All around the world, from Sierra Leone to Sri Lanka, the violent legacy of colonialism can still be witnessed

By Richard Gott, The Guardian UK

Many of the present conflicts in the world take place in the former colonial territories that Britain abandoned, exhausted and impoverished, in the years after the second world war. This disastrous imperial legacy is still highly visible, and it is one of the reasons why the British empire continues to provoke such harsh debate. If Britain made such a success of its colonies, why are so many in an unholy mess half a century later, major sources of violence and unrest?
Continue reading The brutal story of British empire continues to this day →

A perilous excursion into the distant past, starting seven whole weeks ago

By Alexander Cockburn, counterpunch.org

As the tv networks give unlimited airtime to Israel’s apologists, the message rolls out that no nation, least of all Israel, can permit bombardment or armed incursion across its borders without retaliation.

The guiding rule in this tsunami of drivel is that the viewers should be denied the slightest access to any historical context, or indeed to anything that happened prior to June 28, which was when the capture of an Israeli soldier and the killing of two others by Hamas hit the headlines, followed soon thereafter by an attack by a unit of Hezbollah’s fighters.
Continue reading Hezbollah, Hamas and Israel: Everything You Need To Know →

By Michael De Gale
mdegale@hotmail.com

The world gasped when Zinedine Zidane landed a devastating head butt squarely in the chest of Marco Materazzi during the final match of the 2006 World Cup game in Germany. What no one witnessed at that time was the psychological violence unleashed on Zidane, coloured athletes in every sport throughout their professional careers and peoples of colour the world over on a daily basis. Zidane’s head butt was not the source; it was the effect of racist behaviour that has been allowed to fester in professional sports and in society as a whole. It was a reaction to the cancer of racism that eats away at the moral fabric of societies, putting a strain on human relations and rendering harmonious co-existence among human beings virtually impossible.
Continue reading A Headbutt On Racism →

By Chris Herz, vheadline.com

We read in the pages of VHeadline.com that Venezuela and the USA are close to agreement on a new treaty for mutual cooperation in the so-called war on drugs.

The US embassy in Caracas confirms this news … I confirm my disappointment.
Continue reading War on Drugs is a critical component of institutional racism →

by Ras Tyehimba

The term ‘globalisation’ has its origins in the latter half of the 20th century, referring to, in a very general sense, the movement of the world’s nations towards some sort of global village, characterized by advanced technology, and rapidly expanding economic and political interdependence. However, for the Caribbean, globalisation is nothing new (Brown, 2002; Sankatsing; Watson, 2003; Klak, 1998, Boodhoo, 2002; Singh, 2002, Girvan, 1999; Pantin, 2001; Sylvester, 2002). Despite the technology, and other unprecedented aspects of the present phase of ‘globalisation’, it is a process that can be traced to Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the New World in the latter 15th century and the subsequent 500 plus years of European conquest, colonization and exploitation of the Caribbean region. From a Caribbean perspective, the essential nature of globalisation translates into a continuation of Euro-American political, economic, intellectual and cultural imposition on the region, albeit more effectively via modern technology, and the activities of multinational corporations and international organizations such as the WTO, IMF and the World Bank. Despite the seemingly overwhelming global forces, these immense challenges do not negate the opportunities available for the Caribbean to navigate the turbulent geo-political economy to bring benefit to the region.
Continue reading Globalisation is as old as Colonialism →

African group makes list of ‘no-go’ areas before World Cup

The FIFA World Cup is often considered an occasion to ignore differences and make friends. But ahead of Germany 2006, which kicks off on June 9, there have been several concerns that black fans and other non-white people may be subjected to serious racial attacks.

The debate started when the former government spokesman under chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, Uwe-Karsten Heye, warned that black visitors coming to Germany for the World Cup should avoid certain parts of the host cities. His comment drew mixed criticism and support.

“There are small and medium-sized towns in Brandenburg, as well as elsewhere, which I would advise a visitor of another skin color to avoid going to… It is possible he wouldn’t get out alive,” Heye warned.
Full Article : english.ohmynews.com