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Few are better qualified to challenge the official orthodoxy that stifles any discussion of this topic Peter Oborne August 12, 2024 No review has yet been published of Professor Ilan Pappe’s magnificent and passionate new book on the Zionist lobby. This silence is no surprise. Even a passing reference to the lobby is liable to lead to charges of antisemitism and potential career destruction. Faiza Shaheen was dropped like a stone last month as Labour candidate for the London seat of Chingford and Woodford Green. “There have been complaints, allegedly, about her ‘liking’ a tweet that referred to the ‘Israel lobby’ – widely considered an anti-Semitic trope,” reported the New Statesman’s associate political editor, Rachel Cunliffe. On a now-infamous Newsnight appearance following her defenestration, a tearful Shaheen apologised for liking the tweet and accepted it was a “trope”. She didn’t have much choice. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC),...

Screenshot from AlJazeera, October 20, 2023 October 20, 2023 This is a shortened version of a must-watch Mearsheimer lecture. You may enjoy his clear-eyed vision as if it was given recently. However… Professor Mearsheimer gave it at the March 24, 2017, Israel Lobby and American Policy conference. One indicator of good versus bad research is the degree to which predictions turn out to be right. Most Western researchers on international affairs whom decision-makers take inspiration from must, therefore, be incompetent, if not lousy, scholars…. Or they listen only to themselves in confrontational echo chambers populated by group thinkers. Be sure they do not listen to the likes of John Mearsheimer.

Give yourself 38 min, and you’ll understand how extremely self-destructive the NATO/EU world’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been and why all the assumption it made was wrong. Professor Emeritus of Economics (University of Massachusetts) and founder of Democracy at Work, Richard Wolff, talks with brilliant clarity about the economic impact of the Ukraine war. He assesses the impact of Western sanctions on Russia as well as how the war has affected the West economically. And very importantly, he analyses just how destructive arms spending is for the rest of society and the working people. Here are the main themes: 0:00 Introduction 0:32 “Economic War” with Russia? 12:01 Moral significance of Western sanctions 14:20 Economic impact on the United States 21:07 Economic impact of military spending 32:21 Economic impact on Ukraine I cannot recommend this – and the acTVism Munich and The Source Channel – enough. Please share...

At a time when the intellectual level of much politics has decreased dangerously, it may be useful to remember politicians who earlier on were leaders, visionaries, intellectually alert and able to communicate their message in ways that caught the attention of wide audiences. The Transnational has many student visitors, and if you are 20-25 today you may not have had many chances to experience the mentioned qualities. So we bring you this speech to offer an opportunity to establish some comparative standard and for you to ponder the question: Why is it that politics has become so boring? Why do today’s young people not queue up to participate in their country’s political work? And why are there so few, as it seems, who have the sense of duty that JFK expressed so eloquently in his inauguration speech: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can...

Richard Baum August 19, 2020 What does China’s “One Country, Two Systems” policy mean? And how well did it work? If you’ve watched news coverage of public protests in Hong Kong, you’ll know “One Country, Two Systems” refers to how mainland China promised to govern Hong Kong after Great Britain gave up control there in 1997. It means communist oversight of a capitalist economy and culture. It also refers to China’s relationship with Taiwan. In this lecture from 2010, “China’s Lost Territories: Taiwan, Hong Kong,” by Richard Baum for The Great Courses Plus, examine the reunification of Hong Kong with China in 1997 and the system that granted domestic autonomy to Hong Kong under Chinese sovereignty. Then it tracks Taiwan’s transition to democracy, the turbulent movements for and against independence from China, and Beijing’s ongoing strategic efforts to reclaim the island. Originally found on The Great Courses Plus’s Youtube channel,...

  By Rabbi Michael Lerner • In case you who missed it, here’s Rabbi Lerner’s talk at Muhammed Ali’s funeral. If it inspires you, please read below for how to be an ally with Rabbi Lerner to help build the world he describes. To read the transcript of his speech, click here. Wondering why Rabbi Lerner got invited and how to respond to the handful of naysayers who have been upset by Lerner’s powerful message? Please read below. Muhammad Ali had known Rabbi Lerner as a friend and ally in the 1960s and early 1970s when both were indicted by the U.S. government for their roles in opposing the war in Vietnam. He then wrote Rabbi Lerner to praise his book with Cornel West Jews and Blacks: Let the Healing Begin. Approximately seven years ago, he decided to invite Rabbi Lerner to represent the American Jewish community at his memorial service. Rabbi Lerner...