Jewish Voice for Peace and the Prophetic Tradition
The growth of the national organization Jewish Voice for Peace stems—in terms of recent history—from critical responses to Israel’s behavior during the 2nd Intifada, which began in late 2000. Among the...
View ArticleThe Creation of Frankenstein in the Middle Eastern Region
The Creation of Frankenstein in the Middle Eastern Region Al Kagan Al Kagan is African Studies Bibliographer and Professor of Library Administration Emeritus at the University of Illinois,...
View Article“Not Anti-Union”: Shaking Up Springfield, Shaking Down the State
“I’m probably .01 percent.” – Bruce Rauner, asked if he is part of the wealthiest 1% Chicago equity “salesman” Bruce Rauner succeeded in his first ever election last November with 50.3 percent of the...
View ArticleWe Are Being Watched, So Let Us Watch Back
I saw a dog riding a skateboard. Rather, I saw a video of a dog riding a skateboard. What’s the big difference? A few weeks ago I saw a mesmerizing movie, Monkey Kingdom, about Macaques in Sri Lanka....
View ArticleThe Greek Crisis: Beginning of the End for European Unity?
Protesters burn an EU flag during an anti-austerity demonstration in Thessaloniki, Greece. Practically since the moment of its victory in the January 25 elections, Greece’s Syriza party has been locked...
View ArticleWhither the Refugees, W(h)ither Europe?
Since I arrived in Hungary in early summer, the media, and everyday conversations, were filled with the refugee crisis. From the dangerous boat crossings from Libya to Europe’s Mediterranean island...
View ArticleChildren With Incarcerated Parents Played Key Role in Phone Justice Victory!
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted recently to cap the rates of phone calls from prisons and jails after years of profiteering by telecommunications companies that have made millions off...
View ArticleNew Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Offers Hope to Canada’s First Nations...
Outgoing Prime Minister Stephen Harper was nearly universally viewed by First Nations (known in the US as “indigenous” or “native” people), Métis and Inuit peoples as, at the least, insensitive to...
View ArticleFrance: The Power of Le Pens
The Left has done well in some recent elections in Southern Europe- in Greece, Portugal, and, most recently, Spain. But not in France. The Socialists, who are now in power, took a terrible beating in...
View ArticleTerrorism and Endless War
Terrorism is the use of violence to achieve political ends. Terrorism can be used by both non-state and state actors. Non-State Terrorism This is how non-state terrorism works: a weak group tricks a...
View ArticleCuba Libre?
By David Prochaska President Barack Obama will visit Havana in March. Commercial airline flights to Cuba are likely to begin in October. Even as the US moves to normalize relations with Cuba, and more...
View Article“Old” Urban Renewal in Champaign-Urbana, 1960-1969
By Natalie Prochaska Forcing people to move from their homes is one of the most intrusive exercises of state power. Urban renewal-based residential displacement broke many existing social networks,...
View ArticleStudents Rally for Coal Divestment
On April 4, the student group UIUC Beyond Coal rallied on the Quad to push the Academic Senate to pass a resolution urging the University divest $5.1 million held in the coal industry through stock...
View ArticleThe Beheading of a Saint: Junipero Serra and the California Monument Wars
During his visit to Mexico in February, Pope Francis apologized for the “systematic and organized” exclusion of indigenous Americans over the centuries. This took place in San Cristobal de las Casas,...
View ArticleAfrican Liberation, Socialism, and Ghana Today
What do most Americans know or think they know about Africa? A number of stereotypes come to mind. African countries are unsafe and unhealthy, always at war, unstable, and poor. People are uneducated...
View ArticleFrom the Arab Spring to the Syrian Civil War: Looking Again at the Modern...
It’s tempting to put the Arab Spring and the Syrian Civil War in separate boxes, but like other forms of compartmentalization, that only hides but doesn’t resolve the underlying problems. The dynamics...
View ArticleIndependence Day 2016
We have just celebrated the independence of our nation with fireworks and other reminders of the “glories” of war. Only a few weeks ago I saw our president laying a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown...
View ArticleOrlando Shooter Was A Product of US Hyper-Masculinity
Like so many others, I’ve been at a loss trying to make sense of the heinous act of anti-queer mass murder in Orlando. The following are some of my scattered thoughts on the topic, some of which I...
View ArticleChampaign County Facing Million Dollar Lawsuit for Jail Death
On August 8, 2016, attorney Shayla Maatuka sent a letter to Champaign County Board Chair Pattsi Petrie requesting a million dollar settlement for the wrongful death of Toya Frazier, who died in the...
View ArticleThe Eugene McCarthy, George McGovern, and Bernie Sanders Campaigns
Bio-box: While a student, Al Kagan worked on the Eugene McCarthy campaign for president in New Hampshire, Indiana, Rhode Island, and Washington, DC., and experienced the 1968 Democratic Convention. He...
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