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Today's Stories August 23, 2006 Ramzy Baroud Ron Jacobs Heather Gray Amira Hass Mavis Anderson Ingmar Lee John Ross
Gilad Atzmon Jack Heyman Eamon McCann Sharon Smith Edward S. Herman Ramzi Kysia Bill Quigley August 21, 2006 Jonathan Cook Paul Craig
Roberts Kathy Kelly Mike Roselle Lenni Brenner Maher Osseiran
August 19 /
20, 2006 Uri Avnery Eliza Ernshire Virginia Tilley Kathy Kelly Marc Levy Stephen Bradberry / Barbara Rose
Johnston William Blum Stephen Fleischman Ralph Nader Dave Lindorff Fred Gardner David Krieger Dan La Botz Poets' Basement
August 18, 2006 Brian M. Downing John Blair Alan Hart Craig Murray Chris Dols Emily Kirksey Joaquín Bustelo William S.
Lind Podcast of the Day Website of
the Day
August 17, 2006 CounterPunch
News Service Barucha Peller Ramzy Baroud Rothem Shtarkman Craig Murray Samar Assad Mike Ferner Arnold Kohen Kevin Zeese Missy Comley Beattie Uri Avnery Video of the Day Website of
the Day
August 16, 2006 Merav Yudilovitch Robert Fisk Mark Williams John Ross Christopher
Brauchli John Walsh Ron Jacobs Rachard Itani Felice Pace Niranjan Ramakrishnan Frank, Sharma
and Peterson Jonathan Cook Website of
the Day
August 15, 2006 Andrew Ford
Lyons Binoy Kampmark Robert Fisk Ralph Nader Todd Chretien Chris Floyd Mark Engler George Galloway Laray Polk Trish Schuh Website of the Day
Uri Avnery Karim Makdisi Kathy Kelly Robert Fisk Norman Solomon Sunsara Taylor Robert Jensen Mike Whitney P. Sainath Goretti Horgan Christopher
Reed
August 12 /
13, 2006 Jean Bricmont Norman Finkelstein Robert Fisk Adrian Grima Barucha Peller Omar Barghouti Adam Engel Conn Hallinan John Stauber Rev. William
Alberts Fred Gardner Lucinda Marshall Ron Jacobs CounterPunch
News Service Poets' Basement
Col. Dan Smith John Ross Michael Donnelly William S.
Lind Linda Milazzo Rep. Cynthia
McKinney Azmi Bishara Henri Picciotto CounterPunch News Wire Dave Lindorff Jonathan Cook
Uri Avnery Dave Marsh Gabriel Kolko Arthur Versluis Jennifer Loewenstein
Linda Schade Jackie Mason Jonathan Cook Gilad Atzmon
Charles Hirschkind
Tom Barry Cockburn &
St. Clair
August 8, 2006 Patrick Cockburn Paul Larudee Joan Roelofs Dimi Reider John A. Murphy Tim Llewellyn Website of the Day
August 7, 2006 Uri Avnery Karim Makdisi Nadia Hijab Sharon Smith Magan Wiles George Beres Rachard Itani Norman Solomon Stan Cox Mickey Z. Jonathan Cook Website of
the Day
August 5 / 6, 2006 Virginia Tilley Uri Avnery Patrick Cockburn Sgt. Martin Smith Gary Leupp Neve Gordon Ralph Nader Peter Bouckaert Peter Montague David Krieger Michael Donnelly Fred Gardner Catherine Norris Imraan Siddiqi Missy Comley
Beattie Ira Kay Dave Lindorff Pratyush Chandra Ron Jacobs St. Clair / Donnelly Poets' Basement Website of the Day Video of the
Weekend
August 4, 2006 Ralph Nader Brian Cloughley Eliza Ernshire Roger Assaf George Bisharat Remi Kanazi Laura Carlsen Niranjan Ramakrishnan Derrick O'Keefe Mickey Z. Col. Dan Smith Website of the Day
Jonathan Cook Uri Avnery Saree Makdisi Robert Fisk Farrah Hassen Nicola Nasser Ron Jacobs Mitchel Cohen Seth Sandronsky Bruce K. Gagnon Alexander Cockburn
John Ross Chip Mitchell Saul Landau Naseer Aruri Winslow T.
Wheeler Matthias Gebauer Joshua Frank Bill Quigley Manuel Yang Shamai Leibowitz David Himmelstein Lara Marlowe Website of
the Day
August 1, 2006 Michael Neumann Robert Fisk Omar Barghouti Marc Levy Diana Barahona / Jeb Sprague Claud Cockburn Ross Eisenbrey Dave Lindorff John Chuckman Francis Boyle Phil Doe Stephen Soldz Website of the Day
July 31, 2006 Jonathan Cook Uri Avnery Robert Fisk Amina Mire Marjorie Cohn Sibel Edmonds / William Weaver John Ross Stanley Rogouski Gideon Levy Ron Jacobs James Ridgeway
/ Alicia Ng Brian Tokar Alexander Cockburn
July 29 / 30,
2006 Michael Neuman Vijay Prashad Ramzi Kysia Werther Robert Fisk Patrick Cockburn Ralph Nader Rachard Itani Eduardo Galeano Gary Leupp Eve Poretsky John Chuckman Fred Gardner Juan Santos Punyapriya Dasgupta Liaquat Ali
Khan Israel Shamir William A.
Cook Stanley Heller Dave Lindorff Moshe Adler Susie Day Pat Williams Anthony Papa John V. Whitbeck Jackie Corr Myles Palmer Tom D'Antoni Poets' Basement Website of
the Weekend
July 28, 2006 Jonathan Cook Uri Avnery Renee Bowyer Robert Fisk Patrick Cockburn Ramzy Baroud Don Fitz Elaine Cassel David Price Mike Whitney Mickey Z. Niranjan Ramakrishnan Charles Glass Website of
the Day
July 27, 2006 Tanya Reinhart Saul Landau Ramzi Kysia Tom Barry Joseph Grosso Sharon Smith Gale Courey
Toensing Christopher Reed Werther Yusuf Mansur Richard Harth Website of the Day
Norman
Solomon Barbara
Olshanksy David
Nally Jonathan
Cook Patrick
Cockburn William
Blum Joshua
Frank Gabriel
Kolko Daniel
Cassidy Michael
Dickinson Robert
Fisk Uri
Avnery Website
of the Day
July 25, 2006 Harry
Browne Marjorie
Cohn Robert
Bryce Sharat
G. Lin George
Bisharat CounterPunch
News Desk Zena
El-Khalil Larry
Lack Mike
Mejia Ashraf
Isma'il Website
of the Day
July 24, 2006 Mark
Levy Robert
Fisk Maher
Osseiran Paul
Craig Roberts Patrick
Cockburn Website
of the Day
July 22-23, 2006 Jonathan
Cook Paul
Craig Roberts Gilad
Atzmon Robert
Fisk Ralph
Nader Fred
Gardner Christopher
Reed Dr.
Susan Block Najla
Said Uri
Avnery July 21, 2006 George
Galloway P.
Sainath Aseem
Shrivastava Alexander
Cockburn Website
of the Day July 20, 2006 William
S. Lind Robert
Jensen John
Ross Tom
Hayden Paul
Craig Roberts July 19, 2006 Patrick
Cockburn Trish
Schuh Jonathan
Cook Vicente
Navarro
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August 23, 2006 Cuba's Government Should Be Left to CubansCastro's Health and US MeddlingBy MAVIS ANDERSON Fidel Castro's recent announcement that he would temporarily transfer power to his brother Raul and others in the Cuban Government has led to much speculation about the course of events in both Cuba and Miami. With hard-line Cuban Americans dancing in the streets of Little Havana, and even preparing boats to sail to the island to foment unrest, the question on everyone's mind is: does this signal the beginning of a much-discussed transition for Cuba? And if so, what will it look like? The official press in Cuba adamantly rejects the use of the word "transition" at all. And no wonder, with the thrust of the recent U.S. "Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba" report indicating that succession is not acceptable, but rather calling for a new transition government in Cuba, approved by the United States. Cuba maintains that Fidel Castro is "recovering favorably" from intestinal surgery and will likely return to his duties in a few weeks. In fact, post-surgery photographs have recently been published of the Cuban leader-talking on the phone and visiting with Venezuela President Hugo Chavez and Castro's brother, Raul (who had not been previously seen in public since his ascendance to power on July 31). It is difficult to ascertain just what form a government, temporary or otherwise, headed by Raul Castro, would take. Predictions have been all over the map: more pragmatic, more likely to institute increased military and security presence on the island, more hard-line communist, more likely to open up economically, more likely to crack down on dissent, less likely to have the support of the Cuban people, less likely to demonstrate political skill, less charismatic, etc. While this is mere speculation, the most important factor for foreign observers to bear in mind is that the organization and political orientation of the Cuban Government and its leadership should be the decision of the Cuban people-those currently living on the island. This simple concept of self-determination, so jealously defended in U.S. society, dictates that the United States should not interfere in any way-openly or surreptitiously behind-the-scenes-in Cuba's internal affairs. However, the Bush administration's recent second report of the "Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba," and high-level administration officials' comments after the transfer of power, have overtly threatened Cuban sovereignty. The report's interventionist policies move the United States farther down the path of a failed and outdated policy that has done nothing but attempt to isolate Cuba, while keeping the United States and its people in the dark about the island. A more constructive response would allow U.S. citizens freedom of association with our Cuban neighbors to form constructive relationships. Freedom to travel, engage in two-way trade, organize educational and cultural exchange-to name a few of the basic liberties currently denied U.S. citizens with respect to Cuba-could lead to a positive role in the future of Cuba. Today U.S. citizens cannot be a positive force because they have no direct knowledge of Cuba due to enforced separation and hostile foreign policy toward the island. These polices have galvanized anti-U.S. sentiment in Cuba as well. Even Cuban internal opposition protests U.S. interference in their country. Miriam Leiva, wife of Oscar Espinosa Chepe, one of the 75 Cubans who was charged and jailed for collaboration with the United States several years ago, wrote about Cuba's future in a July 15 Miami Herald op-ed entitled " We Cubans Must Decide :" " It would be extraordinarily helpful to lift the restrictive U.S. measures adopted in 2004, which haven't produced positive results I have never understood how a country that has accumulated so much wisdom and has been so flexible with former enemies has applied such counterproductive policies to Cuba for 47 years Only we Cubans, of our own volition and according to the moment's conditions, can decide issues of such singular importance." Eloy Gutierrez Menoyo wrote about succession and the future in an August 7 press release from his organization, Cambio Cubano(Cuban Change): "The recently issued document on the transition for Cuba, produced under the auspices of the current administration in Washington in an intrigue with extremist factions in exile, breaks the most elemental rules of international friendship, contravenes the sovereign rights of civilized nations, and crudely insults the history and the intelligence of Cubans. In reaffirming our ethical, intellectual, and spiritual repudiation of such a coarse and inconceivable document, we wish also to make clear our faith that the Cuban people are capable of gambling on a democratic opening without ever abandoning their ancestral devotion to Cuba's sovereignty." The Cuban opposition also has ideas about the transition that differ substantially from the U.S. State Department version. In a recent op-ed in the Washington Post, Oswaldo Paya, the initiator of the Varela Project, a reform movement in Cuba, laid out some of those differences: "We want to preserve the right to free health care and education, and to expand our rights to include freedom of religious education and freedom of expression. We do not want change if it comes at the cost of paying a ransom to those in power, allowing them to take control of the country's resources, to define its values, to become millionaires and to leave the people of the country in distress There will be no uncontrolled privatizations, but there will be a guarantee for the right of all Cubans to a free economy, the right to have private enterprise, and to trade freely. No one will be forced out of his home; the law will prohibit evictions." A response to the state of Fidel Castro's health and the provisional delegation of his responsibilities from nearly 10,000 people, including Nobel Peace Prize winners, notable authors, religious leaders, and political leaders, quotes U.S. officials' comments regarding more aggressive forms of intervention. The statement ends: "Faced with this increasing threat against the integrity of a nation, and the peace and the security of Latin America and the world, we the signatories listed below demand that the government of the United States respect the sovereignty of Cuba. We must prevent a new aggression at all costs." (See http://www.porcuba.cult.cu/index.php?lang=2.) What appears to be most striking about recent events in Cuba is how uneventful the leadership change actually was. The succession, mandated by the Cuban constitution, from President Fidel to First Vice President Raul was smooth: no uprising in the streets of Havana, no response on the island to Miami's call to civil disobedience, no collapse of the Cuban system of government, no rapid change to U.S.-desired and U.S.-defined transitional government. Those who expected a dramatic shift with the departure of Fidel are out of touch with what is happening on the island. And Fidel Castro has not yet disappeared from the scene. While the succession may already be beginning, and it is still possible that Castro may not return to fully take back the reins of power, the likelihood remains small for a bold move from other Cuban leaders, including Raul, while Fidel is still a force in the country. This transfer of power may indeed have been a "trial run" for an eventual stable succession. The Cuban people are perhaps being prepared for the moment when Fidel Castro is truly absent, but it has just been demonstrated that the change could be gradual, peaceful, and responsible. Refrain from Interference in Cuba's Internal Political Affairs In light of all these events, a number of organizations that work on U.S. policy toward Cuba have joined together in sending out a call to the White House for non-interference in the sovereign affairs of Cuba. For the first time in 47 years, Cuba is undergoing a transfer of political power, as President Fidel Castro has temporarily turned the reins of government over to his brother, Raul and other leaders of the Cuban Government. No one knows whether Fidel Castro will recuperate from his illness and return to office, or whether Raul Castro and his leadership team will continue in power. But we do know this: the future of Cuba should only be decided by the Cuban people themselves-those living in Cuba, without interference by the United States or others. The Bush administration has set criteria for what an acceptable post-Fidel Castro government in Cuba should look like, and has committed funds to encourage a transition to such a government in Cuba. This is wrong. The United States should not interfere in any way in Cuban internal affairs. Not only is it improper for the United States to take actions that interfere with Cuba's sovereignty, but these actions are likely to be counter-productive. In the past, groups within the hard-line Cuban-American community have taken provocative and belligerent actions to destabilize the political situation in Cuba. U.S. authorities should take every appropriate step to prevent these groups from launching any hostile or provocative actions from U.S. soil. At a time when events are unfolding in Cuba, we are missing an incredible opportunity for Americans to engage directly with Cubans. Under current policy, U.S. citizens have very little contact with people and institutions on the island. Cuban-Americans have lost nearly all access to their own family members on the island. Student study abroad programs have been all but eliminated. Visits to the United States by Cuban cultural groups and academics have been sharply curtailed. And new restrictions have reduced contact between religious groups in Cuba and their counterparts in the United States. To understand and relate to developments in Cuba, the Bush administration should permit U.S. citizens to engage with Cuba, through travel and trade, rather than continuing a failed policy of isolation. Now is the time for all of us to work together to make our voices heard in Washington to ensure that the Bush administration respects Cuba's sovereignty and international law, and promotes peace by refraining from interference in Cuba's internal political process. The full message, including an action citizens can take, can be found on the website of the Latin America Working Group http://www.lawg.org. Mavis Anderson is Senior Associate at the Latin America
Working Group at www.lawg.org
and a contributor to the IRC Americas
Program.
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from CounterPunch Books! The Case Against Israel By Michael Neumann  Grand Theft Pentagon: Tales of Greed and Profiteering in the War on Terror by Jeffrey St. Clair          Sick of sit-on-the-Fence speakers, tongue-tied and timid? CounterPunch Editors Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St Clair are available to speak forcefully on ALL the burning issues, as are other CounterPunchers seasoned in stump oratory. Call CounterPunch Speakers Bureau, 1-800-840-3683. Or email beckyg@counterpunch.org.                    |
