Politics
in the United States: An encyclopedia of American politics between
1840 and 1980. The website includes entries on political parties (10),
pressure groups (26) and biographies of leading political figures:
1840-1900 (106), 1900-45 (56) and 1945-1980 (46). The text within
each entry is linked to other relevant pages in the encyclopedia.
In this way it is possible to research individual people and events
in great detail. The sources are also hyper-linked so the student
is able to find out about the writer, artist, newspaper and organization
that produced the material.
Presidential
Elections 1860-1884:
This website has been compiled and prepared as a public service by
HarpWeek. It features cartoons from Harper's Weekly, especially by
Thomas Nast, and from Vanity Fair, Frank Leslie's Illustrated Weekly,
Puck, and the Library of Congress Collection of American Political
Prints: 1766-1876. The website covers the seven presidential elections
of 1860-1884. In addition to explanations of each cartoon, the site
contains biographies, explanations of the issues, campaign overviews,
and other relevant information.
American
Politics: This site is aimed at those students studying American
Politics at an Advanced level (17 to 18 year olds) and most sections
have been updated to include the 2000 election result and issues that
have arisen in the current government of George Bush. Topics included
are: Federalism; the President; Congress; the role of the Supreme
Court; elections in America; voting patterns in elections; political
parties at a state and local level; pressure groups in America and
public attitude towards politics in America. There is also a section
for links to relevant and useful sites on American political issues.
Politics
in Britain: 1750-1950: An encyclopedia of politics in Britain
between 1750 and 1950. The website includes sections on Parliamentary
Reform: 1750-1832, Political Parties & Election Results: 1832-1951,
Parliamentary Legislation: 1715-1948. The website also contains biographies
of Members of Parliament: 1750-1820 (34); 1820-1880 (47); 1880-1920
(80) and 1920-1950 (79).
Political
Cartoons: The Political Cartoon Society is a non-profit making
organisation for those interested in History and Politics through
the medium of cartoons. The website, which is open to both members
and non-members, exists to promote the political cartoon by way of
amusing, informing and educating. Facilities include a Home Page with
information on the Society; an Exhibition and Events Page to advertise
forthcoming exhibitions of original cartoon art based on political
and historical themes; a Research Library for students and researchers,
a Cartoon Gallery of original cartoon art by leading cartoonists both
past and present, a Cartoon History page with a growing selection
of essays for cartoon enthusiasts and students of history and politics;
a Bulletin Board to voice opinions; and a Cartoon Book page for the
sale of cartoon books both new and used.
Political
Sciences Resources: Richard Kimber of Keele University has produced
a magnificent website for all teachers and students of Politics. He
has successfully achieved his ambition of offering a gateway to the
most significant resources relevant to political science on the Internet.
Kimber has organized his material in several different ways. Area
Studies gives access to information on individual countries. You can
also find information by looking at the topics section such as constitutions,
elections or political parties.
British
Politics: This site is designed for those studying British politics
to an Advanced level. Topics studied in depth include the British
electoral system; proportional representation; pressure groups in
the UK, the concept and various forms of democracy; political parties;
devolution (theory of) and Wales and Scotland; citizenship; politics
and rights; party systems; referendums; the reform of the House of
Lords; arguments for and against the Euro; constitutional reform.
Marketplace
of Political Ideas: Pamela Talene Hale, librarian at the University
of Houston, has created this useful directory website for people interested
in politics in the US. Political resources have been organized under
the following headings: Democratic Party, Republican Party, Libertarian
Party, On the Left, On the Right, On the Fringes. There are also sections
on Political Theory, International Politics and Political Science
Research.
Thomas
Paine: The Thomas Paine National Historical Association's website
commemorates the life of the man they call "America's greatest
revolutionary and journalist". He was also Britain's greatest
revolutionary but his ideas were so dangerous he was forced to flee
for his life. Although his support for universal suffrage, a free
press, child benefit, retirement pensions, etc. don't seem so revolutionary
now, his work still has relevance to anyone interested in politics.
The website includes an archive of Thomas Paine's work including Common
Sense, The Rights of Man and The Age of Reason.
The
Marx/Engels Archive: This
website provides a comprehensive collection of the writings of Karl
Marx and Fredrich Engels. The material available is constantly expanding
and eventually it will contain everything the two men published. It
also includes material from writers influenced by Marx and Engels.
The website is produced by a group of volunteers from Colorado's Progressive
Sociology Network and is completely free to use. The authors tell
us that "the real profit will hopefully manifest in the form
of individual enlightenment through easy access to these classic works".
George
Monbiot is the author of Captive State, and the investigative
travel books Poisoned Arrows, Amazon Watershed and No
Man's Land. He also writes a weekly column for the Guardian
newspaper. In 1995 Nelson Mandela presented him with a United Nations
Global 500 Award for outstanding environmental achievement. A large
collection of his thought-provoking articles can be found on his website
and would make good starting points for lessons on political and environmental
issues.
Nuclear
Age Peace Foundation: David Krieger, the founder of the Nuclear
Age Peace Foundation, argues that cultures need heroes and provide
a "concept of the ideal for educating new generations".
This website contains biographies of Krieger's heroes including Jane
Addams, Ralph Bunch, Helen Caldicott, Cesar Chavez, XIVth Dalai Lama,
Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, Dag Hammarskjold, Cordell Hull, Martin
Luther King, Coretta Scott King, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Rosa
Parks, Linus Pauling, Jeannette Rankin and Albert Schweitzer.
A
Critical Decision: This educational organization provides research
and thought-provoking insight on many divisive and emotional issues
within society and the effects of politics upon the environment and
biodiversity (our life-support system). The organization also provides
a nature gallery (with many stunning photographs) for visitors to
enjoy.
Noam
Chomsky Archive: This website contains articles, interviews, essays,
and other materials related to American dissident Noam Chomsky. As
a member of various popular movements, and a long-time professor of
linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Chomsky
writes and speaks frequently on a variety of social and political
issues.
American
Experience: Jimmy Carter: This website by PBS has been created
to support the recently produced documentary about his life and provides
a good introduction to this global humanitarian and peace maker. There
is a transcript of the documentary, a timeline, photo gallery and
an essay on President Carter's many contributions to humankind in
the twenty years since he left the presidency.
Inter-Parliamentary
Union is the international organization of parliaments of sovereign
states. Established in 1889 the IPU is the focal point for world-wide
parliamentary dialogue and works for peace and co-operation among
peoples and for the firm establishment of representative democracy.
The IPU supports the efforts of the United Nations, whose objectives
it shares, and works in close cooperation with it. The IPU website
has a very good section on women in parliaments including a world
chronology of women's suffrage and an archive of statistical data
on women in National Parliaments.
DemocracyNet
is an interactive website that allows people interested in US politics
to search for candidates currently running for political office. Enter
your zip code to find out who's running for offices on your ballot
and where the candidates stand on issues you care about. The site
is sponsored by the League of Women Voters (LWV), a national organization
with chapters in every state.
Our
Documents is a online repository of important primary documents
for studying American politics. Cosponsored by the National Archives
and Records Administration, the USA Freedom Corps, and the Corporation
for National and Community Service, this site currently contains the
Lee Resolution (1776),
Declaration of Independence (1776), Articles of Confederation (1777),
Treaty of Alliance with France (1778), Original Design of the Great
Seal of the United States (1782), Treaty of Paris (1783), Virginia
Plan (1787), Northwest Ordinance (1787), Constitution of the United
States (1787), President George Washington's First Inaugural Speech
(1789), Federal Judiciary Act (1789), Bill of Rights (1791), President
George Washington's Farewell Address (1796), Alien and Sedition Acts
(1798), Louisiana Purchase Treaty (1803) and Treaty of Ghent (1814).
World
Social Forum is an open meeting place where groups and movements
engaged in building a planetary society centred on the human person,
come together to pursue their thinking, to debate ideas democratically,
for formulate proposals, share their experiences freely and network
for effective action. The WSF intends to debate alternative means
to building a globalization in solidarity, which respects universal
human rights and those of all men and women of all nations and the
environment, and is grounded in democratic international systems and
institutions at the service of social justice, equality and the sovereignty
of peoples.
Political
Graveyard is a web site about U.S. political history and cemeteries.
It is the Internet's most comprehensive source for American political
biography, listing 107,137 politicians, living and dead. The coverage
of the site includes certain federal officials, state office holders
and candidates in all 50 states, state and national political party
officials, federal and state judges, and mayors (including candidates
at election for mayor) of qualifying cities. The listings are incomplete
as the development of the database is a continually ongoing project.
History
of Liberty: Throughout history, liberty has inspired acts of great
courage. Samuel Adams risked his life to promote the cause of the
American Revolution, while Charles James Fox courageously defended
American Independence in the British Parliament. Lafayette led soldiers
into battle, endured brutal prisons and faced the most powerful rulers
in Europe. Daniel O'Connell championed the cause of Irish liberty
for four tumultuous decades. The astonishing Swede Raoul Wallenberg
saved almost 100,000 Jews from Nazi death camps. Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. defied death threats as he campaigned against segregationist
laws, renewing the "higher law" doctrine that laws just
be judged by moral standards. This excellent website, created by Jim
Powell, hopes to enrich the visitor's understanding of ideas, personalities
and events in the history of liberty.
CND:
A British nuclear-powered Trident submarine is out on patrol ready,
24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to fire sixteen nuclear-armed missiles.
Each submarine carries 48 independently-targeted nuclear warheads.
Each warhead has seven times the explosive power of the first atomic
bomb. The atomic bomb that was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima,
killing 140,000 civilians. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND)
campaigns non-violently to rid the world of nuclear weapons and other
weapons of mass destruction and has a large collection of factsheets
on its website that can be used in the classroom.
CEWC-Cymru:
The Council for Education in World Citizenship-Cymru is an educational
charity working with young people to promote understanding of the
contemporary world. It provides support for local, national and global
citizenship education in Wales. Among events organised by CEWC-Cymru
are the Wales Schools’ Debating Championships, Model United Nations
meetings, European Youth Parliaments, residential conferences and
human rights workshops. It also provides curriculum materials and
training in Welsh schools and colleges. The recent major addition
has been Citizenship Today, a teacher support pack for teaching citizenship
from Key Stages 1 to 4. While based on the Welsh Personal and Social
Education Framework, it contains lesson plans which would be relevant
to all parts of the UK.
Citizen
21: The education unit at Charter 88, has produced a range of
educational materials to encourage and develop understanding of the
political institutions in the United Kingdom and how they work. Background
reading, questions for self directed study, workshop materials and
any additional resources are posted on this website and will be regularly
updated. It is aimed
at people who work in schools, with youth, in the community and the
adult education sector. The core topics are: bill of rights; voting;
parliament; freedom of information; decentralization (including devolution);
citizenship; and democracy.
Explore
Parliament: This website, produced by the Parliamentary Education
Unit. Junior Parliament is designed to introduce primary pupils to
some of the history, traditions and structure of Parliament. Explore
Parliament, for secondary pupils, seeks to encourage understanding
of and participation in the political process. Interactive games such
as Quest, a quiz for primary pupils, and Act of Parliament, an online
debating chamber for 14-16 year olds, seek to encourage pupils to
find out more about Parliament.
European
Unity: David Howell (Lord Howell of Guildford) is a former Secretary
of State for Energy and for Transport in the UK Government and an
economist and journalist. This website contains Lord Howell's most
recent newspaper and magazine articles, summaries of recent speeches
and lectures and a selection of seminar material. This includes an
interesting speech in the House of Lords: Differing Paths to European
Unity - New Possibilities for Europe in the Network Age.
Economic
and Monetary Union:
In the debate on the euro very little attention is paid to differences
in the levels of income and unemployment across the regions of Europe,
and whether a single currency is likely to narrow or exacerbate these
differences. This is an important issue because existing regional
inequalities already pose a threat to the cohesion of the European
Union. There is a very real possibility that the single currency,
without an effective regional policy, will worsen these disparities.
This special report by the Guardian newspaper provides links to fifteen
articles on the subject of Monetary Union.
Explore
Parliament: This site is hosted by the Parliamentary Education
Unit and has two main sections. Junior Parliament is designed to introduce
primary pupils to some of the history, traditions and structure of
Parliament. Explore Parliament, for secondary pupils, seeks to encourage
understanding of and participation in the political process. Interactive
games such as Quest, a quiz for primary pupils, and Act of Parliament,
an online debating chamber for 14-16 year olds, seek to encourage
pupils to find out more about Parliament. There is a wealth of information
about every aspect of Parliament in the central dataweb. The Teachers
Lobby contains guidance on using this site across the whole curriculum.
Governments
Online: Comprehensive database of governmental institutions on
the World Wide Web: parliaments, ministries, offices, law courts,
embassies, city councils, public broadcasting corporations, central
banks, multi-governmental institutions etc. Includes also political
parties. Online since June 1995. Contains more than 17000 entries
from more than 220 countries and territories as of May 2002. The country
listings note when entries were last updated and there is also a section
highlighting material that has been added to the site in the last
thirty days. This site can be accessed in English and German.
UN
Security Council: In the second-half of the nineteenth century
liberals in Britain were united in believing that you could not have
a true democratic system unless elections were by secret ballot. It
was argued that if employers and landlords knew how people voted they
could punish them if they did not support their preferred candidates.
Or more importantly, those in power could pay their workers and tenants
to vote for their candidates. This problem was solved in 1872 when
William Gladstone's government brought in the Ballot Act which guaranteed
a secret system of voting. Today
liberals appear to be united in arguing that a military invasion of
Iraq should only take place if it has the support of the UN security
council. This article in the Guardian newspaper explains how the vote
of the security council will be no more democratic or less corrupt
than elections held in Britain in the early part of the nineteenth
century.
Pioneers
of European Unity: It has been argued that the inevitable war
against Iraq will not only be about oil but America's increasing influence
over a Europe which has become a dangerous rival in political and
economic matters. In this interpretation of recent events, a divided
Europe is just as important as the control of Iraq's oil supplies.
This website looks at those political figures who genuinely believed
that the best way of maintaining world peace was by creating a united
Europe.
Active
Citizenship: To mark the introduction of Citizenship in the National
Curriculum, the DfES in association with Barclays is running a competition
to celebrate 'Active Citizenship'. Are your students involved in the
life of your school, neighbourhood or local community? Tell the DfES
about it and your school could win prizes to enhance your understanding
of active participation. The first prize is a trip to Brussels, the
historic city that is home to the European Parliament. The prize winner
can take three friends and/or relatives.
Switzerland
and the EU: As part of the Spring Europe project Roger Scupham
has created an Internet discussion forum on the relationship between
Switzerland and the EU. Scupham raises several questions including:
How would membership affect the cherished Swiss principle of neutrality?
How would the economy, culture and global position of Switzerland
change if Switzerland were 'in Europe'? It was only a year ago that
Switzerland finally voted to join the United Nations, but are they
ready for the next step?
History
of the Labour Party: The Labour Party was established in 1900
- originally as the Labour Representation Committee - to fight for
representation for the Labour movement – trade unions and socialist
societies – in Parliament. Its first leader was Keir Hardie,
one of the earliest Labour MPs. Labour was in government for three
short periods of the 20th century and its achievements revolutionized
the lives of the British people. This brief history of this organization,
with an introduction by Tony Blair, is available from the official
Labour Party website.
History
of the Conservative Party: The origins of the Conservative Party
can be traced to the 'Tory' faction which emerged in the later seventeenth
century. This 'Tory Party' established a secure hold on government
between 1783 and 1830, first under the Younger Pitt and then Lord
Liverpool. However, after Liverpool's retirement in 1827 the unity
of the party was destroyed when the Duke of Wellington and Robert
Peel, were forced, largely as a result of events in Ireland, to concede
full political emancipation to Roman Catholics. The Tory collapse
opened the way for a return of the Whigs in the 1830s, and a series
of measures including the Great Reform Act of 1832 changed the political
scene. This history of the Conservative Party has been written by
Stuart Ball, Reader, Department of History, University of Leicester.
History
of the Liberal Democrat Party: Whilst the history of the Liberal
Democrats as a formal political party stretches back 150 years to
the formation of the Liberal Party in 1859, Liberal political thought
goes back at least a further 200 years. Liberal Political thought
in England grew out of the ferment of the English Civil War and the
reaction that set in with The Restoration in 1660. However, whilst
the philosopher John Locke started the long line of British liberal
thinkers, there was no organisation that could reasonably be regarded
as a political party, liberal or otherwise at this time. The Eighteenth
Century saw the establishment of relatively formal parliamentary groupings,
the whigs and the vtroires, but the very limited franchise meant that
they did not have to be engaged a great deal with the wider population.
The history of Liberalism has been produced by the Liberal Democrat
History Group.
New
American Century Project is a non-profit educational organization
dedicated to a few fundamental propositions: that American leadership
is good both for America and for the world; that such leadership requires
military strength, diplomatic energy and commitment to moral principle;
and that too few political leaders today are making the case for global
leadership. The New American Century intends, through issue briefs,
research papers, advocacy journalism, conferences, and seminars, to
explain what American world leadership entails. It will also strive
to rally support for a vigorous and principled policy of American
international involvement and to stimulate useful public debate on
foreign and defense policy and America's role in the world.
Iraq
Crisis: Robert Byrd, the 83 year old senator for West Virginia,
is unlikely to be a member of the New American Century Project. In
a speech made in the US Senate on 12th February he argued that the
war will represent a turning point in US foreign policy. "This
nation is about to embark upon the first test of a revolutionary doctrine
applied in an extraordinary way at an unfortunate time. The doctrine
of pre-emption - the idea that the United States or any other nation
can attack a nation that is not imminently threatening but may be
in the future - is a radical new twist on the traditional idea of
self-defence. It appears to be in contravention of international law
and the UN charter. And it is being tested at a time of worldwide
terrorism, making many countries around the globe wonder if they will
soon be on our - or some other nation's - hit list."
Historians
and the Iraq Crisis: Politicians on both sides of the argument
over Iraq have been busy rummaging through the history books. The
pro-war camp constantly warn against repeating the mistakes of appeasement.
The antis claim we are heading for another Suez. But which is the
more plausible parallel? This is what 12 leading historians think
about this issue: Ian Kershaw, Paul Kennedy, Andrew Roberts, Simon
Schama, Linda Colley, Eric Hobsbawm, Richard Evans, Michael Burleigh,
Norman Davies, Avi Shlaim, Mark Mazower and Richard Overy.
Amnesty
International is a worldwide campaigning movement that works to
promote internationally recognized human rights. Amnesty International's
vision is of a world in which every person enjoys all of the human
rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and
other international human rights standards. Its mission is to undertake
research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses
of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience
and expression, and freedom from discrimination, within the context
of our work to promote all human rights. The Amnesty International
website includes recent information on human rights in Iraq, Russia,
Turkey, Spain, Honduras, Sudan and Venezuela.
George
Bush and Winston Churchill: People often look back in history
for help when they are trying to make sense of current problems. In
recent weeks politicians have been comparing the situation in Iraq
with other events in history. Important figures in the unfolding drama
have been compared to past political leaders. Saddam Hussein has been
described as a new Adolf Hitler and George Bush has been portrayed
as acting like Winston Churchill. In this activity students given
the chance to compare George Bush with political leaders from the
past.
Win
Without War: The Iraq War is already being fought out on the Internet.
Win Without War is a coalition of 32 national organizations that have
joined together to advocate alternatives to war in Iraq. This coalition
offers a mainstream, patriotic voice for engaging opinion makers,
activating concerned citizens, and communicating to policymakers and
the media. On 26th February it held a Virtual March on Washington
and as a result politicians in the United States received over a million
emails, phone calls and faxes about the proposed war.
Citizens
Against Celebrity Pundits: A large number of people involved in
the entertainment industry have over the last few weeks been arguing
against a pre-emptive strike on Iraq. This website has been launched
for for those American citizens who support President Bush and disapprove
of celebrities speaking out against the proposed war. It includes
links to pro-war articles and an online petition against celebrities
who they believe are "abusing their status" in opposing
the war.
Tony
Blair and Winston Churchill: People often look back in history
for help when they are trying to make sense of current problems. In
recent weeks politicians have been comparing the situation in Iraq
with other events in history. Important figures in the unfolding drama
have been compared to past political leaders. Saddam Hussein has been
described as a new Adolf Hitler and Tony Blair has been portrayed
as acting like Winston Churchill. In this activity students given
the chance to compare Tony Blair with political leaders from the past.
Mother
Jones: "If you were to spin the globe and look for real estate
critical to building an American empire, your first stop would have
to be the Persian Gulf. The desert sands of this region hold two of
every three barrels of oil in the world - Iraq's reserves alone are
equal, by some estimates, to those of Russia, the United States, China,
and Mexico combined. For the past 30 years, the Gulf has been in the
crosshairs of an influential group of Washington foreign-policy strategists,
who believe that in order to ensure its global dominance, the United
States must seize control of the region and its oil." This is
the opening passage of an article by Robert Dreyfuss for the online
journal, Mother Jones. He goes on to argue: "Iraq, in this view,
is a strategic prize of unparalleled importance. Unlike the oil beneath
Alaska's frozen tundra, locked away in the steppes of central Asia,
or buried under stormy seas, Iraq's crude is readily accessible and,
at less than $1.50 a barrel, some of the cheapest in the world to
produce.
When
Democracy Failed: February 27, 2003, was the 70th anniversary
of Dutch terrorist Marinus van der Lubbe's successful firebombing
of the German Parliament (Reichstag) building, the terrorist act that
catapulted Hitler to legitimacy and reshaped the German constitution.
By the time of his successful and brief action to seize Austria, in
which almost no German blood was shed, Hitler was the most beloved
and popular leader in the history of his nation. The 70th anniversary
wasn't noticed in the United States, and was barely reported in the
media. But the Germans remembered well that fateful day seventy years
ago - February 27, 1933. They commemorated the anniversary by joining
in demonstrations for peace that mobilized citizens all across the
world. This article by Thom Hartmann for Common Dreams reflects on
the comparisons between the events of 1933 and 2003.
Sojourners:
Founded in 1971 Sojourners (Christians for Justice and Peace) is a
Christian ministry whose mission is to proclaim and practice the biblical
call to integrate spiritual renewal and social justice. The organization
holds strong views on the proposed bombing of Iraq and on its website
provides a six point action plan on how to solve the conflict. "It
is the eleventh hour, and the world is poised on the edge of war.
Church leaders have consistently warned of the unpredictable and potentially
disastrous consequences of war: massive civilian casualties, a precedent
for preemptive war, further destabilization of the Middle East, and
the fueling of more terrorism. Yet the failure to effectively disarm
Saddam Hussein and his brutal regime could also have potentially catastrophic
consequences. The potential nexus between weapons of mass destruction
and terrorism is the leading security issue in the world today. This
is the moral dilemma: a decision between the terrible nature of that
threat and the terrible nature of war as a solution."
Life
of Thomas Jefferson: The foreign policy of Thomas Jefferson was
based upon the broad principles of his inaugural maxim: "peace,
commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances
with none." Jefferson argued that America would not only refuse
to rule over other nations, it would avoid meddling in their affairs
altogether. He added that if America wanted to export its brand of
liberty, it should do it not through force but by the simple power
of its own example. This online book by B. L. Rayner, originally published
in 1834, provides an interesting insight into how current American
foreign policy has changed since Jefferson's time in office.
Outcome
of the Iraq War: In this interesting article George Monbiot argues
that there are three possible results of the war with Iraq. (1) There
is a popular uprising and Saddam Hussein is overthrown by his generals.
The coalition troops are then welcomed into Baghdad by the people
of the city. (2) The coalition troops kill Saddam Hussein and destroys
the bulk of the army, but has to govern Iraq as a hostile occupying
force. (3) The coalition forces fail to kill Saddam Hussein or win
a decisive victory in Iraq. If this happens George Monbiot suggests
that Saddam Hussein will "slip into the civilian population,
occasionally throwing off his disguise and appearing among his troops,
to keep the flame of liberation burning."
Election
Results: A collection of election results. It includes details
of the UK General Elections (1935-2001), USA Presidential Elections
(1992-2000), European Elections (1994-1999), Welsh Assembly (1999)
Scottish Parliament (1999) and London Elections (2000). The website
is also planning to include election results from Israel, Canada and
Australia in the near future.
Common
Dreams NewsCenter: Common Dreams is a national non-profit citizens'
organization working to bring Americans together to promote progressive
visions for America's future. Founded in 1997, it is committed to
being on the cutting-edge of using the Internet as a political organizing
tool. Its NewsCenter is an eclectic mix of politics, issues and breaking
news with an emphasis on progressive perspectives that are increasingly
hard to find in the corporate-dominated media.
Political
Ideas and Concepts: This website provides a clear explanation
of key political ideas including anarchism, capitalism, colonialism,
communism, conservatism, democracy, fascism, feminism, individualism,
liberalism, marxism, nationalism, pluralism, social democracy, socialism,
zionism. Key political concepts such as anarchy, authority, equality,
globalisation, liberty, power, state power and totalitarian are also
defined.
International
Affairs Resources: This section of the WWW Virtual Library system
presents over 2600 annotated links in a wide range of international
affairs, international studies, and international relations topics.
Most of the sites are in English and are carefully selected for their
long-term value, favoring those with cost-free, high-quality information
and analysis online. Each site is described only in general terms
because of the typically rapid changes in the details of its contents.
British
Occupation of Iraq:
In 1920 the League of Nations granted Britain a mandate to control
Iraq. Winston Churchill, Secretary of State for War, estimated that
around 25,000 British and 80,000 Indian troops would be needed to
control the country. However, he argued that if Britain relied on
air power, you could cut these numbers to 4,000 (British) and 10,000
(Indian). The government was convinced by this argument and it was
decided to send the recently formed Royal Air Force to Iraq. An uprising
of more than 100,000 armed tribesmen took place in 1920. Over the
next few months the RAF dropped 97 tons of bombs killing 9,000 Iraqis.
This failed to end the resistance and Arab and Kurdish uprisings continued
to pose a threat to British rule. Churchill suggested that chemical
weapons should be used "against recalcitrant Arabs as an experiment."
He added "I am strongly in favour of using poisoned gas against
uncivilised tribes to spread a lively terror". This information
appears in Jonathan Glancey's recent article on the history of of
Britain's involvement in Iraq.
Searchlight:
The aim of Searchlight is to combat racism, neo-nazism, fascism and
all forms of prejudice. Searchlight has existed for more than 30 years.
In summer 1962, in response to a resurgence of open and violent neo-nazi
activities, a group of people from a wide variety of political and
religious backgrounds met in London to set up the Searchlight Association.
Searchlight has appeared as a monthly magazine since 1975. Simon Wiesenthal,
the greatest of the post-war nazi-hunters, described Searchlight as
the best English language publication of its kind anywhere in the
world. The Searchlight archive includes a large collection of articles
from past editions of the magazine.
Gulag
Online Exhibition: The system of forced labour camps was established
in the first years of the Communist regime in the Soviet Union. It
became essential part of the Soviet repressive system. The Communist
takeovers in the Eastern and Central Europe during the World War II
led to mass arrests of non-Communist politicians and people identified
as class-enemies. Many of them were sentenced to forced labor camps.
In 1952 the International League for the Rights of Man was able to
document the existence of more than 400 forced labour camps in Central
and Eastern Europe.
Watergate
Revisited: Richard J. McGowan, was the chief investigator and
chief-of-staff of Senator Lowell P. Weicker, an important figure in
the Senate Watergate Committee. In this article from the Barnes Review,
McGowan argues that the "Nixon Administration flagrantly and
systematically violated constitutional rights, subverted the electoral
process through illegal fund-raising and campaign sabotage, abused
the federal bureaucratic machinery and willfully obstructed justice."
Prime
Ministers in History: There have been 51 British Prime Ministers
since 1721. These figures include some of the most influential and
interesting figures in British history. At this 10 Downing Street
website you will find a biography and interesting facts about each
Prime Minister from Robert Walpole to Tony Blair. More interesting
and bizarre facts about past Prime Ministers can be found at the Prime
Ministerial record breakers section.
Red
Tape, White Lies: Notes & Queries began in 1989 as a weekly
column in the Guardian, and rapidly acquired a cult following. Now,
thanks to the Internet, it is reaching a worldwide electronic audience.
The questions and answers are organised into different categories.
This section deals with politics and includes questions such as "How
old is the current use of the words terrorist and terrorism?"
and "Why do national unemployment statistics differ from OECD
statistics? Who is counted in UK statistics and who is not (and why
not)?"
Political
History: A collection of articles on political history. Subjects
covered include the English Revolution, General Strike (1926), Paris
Commune, Russian Revolution, Berlin Wall, Falklands War, Six-Day War,
Spanish Civil War, Suez Crisis, Vietnam War, Chartists and Diggers.
Informed
Dissent: The journal, Mother Jones, has launched a new email newsletter,
Informed Dissent. Every month Mother Jones sends out a carefully culled
batch of suggestions for getting more deeply involved in the issues
raised by its magazine. The first issue reports on how 120 million
pesticide-laden rose blooms were sold last Valentine's Day in the
US, propelling rampant rates of skin rashes, nausea, respiratory problems
and birth defects among Ecuador's flower labour force. There is also
an article about Thailand's pioneering "Green Label Program,"
promoting environmentally conscious products and sustainable consumer
goods.
HPOL:
History and Politics Out Loud (HPOL) is a searchable multimedia database
documenting and delivering authoritative audio relevant to American
history and politics. The materials range from formal addresses delivered
in public settings to private telephone conversations conducted from
the innermost recesses of the White House. The aim of HPOL is to provide
an accessible source of audio information to enliven instruction and
scholarship in history and politics and to enable easy access for
all persons to the rich audio archives of American history and politics.
Fun
Politics: This site gives Primary School children an opportunity
to explore the structures and institutions of the Irish political
system. The nature and function of the 3 houses of the Oireachtas
are discussed and explained, with particular emphasis on the Dáil
and the Presidency. The party system and the main political parties
are also covered extensively. The material is presented in an interesting
and interactive format to maximise pupil interest and engagement.
International
Occupation Watch: Cognizant of the current lack of information
about Iraq and knowing that Iraq will receive increasingly less attention
as media sources abandon the country for the newest “hot spot,”
an international coalition of peace and justice groups is organizing
the Baghdad-based International Occupation Watch Center. The Center
will function under the auspices of United for Peace and Justice,
a U.S. anti-war coalition with more than 600 member groups, with participation
from a diversity of international groups including Focus on the Global
South, Iraqi Democrats Against Occupation, and members of the World
Social Forum.
Foreign
Policy: Founded in 1970 by Samuel Huntington and Warren Demian
Manshel, Foreign Policy is the award-winning magazine of global politics,
economics, and ideas. The mazine draws on the world’s leading
journalists, thinkers, and professionals to analyze the most significant
international trends and events of our times. The current online version
includes Grading the President, Rogue State Department and From Victory
to Success: Afterwar Policy in Iraq.
Justice
Learning is an innovative, issue-based approach for engaging school
students in informed political discourse. The web site uses audio
from the Justice Talking radio show and articles from The New York
Times to teach students about reasoned debate and the often-conflicting
values in a democratic society. The website includes articles, editorials
and oral debate from the America's finest journalists and advocates.
All of the material is supported by age-appropriate summaries and
additional links. In addition, for each covered issue, the site includes
curricular material from The New York Times Learning Network for high
school teachers and detailed information about how each of the institutions
of democracy (the courts, the Congress, the presidency, the press
and the schools) affect the issue.
Shapurji
Saklatvala: In the 1922 General Election Shapurji Saklatvala
was elected to represent
North Battersea in the House of Commons. Considering that he was a
member of the Communist Party and that he had been born in India,
this was a remarkable victory. Saklatvala made headline news again
when he was imprisoned for sedition during the General Strike. His
crime was that he had made a speech asking the army not to fire on
strikers. This online biography of Shapurji Saklatvala is by his daughter
Sehri Saklatvala.
Adam
Smith Institute: For over 25 years it has been a pioneer in the
worldwide movement towards free markets, public-sector reform, and
free trade. The Institute's main focus is on reforming governments
and state enterprises in order to promote choice, competition, enterprise,
and user-focus. It works through research, reports, conferences, advice,
and media debate. It has now launched its own weblog in order to encourage
debate on these issues.
BritainUSA:
This site is maintained by British Information Services (BIS), the
New York based Press and Public Affairs Office of the British Embassy
in Washington DC, an overseas post of the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office, London. BritainUSA aims to answer the questions most frequently
asked in the United States about Britain and provide up-to-date government
comment on current events. The website provides video/audio recordings
of recent Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons. There
is also an online daily review of British Newspapers.
Children’s
Rights Alliance for England: CRAE is an alliance of over 180 organisations
committed to children’s human rights. It exists to improve the
lives and status of all children in England through the fullest implementation
of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. CRAE monitors developments
in children's rights; advocates for laws and policy to be fully compatible
with the Convention on the Rights of the Child; and disseminates information
to professionals and the public (including children and young people).
Its website provides news relating to the rights of children.
Save
the Children Education Unit: Save the Children was founded in
1919, as a response to conditions in Europe immediately following
the First World War. Save the Children works to ensure that all children
get access to good quality education by tackling poverty, helping
communities run schools, training teachers, developing education policies
and curricula, supporting flexible learning schemes, developing educational
opportunities for very young children, and providing education for
children caught up in emergencies. The Save the Children's Education
Unit works across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to
promote global child rights education and offers a range of free and
priced materials and services to teachers and youth workers.
Aljazeera
was originally launched in November 1996. With more than 30 bureaus
and dozens of correspondents covering the four corners of the world
Aljazeera has given millions of people a refreshing new perspective
on global events. Free from the shackles of censorship and government
control Aljazeera has offered its audiences in the Arab world much
needed freedom of thought, independence, and room for debate. This
Quatari-based news service website was taken down during the Iraq
War. Its English language version has just been relaunched. As well
as the latest news on the occupation of Iraq it provides information
organized under the categories: Arab World, Economy, Culture, Global,
Science & Technology and Special Reports.
Superpowers
and Morality: George Monbiot argues that it is a myth that superpowers
make moral decisions concerning foreign policy. Monbiot points out
that: "As soon as one argument for the invasion and occupation
of Iraq collapses, they switch to another. Over the past month, almost
all the warriors - Bush, Blair and the belligerents in both the conservative
and the liberal press - have fallen back on the last line of defence,
the argument we know as the moral case for war. Monbiot adds: "A
superpower does not have moral imperatives. It has strategic imperatives.
Its purpose is not to sustain the lives of other people, but to sustain
itself. Concern for the rights and feelings of others is an impediment
to the pursuit of its objectives. It can make the moral case, but
that doesn't mean that it is motivated by the moral case."
Republic:
This is the website that broke the recent story on Prince Charles
and Michael Fawcett . The Republic organization has grown steadily
in size and profile since its formation in 1983, when talk of replacing
Britain's monarchy with a democratically elected Head of State was
a virtually taboo subject. Mature debate on this subject is now normal,
and this to great extent thanks to the untiring efforts of Republic
and its supporters in putting forward a reasoned and informed argument
against the current system.
Ku
Klux Klan: The first branch of the Ku Klux Klan was established
in Pulaski, Tennessee, in May, 1866. A year later a general organization
of local Klans was established in Nashville in April, 1867. Most of
the leaders were former members of the Confederate Army and the first
Grand Wizard was Nathan Forrest, an outstanding general during the
American Civil War. This website looks at the history of the Ku Klux
Klan from the period when it helped restore white rule in North Carolina,
Tennessee and Georgia to May 2002 when Bobby Cherry was convicted
for the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing.
Noam
Chomsky Archive: This website contains articles, interviews, essays,
and other materials related to American dissident Noam Chomsky. As
a member of various popular movements, and a long-time professor of
linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Chomsky
writes and speaks frequently on a variety of social and political
issues.
Beat
Poverty: "When I'm hungry I can't follow what the teacher
is saying. When I return home from school I go to sleep straight away
because I'm too hungry to move around." Mohammed is just one
of an estimated 600 million children whose families have to live on
less than a dollar a day (approximately 66p). This tiny amount is
all the family has to spend on food, water, shelter and everything
else that they need. Living on less than a dollar a day is the international
definition of absolute poverty. Every three seconds, poverty takes
a child's life. It does not have to be this way. This Save the Children
website provides information on how this situation could be improved.
Political
Sciences Resources: Richard Kimber of Keele University has produced
a magnificent website for all teachers and students of Politics. He
has successfully achieved his ambition of offering a gateway to the
most significant resources relevant to political science on the Internet.
Kimber has organized his material in several different ways. Area
Studies gives access to information on individual countries. You can
also find information by looking at the topics section such as constitutions,
elections or political parties.
John
Stuart Mill: Born on May 20, 1806, John Stuart Mill was raised
in London by his father, James Mill. Deliberately shielding his son
from other boys his age, James dedicated himself to John's education.
He believed that this rigid system of intellectual discipline would
give young John a sizable upper hand over others his age. Mill was
later to claim that "he grew up with an advantage of a quarter
century over his contemporaries". Eric Hochberger's website features
a biography, timeline of his works, including online versions, papers
about his works, and links to sites about this 19th-century British
philosopher.
Tom
Paine: In 1791 published his most influential work, The Rights
of Man. In the book Paine attacked hereditary government and argued
for equal political rights. Paine suggested that all men over twenty-one
in Britain should be given the vote and that this would result in
a House of Commons willing to pass laws favourable to the majority.
The book also recommended progressive taxation, family allowances,
old age pensions, maternity grants and the abolition of the House
of Lords. The British government was outraged by Paine's book and
it was immediately banned. Paine was charged with seditious libel
but he escaped to France before he could be arrested. This website
provides a biography of Paine and some extracts from his work.
The
Big Picture: This website provides an online experience for netizens
interested in understanding why people in around the world can't seem
to learn to value, respect, and love one another regardless of skin
colour, religion, or ethnic group. The goal of the founders of this
website is to discuss that monumental problem, and to enlighten and
promote a more accurate depiction of the African and African American
ethnic groups contribution to world history. If you are angered that
President Bush went to Dr. Martin Luther King's grave, laid a wreath,
pretended to have respect for this former civil rights campaigner,
then the next day appointing a white supremacist judge, then this
is the website for you.
Smorgon
Society of Human Rights: Vladimir Kalinin is the man behind the
Smorgon Society of Human Rights organization. This non-governmental,
non for profit organisation which was founded in 1996, encourages
the promotion and protection of human rights within 33 primary and
secondary schools. The organization supports an international dimension
and global perspective in education in all its forms. It runs seminars
for teachers, social workers and youth leaders about human rights
issues in co-operation with OSCE mission in Belarus.
Our
World Our Say is an organization attempting to give people a voice
when politicians circumvent them, particularly over world changing
issues. Through reconnecting ordinary citizens with their elected
representatives and giving them a voice, it aims to give people power
over their own future and invigorate the democratic process. Through
a combination of national, regional and local press adverts; direct
marketing techniques; a dynamic and interactive website; an in-depth
database of elected officials and their voting patterns on crucial
issues; media testimonies by high-profile personalities; and the use
of innovative devices such as virtual lobbies of Parliament and regular
electronic mailings to MPs it hopes to galvanise as many people as
possible to pursue simple and practical activities in order to reinvigorate
democratic processes in Britain.
Weapons
of Misperception: Kenneth Pollack was a military analyst at the
CIA and later moved to the National Security Council. He became convinced
that Iraq had WMD and in 2002 published the book, The Threatening
Storm: The Case for Invading Iraq. Many observers believe the
book managed to convince a number of officials to join the call for
war. Pollack has now changed his mind and recently published Spies,
Lies, and Weapons: What Went Wrong. In this interesting interview
in Atlantic Monthly, Pollack explains why he got it wrong. He also
explains how George Bush "consistently engaged in creative omission,
overstating the imminence of the Iraqi threat, even though it had
evidence to the contrary".
Watergate:
Some 25 years have passed since the bungled break-in at the Watergate
hotel, a so-called "third-rate burglary," triggered a first-rate
national crisis whose consequences still color the nation's politics.
Like many other political scandals, Watergate grew to encompass far
more than just the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters.
This CNN website provides a collection of articles on Watergate including
an attempt to discover the identify of Deep Throat.
Electoral
Reform: First-Past-the-Post is not the only voting system. In
fact, different systems were used to elect MPs right up until 1950.
In recent years we have seen different, often fairer, voting systems
being used for elections to the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly
for Wales, London Assembly, European Parliament and Northern Ireland
Assembly. The Electoral Reform Society is a membership organisation
which campaigns for improvements in democracy, particularly through
the use of better voting systems. The website provides information
on all the different voting systems used in the world today.
The
Welfare State: An article by David Goodhart in the February edition
of the Prospect Magazine has caused a great deal of controversy in
Britain. The article looks at the future of the welfare state in Britain
and other European countries. Goodhart argues that diversity, individualism
and mobility characterises developed economies mean that more of our
lives is spent among strangers. "We share public services and
parts of our income in the welfare state, we share public spaces in
towns and cities where we are squashed together on buses, trains and
tubes, and we share in a democratic conversation - filtered by the
media - about the collective choices we wish to make. All such acts
of sharing are more smoothly and generously negotiated if we can take
for granted a limited set of common values and assumptions. But as
Britain becomes more diverse that common culture is being eroded."
Liberty:
Seventy years ago today Liberty was launched in a letter to the Manchester
Guardian. Clement Attlee, Harold Laski, H. G. Wells and others drew
attention to the "general and alarming tendency to encroachment
on the liberty of the citizen". The organization is currently
campaigning against the government decision to detain people under
new terrorism laws without charging them or putting them on trial.
The organization is also involved in the defence of Katharine Gun,
who used to work as a translator at GCHQ, the Government’s eavesdropping
centre. In the weeks leading up to the Iraq War, at a time when the
UN was still considering whether to pass a second resolution authorising
war, she disclosed that the American National Security Agency had
asked the British Government to help in the illegal surveillance of
the six delegations holding the balance of power in the UN Security
Council.
Nation
States is a simulation game for people interested in politics.
You create your own country, fashioned after your own ideals, and
care for its people. When you begin you will be asked to choose a
name for your nation, a motto, a national animal, and a currency.
Then you answer a short questionnaire about your politics. This will
determine what sort of nation you end up with: authoritarian or permissive,
left-wing or right-wing, compassionate or psychotic. Once a day, you'll
be faced with an issue, and need to make a decision as to what to
do about it. This determines how your nation evolves.
Catalyst:
Peter Hain, leader of the House of Commons, has just written a pamphlet
that is freely available from this website. Hain argues that the Labour
Party is over-centralised, undemocratic and closed to new ideas. He
says that the policy-making structure "is losing credibility
among members because they do not believe it influences major policy
decisions" and urges the party leadership to address the issue
urgently or "become divided and unable to renew itself in office."
Hain adds that the party needs to imitate the Liberal Democrats by
setting up groups to bring together party members, ministers and outside
experts to look at specific issues.
Centre
for the Study of Cartoons and Caricature: The catalogue contains
details of over 90,000 British 20th century cartoon drawings. Most
of the records in the catalogue are based on original cartoon drawings
held by the Centre for the Study of Cartoons and Caricature at the
University of Kent, though some of the more recent records were catalogued
from daily newspapers. You can perform straightforward searches simply
by typing search terms into search box. The matching records are returned
in date order, in pages of up to 12 thumbnails. The preview images
are links to the full catalogue records.
Your
Party is an online political party where members set the policies.
Its a party which starts with no bias about the best way forward in
the future, but seeks to find common ground between citizens from
all political persuasions. Your Party is not in opposition to any
other party. It is a new platform for engagement, working in co-operation
with any other organisation that wants to take part. Your Party wants
to make full use of the Internet to create a new way for people to
engage in the decision-making process – a way that allows full
participation at every level on an issue-by-issue basis.
MoveOn:
This new American organization is trying to bring ordinary people
back into politics. The website claims: "With a system that today
revolves around big money and big media, most citizens are left out.
When it becomes clear that our "representatives" don't represent
the public, the foundations of democracy are in peril. MoveOn is a
catalyst for a new kind of grassroots involvement, supporting busy
but concerned citizens in finding their political voice. Our nationwide
network of more than 1,700,000 online activists is one of the most
effective and responsive outlets for democratic participation available
today."
CIA
for Kids: The CIA has launched a website for children, guiding
potential future spies through the world of covert operations under
the guidance of a cartoon bear named Ginger. A large section of the
site is dedicated to the war on drugs. It urges its visitors to shun
illegal substances and instead to "get high on intelligence".
It also claims that drug cultivation causes global warming. Potential
recruits are warned that mandatory medical and polygraph tests for
all CIA personnel will root out those who experiment with drugs.
Smart
Mobs: Howard Rheingold is the author of Smart Mobs: The Next Social
Revolution. Rheingold claims that the Smart Mob is a group of people
who use the Internet and/or mobile communications to organize collective
action. Rheingold argues: "I wrote the book to try to educate
people because the people who make the laws listen to the people who
pay them a lot of money to make them. They're not listening to the
citizens. We're not powerless; the more we know, the more influence
we will have. This website allows you to debate the ideas included
in Smart Mobs.
Explore
Saudi Arabia: This website, produced by the British Museum, enables
students to learn about the people, places, wildlife, customs and
culture of Saudia Arabia. Information is organized under headings
such as Saudi Factfile, Today in Saudi, Learn About Arabia and Desert
Adventure. Controversial issues like Saudi Arabia's appalling human
rights record is not covered. This is not surprising when one considers
that the website is being sponsored by Saudi Prince Turki Al Faisal.
Saudi
Arabia: In May 2003 the UN Committee against Torture examined
Saudi Arabia's implementation of the UN Convention against Torture
and urged Saudi Arabia to bring legislation and practice into line
with the letter and spirit of the Convention. Amnesty has "called
on Saudi Arabia to re-examine the imposition of judicial corporal
punishments, provide redress for victims of torture and ill-treatment,
and ensure punishment of the perpetrators. However, allegations of
torture continued to be reported and no measure of redress was known
to have been applied. Judicial corporal punishments, including bodily
mutilation, were routinely imposed and carried out."
Memories
of Communism: Only 14 years ago, in 1989, Romanian people reversed
the communist power. During the discussion with her students, in 2000,
Florina Serbu discovered that "the reality of the past is unknown
by them, worse, they even can't think about it! Their parents, with
their daily problems, forget the bad aspects of those times, and sometimes
they have the tendency to remember only the good part of the communist
era. I believe that it is our duty not to leave them to forget those
times! Otherwise we risk to live them again!" Florina Serbu got
her students to interview their relatives about daily life during
communism. The material is in Romanian and English.
UK
Electoral System: This Russel Tarr activity is based around the
question: "What sort of electoral system should the UK have?"
The students are taken through three systems: Constituency System,
Proportional Representation and a hybrid system drawing upon both
the constituency and the PR models. Each system is analyzed and the
students are asked thought-provoking questions. There is also a worksheet
that goes with this activity.
The
Mendacity Index: Washington Monthly has just produced a Mendacity
Index. A committee of noted journalists and pundits to pick the most
serious fibs, deceptions, and untruths spoken by each of the four
most recent presidents. It selected the top six for each commander-in-chief,
then presented the list to a panel of judges with longtime experience
in Washington. Panel members were instructed to rate each deception
on a scale of 1 (least serious) to 5 (most serious). Then we averaged
the scores for each deception and for each president. The overall
rating is: George W. Bush (3.6), Ronald Reagan (3.3), George H. W.
Bush (3.2) and Bill Clinton (3.1).
Democracy:
In this article Martin Jacques argues that "democracy has become
the universal calling card of the west, the mantra that is chanted
at every country that falls short (when politically convenient, of
course), the ubiquitous solution to the problems of countries that
are not democratic". He adds "If it is mistaken to regard
western democracy as a universal abstraction that is equally applicable
across the world, it is also wrong to see it as frozen and unchanging.
Indeed, there are grounds for believing that western democracy, as
we have known it, is in decline. The symptoms have been well-rehearsed:
the decline of parties, the fall in turnout, a growing disregard for
politicians, the displacement of politics from the centre-stage of
society. These trends have been observable more or less everywhere
for at least 15 years."
War
on Terrorism: "In March 2003, Americans thrilled to televised
scenes of U.S. forces moving into Iraq. Well-spoken soldiers, modern
equipment, and embedded reporters suggested a sense of purpose, competence,
and courage that resonated across the country. But today, 14 months
later, the mission is in shambles, scarred by rising Iraqi popular
discontent, continued attacks against US forces, infiltration of foreign
fighters, mounting civil strife, and no credible sense of direction."
These are the views of General Wesley Clark, one of the America’s
most distinguished retired military officers. During his thirty-three
years of service in the United States Army, he held numerous staff
and command positions, served in Vietnam, and rose to the rank of
4-star general and NATO Supreme Allied Commander.
Michael
Moore: One of the most controversial and provocative films of
the year, Fahrenheit 9/11 is Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael
Moore's searing examination of the Bush administration's actions in
the wake of the tragic events of 9/11. He looks at how - and why -
Bush and his inner circle avoided pursuing the Saudi connection to
9/11, despite the fact that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis and
Saudi money had funded Al Qaeda. It is in this atmosphere of confusion,
suspicion and dread that the Bush Administration makes its headlong
rush towards war in Iraq. Fahrenheit 9/11 takes us inside that war
to tell the stories we haven't heard, illustrating the awful human
cost to US soldiers and their families. To find out more visit Michael
Moore's website. It includes a discussion of the facts included in
Fahrenheit 9/11.
Do you
want to have your website listed in our web directory? If so, send
a brief description (about 150 words) and the URL to spartacus@pavilion.co.uk.
