The Hamas-affiliated Palestinian Information Center (PIC) issued a report today alleging that a Hamas fighter died in the custody of Fatah security forces in the West Bank as a result of wounds suffered during torture. Citing a ‘local’ source the PIC states that the individual, Muhammad Al-Haj, was being interrogated at the preventative security detention […]
Lebanon’s two major opposition parties, Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), recently celebrated the third anniversary of their 2006 memorandum of understanding. This agreement brought together two seemingly disparate constituencies – one Shia and the other predominantly Christian – in what was commonly seen as a partnership of mere of political convenience. However, Al-Manar […]
This film is, at times, difficult to watch. Producer/director Michael Verhoeven employs the use of graphic images of atrocities that make one squirm or want to turn away. It is this liberal use of disaster pornography that drives home the idea of how Jews were treated by the Nazis in World War II. The central […]
The American and European media showed unusual unanimity in their response to the inclusion of a "Buy American' provision in the $900 billion stimulus package currently before the U.S. Senate, following adoption of a slightly smaller measure in the House last week. The clause endorsed by the House would require public works projects funded by […]
Coverage of President Barack Obama’s inauguration in the British and German press shared many of the “new dawn for America” sentiments featured in the U.S. media. Equally, a number of European reports warned that while Obama starts with a huge well of goodwill, his “magic” will not last for ever. Broadly speaking, the European left […]
This documentary is brutal. It depicts the torture that took place in places like Bagram, Afghanistan, Abu Ghraib, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba by US forces. It starts with telling the story of an Afghan taxi driver named Dilawar who was mistaken for a terrorist and who died from the severe beating he took while […]
This film, which tracks the journey of revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara through South America, is a subtle examination of revelation. The story begins in 1952 when Guevara and a friend set off on a beaten up motorcycle to see the continent. The pair leave from their native Buenos Aires, Argentina and set a course for […]
Public Diplomacy blogger Mark Dillen recently posted on Barack Obama's appearance on Al-Arabiya TV, highlighting some initial positive feedback to the new president's interview. There's no question that Obama's gesture was a unique, and relatively genuine, effort to set the tone for the ‘new face’ of US Middle East policy. However, one might wonder if […]
Commenting on media coverage of the U.S. presidential election campaign last May, the Columbia Journalism Review asked an important question: "Do you let a candidate's remarks stand unchallenged even if they are wrong or misleading?" The CJR, a bimonthly magazine published by the prestigious Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, scolded the Rocky Mountain News […]
The latest conflict between Russia and Ukraine over gas supplies has hit the headlines in both Europe and the United States but the media are far from agreed on the causes. Some argue that it is a geo-political move aimed at increasing Russian power in the region while others argue that it is a result […]
"The Counterfeiters" has characters who have to answer tough questions. They are Jews who have been set aside in a Nazi concentration camp for their skill in forging currency. The Germans are looking to create enough false pounds and dollars to sink the economies of Britain and the United States. Because of their usefulness to […]
This film is gentle, touching and warmly humorous. It centers around a young man and his family living in East Germany. The man's mother, a true believer in socialism, falls into a coma soon before the Berlin Wall falls and the country runs at breakneck speed toward unification. Her coma lasts six months. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/i7EB47ENNV0″ […]