Middle East

The Occupation of Iraqi Hearts and Minds

Nir Rosen / Truthdig Jun 28, 2006 Truthdig contributor Nir Rosen, an American reporter who has lived for the last three years in Iraq and who can pass as Middle Eastern, describes what it's like to live under the boot of a culturally callous -- and sometimes criminal -- occupying force in Iraq. Dig deeper ( 21 Min. Read )

Middle East

The Many Faces of Abu Musab al Zarqawi

Nir Rosen / Truthdig Jun 10, 2006 He led Al Qaeda in Iraq, but who was he? What drove Zarqawi to his murderous ends? And what can we learn from his death? Nir Rosen, one of the only Western journalists to have reported extensively from inside the Iraqi insurgency, lays out some answers. Acclaimed Iraq journalist Nir Rosen explores the life, death and intellectual underpinnings of the terrorist who led Al Qaeda in Iraq. Dig deeper ( 18 Min. Read )

TD Original

The Great Immigration Debate: Getting Beyond Denial

Marc Cooper / Truthdig Mar 15, 2006 Marc Cooper peels away the myths shrouding the U.S. immigration debate. It is time to admit that the attempt to stem the influx of illegal immigrants into this country by merely strengthening border security has failed miserably. Dig deeper ( 13 Min. Read )

TD Original

Year of the Queer: Hollywood and Homosexuality

Larry Gross / Truthdig Feb 27, 2006 Truthdig's Larry Gross, a pioneer in the field of gay studies, argues that for all the hoopla surrounding "Brokeback Mountain" and this year's spate of gay-themed films, there is little about them that upends Hollywood conventions or challenges popular ideas about homosexuality. "Hollywood and much of the media may be awash in liberal self-congratulation," Gross writes, "but they--and we--are also soaking in the familiar hypocrisy of homophobia." Update: Down to the WireGross argues that for all the hoopla surrounding "Brokeback Mountain" and this year's spate of gay-themed films, there is little about them that upends Hollywood conventions or challenges popular ideas about homosexuality. Dig deeper ( 22 Min. Read )

TD Original

In Google, Yahoo, Should We Trust?

Mark Malseed / Truthdig Feb 15, 2006 For years, we've been supplying the oracles of Google and Yahoo with the most intimate details our personal health, political leanings, and secret obsessions. The government is already combing through Internet archives.Mark Malseed, co-author of the international bestseller "The Google Story," argues that it's time we started asking better questions about our queries. For years, we've been supplying the oracles of Google and Yahoo with the most intimate details our personal health, political leanings, and secret obsessions. It's time we started asking better questions about our queries. Dig deeper ( 10 Min. Read )

TD Original

President Jonah, Meet Oliver Cromwell!

Gore Vidal / Truthdig Feb 8, 2006 Building on his "President Jonah" theme, Gore Vidal offers another angle on Bush's presidency, illuminated by the recent spate of wildfires in Southern California.Updated: Internationally-acclaimed man of letters Gore Vidal issues a new conclusion to his essay about the corruption of the Bush administration: "This is what we call dictatorship. Dictatorship. Dictatorship. And it is time we objected." Dig deeper ( 11 Min. Read )

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Response to Reader Comments and Criticsm

Sam Harris / Truthdig Jan 27, 2006 While "An Atheist Manifesto" received considerable support from readers of Truthdig, a variety of criticisms surfaced in the reader commentary I summarize and respond. Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )

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The Forgotten Wounded of Iraq

Ron Kovic / Truthdig Jan 18, 2006 Ron Kovic, veteran of the Vietnam War and author of the reissued classic "Born on the Fourth of July," writes a compelling and empathetic piece on his personal experiences and concerns for a new generation of veterans returning from war. Ron Kovic provides a personal account of his wounding in war, a plea for peace, and expresses his concerns for a new generation of veterans returning from Iraq. Dig deeper ( 9 Min. Read )

TD Original

Bah Humbug to You Too!

The Rev. Madison Shockley / Truthdig Dec 21, 2005 The culture wars have clearly gotten out of hand when the front line is Christmas. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

TD Original

The Big Blowup Over Venezuela

Marc Cooper / Truthdig Dec 14, 2005 Update: Hugo Chavez and the Latin American left picked up an important new ally when, a few weeks ago, peasant leader Evo Morales (shown at right here) was elected as president of Bolivia. What's all the fuss over Hugo Chavez? Marc Cooper examines the mercurial leader and his contentious relations with the Bush administration. Dig deeper ( 16 Min. Read )

TD Original

An Atheist Manifesto

Sam Harris / Truthdig Dec 7, 2005 Sam Harris argues against irrational faith and its adherents.For Sam Harris it's simple: Atheism is not a philosophy or a view of the world; it's simply a refusal to deny the obvious. Dig deeper ( 17 Min. Read )

In Response to…

Orville Schell / Truthdig Dec 3, 2005 I would agree that things in China have gone far better than anyone predicted during the dark post-1989 days But, what explains that success? Good visionary planning? Strong leadership? A national psyche exhausted by any kind of turmoil? Good luck? The danger is that even the best economy tends to be cyclical, and it is far from clear that China has the political legitimacy, deeply enough rooted political institutions, or shared set of values to help it survive a downturn As to Wintermute and whether Taiwan is worth fighting for I personally do not believe that any functioning democracy is worth throwing over the side to keep some other sort of the peace - commercial or otherwise We Americans forget. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )