CounterCurrents: Germany Closes Its Borders To Refugees, Can Jeremy Corbyn Stem The Tide of Neoliberalism And Militarism?

Dear Friend,

If you think the content of this news letter is critical for the dignified living and survival of humanity and other species on earth, please forward it to your friends and spread the word. It's time for humanity to come together as one family! You can subscribe to our news letter here http://www.countercurrents.org/subscribe.htm. You can also follow us on twitter,http://twitter.com/countercurrents and on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/countercurrents

In Solidarity
Binu Mathew
Editor
www.countercurrents.org


Germany Closes Its Borders To Refugees 
By Peter Schwarz

http://www.countercurrents.org/schwarz150915.htm

Just two weeks after Chancellor Angela Merkel declared Germany was ready to accept refugees and was celebrated internationally for “Germany’s Willkommenskultur (welcoming culture)”, the government has closed the borders for refugees. At a hastily called press conference at which no questions were allowed, Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière announced on Sunday night that Germany was again introducing border controls “in the next minutes”. To this end, he said he had dispatched hundreds of border guards to Bavaria, which shares frontiers with Austria and the Czech Republic. Rail traffic between Germany and Austria had been temporarily suspended on the instructions of the Austrian government, he said


Which Side Are We On? 
By Kathy Kelly

http://www.countercurrents.org/kelly150915.htm

Our young friends have had enough of war, displacement, trauma and hunger. 60 million people, worldwide, now seek refuge, many of them fleeing war and violence. Shameful warlords and war profiteers, such as those who commandeered U.S. wars against Iraq and Afghanistan, destabilize defenseless populations. The wars lead to massive refugee crises. Anyone called upon to support wars or warlords should learn the priorities embraced at the Borderfree Center -- and switch sides


Can Jeremy Corbyn Stem The Tide of Neoliberalism And Militarism? 
By Colin Todhunter

http://www.countercurrents.org/todhunter150915.htm

At 66, Corbyn has tapped into deeply held sentiments that exist across all age groups: that something is fundamentally wrong in Britain and needs addressing. The fact he is appealing to young people suggests Corbyn might not be the final setting of the sun from a bygone era but hopefully the beginning of a dawn


The Real Significance Of Jeremy Corbyn And Bernie Sanders 
By John Spritzler

http://www.countercurrents.org/spritzler150915.htm

Neither Sanders nor Corbyn articulate a vision of HOW to remove the rich from power to have real not fake democracy with no rich and no poor. They don't even advocate removing the rich from power; they only advocate making the rich pay a bit more and ease up on regular people. In other words, they don't identify the Big Problem and how to solve it


Why The Veto Must Be Abolished From The United Nations Security Council 
By Abdul Muheet Chowdhary

http://www.countercurrents.org/chowdhury150915.htm

Technically, the word ‘veto’ does not exist in the Charter of the United Nations. Article 27 (3) of the Charter states that decisions on non-procedural matters shall be ‘made by an affirmative vote of nine members including the concurring votes of the permanent members.’ The key term here is ‘concurring’, which has been translated in common parlance into the veto. Broadly speaking, there are three main reasons why the veto should be abolished: 1) It is an anachronistic and undemocratic privilege 2) Prevents timely and decisive action 3) Limits negotiations and compromise


Obama’s Response To The Refugee Crisis: Regime Change In Syria
By Shamus Cooke

http://www.countercurrents.org/cook150915.htm

One drowned toddler has shifted global politics. The picture demanded action in response to the largest migration crisis since World War II, itself caused by the longest series of wars since WWII. These wars have dragged on and new ones started-- Libya and Syria -- under the Nobel Prize winning U.S. President. Obama could end the refugee crisis by brokering peace in Syria, but instead he’s pushing hard and fast for war. Few U.S. media outlets are reporting about the critical war resolution that the Obama Administration is trying to push through Congress


What If UNICEF’s Djokovic-Novak Said Survivors of US Bombings 
Deserve Justice And The Guilty Punished? 
By Jay Janson

http://www.countercurrents.org/janson150915.htm

What a bombshell when MLK called his government the greatest purveyor of violence in the world! Author believes if world famous celebrities would feel a roll model’s responsibility to set a good example and call for the prosecution of Americans for bombing tens of millions in their own beloved countries, there would be a world reaction of appreciation, relief and personal shame for having remained silent for so my years


Has Aylan Kurdi Died In Vain? 
By Taj Hashmi

http://www.countercurrents.org/hashmi150915.htm

Although hundreds of nameless refugees from Africa and Middle East have perished in the Mediterranean in the last one-year, the world will never forget the image of the three-year old, cute and well-dressed Aylan Kurdi in a red shirt and blue pants, whose body was lying facedown in the sand of Bodrum in Turkey. He died last week along with his mother and five-year old brother. Everybody seems to have said everything possible on this tragic death. Don’t we have anything new to add to the story? Of course, we have


From Academia To Hackademia: Hamid Dabashi As Native Informer 
By N. Wahid Azal

http://www.countercurrents.org/azal150915.htm

Halfway through his 11 September 2015 Al Jazeera op-ed, Dabashi asserts: “There is one glaring case of a Muslim country that is heavily involved in Syria but has yet to accept a single Syrian refugee, and that is the Islamic Republic of Iran… not a single refugee has been admitted to Iran. Why not?” Contrary to Dabashi's categorical claim, the truth of the matter is that Iran has in fact accepted Syrian refugees –- and since 2011


Where Farmers Are Committing Suicides, Women Are scripting Success Stories 
By Moin Qazi

http://www.countercurrents.org/qazi150915.htm

While handling microfinance operations in Vidarbha for several institutions I could observe an excellent credit culture among poor women who have pooled their resources and talents to form Self Help Groups. In remote crannies , poor women are pooling their talents and resources to build a new synergy of collective empowerment to transform their lives. These small clusters or collectives of women are known as Self-Help Groups


The Story of Pategaon : May Be A Story of Every Indian Village
By Sarosh Ali

http://www.countercurrents.org/ali150915.htm

These eddies keep sucking life out of the place. Hopefully, they still have not crossed the point of no return. Of-course there are technological advances. There are motorbikes and TV sets and mobile phones. The ground is higher than before. The juggernaut of subsistence, however, is still crushing them hard. The quality of all of life's aspects has deteriorated. The food is not as nutritious as before. Water, a very down-to-earth thing till a few years ago, has been turned into a economic commodity. It's not just health but the overall quality of life that has gone down


Why This Inaction on Kandhamal? Brinda Karat Asks Naveen Patnaik 
In A Strongly Worded Letter
By Countercurrents.org

http://www.countercurrents.org/cc150915.htm

Brinda Karat, former Member of Parliament and Polit Bureau member of Communist Party of India – Marxist (CPI-M) has sent a strongly worded letter to Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister Odisha, asking why he ignores the plight of the victims of anti-Christian communal violence in Kandhamal. In her letter, Brinda Karat asks why he has refused a hearing to the victims of the violence, even when the President of India gave them a patient hearing. She also raises the issue of total failure of the criminal justice system in relation to the Kandhamal violence


Institutionalizing The Politics of Discord 
By Ghulam Mohammad Khan

http://www.countercurrents.org/khan150915.htm

Banning the sale of beef and annihilating the intellectual and rationalistic voices (interpreting them as dissent by a strange logic) one by one clears the xenophobic intentions of the government. In a country like India, where people speak hundreds of different languages, follow as many beliefs, and live in as many diverse socio-cultural settings, administering the system in accordance with a specific religion, culture or belief would not only jeopardize the functioning of the system, but also incite what James Davison Hunter calls ‘culture wars’ in the public sphere


The Dimensions of Veterans' Disillusionment And Ire 
By S.G.Vombatkere

http://www.countercurrents.org/vombatkere150915.htm

Government of India (GoI) finally announced its version of One-Rank-One-Pension (OROP) for military Veterans. This was welcomed only in part by the Veterans, because there were important sticking points which were not included or inadequately included in the announcement. Fortunately, the Veterans who were on fast-unto-death were persuaded to end their fast, but the Veterans' resolve to remain on protest until outstanding points were settled to their satisfaction, resulted in planning a “Sainik Ekta Rally” on 12th September at Jantar Mantar


Silver Linings For Muslim Women In India 
By Moin Qazi

http://www.countercurrents.org/qazi150915A.htm

Women working against the talaq law received good news: a government committee set up in 2013 to look into women’s status recommended that the government should outlaw it.In a similar development a woman won a major law suit for provision of maintenance after divorce. In a landmark ruling, the Kerala High Court, the highest provincial court in India, ordered a man to pay his former wife Rs 3.6 lakh compensation for her medical expenses, despite divorcing her 12 years ago. Similarly the court held she was entitled to maintenance expenses for 10 years


Questioning A Legal Practice In Bangladesh 
By Nava Thakuria

http://www.countercurrents.org/thakuria150915.htm

Should a responsible judge of the Highest Court in a democratic country meet the family members of a condemned criminal even as the trial continues? Can the interaction between them ultimately influence the verdict over the case? Finally should the mainstream media comment on such issues, which might create confusion among the people about the credibility of the legal system? These and many more similar questions are lately being asked, raised and debated in Bangladesh, a secular Parliamentary democracy of South Asia, following a recent judgment from it’s Highest Court convicting two editors of an influential Bengali daily for contempt of court for a critical commentary over the ongoing war crime trials


Moneypurr: Who Will Bell The Cat? 
By Dennis Misao

http://www.countercurrents.org/misao150915.htm

In this cat and mouse game, volleys of allegations, counter-allegations, clarifications and counter- clarifications were exchanged as if there was nothing else to do. No choice of word, adjective or expletive was spared. No theory was left unattended - from the theory of the evolution of cats, to the theory of the origin of mice. Even the internet shut down in sheer distress. The mighty Indian Galactic Federation looked at the unfolding drama in stoic silence


Law or Lawlessness of The Land? How Banks Have Been 
Exploiting Home Loan Borrowers 
By Professor P Radhakrishnan

http://www.countercurrents.org/radhakrishnan150915.htm

The manner in which banks hoodwink customers to take home loans while, at the same time, creating provisions to escape responsibility of accidental damages to the mortgaged property by forcing the borrowers to go for insurance cover at their own cost and keeping the policies in bank's custody failing which the banks themselves taking policies and debiting the premium amounts to the borrowers' home loan accounts is a new exploitative trend without any legal basis, an unfair trade practice which needs to be stopped