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Amazing Plan Surfaces: "We Need Ethno-Weapons!" David Price tells how top-flight US anthropologists eagerly obeyed US government's mandate to "think in a-moral terms". One scheme of OSS's willing executioners: target Japanese physical "weak spot", the respiratory tract, with anthrax germs. Gabriel Kolko asks What's so New About the Neo-Cons? If they had not existed, would the policies have been the same? Jeffrey St Clair digs up more dirt on Halliburton's secret history. Alexander Cockburn on why we need more "celebrity justice". Get the answers you're looking for in the latest subscriber-only edition of CounterPunch ... CounterPunch Online is read by millions of viewers each month! But remember, we are funded solely by the subscribers to the print edition of CounterPunch. Please support this website by buying a subscription to our newsletter, which contains fresh material you won't find anywhere else, or by making a donation for the online edition. Remember contributions are tax-deductible. Click here to make a donation. If you find our site useful please: Subscribe Now! or write CounterPunch, PO BOX 228, Petrolia, CA 95558 |
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Other Lands Have Dreams: From Baghdad to Pekin Prison by KATHY KELLY  Today's Stories July 5, 2005 Elaine
Cassel July 2 / 4, 2005 Alexander
Cockburn Lenni
Brenner Laura
Carlsen James
Petras William
A. Cook Brian
Cloughley Saul
Landau Tom
Crumpacker Greg
Moses Dr.
Susan Block Fran
Shor Fred
Gardner Moshe
Adler David
Model Seth
Sandronsky Ramzy
Baroud Suzan
Mazur Ben
Tripp Justin
Taylor Brendan
Bailey Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend
July 1, 2005 Christopher
Brauchli Pat
Williams Gary
Leupp John
Stauber John
Chuckman Justicia
y Paz Cockburn
/ St. Clair
June 30, 2005 Kathy
Kelly John
Stauber Virginia
Rodino Jason
Leopold Dave
Lindorff Greg
Moses Norman
Solomon Joshua
Frank Alexander
Cockburn
June 29, 2005 Mike
Schaefer Roger
Burbach / Paul Cantor Sharon
Smith Sam
Husseini John
Stauber Ahmad
Faruqui Linda
S. Heard Stew
Albert Ray
McGovern
June 28, 2005 Paul
Craig Roberts Landau
/ Hassen John
A. Murphy Mike
Whitney CounterPunch
News Service Dave
Zirin Dave
Lindorff Patrick
Cockburn
June 27, 2005 Paul
Craig Roberts Mike
Marqusee Mark
Scaramella Leigh
Saavedra Kathy
Kelly
June 25 / 26, 2005 Alexander
Cockburn Jennifer
Van Bergen George
Corsetti Mark
Chmiel / Andrew Wimmer Kevin
Zeese P.
Sainath John
Stauber Scott
Handleman Tom
Barry John
Walsh Justin
E.H. Smith Alan
Wallis Ben
Tripp Frederick
B. Hudson Poets'
Basement
June 24, 2005 Ray
McGovern Jorge
Mariscal Desiree
Hellegers Zeynep
Toufe Joshua
Frank David
Lindorff Michael
Neumann Website
of the Day
June 23, 2005 Christopher
Brauchli Clay
Conrad Standard
Schaefer P.
Sainath Mark
Engler Norman
Solomon Cockburn
/ St. Clair Kathy
Kelly
June 22, 2005 Kevin
Zeese William
S. Lind Arsalan
Iftikhar Dan
Nagengast David
Krieger Kathleen
& Bill Christison
June 21, 2005 Brian Cloughley Mike Whitney Dave Lindorff Mark Weisbrot Matthew R.
Simmons Dave Zirin Virginia Rodino Paul Craig
Roberts
June 20, 2005 Alan Maass Tariq Ali Mickey Z. William Blum Gary Leupp Jason Leopold Dave Lindorff Alan Maass Uri Avnery Website of
the Day
June 18 / 19, 2005 Alexander Cockburn Greg Moses Benjamin Shepard Stan Goff Lee Sustar Jude Wanniski Diana Barahona Brian Concannon, Jr. Fred Gardner Mike Whitney Ahmad Faruqui Manuel García, Jr. Roger Howard Ron Jacobs Ben Tripp Poets' Basement Website of
the Weekend
June 17, 2005 Ricardo Alarcón Clay Conrad Marc Estrin Colin Brown Christopher
Brauchli Joshua Frank Norman Solomon Mary Rizzo Bond / Brutus
/ Setshedi
June 16, 2005 John Walsh Dave Lindorff Adrian Lomax Tom Crumpacker Jeffrey Kolakowski Julene Bair Michael Dickinson Francois Houtart / Isabel Parra,
et al. Tom Barry
June 15, 2005 Stan Goff Daniel Wolff Tim Wise Ricardo Alarcón Joshua Frank John Hilary Norman Solomon Alexander Cockburn
/ Jeffrey St. Clair Website of the Day
June 14, 2005 Paul Craig
Roberts Forrest Hylton Richard Gott Fred Gardner Steve Breyman Dave Zirin Robert Kent Paul Craig
Roberts
June 13, 2005 Gary Leupp Dave Lindorff John Stauber Fred Gardner Evelyn J. Pringle Norman Solomon Winslow T.
Wheeler
June 10 / 12, 2005 Alexander
Cockburn Sharon
Smith Brian
Cloughley Chris
Kromm Heather
Gray Kevin
Zeese Mickey
Z. Gary
Leupp Eli
Stephens Nick
Dearden Oscar
Olivera Robert
Fisk Michael
Dickinson Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend
Len
Colodny Christopher
Brauchli Ron
Jacobs Dave
Lindorff Katrina
Yeaw / Alex Schmaus Alan
Farago Saul
Landau
June 8, 2005 Jim
Hougan Alan
Maass Jason
Leopold Niranjan
Ramakrishnan Dave
Zirin Derrick
O'Keefe Diana
Johnstone Website
of the Day
June 7, 2005 Forrest
Hylton Greg
Moses / Susan van Haitsma Lenni
Brenner Col.
Dan Smith Joshua
Frank Dave
Lindorff Margot
Veranes / Adrian Navarro Michael
Neumann
June 6, 2005 Stew
Albert Paul
Craig Roberts Nicole
Colson Ali
Khan Jason
Leopold Charles
Walker Poff Ramzy
Baroud Rep.
John Conyers Evelyn
Pringle Gary
Corseri Website
of the Day
June 4 / 5, 2005 Alexander
Cockburn James
Petras Robert
Fisk Patrick
Cockburn Rev.
William Alberts Saul
Landau Mario
Lamo Jimenez Dave
Lindorff Lance
Selfa Tom
Crumpacker Joshua
Frank Fred
Gardner Michael
Dickinson Roger
Martin Reza
Fiyouzat Ben
Tripp Graeme
Greenback Poets'
Basement
June 3, 2005 Paul
Craig Roberts Joseph
Massad Jeff
Halper Tom
Barry Bruce
K. Gagnon Joshua
Frank Mickey
Z. Gary
Leupp Website
of the Day
June 2, 2005 Paul
Craig Roberts Forrest
Hylton Mike
Whitney Brian
Cloughley Mazin
Qumsiyeh Russell
D. Hoffman Norman
Madarasz Norman
Solomon David
Price Website
of the Day
June 1, 2005 James
Petras Justin
Delacour Edward
Jay Epstein Omar
Barghouti / Lisa Taraki Dave
Lindorff Kevin
Zeese Jason
Leopold William
S. Lind
May 31, 2005 Sen.
Mike Gravel David
Krieger Tad
Daley Joshua
Frank Richard
Gott Norman
Solomon Tom
Segev Walter
Brasch Diana
Johnstone
May 28 / 30, 2005 Alexander
Cockburn Richard
Lichtman Sharon
Smith Paul
Craig Roberts Dave
Lindorff Ramzy
Baroud Brian
Cloughley Fred
Gardner Lee
Sustar Joshua
Frank Justin
E.H. Smith Jackie
Corr Michael
Kimaid Toufic
Haddad Justin
Taylor Amir
Butler Ben
Tripp Poets'
Basement
May 27, 2005 Gary
Leupp Daniel
Estulin Kevin
Zeese Robert
Fisk Dave
Zirin Website
of the Day
Hot Stories Alexander Cockburn Subcomandante
Marcos Norman Finkelstein Steve Niva Dardagan,
Slobodo and Williams Steve
J.B. Sheldon
Rampton and John Stauber Wendell
Berry CounterPunch
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July 5, 2005 Where's the Jubilee?The Big Debt DealBy MARK ENGLER Seeing President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair touting their good deeds on behalf of the world's poor is enough to make any opponent of empire and corporate globalization cringe. Perhaps because of this objectionable sight, progressives have been divided in their response to the announcement of a major deal on debt cancellation. In advance of this week's summit in Scotland, the leaders of the G8 industrialized countries, led by Bush and Blair, agreed to cancel 100 percent of debt owed by 18 of the world's poorest countries to the IMF, the World Bank and the African Development Bank. While some on the left have applauded the deal, many others have focused on asking, "What's the catch?" Some have gone so far as to charge that the agreement actually does more harm than good by attaching harmful strings to debt relief. Certainly, there is reason to be skeptical: You don't have to be a hardened cynic to wonder about the true scope of Bush and Blair's compassion. Yet ultimately, the debt deal, while far from perfect, is a genuine advance-the product of a decade of increasing social movement pressure. No doubt, those of us who have campaigned for debt cancellation or sympathized with the cause should publicize the limits of the agreement and push for greater change. But we should do this while also celebrating the progress we have made. Rather than letting the leaders pretend that the debt cancellation sprang from the goodness of their hearts, we should insist on giving credit where credit is due-highlighting the dedication of activists throughout the world who have moved the injustice of debt to the fore of international discussion. Those progressives who have attacked the debt deal emphasize that, even in announcing the cancellation, G8 finance ministers explicitly reaffirm a neoliberal economic paradigm. In their statement, the G8 leaders declare that "boost[ing] private sector development " and "eliminat[ing] impediments to private investment, both domestic and foreign" remain central to their model for development. With regard to debt relief, they state that "good governance, accountability and transparency" will be required for countries to receive cancellation. Historically, such terms have been code words for the imposition of structural adjustment on poor nations. According to G8 ministers, a country practicing "good governance" is one that wholeheartedly embraces the Washington Consensus. While the rhetoric of the G8 statement feels disturbing, such posturing comes as standard fare in official foreign policy declarations. In practice, the G8 deal does not create new conditions for cancellation. It merely keeps in place the conditions required by the existing Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, or HIPC. HIPC was created in 1996, and expanded in 1999, in response to a growing chorus of advocates demanding debt cancellation. The program promised relief to 42 "qualified" poor countries, largely in sub-Saharan Africa. However, in order to have debts cancelled under HIPC, the countries had to go through years of World Bank and IMF-mandated economic restructuring. Even the countries that did so saw their debt service payments decrease, on average, by only 33 percent. The final goal of the HIPC program was to eliminate just 65 percent of the countries' debts-far less than full cancellation. Under the new G8 agreement, 18 countries do receive full debt cancellation from the IMF and World Bank, and nine other countries may be granted similar relief at a later date. The 18 chosen countries are those that have reached "completion point" under HIPC, meaning that they have already complied with the onerous economic mandates. Since the G8 deal keeps this "conditionality" in place, new countries wishing to be included in future cancellation must still endure neoliberal "adjustments." Obviously, this is a problem. That said, it is clearly better for poor countries that have already suffered HIPC conditions to receive full cancellation, rather than inadequate, partial relief. Full, 100 percent cancellation has been one of the foundational demands of the debt relief movement. It is something that has been resisted by wealthy nations through years of mass protests and persistent lobbying. By affirming the legitimacy of this long-denied demand, the G8 agreement sets a landmark precedent. This breakthrough represents a significant victory. It marks a shift of at least a billion dollars a year in resources back to poor nations. Arguably the most effective form of aid, debt cancellation allows countries to retain and use their own funds to advance human development. Contrary to the claims of conservative critics, it works. Even the limited cancellation achieved through the HIPC program produced some impressive results. World Bank statistics show that between 1999 and 2004, the 27 countries that had received partial debt relief under HIPC were able to almost double their spending on poverty reduction programs-including education, health care and clean water. In one example, some 2.2 million people in Uganda gained access to water as a result of a post-1997 debt cancellation. Some large European aid groups, and even progressive stalwarts like John Pilger, have complained that, in order to finance the debt deal, the United States will be shifting some funding away from World Bank "aid" programs. Countries will lose in aid what they gain in debt service relief, the argument goes. However, this is a misreading of the compromise that was brokered in order to push through the debt deal. While some funds will indeed be redirected, the United States and other lenders have agreed to make more money available for Bank "aid" in order to meet demands for a net increase in funding. For Pilger and the charities, that should qualify as a victory-albeit a partial one. For those of us who don't look upon the defunding of the World Bank as such a bad thing, the question remains as to why such advocates were so set on "additionality" in the first place. Perhaps more important than what has already been gained, the debt deal puts advocates like those in the Jubilee movement in an excellent place to advance further demands. Ending conditionality will be easier now that full cancellation has been accepted as both morally just and politically feasible. Moreover, G8 nations have progressively less ground on which to deny relief to countries beyond the 18 already included. In addition to the 20 other countries still in HIPC, debt relief advocates can devote their attention to highlighting the plight of indebted poor countries like Haiti, Nigeria and the Philippines, which were not included in the previous program because of the specific formulas used by the World Bank to determine eligibility. Likewise, the movement is now poised to force the issue of "odious" debt on the G8, challenging the legitimacy of debt incurred by repressive regimes in places like Indonesia, Chile and South Africa. While odious debt, as such, is not included in the current deal, the agreement has contributed to the momentum that has been building around the issue at least since the Bush administration campaigned to have Iraq's odious, Saddam Hussein-era debts forgiven. Finally, in addition to ending conditionality and lengthening the list of countries getting relief, activists will be able to leverage the G8 precedent while working to expand the list of institutions canceling their debts, forcing often-overlooked multilateral creditors like the Inter-American Development Bank to live up to the established standard. The debt deal both represents a measurable improvement over the previous state of affairs and puts advocates in a much better position to push for greater gains. That, in short, is a fine definition of a victory. In a world of challenges and setbacks, where the obstacles confronting progressive movements are enormous, it is all too easy to wallow in despair. If for no other reason than that, we should take care to claim our wins-and to celebrate them-before continuing with the work ahead. Mark Engler, a writer based in New York City, is an analyst with Foreign Policy In Focus. He can be reached via the web site http://www.DemocracyUprising.com. Research assistance for this article provided by Jason Rowe. This article was first published
on TomPaine.com and appears with permission of the author.
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