Fownhope’s Heart of Oak Society traces its roots to the age of friendly societies, when communities provided their own safety net. Its anniversary celebrations reveal a tradition still very much alive, says MARK SEDDON
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Two decades of criminal invasion in Iraq and its aftermath
Since the invasion of their country in 2003, Iraqis have not seen respite from its implications, with occupation, sectarian violence, fanaticism and corrupt and inefficient governments — sustained by persistent imperialist interventions — marking the last two decades, says ABDUL RAHMAN
OUT IN FORCE: Masses of peace protesters gather on London’s Embankment for the demonstration against war in Iraq, February 15, 2003
ANGUS REID explains the significance of Cuba’s egalitarian in letter and spirit Family Code and the pertinent lessons it holds for democracies anywhere in the world
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NICK WRIGHT considers how the isolation of Israel and a new film on the controversial Italian communist leader are creating new reference points for Italy’s left
CARLOS MARTINEZ says Cuba’s achievements in the face of a criminal blockade are startling, but the island’s future if the United States succeeds in crushing it looks bleak
AMNON BROWNFIELD STEIN reports that far-right MPs who mobbed the event organised by Hadash may have helped raise awareness of the brutality of the Israeli right
THE US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, which completed two decades on March 20, represents the starkest example of the grave consequences of unilateral military intervention in another country.
The invasion and the chaos unleashed in its aftermath not only caused large-scale death (over one million Iraqis by some estimates) and destruction, but also led to the creation of a highly unpopular ruling establishment.
It is now widely believed that control over the country’s natural oil and gas reserves was the real objective behind the US’s unilateral move in Iraq.
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