Kosovo Goes to the Polls

Staff / Truthdig Dec 13, 2010 With ethnic divisions still etched into the memories of its citizenry, Europe’s youngest democracy, Kosovo, is holding its first parliamentary elections since it formally declared its independence from Serbia in 2008. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Belgium Unity ‘Close to the Abyss’

Staff / Truthdig Jun 14, 2010 Electoral victories for Dutch-speaking separatists in Belgium have further shaken the fragile unity of the European country. Nationalist movements there continue to gain momentum, and this, analysts say, has pushed Belgium "close to the abyss" of permanent national division. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

ETA May Drop Arms

Staff / Truthdig Feb 21, 2010 In a potentially historic development for Spain, the political wing of the ETA -- the Basque separatist group -- has announced it will call for the organization to lay down its arms after 40 years. Leaders of the wing are urging the organization, which has been in decline, to focus on bringing the issue of separatism back to the center of Basque politics. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The New State Solution

Chris Hedges / Truthdig Nov 16, 2009 The collapse of the Palestinian Authority, the result of Israel’s 42-year refusal to implement a two-state solution, leaves the Palestinians no option but to unilaterally declare an independent state.Israel’s 42-year refusal to implement a two-state solution leaves the Palestinians no option but to unilaterally declare an independent state. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Chavez Recognizes Abkhazia, South Ossetia

Staff / Truthdig Sep 10, 2009 Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, in Moscow shopping for military hardware, may have been fishing for a discount when he announced that Caracas would join Russia and Nicaragua in recognizing the independence of the breakaway Georgian provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The U.S., of course, is a strong supporter and ally of Georgia. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Russia to Strengthen Presence In Abkhazia

Staff / Truthdig Aug 12, 2009 Russia has announced it will spend half a billion dollars upgrading its military presence -- reinforcing bases, strengthening borders -- in Abkhazia, the breakaway region of Georgia that, along with South Ossetia, was a focal point in last year's war between the two countries. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Whitewashing Israeli History

Staff / Truthdig Jul 22, 2009 Because if it's not in the history books, it didn't happen. Today's Orwell Award goes to the Israeli government, whose education minister has decided to remove references to what Palestinians call the "catastrophe" -- when Israel defeated five Arab nations in a 1948 war and expelled 700,000 Palestinians -- from textbooks given to Arab schoolchildren. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Basque Militants Suspected in Car Bombing

Staff / Truthdig Jan 1, 2009 In a continuation of the decades-long struggle between the Spanish government and those calling for independence of the Basque territories, a car bomb went off near a Bilbao television station Wednesday. No one was injured in the blast, which authorities believe was set off by the ETA, a militant Basque independence group. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Cost of Saakashvili’s Folly

William Pfaff / Truthdig Aug 27, 2008 The West's response to the situation in Georgia evades acknowledgement of the damage Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili has done to the United States and NATO, and to Georgia itself, which for the foreseeable future will now be a nation of limited sovereignty, and an awkward embarrassment to its Western allies. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Russia Backs Ossetia, Abkhazia Independence

Staff / Truthdig Aug 27, 2008 Russia has formally recognized the independence of the two separatist Georgian states, prompting jeers abroad and cheers in the regions in question Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili rather theatrically compared the declaration to the conduct of Hitler and Stalin. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Pico Iyer on Tibet, China and the Dalai Lama

BLANK May 10, 2008 As opening day of the Beijing Olympics approaches, the Chinese government and official media have intensified their attacks on the Dalai Lama, blaming him for the recent violent demonstrations in Tibet. Pico Iyer, whose new book is "The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama," talks with Truthdig's Jon Wiener about this intercultural conflict and about the Dalai Lama himself. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Mosaic Report: Israelis Celebrate, Palestinians Demonstrate

Staff / Truthdig May 10, 2008 Celebrations are under way this week to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the founding of Israel. While world leaders added their congratulations and support to heighten the festivities, over 20,000 Palestians (most of whom, as this Mosaic Intelligence Report points out, are Israeli citizens) marked the occasion with a protest march at the abandoned Palestinian village of Safouria. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )