Economic Crisis: The World Bank Turns Into The World's Good Guys

On our partner site Libertas, Ali Yenidunya has posted a provocative blog on the possibility of international economic institutions such as The World Bank stepping up as "good guys" in the alleviation of poverty in the current global crisis.

On 26 April, Robert Zoellick, the head of the World Bank, told a news conference,  that poor countries are paying a heavy price in the deepening global economic crisis. According to Zoellick:

- In 2008 more than 50 million people, most of whom are children and women, fell under the threshold of extreme poverty, measured as earnings of $1.25 a day.

- Most of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals could not be met because of the economic crisis.

- In 2009, between 55 and 90 million more people will fall into extreme poverty. The number of those suffering chronic hunger will pass 1 billion.

Read the rest of the post....

Republican Video Fight: Mitt Romney Runs from Bears, Ronald Reagan, Sarah Palin

We've been letting the Republican Party get on with its internal squabbling, but this latest scrap was too good to go unmentioned.

2008 GOP Presidential candidate Mitt Romney got a bit lippy about Sarah Palin's recent appearance on Time magazine's list of most influential people: ""Was that the issue on the most beautiful people or the most influential people?"

Devoted Palinists, rather than taking the "most beautiful" compliment, hit back with this video:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDOykmey7-I[/youtube]

Respect is due. The video is a throwback to Ronald Reagan's mega-successful 1984 campaign video where he took down the Soviet Bear (apparently there was a Cold War going on):

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpwdcmjBgNA&feature=related[/youtube]

And it's also a parody of Romney's 2008 campaign video "Leadership":

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsJ3p5X6rLc&feature=related[/youtube]

Tuesday's Mass Killing in Afghanistan: US Military Begins The Lying

All day we've been following reports of the mass killing in a US airstrike in western Afghanistan. The aerial assault was called in after fighting between Afghan forces, backed by coalition troops, and insurgents. Estimates of the dead have varied from a few dozen to 120 --- an accurate count may not be possible because some of the dead have already been buried --- but the provincial governor fears about 100 civilians have been killed.

US officials quickly took the official line that any civilian deaths were regrettable but were at the hands of the Taliban. A fine example of that deflection of blame can be heard in the BBC interview of the American ambassador to NATO this morning (about 1:50:00 into the podcast).

Leaving aside the consequence that relatives of dead civilians are just as likely to blame the Americans who killed them as they are the Taliban, what is already disconcerting is the US attempt to cover up the scale of the tragedy. The US military says that it has "preliminarily concluded that about 11 civilians were wounded and that 11 insurgents were killed".

How do I know that is a blatant lie? Well, because International Committee of the Red Cross officials have seen "dozens of people, including women and children" dead at the scene. The ICRC head of delegation in Kabul confirmed, "Those killed included an Afghan Red Crescent volunteer and 13 members of his family who had been sheltering from fighting in a house that was bombed in an airstrike."

None of this, of course, is to absolve the insurgents of responsibility, giving the proximity of civilians to the fighting. Still, as Afghan President Karzai is in Washington for talks, this is already a glaring example of how the Obama policy in Afghanistan will be undone not only by US military action, but by the attempts to cover up the consequences of those actions.

Enduring America Links Up With Global Post

We are very pleased to announce that Enduring America has linked up with Global Post.

Launched in January, Global Post has already established itself as one of the leading sources of international news and analysis. We believe that its international coverage is the ideal complement to Enduring America's analysis of US politics and foreign policy.

The latest stories from Global Post can be reached via the link in the centre column of our homepage.

United Nations Report: Israel Deliberately Fired on Gaza Schools/Shelters

Scott Lucas on Press TV: The UN Report on Israel's Killing of Gaza Civilians

I'm not sure how many folks are still paying attention --- the Gaza War is so yesterday --- but a United Nations Board of Inquiry has found that the Israeli military deliberately fired on UN schools, which were being used as civilian shelters, during the conflict.

The 184-page is being kept confidential as it is sent to the UN Security Council, but a 27-page summary was released yesterday. (It's proving quite difficult to find a summary on the Internet, so any assistance would be appreciated.) News accounts, however, say Israel is held responsible for:

• The deaths of three young men killed by a single IDF missile strike at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) Asma school in Gaza City on 5 January;

• The firing of heavy IDF mortar rounds into the UNRWA Jabalia school on 6 January, injuring seven people sheltering in the school and killing up to 40 people in the immediate vicinity;

• Aerial bombing of the UNRWA Bureij health centre on the same day causing the death of a patient and serious injuries to two others;

• Artillery firing by the IDF into the UNRWA field office compound in Gaza city on 15 January that in turn caused high explosive shells to explode within the compound causing injuries and considerable damage to the buildings. The summary notes that it disrupted the UN's humanitarian operations in Gaza;

• Artillery firing by the IDF into the UNRWA Beit Lahia school on 17 January, causing the deaths of two children

• Aerial bombing by the IDF of the Unesco compound on 29 December causing damage to UN buildings and vehicles.

(It is notable that The New York Times did not mention the report at all, and The Washington Post distorted the summary, noting only two of the incidents and ignoring the Jabaliya mass killing.)

The Board also found "there was no evidence...that Palestinian militants had used U.N. facilities to launch military attacks against Israeli troops".

Despite the seriousness of the findings, and the Board's recommendations for a full impartial inquiry, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon is moving quickly to sweep away the report. While he said he would pursue Israeli compensation for $11 million in damage, Ban added that there was no need for a further investigation.