Articles by Jeff Sparrow

It’s been a bad time for executioners in America in the last month with revelations of a botched execution in Ohio and innocent men dying. But it’s been worse still for inmates.

Republican Joe Wilson’s shout of ‘You lie!’ during Obama’s congressional address constituted a snub more-or-less equivalent to an Australian mooning.

Given the almost universal recognition that the Afghanistan campaign has become a bloody mess, it’s worth revisiting some of the pundits who initially sold us the war.

For the most part, the world discreetly hid its eyes from exactly what took place in Sri Lanka’s civil war. Until last week.

The Election Complaints Commission has already received 1157 allegations of irregularities in Afghanistan. And the allegations are not just coming from disgruntled candidates.

The Woodstock anniversary shows once again the power of the 60s social movements. Except, the women’s movement challenged the madonna/whore distinction and we ended up with post-feminism and … Madonna.

When the military draws up its death lists, how does it distinguish between civilian and military targets? Should drug traffickers be put on the assassination list?

Why are security agents prepared to break the law to cultivate the media, rather than simply doing their job and letting the headlines take care of themselves?

What trade-off has the ACTU received for biting its tongue about the building industry? So far, just some half hearted words of encouragement about ‘buying Australian’.

Pro-war pundits contrast the theocratic rule of the Taliban circa 2000 with an Afghan future that exists only in their imagination, neatly ignoring the real Afghanistan that the war has brought into being, writes Jeff Sparrow.

Imagine a politician claiming that the best response to a bombing in Indonesia was to invade Afghanistan. We’d think they were perfectly mad.

Had they come to fruition, the evil schemes of Zelaya (and, for that matter, Chavez) would have resulted in an electoral system rather like Australia’s.

With gunshots and teargas, the military has successfully prevented the plane carrying the elected Honduran leader from landing.

With the protests in Iran ebbing away, get ready for a change in approach from the neo-cons. Yesterday they sung the praises of the Iranian people. Now they want to bomb them.

As US combat troops get set to leave Iraqi towns and cities tomorrow, it’s time for Australia to get the kind of inquiry due to take place in Britain, argues Overland editor Jeff Sparrow.

They’re risking their lives. We’re debating utes. You’d think that, in local discussions of Iran, a certain humility would prevail. But not so for Janet Albrechtsen, writes Jeff Sparrow.

It’s hard to think of a major figure from Australian trade union history who wouldn’t fall foul of the current building industry code, writes Jeff Sparrow.

On the face of it, abortionist assassin Scott Roeder ticks all of the boxes of a terrorist, so why isn’t he being charged as one? Asks Jeff Sparrow.

Europe’s neo-fascists achieved electoral success in the European elections. Should we start worrying? asks Jeff Sparrow.

The most surprising aspect of George Tiller’s murder was that it had taken so long, writes Jeff Sparrow.

With hundreds of thousands of Tamils being held in detention, the seeds of future bloodshed are now being sown on a massive scale, writes Jeff Sparrow.

Clare Werbeloff is Australian for Sarah Palin … well almost.

“He’s a ruthless little bastard. You can be sure of that.” So said Richard Nixon of Donald Rumsfeld back in 1971.