International Politics: November 2006 Archives

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP): A strong majority of Venezuelans plan to cast their ballots for President Hugo Chavez on Dec. 3, with most saying the fiery opponent of President Bush has handled government and foreign relations well, according to an AP-Ipsos poll that revealed deep divisions along class lines.

Editor's note: Determined resistance against capitalist global trade policies has already begun in Latin America. The recent legislative elections in the United States show that this resistance is spreading to more developed industrial nations also. Fair trade on the basis of mutual benefit is at a minimum a better policy, not trade surpluses for some countries and trade deficits for others or "free" trade, which usually means only freedom for global corporations.

No Fair Trader Loses, 36 "Free" Trade Seats Flip

Trade Helped Put Democrats Over Top, Emerges as National Electoral Issue with More Than 25 Paid Ads and 115 Races Using Trade as Differentiator, Public Citizen Report Shows; Exit Polls Show Voters' Economic Anxiety a Top Concern

WASHINGTON, D.C. - From Florida to Hawaii and parts in between, pro-fair trade challengers Tuesday beat anti-fair trade incumbents, according to a report on the 2006 midterm results conducted by Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch division. Incumbents who had voted for the U.S. trade status quo of NAFTA, WTO and Fast Track were replaced by those rejecting these failed policies and advocating improvement with 36 congressional seats (seven Senate and 29 House) being won by proponents of fair trade, and perhaps as high as 44 total congressional seats once all election results are in.

Editor's note: This site gives a fair amount of attention to American "neoconservatives" because their policies are wreaking havoc in the Middle East and, following Trotsky's dictum, they use permanent war to create changes to their liking. Even though being held off in Iraq, they will not learn the error of their ways any time soon and constitute a continuing menace to humankind.

"Muravchik is himself the exemplar of the neocons' Trotskyist roots, having served as youth leader of the Shachtmanite "third camp" Social Democrats, USA, the Young Peoples Socialist League...".

"Like the Marxists, who complain that communism didn't fail because it was never really tried, the neocons are full of excuses for the embarrassing implosion of their ideological hopes and dreams."

"I'd like to say this whole Vanity Fair [an American publication - eds] piece merely represents a case of rats jumping from a sinking ship, but after all the death and mayhem these people have caused, that would be an insult to rats."

Being "right" can sometimes be an unwelcome, and even dreadful, thing. Take, for instance, a boy who is convinced that a monster lives in his closet. He may hope he’s wrong. He may take solace in his parents' soothing reassurance that the alleged monster is just a figment of his imagination.

"China's authorities, however, have apparently chosen to continue the old strategy of dominating world markets by exploiting the country's cheap labor."

"The world is investing too little," according to one prominent economist. "The current situation has its roots in a series of crises over the last decade that were caused by excessive investment, such as the Japanese asset bubble, the crises in Emerging Asia and Latin America, and most recently, the IT bubble. Investment has fallen off sharply since, with only very cautious recovery."

"Powell felt Cheney and his allies - his chief aide, I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz and Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Douglas J. Feith and what Powell called Feith's 'Gestapo' office - had established what amounted to a separate government."

While it may be in questionable taste to celebrate at this time of national disaster, with Iraq falling to pieces and the security of the United States compromised as never before, one can't help but savor this delicious moment as the neoconservatives fall from their formerly dizzying heights. Here's Matthew Parris, in the London Times, sounding the call to gloat:

Editor's note: The article below questions how Swedes, once leaders in some world affairs, are now distancing themselves from the U.S. and otherwise. Distancing themselves from the U.S. these days however is a sign of leadership: It is not good in our opinion to maintain relations with a government that has gone deep into the dark side in its ambitions and activities. Swedes may want to reconsider strengthening relations with the other Scandinavian countries, however. They are part of the same cultural heritage and their similar anti-U.S. stance shows a similarly elevated consciousness and disbelief about the merits of U.S. "world leadership." The only thing the U.S. government is leading the world now in is immorality in the Middle East and its anti-people global economic policies, and because of that the world has to become multipolar.