Archive for the ‘United States of America’ Category.
September 3, 2010, 7:50 am
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War. The first hot proxy-war in the Cold War period, US relations with North Korea have always been marked by high tensions on both sides.
Since the collapse of the Soviet bloc, the stalemate between the US and North Korea has been bolstered by the US policy of economic and political containment. This containment policy has only lead to increases in militarisation and the likelihood of war in the region. If changes are to come to North Korea, the US maintained barrier to the rest of the world must be lifted.
Haeyoung Kim is a fellow at the Korea Policy Institute and member of the National Campaign to End the Korean War.
This interview was broadcast on Radio Adelaide on the 1st of September.
August 25, 2010, 8:16 pm
The recent elections in Colombia saw a new president and renewed tensions with the country’s neighbours, especially Venezuela. The most stanch US ally in Latin America, we investigate the role Colombia plays as the region moves away from US influence and towards economic and political independence.
Conn Hallinan is a columnist for Foreign Policy In Focus, part of the Institute for Policy Study, a progressive think tank based in Washington. He is the former director of the journalism program at the University of California Santa Cruz, and has been a journalist for 40 years. He blogs at Dispatches from the Edge.
This interview was broadcast on Radio Adelaide on the 25th of August.
August 25, 2010, 8:07 pm
The conflict in Israel/Palestine is a political one but is often presented in an entirely cultural or religious framework.
Christian Zionism is a religious based reading of the conflict that is a major political force in the United States.
Stephen Sizer is the senior pastor at Christ Church, Virginia Water. He has spoken extensively about Christian Zionism and is the author of Christian Zionism: Roadmap to Armageddon? His personal website is stephensizer.com.
This interview was broadcast on Radio Adelaide on the 25th of August.
July 23, 2010, 12:54 am
Back Story spoke to William Astore about the close to decades long United States military occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. Why is the US still involved in these countries and what kind of arguments or reasons are given for this continual state of war?
William Astore is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force. He now teaches history at the Pennsylvania Institute of Technology and is a regular contributor to Tom Dispatch.
This interview was broadcast on Radio Adelaide on the 21st of July.
July 7, 2010, 11:24 am
The actions that governments have been taking in response to the ongoing global economic crisis during the last three years have culminated in the decisions coming out of the G20 summit held in Toronto at the end of last month.
The powerful European states are calling for the implementation of harsh austerity measures to curb government debt after many governments outlaid huge amounts of capital to prop up financial institutions. These policies are characterised by the recent British budget and those imposed in Greece which mean sharp decreases in government social spending programs and other social safety nets traditionally associated with liberal democratic industrial societies. The importance of such moves was highlighted by a London Treasury Official quoted in the Financial Times as saying “Anyone who thinks the spending review is just about saving money is missing the point, this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the way that government works.”
Back Story spoke to Ben Hillier, a contributor to Socialist Alternative about the state of the world economic system and the move towards economic austerity.
This interview was broadcast on Radio Adelaide on the 7th of July.
July 7, 2010, 11:24 am
Back Story spoke to John Feffer, co-director of Foreign Policy in Focus at the Institute of Policy Studies about the economic and political significance of Turkey in light of the country recently asserting itself, perhaps beyond that of an unwavering US ally. The Israeli flotilla attack which killed nine Turkish nationals was strongly condemned by Turkey to the extent of jeopardising Turkish/Israeli relations.
This interview was broadcast on Radio Adelaide on the 7th of July.
June 16, 2010, 11:44 pm
A producer here on Back Story, Craig Nielson is the author of “Israel/Palestine – A Christian Response to the Conflict”. A historical reader, the book deals with the issue of Christian Zionism from a Christian perspective while addressing the political effects of the movement. Ultimately Craig’s book shows the narrow extent to which a religious framework is able to explain a political reality.
The book is available through Koorong Books and more information is available by contacting us through Radio Adelaide.
This interview was broadcast on Radio Adelaide on the 16th of June.
June 16, 2010, 11:44 pm
Back Story spoke to Anthony DiMaggio about the media aftermath following the Israeli attack on a vessel attempting to bring humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Anthony DiMaggio has lectured at Illinois State University and is author of When Media Goes to War. He edits the website Media-ocracy.
This interview was broadcast on Radio Adelaide on the 16th of June.
June 9, 2010, 11:12 am
One of the most fundamental marketing tools, polling is heavily prevalent in the analysis of the public’s perception of political events. Although political platforms are shifted as a result of rigorous public polling, they are done so under the framework of marketing and managing candidates rather than a genuine participation of the public in forming policy decisions.
Back Story spoke to Charles Derber about the results of a recent poll conducted to gauge the emotional reactions of Americans to words such as “capitalism” and “socialism”.
Charles Derber is Professor of Sociology at Boston College and a prolific political commentator. His latest book is “Greed to Green: Solving Climate Change and Remaking the Economy”.
This interview was broadcast on Radio Adelaide on the 9th of June.
May 12, 2010, 11:05 am
This talk took place on Saturday the 8th of May and was organized by the Australian Friends of Palestine Association.
Professor Bisharat has studied law, anthropology, and Middle East studies at Harvard and has written a book about Palestinian lawyers working under Israeli military occupation in the West Bank. He is a prominent commentator on the Middle East, especially the legal and human rights aspects of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
The talk he delivered is an interesting analysis of the legal ramifications of the conflict, especially given it’s continuation over such a long period of time. Additionally, Professor Bisharat brings an insight into what a one state or two state settlement might look like under international law and through what means such a solution would likely have to take place.
This talk was broadcast on Radio Adelaide on the 12th of May.
