INTENSE negotiations are taking place at the United Nations Security Council about the possibility of the UN taking responsibility for running Iraq. Many people, disgusted by the US and Britain's role, feel that it would be a good move for the UN to take over.
MOHAMMED 'IN A small city called Hebron there are 500 Israeli soldiers protecting a small number of extremist Israeli settlers. The Palestinians are forced to stay in their homes. The Israelis are putting all the Palestinians under curfew. It lasts all day.
THE anti-war protests around the world this weekend are another step in the development of a genuinely global movement of resistance to the present rulers of the world. Many protesters recognise that the problem goes much deeper than George W Bush and Tony Blair.
PEOPLE WILL be heading for the French capital in November to take part in the second European Social Forum (ESF). The first ESF was in the Italian city of Florence last November, when 60,000 people took part in three days of rallies, debates and forums. The Florence forum culminated in a million-strong demonstration against war. And it was out of meetings at Florence that activists from across Europe called for massive anti-war protests on 15 February this year.
OLIVIER BESANCENOT is the young postal worker who shocked the French establishment when he won 1.2 million votes standing as a revolutionary socialist in the presidential election in April last year. One in seven of the people under 25 who voted backed Olivier. He is a leading member of the socialist Revolutionary Communist League. He spoke to Socialist Worker about the build-up in France towards the European Social Forum.
ISRAFIL SHIRI poured petrol over himself and set himself alight in the offices of Refugee Action in Salford three weeks ago. After five days in agony, with 70 percent burns, he died in Manchester's Wythenshawe Hospital (see last week's Socialist Worker). What could possibly drive a man to such a terrible act?
'Socialist Worker stands up for the people. It stands up against racism. It stands up for jobs. It stands up over the war. You couldn't imagine the Labour Party doing that, but Socialist Worker does.'
SOCIALIST Worker sellers in Canterbury, Kent, have really gone to town with their campaigning sales. They've been trying to find new ways of building the Stop the War Coalition demo on 27 September while selling the paper. I got a note from Phil saying,
4am I've just got up-it's not easy to start so early. My basic duties are to do five days a week on a rotating shift, so quite often I work Saturdays as a normal day. Some people still do six days. Most people know what it's like to get up at 4am once a year. You have a long day and then sleep more the next day to recover.
THE FRENCH Revolution between 1789 and 1794 was the first time in history that revolutionary newspapers played a decisive role in shaping the course of events. The revolution was the key battle in the birth of the modern capitalist world. It swept away the old feudal order of aristocrats and kings. In its place it forged a national state dominated by the middle class of merchants, doctors, lawyers.
I'M MAKING a documentary at the moment to be shown on 22 September and it's producing some extraordinary information. We found some very revealing archive footage of Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and others in the Bush gang. In early 2001, visiting Cairo, Colin Powell said, "Saddam Hussein has not developed any capability with respect to weapons of mass destruction. He is unable to project even conventional power against his neighbours. "So in effect our policies have strengthened the security of the region." Condoleezza Rice said something very similar at the time.
EVERY CANDIDATE in California's dark recall election comedy should be obliged to answer the question, "Whither Duroville?" Duroville is the California visitors never see and that pundits ignore when they debate the future of the world's sixth largest economy.
