Published on Friday, February 29, 2008 by CommonDreams.org

Lately, in spite of my better judgment, I’ve found myself inflicted with a major case of “Obamania.” I cannot help but be excited at the prospect of a brilliant, younger-than-average, black president who could unite this polarized country against the failed policies of George W Bush. But each time I get optimistic that we are finally on the verge of entering a saner era, Obama makes a terribly …

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I didn’t think Marjane Satrapi’s coming-of-age-in-Iran memoir could be much improved by animating it, but having just seen the Oscar-nominated film Persepolis, I realize I was wrong. I described it to a friend interested in viewing it thus: a black-and-white, animated film in French with English subtitles about a young girl growing up in revolutionary Iran. That description sets up a number of obstacles to a mainstream American audience. But …

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Sonali Kolhatkar remembers Afghanistan, even if the rest of us don’t
By GUSTAVO ARELLANO in the OC Weekly
Thursday, May 17, 2007 – 3:00 pm

http://www.ocweekly.com/culture/books/that-other-quagmire/27160/

Remember Afghanistan? The Taliban? Hamid Karzai? That weird game Afghans play involving a goat carcass? Of course not. If the Iraq War is our latest Vietnam, then Dubya’s Afghanistan adventure is our Philippine-American War: a major incursion that became a quagmire no one talks about.

One of the …

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I just returned from a five day book tour on the East Coast of Canada with my partner and co-author, Jim Ingalls. We were there to promote our new book, “Bleeding Afghanistan: Washington, Warlords, and the Propaganda of Silence.” Despite the fact that Canadian troops in Afghanistan number only 2,300 compared to the US’s 20,000, there is a far more vibrant nation-wide debate about the presence of Canadian troops in Afghanistan, compared to here …

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The Pasadena Weekly just published a story on a book I’ve co-authored with my partner, Jim Ingalls on US policy in Afghanistan.

September 7, 2006

The other war

KPFK’s Sonali Kolhatkar and Caltech’s Jim Ingalls offer a new way to look at Afghanistan

By Joe Piasecki

Among progressive thinkers and anti-war activists, American foreign policy in Afghanistan is, at best, a gray area.

Feelings about the war in Iraq are comparatively simple: There were no weapons …

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From June 2nd, through June 6th, 30-40 people various parts of the US and world have gathered in Woods Hole, Massachusetts organized by Z Communications (which runs Z Magazine, Z net, Z Media Institute, Z Video Productions). The goal is to discuss “Vision and Strategy” for a new and just world. The attendees were invited by Michael Albert and Lydia Sargent of Z, from among their existing network of friends …

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This was posted on a new media blog that I am a part of. It’s by a group called Women in Media and News. The blog is WIMN’s Voices.

[Original Post].

Malalai Joya, the brave 28 year old member of Afghanistan’s parliament is once again making waves. On May 5th, 2006, during a Parliamentary session, one member of Parliament who is a prominent local warl0rd complained about recent criticism of the mujahedin, …

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Based on my last blog entry, I wrote a lengthier, more analytical piece about the immigrant movement. It was first sent out as a commentary via the Z sustainer program. Dissident Voice just republished it here.

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Los Angeles is being seen as the epicenter of the new immigrant movement, mobilizing the largest numbers of people nationally at the recent protests. On May Day, there were two separate marches and I was fortunate enough …

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I attended both rallies at yesterday’s May Day events in Los Angeles. I produced the first hour of KPFK’s live coverage (hosted by the brilliant Aura Bogado) during which we heard from Minister Tony Muhammed, State Senators Gloria Romero and Liz Figueroa, and former INS prosecutor Elsa Martinez.

We were set up at the KPFK booth right next to the main stage in Downtown, on the corner of Spring …

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Last night I had the pleasure of viewing the Los Angeles debut of “Water,” the long awaited film by Indian born acclaimed film maker, Deepa Mehta. It showed at the opening night of the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles and follows Mehta’s “Earth” (1998), and Fire (1996).

Water focuses on the horrific oppression of Indian widows in the pre-independence 1930s (an oppression that continues today). Widows ranging in age …

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