit €3.5 billion in March, according to Bloomberg calculations based on 2015 budget figures.

Greece’s coffers are spread thin, but the country has €3-4 billion in buffer cash stored at the Bank of Greece that could be used at a pinch, according to Economy Minister George Stathakis. Continuer la lecture de « Bank of Greece solicits donations on website to pay off debt »

Published on Russia Today RT, March 20, 2015.

… The agreement defines the basic conditions for cooperation in Russian gas supply to China via the so-called eastern route. It includes the terms of design, construction and operation of the cross-border pipeline sector, the government said Friday.   Continuer la lecture de « Russian govt approves eastern route for gas supplies to China »

Published on Richard Falk’s Blog (also on ZNet), by blog owner, March 17, 2015.

We can only wonder about the stability and future prospects of the United States if 47 Republican senators can irresponsibly further jeopardize the peace of the Middle East and the world by writing an outrageous Open Letter to the leadership of Iran. Continuer la lecture de « Iran’s Nuclear Program: Diplomacy, War, and (In)Security in the Nuclear Age »

Published on naked capitalism, by Yves Smith, March 18, 2015.

Things are not looking good for Greece.

When Greece and the Eurogroup signed a four-month deal delineating how Greece could get access to desperate needed, so-called “bailout” funds, our reading of the agreement was that it reaffirmed the so-called Memorandum of Understanding, meaning the structural reforms that were part of the IMF loan program. That was very much a minority view at the time.   Continuer la lecture de « Negotiations with Greece Close to Breakdown as Budget Strains Worsen »

… Obama traces origin of ISIS to Bush-era Iraq invasion, President Barack Obama speaks with ICE news – Video published on Russia Today RT, 2.59 min, March 17, 2015.

Obama stated that he is “confident” a coalition consisting of 60 nations “will slowly push back ISIL out of Iraq,” but added that the challenge of stopping extremism won’t stop unless there is a political solution to the internal strife affecting so many countries in the Middle East.   Continuer la lecture de « Unintended Consequences »

Modern-day ‘abolitionists’ need to frame labour exploitation so that it fits the narrative of their funding sources – Published on openDemocracy, by NEIL HOWARD, March 12, 2015:

Unconditional basic income is not only feasible, but it also has more emancipatory potential than any other single policy because it targets economic vulnerability, the heart of all labour exploitation.

Last May, I argued in a piece for Al-Jazeera that the emerging global anti-slavery movement risks becoming no more than a fig leaf for structural political-economic injustice. I suggested that unless it faces that injustice head-on, it will waste a generational opportunity to make the world more just, focussing instead on making consumers and activists “feel better about feeling bad” … //

… Slavery and the market: … //

… Basic income: Continuer la lecture de « Basic income and the anti-slavery movement »

Published on ZNet (first on teleSUR English ), by Chris Spannos and Julian Assange, March 14, 2015.

Swedish authorities announced Friday their willingness to finally interview WikiLeaks’ editor-in-chief Julian Assange, but a secret U.S. investigation has trapped the insurgent publisher without charge in Ecuador’s London embassy. Monday, March 16 will mark 1,000 days since Assange sought asylum there. In an exclusive interview with teleSUR English, Assange said there is growing recognition that the situation is unjust. Assange spoke with teleSUR editor Chis Spannos … //

… CS: So in this larger context, what does the Swedish investigation represent?   Continuer la lecture de « Assange on Asylum – Interview »

Published on American Thinker, by Michael Booth, March 14, 2015.

… The answer has several parts; political, economic, ideological and perhaps — given Greece’s history — even philosophic, all blended together into an acrid, ruinous stew.

Greece is routinely painted in the Western MSM as the feckless child, and over the decades there’s truth in this. The Greeks are the author of their current situation. But that history of economic fantasy changed in the last Greek election, with the empowerment of a reality-based coalition.   Continuer la lecture de « Why Should We Care about Greece? »