China: Democracy Isn’t for Us

Staff / Truthdig Oct 15, 2007 China plans to stick with the economic and political reforms that have brought prestige, wealth and environmental catastrophe to the country, but don't expect Beijing to turn its back on the Communist Party completely. As the official spokesman of the 17th party congress put it: "We will never copy the Western model of political system." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Martyring of Che Guevara

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Oct 10, 2007 If the CIA thought that executing the guerrilla would kill what he stood for, it mostly assuredly has been proved wrong. Witness the current state of politics in Latin America, not to mention the reverence this week that marked the 40th anniversary of his death. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Here We Go Again

Robert Fisk / Truthdig Oct 8, 2007 A sprig of bougainvillea prompts Robert Fisk to recall the bad old days of the Cold War and, in light of our overblown global war on terror, the curious and often fruitless tendency of governments to create monsters. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

For Orwell, Life Imitated Art

Staff / Truthdig Sep 4, 2007 It turns out that George Orwell, famed author of "1984" and originator of the term "Big Brother," was spied on by his government for more than 10 years. Members of Britain's MI5 suspected the writer of being a communist, until they bothered to read him, and were apparently baffled by his "bohemian" clothes. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

China and Africa: Uneasy Bedfellows?

Staff / Truthdig Jul 10, 2007 With the Red Star rising over Africa, locals and leaders across that vast continent are starting to wonder if Beijing's forays represent a positive collaboration among developing nations -- or just the latest incarnation of exploitative colonialism. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Gore Vidal on Cuba

Staff / Truthdig May 14, 2007 The iconic author and historian speaks with Truthdig Editor Robert Scheer about his recent tour of Cuba, why he thinks the island has a bright future and why the United States, the world's only superpower, has an inferiority complex. Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

They Hate Us For Our Hypocrisy

Eugene Robinson / Truthdig May 11, 2007 The Bush administration says that its zero-tolerance policy against terrorism applies to all suspected evildoers, not just Muslims, and that its zero-tolerance policy against Cuba is a principled position, not just an exercise in pandering to the implacable anti-Castro exiles in Miami. On both counts, evidence suggests otherwise. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Remembering Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.

E.J. Dionne Jr. / Truthdig Mar 2, 2007 The historian, who died this week, disdained utopianism but lived in hope with a lifelong belief in the power and persistence of liberalism in American politics. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

For China, a Criminally Funny Poem

Staff / Truthdig Jan 9, 2007 When Qin Zhongfei took 10 minutes to scribble down a satirical poem about local bureaucrats, he had no idea it would land him a month in jail -- a sign that free expression still languishes in China, despite hopes that President Hu Jintao's economic reforms would translate to a more open society. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

How Cubans Make It Work

Staff / Truthdig Jan 5, 2007 Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 removed much of the padding from Cuba's economy, Cubans have found some creative ways to alleviate the financial hardships of life under the communist system. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

So You Say You Want a Revolución?

Saul Landau / Truthdig Aug 5, 2006 President Bush may be offering Cuba the chance to refashion itself in America's image, but Cubans aren't buying what Bush is selling. Wonder why? Saul Landau, an award-winning American filmmaker and journalist who has worked extensively in Cuba over the last 40 years, lays out the answers. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Capitalism-vs.-Socialism Debate Erupts in China

Staff / Truthdig Mar 13, 2006 Amid China's explosive market-driven growth over the past decade, it's sometimes hard to remember that it is technically a communist country. A dispute over property rights has brought the issue to the fore. Truthdig's Orville Schell examined this schism here. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )