The Ghost of Authoritarianism in the Age of the Shutdown

By Henry A. Giroux, Truthout Oct 19, 2013 The threat of authoritarianism to democracy is alive and well in the United States, and its presence can be felt in the historical conditions leading up to the partial government shutdown and the refusal on the part of the new extremists to raise the debt ceiling. Dig deeper ( 15 Min. Read )

Challenging Casino Capitalism and Authoritarian Politics in the Age of Disposability

By Henry A. Giroux, Monthly Review Press Jun 27, 2013 Neoliberalism's ideology of competition strips schools of their civic and democratic project and hands them over to the logic of the market, helping to put authoritarianism, not democracy, on the rise in the United States in the twenty-first century. Dig deeper ( 25 Min. Read )

Turkish Leader: Protesters Are ‘Extremists Running Wild’

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Jun 1, 2013 Thousands of Turks demonstrated for a second day in Istanbul against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom they see as becoming increasingly authoritarian. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Russian Punkers Are Convicted

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Aug 17, 2012 A Moscow judge has convicted three members of the feminist punk band Pussy Riot of hooliganism in a verdict that amounts to a defense of the Russian Orthodox Church’s apparent right to be shielded from criticism within its own walls. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Zombie Politics: Dangerous Authoritarianism or Shrinking Democracy – Part II

By Henry A. Giroux, Truthout May 4, 2012 It is difficult to imagine how a society in which a financial elite and megacorporations control almost every aspect of politics could possibly be mistaken for a democracy. Dig deeper ( 18 Min. Read )

Kim Jong Un: New Leader of North Korea

Tom Janssen, Cagle Cartoons, The Netherlands Dec 23, 2011 Dig deeper

A Peek at Henry A. Giroux’s ‘Education and the Crisis of Public Values’

Staff / Truthdig Oct 1, 2011 "We are more than a nation in decline; we are a nation moving toward the bittersweet simplisms, policies and values of a new form of authoritarianism," writes Henry Giroux, in an article adapted from his new book on America's shift away from democratic values toward a rigid, market-driven uniformity. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Sen. Webb’s Burmese Vacation

Staff / Truthdig Aug 14, 2009 Sen. Jim Webb is the first senior U.S. official in more than 10 years to visit Burma, triggering speculation that the White House may be trying to nudge the authoritarian regime there into a "new era of engagement." The trip follows the recent ludicrous sentencing of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to 18 more months of house arrest. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Milgram Experiment Revisited

Staff / Truthdig Dec 19, 2008 A new study mirroring the infamous 1963 Milgram experiment has suggested that humans will still follow authority's beckon, even to the point of killing another person. The new report, timely considering the current debate around torture in the U.S., argues that it's not that humans are bad, but that "a massive social influence [is] going on." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Russia Clears Way for Putin

Staff / Truthdig Nov 14, 2008 If you thought U.S. democracy was a sham, consider a constitutional amendment passed by the Russian parliament Wednesday that lengthens the country's presidential term from four years to six, paving the way for a certain Vladimir Putin to come back to power as president as early as next year. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Burma Death Toll Now at 78,000

Staff / Truthdig May 16, 2008 As the official death toll climbs in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, the Burmese government remains recalcitrant while survivors and aid workers continue to be frustrated by the slow movement of supplies to the country's worst-hit areas. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )