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Politics has been called a rigged game, with elites using money and organizational resources to pull the puppet strings of most candidates for high office. However, the entrance into the race for US president of candidates Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump who both reject funding from Wall Street threatens to challenge that truism. This week's Global Research News Hour attempts to cut through the propaganda and jargon and assess what real options are out there for making substantive and humane political change. William Blum is a long-time critic of US foreign policy. He has authored five books including his most recent, America's Deadliest Export: Democracy – The Truth About US Foreign Policy and Everything Else. He also publishes the “Anti-Empire Report” on his site www dot williamblum dot org. In this interview, Blum outlines his reservations about Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, the problematic media coverage of the campaign, and the astonishing view that Trump may actually be the less objectionable in certain respects than both Sanders and Clinton. Mark Robinowitz is publisher of oilempire dot us, a political map to connect the dots.  He has been a writer, political activist, ecological campaigner and permaculture practitioner for over three decades.  He is also author of the forthcoming Peak Choice: cooperation or collapse, an uncensored guide to Earth, energy and money. In this interview, Robinowitz equates the choice between the Democrats and the Republicans to one between death by lethal injection and death by the electric chair. He outlines the mechanisms employed to stop any threat to the establishment from ever becoming elected president. He also explains how the energy and economic decline is becoming reflected in the politics of the Trump campaign.

The first interview is with Linda Pentz Gunter, international specialist for the environmental advocacy group ‘Beyond Nuclear.' In this conversation, Gunter addresses the question of whether nuclear is being seriously explored as an alternative to the climate-ravaging fossil fuel industry. She also outlines aspects of the Fukushima cover-up, and why international bodies and media are failing to hold nuclear and government agencies to account. In the final half hour, Portland-based Mimi German, Earth activist and founder of Radcast.org, speaks more about the cover-up, the nuclear situation in the U.S. and the consequences for society and all life on earth.

On this week's Global Research News Hour, on the occasion of the March 3, 2016 meeting of Canadian federal and provincial leaders in Vancouver on to work out an agreement on a national climate change plan, we explore the implications of proposed climate solutions for the future of Canada's nuclear industry, environment and energy security. We'll be joined by anti-nuclear activist Candyce Paul of the Committee for Future Generations, and by political economist, professor and author Gordon Laxer.

Dissecting Operation Inherent Resolve: Conversations with Lawrence Wilkerson and Mahdi Nazemroaya This Repeat broadcast of the Global Research News Hour (October 17, 2014) Global Research News Hour centres on the current military mobilization against the entity known as ISIL/ISIS. Can boots on the ground be avoided? Is there an ulterior motive to the bombing campaign related to regional control? What does ISIL/ISIS's successful campaign for control of the Kurdish village of Kobani say about the sincerity of this latest War on Terrorism? This hour attempts to address these and other questions.

REPEAT - Greece: From Austerity to Prosperity? Conversations with Ellen Brown and Binoy KampmarkIn this installment of the Global Research News Hour, we examine the dynamics of the Greek economy and why the Greek people voted the anti-austerity Syriza Party to power. Ellen Brown of the Public Banking Institute explains the role of Goldman Sachs in setting up Greece for a fall, and how the Mediterranean country could survive the end of the bail-outs. In the second half hour, scholar, RMIT University lecturer and Counterpunch contributing editor Binoy Kampmark talks about the background of Syriza, the political culture on the ground, and what the future may hold for a financially emancipated Greece as well as other European countries.

This week's Global Research News Hour examines two of the biggest threats to human existence on planet Earth: the elimination of human habitat due to Climate Change and the dangers of an increasingly likely World War 3 scenario evolving out of the tensions growing between US/NATO and Russia/China.  The first interview guest is Guy Mcpherson, Emeritus Professor of Natural Resources and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Arizona, and author of the blog Nature Bats Last (guymcpherson.com) He has put together a workshop on Abrupt Climate change on the site onlyloveremains.org The second guest is Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya, a Sociologist and a Research associate with the Centre for Research on Globalization, and an award-winning author. His book The Globalization of NATO is available for purchase at the Global Research Website. Nazemroaya lays out the geopolitical dynamics pushing the US/NATO in the direction of a nuclear confrontation with RUSSIA and China.

As Freedom Flotilla III is departing from an undisclosed location in the Mediterranean Sea to Gaza, this week's Global Research News Hour focuses on activists abroad coming to the assistance of that region's destitute population. We'll speak to Richard Day, a Queen's University Professor and colleague of one of the Freedom Flotilla participants about the parallels between the plight of Palestinians in Israeli occupied territories and the plight of Indigenous peoples in Colonized Canada. We'll hear a pre-recorded commentary from Professor Lovelace. We'll hear from activist and Canadian Boat to Gaza Steering Committee member David Heap about the Flotilla itself, and we'll hear from Dr. Benjamin Thomson, a physician who has worked in Gaza and is behind an exciting initiative to power Gaza hospitals with Solar panels.

With a major humanitarian crisis hitting the population of Yemen in the wake of the Saudi Arabia-led bombing campaign, the Global Research News Hour takes alook at the damage that has been done to civilians in the country, the roots of the conflict, the involvement of outside powers and the prospects for peace at the June 14 UN peace talks in Geneva, Switzerland. Hisham Al-Omeisy is a Yemen information and political analyst based in Sana'a. He has through social media been relaying what he has been seeing and experiencing during the siege.  Ali Saeed is the General Secretary with the Solidarity Committee for Ethiopian Political Prisoners. He speaks briefly about the polight of refugees and migrants in particular during the conflict. Abayomi Azikiwe is a geopolicital analyst and the editor of Pan-African Newswire. He provides the historical and geo-political context to the unfolding catastrophe.

The Global Research News Hour speaks to Sabah Al-Mukhtar, president of the london-based Arab Lawyers Association, and with Inder Comar, the legal representative of an Iraqi Woman suing the US government over the war crimes committed in Iraq. The two lawyers discuss the realistic prospects of former US President Bush and former UK Prome Minister actuall being brought to justice.

 In the wake of the recently announced release on bail of Omar Khadr, the Global Research News Hour returns to the case of the young man jailed in the notorious prison camp for nearly a decade. In the first half hour, Khadr's lawyer Dennis Edney expertly debunks many of the talking points being put forward by critics like the Conservative government and Ezra Levant about Khadr's status as a "Confessed terrorist" and outlines the numerous ways in which the Canadian government violated Khadr's Charter rights. In the second half hour, Michel Chossudovsky expands on the Khadr tragedy by pointing to a Seymour Hersh article exposing the protection of Al Qaeda militants in theatre and the known incarceration of civilians at Guantanamo. Chossudovsky explains how the facility serves a propaganda function that enables the so-called "War on Terrorism."

Continuing with coverage of Ukraine on the anniversary of the May 2, 2014 Odessa massacre, we hear an interview with Anatoly Sharij, a high profile Ukrainian journalist forced to flee the country in 2012 and now based in Lithuania. He has found himself targetted for his success in posting critical videos of the Ukrainian government line, and exposing the lies put out by the Ukrainian media. In this exclusive interview, conducted with the assistance of Winnipeg-based Russian-Canadian Konstantin Goulich, we hear about the extent to which true journalism in Ukraine has been suppressed and replaced by pure propaganda, the reasons why skepticism, even of some critical voices of the Kiev regime is needed, and echoes of a past repressive period in history of the region. This interview is followed by a clip from a recent presentation by Robert Parry of Consortium News about the unprecedented Media Group Think that is afflicting coverage of the Ukraine situation. Credits: Interviews by Michael Welch Translation services, research assistance, and outreach provided by Konstantin Goulich Audio of Talk by Robert Parry obtained under Fair USe rules from footage of the public event US-RUSSIA Forum based in Washington DC from March 26, 2015. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8IL4SvBVxk)

On the occasion of the anniversary of the Odessa Massacre, this week's Global Research News Hour returns to the Ukraine crisis with two vital interviews. Author, blogger and radio journalist Stephen Lendman recently edited a collection of essays on the Ukraine Crisis. He talks about his essay on the Odessa Massacre and about the broader concerns around surrounding a pwderkeg which he thinks could expand into a world war.  Roger Annis, trade unionist, writer and editor of the website newcoldwar.org also returns to the program after visiting the Donbass region and compares his observations with what has been said in the Mainstream commercial media abut who is responsible for violating the Ceasefire accord and what the prosects for peace may be.

On this week's Global Research News Hour, we mark Earth Day with two interviews related to the urgent call to defend the planet from environmental damage. First, we hear from Michael J Murphy, director/producer of the films "What in the World are the Spraying" and "Why in the World are they Spraying". He discusses the clear and present threats associated with Geo-Engineering including so-called 'chemtrails' and speculates on who benefits and who does not from efforts to control the weather. Carrie Saxifrage is a sustainability reporter for the Vancouver Observer and the author of the book "The Big Swim: Coming Ashore in a World Adrift". She discusses how popular action can more easily be mobilized by changing the narrative and the way we approach the dilemma of climate collapse and other environmental hazards.

This week's feature guest is Author, blogger and radio journalist Stephen Lendman. He discusses American Presidential politics, his lack of faith in the system, the US-backed agendas in Cuba, Venezuela, Yemen, Syria, Iran and Ukraine, and his fears of another major war being triggered in coming months.

Changing the Way Money Works: The Steady State Economy and Sharing LawDescription: With the current economic framework centered around greed, the result has been environmental desolation and social interactions that set human beings against each other.The mandate for everlasting economic growth has pushed the Earth to its natural limits.This week's Global Research News Hour focuses on the need to change economics as usual. Is it possible?Our guests include James Magnus-Johnston, the Canadian Director of the Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy, and Janelle Orsi, co-founder and executive director of The Sustainable Economies Law Center in the San Francisco Bay Area.

On this Holiday edition of the Global Research News Hour, we hear speeches from a public event in support of American Iraq War Deserter Joshua Key. The event was held at the University of Winnipeg on March 29, 2015. Michelle Robidoux of the War Resisters Support Campaign updated the audience on the actions taken against Americans in Canada who sought sanctuary from the Iraq War. She is followed by Joshua Key' s legal representative. Then Joshua tells the story of how he went to Iraq, what he saw and why he ultimately deserted, and then his efforts to live in peace in Canada.

This week's Global Research News Hour analyses the results of the recent Israeli elections and evaluates resistance tools such as Boycott, Divestment, Sanction (BDS) especially in the face of opposition from political figures like Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Liberal leader Justin Trudeau. Interview guest James Petras explains how Netanyahu managed to secure the support of a plurality of Israeli voters, and what that portends for the future of Israeli relations in the region and worldwide.Bruce Katz of Palestinian and Jewish Unity is up next with a review of efforts to implement BDS in Canada and the obstacles solidarity activists face.JEff Halper talks about the abuses of Palestinians he has witnessed, about the potential for BDS and about why media can't get the message right.

This installment of the Global Research News Hour features coverage of the ongoing efforts by the Canadian government to put in place anti-terrorism legislation which undermines Canadian freedoms at the expense of privacy and other Rights we take for granted.First we hear from the Director of the acclaimed film `The Secret Trial 5, a film about 5 people detained cumulatively for 30 years without conviction in the name of National Security. We hear a speech from Canadian Green Party leader about Bill C51. and we conclude the show with Naomi Wolf, author of the book `THe End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young patriot.`Wolf`s book documents how authoritarian powers have consistently applied ten measures when shutting down democracies around the world.

In the month of February, fifteen former students of the for- profit Corinthian Colleges System declared they would no longer be paying off their sizable federal student loans. They see the Corinthian system as corrupt, making false promises and part of a predatory leding racket. This action sets the stage for a conversation about the Student debt crisis and the nature of money.Ellen Brown author, former civil litigation attorney and founder of the Public Banking Institute comes on in the first half hour. She explains how student debt is not only crippling the debt holders with unfair debt repyment obligations, it is used by money managers as a commodity not unlike the Subprime mortgages that infamously led to the financial meltdown of 2008. In the second half hour we hear a September 2011 speech given by San Francisco Bay Area-basedIndependent journalist and podcast producer Kellia Ramares-Watson. She goes further than Ellen BRown in suggesting that the money system not only has to be reformed but disbanded altogether. She suggests in the speech that students should default on their debts as a political action.

On Friday February 27, a prominent Russian political figure, Boris Nemtsov, was murdered. Some effort has been made to try to connect this tragedy with the Russian government. This latest event takes place in the context of significant military casualties by Ukrainian forces in the Donbass, increasing dispatches of Canadian and US troops to the region, and an intensifying demonizayion campaign of Russian President Putin. To help contextualize these events, the global Research News Hour is joined by two editors of the website newcoldwar.org, a site which attempts to expose the truht about the Ukraine situation.

Israel-Palestine and the Path to PeaceConversations with Jeff Halper and Yves Engler. Global Research News Hour Episode 92

 On the Global Research News Hour this week, we spend the hour discussing the looming collapse scenarios facing the United States with Russian-American engineer Dmitry Orlov. Orlov's perspective on collapse is informed by his extended trips to his former homeland before and during its collapse. Orlov believes and states that the former Soviet Union was set up to be resilient in the face of collapse. This, he believes is not the case in the US or Canada. In this interview, Orlov also comments on the current situation with low oil prices, peak oil and its impact on agriculture, Russian moves in alignment with China, overtures toward the EU, the politics of austerity, the Ukraine Civil War as Anglo-Imperialist Departure Strategy, and much more. Dmitry Orlov has written two books, Reinventing Collapse: The Soviet Experience and American Prospects as well as the Five Stages of Collapse: Survivors' Toolkit. Mr. Orlov is also the author of the blog cluborlov.com and is a much sought after geo-political analyst.

Clear and Present Danger  We've heard about Anthropogenic (human-generated) Climate Change, and less frequently the threat of a nuclear war between rival super powers as the biggest threats facing humanity and life on this planet. There are however less talked about dangers which are just as pressing and demanding of attention. Seldom are these perils confronted in any serious way. The first of these, that will be explored in this week's Global Research News Hour radio programme, is the threat posed by nuclear radiation from the nuclear industry. The Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear facility, which became crippled by an earthquake and tsunami almost four years ago, is estimated to have released over 25 million billion becquerels of Cesium-137 radiation into the ocean in just the four months following the disaster. [1] According to a major study, in the 14 weeks following the Fukushima meltdowns, radio-active fall-out that descended on North America resulted in 14,000 excess US deaths. [2] There are dozens of other nuclear plants in the US and around the world that could likewise melt down as infrastructure breaks down. Nuclear radiation in the air, water, and food supply represent a clear and present threat to all life on this planet. Another critical concern is the amount of toxic material being deliberately being inserted into the atmosphere, apparently with the aim of affecting climate. courtesy: Geoengineeringwatch.org   Commonly referred to as ‘chemtrails,' the release of reflective microscopic particles by aircraft in order to affect the amount of sunlight reaching the earth is having an impact not only on weather, but on human, plant and animal health. These and other weather modification techniques have been not only contemplated, but in effect for decades, as is well documented. (see document above.) Yet, discussion of these artificial climate control mechanisms is virtually absent from all mainstream around climate change. In fact, like counternarratives around the 9/11 attacks, ongoing geo-engineering programs through ‘chemtrailing', solar radiation management, HAARP (High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program ) and other mechanisms is commonly referred to as a ‘conspiracy theory' in public discourse. This week's Global Research News Hour introduces these planetary perils with two outspoken, passionate and knowledgeable guests. Mimi German is a self-described Earth Activist, with the grassroots group No Nukes Northwest, and is founder of Radcast.org which monitors radiation readings world-wide. She speaks to the nuclear question in the first half hour. Dane Wigington has an extensive background in the field of solar energy, a licensed contractor and a former employee of Bechtel. The founder of the information site geoengineeringwatch.org, Wigington is convinced that geo-engineering is the number one threat facing humanity at present, and expands on his research in the second half hour. Useful Resources for this week's programme: https://nonukesnw.wordpress.com/ FukushimaResponse.org http://radcast.org  Geoengineeringwatch.org

The year 2014 was notable not only for the political crises that often dominated the headlines, but very often for the way in which these events were distorted by the mainstream media. Events overtaking Ukraine were a particular case in point. While the Western Press blames Russian President Vladmir Putin for the instability and tragic loss of life in the Eastern Donbass region, it consistently ignores the role of the West in backing the forces that overthrew the democratically elected government, and even employed Neo-Nazi operatives in the coup and subsequent anti-coup resistance. Likewise, inadequate coverage of a new bogeyman in the form of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, has allowed political leaders like Canadian Prime Minister Harper to galvanize a confused and frightened public behind a neo-conservative program of military warfare and further erosions of our civil liberties. Mainstream media generally works to foster agendas that serve elite purposes, and media plays a crucial role in providing the information and analysis that can help the public to determine responsible policies. The Global Research News Hour and the Global Research website has tried to bring necessary critical perspectives during these historic times. This week, on our first new radio broadcast of 2015, we provide a digest of some of the many stories we have covered over the previous year. Includes contributions by Richard Sanders, Robin Philpot, Jon Rappoport, Yves Engler, Peter Dale Scott, James Petras, Henri Feron, Jacques Pauwels, Barrie Zwicker, Guy McPherson, Michel Chossudovsky, and Roger Annis.

 “Followers of climate science will recall COP15 as the climate-change meetings thrown under the bus by the Obama administration. A summary of that long-forgotten briefing begins with this statement: ‘THE LONG-TERM SEA LEVEL THAT CORRESPONDS TO CURRENT CO2 CONCENTRATION IS ABOUT 23 METERS ABOVE TODAY'S LEVELS, AND THE TEMPERATURES WILL BE 6 DEGREES C OR MORE HIGHER. THESE ESTIMATES ARE BASED ON REAL LONG TERM CLIMATE RECORDS, NOT ON MODELS.' “In other words, Obama and others in his administration knew near-term extinction of humans was already guaranteed.” -Guy McPherson, from the 2013 book Going Dark On the occasion of the UN Climate Conference in Lima, Peru, this week's Global Research News Hour examines the latest research into the causes of Earth's current Climate predicament.  Guy McPherson is emeritus Professor of natural resources and the environment at the University of Arizona, He is the author of about a dozen books including Going Dark and his most recent, Extinction Dialogs: How to Live with Death in Mind.' co-authored by Carolyn Baker. Guy is the author of the Nature Bats Last blog at www.guymcpherson.com.  Professor McPherson believes that there is virtually nothing humans can do to reverse the damage done by modern industrial civilization and that humans will likely become extinct as a result of runaway Climate change by the middle of the twenty-first century. Professor McPherson explains his thesis of Near Term Human Extinction, the need to come to terms with the grief that goes along with that realization, the problems with geo-engineering as a remedy, and the problematic behaviour of both political leaders and mainstream environmental organizations in the face of the Climate Predicament.

“I don't think that situation is going to be resolved anytime soon. The French went in, nearly two years ago. They were claiming that their operation would only be for a few months and in fact now it's approaching two years. So, I don't think that they really have a good grasp on what is going on inside the country… I think the actual wealth of that nation is significant in terms of the overall West Africa region.”  -Abayomi Azikiwe This week returns listeners to the West African nation of Mali. In early 2012, the Tuareg people led a revolt against the Malian government with the intent of seizing control of the Northeastern region known as the Azawad. [1] In March 2012, the Malian President,  Amadou Toumani Touré, was ousted in a military coup, reportedly due to his poor handling of the situation. [2] The following month, The Tuareg dominated National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA)  in alliance with the extremist Islamist group Ansar Dine, succeeded in wresting Azawad from Malian government control and declared it an independent State. [3]  Over the summer months however, the MNLA lost control of much of Azawad to the Islamist groups. [4][5] Following appeals for help from the Malian government, France sent forces down to secure the territory. They have maintained a force presence ever since.  While Mali may have fallen off the mainstream media radar over the past two years, talks between the Tuareg rebels and the US-backed Malian government have been ongoing. The most recent round of talks in Algiers ended without a peace deal, stemming manly from the failure of the Malian government to comply with demands from the Tuareg groups for more autonomy in Azawad. With these developments, along with the recent announcement of more IMF loan guarantees to the Malian government,this week's Global Research News Hour takes a closer look at the dynamics shaping the West African country with three guests. Abayomi Azikiwe is Editor of Pan-African NewsWire. He has written extensively on the topic of Western, particularly US, involvement in the African continent, and the principally foreign interests being served by the US troop presence there. Azikiwe looks at Mali in a geo-strategic context.  John Schertow is the Winnipeg-based Editor and founder of Intercontinental Cry, an on-line magazine dedicated to reporting and chronicling Indigenous resistance struggles around the world. Schertow describes here some of the history of the Tuareg people and their claims to sovereignty in the African country.  Finally, Bamako-based film maker Moctar Menta talks about the film project aimed at making the wider world realize the origin of much of the world they buy, namely, Artisenal gold mines extracted by children as young as 6! A detailed report of the situation is available here.  People wishing to contribute to Intercontinental Cry during their fund-raising campaign should visit this site.  People wishing more background on child-mining in Mali should visit www.minorminers.org.

This episode of the Global Research News Hour takes a closer look at the  October 22 Ottawa Shootings with guests Richard Sanders of the Coalition Opposed to the Arms Trade and Barrie Zwicker, author, journalist and media critic. Sanders explains that there are parallels between the way the Harper government is capitalizing on the Ottawa shootings to advance a militarization of domestic and foreign policy, and the way the Borden government of 1914 used the first World War to undermine the rights of Eastern European immigrants and other ‘undesirables' seen as a threat to the capitalist order of the day. Barrie Zwicker goes one step further and makes the case that the shooting by lone gunman Michael Zehab-Bibeau may have been a false flag. That is, aided and abetted by elements of the State and Security apparatus. Among the issues he touches on in this discussion are the “lone nut” sceneario, common to many false flag situations, indications of fore-knowledge and a cover-up on the part of US media, and the prospects of US covert involvement in the event. This interview is largely based around his recent article for Truth and Shadows, now posted on the Global Research website.

Veteran's Tales As noted in last week's program, the myth of the soldier as guarantor of freedom and security for our fellow citizens has become wide-spread and reinforced in the imaginations of citizens, particularly in America, and lately in Canada. We therefore see the “Support the Troops” monicker adorning bumpers and webpage banners. Veterans' Day and Remembrance Day ceremonies increasingly are, in the opinion of this author, becoming celebrations of the sacrifice of ‘heroic' men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country. These sentiments overwhelm any sense of regret about the tragedy of their loss and the resolve to put an end to such military conflicts so future generations of soldiers (and civilians) need not suffer the same gruesome fate. Even on Canada Day 2014, Prime Minister Stephen Harper in his public remarks, chose not to mention scientific, medical, artistic or other such achievements, nor the creation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, nor the debut of national projects such as publicly funded health care. Instead he chose to focus almost exclusively on the accomplishments of our military personnel abroad, and the prowess of our Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Evidently, PM Harper seeks to transform Canada's image away from the land of friendly ‘hosers' to that of a Modern Day Sparta. Not surprisingly then, this unthinking devotion to all things military has affected policy. It is fueling more US wars of aggression in the Middle East and prompting Canada's enthusiastic support. This week's Global Research News Hour takes a close look at the toll war takes on the fighting men and women and particularly on the broader society. Critically, it examines the roots of the pro-war mentality that has gripped the imaginations of the people, and of the men in particular. This show also probes possible remedies that might potentially de-program members of the pro-war cult. Both of the show's two guests are veterans of the US Armed Forces, and have served in missions abroad. They are now staunch critics of US military adventurism. Stan Goff began his military service in January, 1970 as an infantryman with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam. His service took him to seven more conflict areas after Vietnam, including Guatemala, Grenada, El Salvador, Peru, Colombia, Somalia, and Haiti. He retired as a Master Sergeant from the US Army in 1996. He has taught military science at the US Military Academy at West Point. Over the last decade he has published a number of articles and three books, including Sex and War, and Full Spectrum Disorder: The Military in the New American Century. He currently authors the blog Chasin' Jesus. His latest book, Borderline – Reflections on War, Sex, and Church from Wipf and Stock (Cascade Books) is expected to be released in February of 2015.  Joshua Key who hails out of Guthrie, Oklahoma was trained as a US combat engineer was dispatched to Iraq in April of 2003. He claims to have witnessed numerous instances of abuse of the Iraqi civilian population by US forces, which went unaddressed by commanding officers. He fled the war for reasons of conscience at the end of 2003, and with his then wife and children in tow, made his way across the border to Canada in early 2005. He has sought and been denied refugee status in that country. Remarried to a Canadian, he along with other Iraq War Resisters and deserters are ‘living in limbo' waiting for deportation orders back to the US where they face the prospect of dishonorable discharge and lengthy prison sentences for the crime of desertion. Joshua Key is the author, along with Lawrence (Book of Negroes) Hill of The Deserter's Tale: The Story of an Ordinary Sold

 One of the most devastating conflicts in history the First World War drew in all the major powers at the time. Eight and a half million soldiers and Six and a half million civilians are estimated to have perished in the war that was supposed to end war. [1][2] Set off by a diplomatic crisis, triggered by the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in June of 1914, The Great War as it was known at the time lasted four bloody years. On November 11, 1918, Germany became the last of the Central Powers to capitulate and sign an armistice with the victorious Allied Powers, signalling the end of the war. To this day, the 11th hour of the eleventh month is set aside to reflect and honour those military men and women who paid the ultimate cost to secure a more peaceful and just world. The occasion is referred to as Remembrance Day in the British Commonwealth. The spirit of Remembrance Day has shifted in recent years, especially in Canada. Following the centenary of the start of World War I, the Canadian Prime Minister credited the war as a critical ingredient in establishing the country as an independent nation. [3]Harper stokes national pride over Allied victories in Ypres, Vimy and Passchendaele rather than lament a tragic loss of life over a mostly pointless war. [4] Cautionary warnings about the terrible toll of war with slogans like “Never Again” and “Lest We Forget” seem to have been eclipsed by imperatives to paint the sacrifices of military men and women serving the State (for whatever reason) as heroic and necessary. Today, Remembrance Day may as well be called “Thank a Soldier for your Freedoms Day.” Without disrespecting those who have died serving in past conflicts, it is worth reflecting during Remembrance Week on exactly why World War I and other twentieth century conflicts were waged in the first place. Were these wars truly for democracy, peace and democracy? Or were there more cynical motives being pursued by Canada and the other major powers? To this end, this week's Global Research News Hour interviews two prominent authors and dissident thinkers on the century old conflict known as World War I and Canada's role in this and other military forays. Yves Engler is an activist and author of numerous books on Canadian foreign policy includingThe Black Book on Canadian Foreign Policy,  Canada and Israel: Building Apartheid and his latest The Ugly Canadian: Stephen Harper's Foreign Policy. Dr. Jacques Pauwels, Canadian historian and author of the 2000 book The Myth of the Good War: America in the Second World War . He has a French language book on World War 1 available now. An English version will be available in 2015.

“Ever since the US has lost the war militarily, i.e., signed the Armistice Agreement in July 27, 1953, they've instead chosen a war propaganda strategy by mobilizing the whole global media (i.e., their globally-monopolized mainstream media) to demonize(isolate) the North till this very day… This ongoing demonization as war propaganda against “North Korea” has therefore made the world very difficult, if not impossible, ever to learn about this extremely (i.e., probably the worst in that sense) demonized nation on earth. Thus, as a result, in most cases, the world in general does not know about the DPRK at all.” (Report from the DPRK Association for Human Rights Studies, published by 4th Media [1] The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) otherwise known as North Korea is arguably among the most demonized countries in the world. The country has been portrayed as a nuclear threat, a human rights abuser, belligerent and an economic basket case. During the onset of the so-called “War on Terrorism,” US President George W Bush referred to THe DPRK as part of the Axis of Evil. Are the problems facing the Communist country principally a consequence of structural problems with the State itself? Or is it a consequence of sanctions and other measures being imposed  on the population? The Global Research News Hour probes the myths and realities behind the North Korean menace with two analysts. Kiyul Chung is a Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University, Beijing  and the Editor in Chief of 4th Media, an internet-based publication. He has been participating in the Korea's self-determined and peaceful reunification movement for decades, and he has been to visit North Korea close to one hundred times. Henri Feron is a Ph.D candidate in international law at Tsinghua University, Beijing. He holds an LL.B. in French and English law from Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and King's College London, as well as an LL.M. in Chinese law from Tsinghua University. On May 5 of this year, he authored an article called, “Doom and Gloom or Economic Boom? The Myth of the “North Korean Economic Collapse.” Feron points to the idea that the collapse narrative is based on faulty data, comprehensive sanctions from the West and the US in particular, and an incentive on the part of the US and its allies to portray this enemy country in the most negative light possible.

The US has begun bombing Iraq and Syria in the name of fighting the self-declared Islamic State. But is the real goal targeting the ISIL?  Excerpt from October 8, 2014 US Department of State Daily Press Briefing: Jennifer Psaki (US Department of State Spokesperson): Our objectives here are going after the threat of ISIL, the safe havens where ISIL has in Syria. There will be other towns and cities that we know will be threatened in Syria, but we have to focus on our strategic components here, which are command and control centers, which are oil refineries, which are other pieces where we've done our precision strikes over the past several weeks. QUESTION: So saving people – saving innocent lives from this – from ISIL, which you've called barbaric and evil and everything else under the sun, is not as – is just not a priority? Psaki: Absolutely not. More than a decade after the US and its coalition allies promoted and pursued a military campaign in Iraq, a new campaign is being launched. This time, the rationale (excuse) is not weapons of mass destruction. The casus belli in this case is the need to control and contain the threat posed by a group dubbed the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Formerly known as al-Qaeda in Iraq, the profile of the militants has increased over the past several months in the wake of their conquest of strategic territory within a broad swath of Iraq and Syria. Most notably, the group's reputation for barbarism has been underscored by a number ofhigh profile beheadings, in recent months. While this broadcast was aired, the Kurdish city of Kobani on the Turkish-Syria border is at risk of falling before the repressive ISIL insurgents. While the need to respond to the threat posed by the Islamic State is understandable, at least two questions need to be addressed as Western leaders agitate for military aggression in the region. 1) Is the US bombing campaign currently underway effectively eroding the Islamic State militants' ability to threaten civilians in the region and abroad? 2) Given the US is no stranger to evoking phony pre-texts for war, is the need “to eliminate the terrorist group ISIL and the threat they pose to Iraq, the region and the wider international community,” the true reason for Operation Inherent Resolve, as it's now being called? This week's Global Research News Hour centres on the US coalition's current military mobilization against the entity known as ISIL/ISIS, the likely objectives and propsects for success with two geo-political analysts. Lawrence Wilkerson is a Visiting Professor of Government and Public Policy at The College of William and Mary in Virginia. He formerly served as Chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell. Global Research News Hour contributor Jon Wilson interviewed the US Army Veteran following a speech he gave at the University of Winnipeg on ISIS and the Middle East. Wilkerson attempts to explain the US strategy, his contention of it being fueled by a Sunni-Shia split within Iraq, and his prescription for the prospects for success.  Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya is an award-winning author, geopolitical analyst, sociologist, and frequent contributor to Global Research. His view is that the operation against the so-called Islamic State is largely a smokescreen and puts forward his thesis that a larger regional power grab is the ultimate goal for the US.  Nazemroaya will be holding workshops at the World Peace Forum Society's 7th Annual Teach-In, Oct. 25, 2014, at the Simon Fraser University Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings, Vancouver. For more details, please visit www.peaceforumteachin.org.   Julie Lévesque is an independent Journalist and Associate Editor at Global Research focussing on the complex dynamics of this new offensive. For further details, see the following GR articles recommended by Julie Lévesque  “Greater Israel”: The Zionist Plan for the Middle East Preparing the Chessboard for the “Clash of Civilizations”: Divide, Conquer and Rule the “New Middle East” “We're going to take out 7 countries in 5 years: Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan & Iran..” ISIS to the Rescue: America's Terrorists Threaten War with Russia Amid NATO's Failures in Ukraine Former French Foreign Minister: The War against Syria was Planned Two years before “The Arab Spring” SYRIA: CIA-MI6 Intel Ops and Sabotage  NATO and Turkey Support Armed Rebels in Syria. Campaign to Recruit Muslim “Freedom Fighters” Syria: ISIS Rebels, Assisted by Israel, Jordan and the U.S., Detain UN Peacekeepers in Israeli-Occupied Golan Heights | Global Research Corrections: Israel Shahak is the translator of “The Zionist Plan for the Middle East” and not the author;  Ariel Sharon in 1982 was Israel's Defence Minister. He became Prime Minister in 2001.

For decades, groups based in Miami, Florida have launched literally hundreds of terrorist attacks against the Cuban people and Cuban Nationals. These include bombings, assassinations, and particularly boatloads of weapons sent to Cuba to be used against its citizens. It is estimated that at least 3,478 people have died, and 2,009 have been injured as a direct result of these acts of terrorism. [3] The Cuban government, quite reasonably, sought to thwart such attacks. Five Cuban Intelligence officers: Gerardo Hernández, Antonio Guerrero, Ramón Labañino, Fernando González, and René González were dispatched to infiltrate and monitor these Miami-based groups to protect their countrymen. They did succeed in uncovering some of these plots. On September 12, 1998, these men were arrested and indicted on a charge of Espionage Conspiracy. [4] They were sentenced to lengthy prison sentences including 17 months in solitary confinement! Supporters of the Five argue that the trial which indicted the men was fundamentally unfair, that they have been subjected to cruel and unusual punishment and that the prosecution was politically motivated. Two of the Five,  Fernando Gonzalez, and René Gonzalez have been freed, but the other three remain locked up. One of the men, Gerardo Hernandez, faces TWO life sentences plus a fifteen year sentence on top of that. In this episode of the Global Research News Hour, special guest interviewer Lesley Hughes interviews Gloria La Riva, an organizer with the National Committee to Free the Five (quoted above) and the first of the five to be freed, René González. President Obama, YES YOU CAN free the Cuban Five! People wishing to get involved in current and ongoing solidarity efforts to free the Cuban Five, or who merely wish for more background are encouraged to visit the following sites: www.freethefive.org www.theCubanFive.org There are also two important books on the subject:  Letters of Love and Hope: The Story of the Cuban Five with an Introduction by Alice Walker [5] What Lies Across the Water: The Real Story of the Cuban Five by Stephen Kimber [6]

The 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa is being declared the deadliest on record, and certainly the first of its kind in the region. A recent report from the World Health Organization, a UN agency, found that there had been 2630 confirmed deaths directly attributable to the latest strain with 5,357 cases having been diagnosed. The disease is widespread and transmitting intensely throughout Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, with additional cases emerging in Nigeria and Senegal. The Global Research News Hour takes a closer look at the background of this developing situation with two observers with dissident takes on this new Clear and Present danger. Aggressive measures are being taken. US President Barrack Obama stated on Tuesday September 16 that his administration would be committing 3000 military personnel to help contain the spread of the epidemic in the region. The World Bank is committing $200 million in assistance to the three hardest hit African countries. And the micro-biologist who first identified the Ebola virus in 1976 is urging UK Prime Minister Cameron to take “quasi-military” measures to address the threat. Authorities are preparing to fast-track the use 10,000 doses of an experimental, as yet untested Ebola vaccine for use in West Africa. As of this writing, the President of the besieged State of Sierra Leone has ordered the residents of Freetown, its capital city, off the streets and into their homes, arguing  ”extraordinary times require extraordinary measures.” The Global Research News Hour takes a closer look at the background of this developing situation with two observers with dissident takes on this new Clear and Present danger. Jon Rappoport is the author of the blog NoMoreFakeNews.com. He has 30 years of experience as an investigative reporter and has authored three books including  The Matrix Revealed and  Exit from the Matrix. He believes the World Health Organization, the Centres for Disease Control and other bodies are exaggerating the role of the Ebola virus in the death counts.  and speculates on how this new plague may be helping to advance a more cynical agenda. Dr. Leonard Horowitz is a Harvard-trained investigator and public health educator. He has authored more than ten books including the 1996 best-seller Emerging Viruses: Aids & Ebola, Nature, Accident or Intentional. Dr. Horowitz has argued for years that both Ebola and AIDS were bio-engineered in a laboratory. In this GR News Hour interview, he shares evidence of how the new outbreak constitutes commercial and scientific fraud, he talks about how his information is being suppressed by YouTube, Wikipedia and, of course, the corporate press, and he outlines what he believes is the real agenda behind this new War On Germs.

“Still, we continue to face a terrorist threat. We cannot erase every trace of evil from the world, and small groups of killers have the capacity to do great harm. That was the case before 9/11, and that remains true today. That's why we must remain vigilant as threats emerge. At this moment, the greatest threats come from the Middle East and North Africa, where radical groups exploit grievances for their own gain. And one of those groups is ISIL — which calls itself the “Islamic State.” -US President Barrack Obama from his September 10 speech to the nation. [1] LISTEN TO THE SHOW  Length (59:07)Click to download the audio (MP3 format)   Thirteen years after September 11, 2001,  the 9/11 Truth movement has become a major phenomenon. There are now over 2,250 professional architects and engineers who have acknowledged flaws in the official explanation of what caused the World Trade Center Towers to collapse. A poll from last year found that nearly 50% of Americans exposed to footage of the collapsing World Trade Center Towers suspect they were brought down by controlled demolition. Two years ago, the documentary “9/11: Explosive Evidence – Experts Speak Out ” aired on PBS and ranked among the top three most watched programs on the station, and the most shared on the internet.[2] On September 8, 2013, the popular Russia Today broadcast, The Truth Seeker, aired a thirteen minute newscast critical of the official explanation of 9/11. The broadcast was starting to go viral on You Tube before Youtube statistics suspiciously flat-lined.[3] The 9/11 Truth movement is becoming increasingly visible as RETHINK 911 anniversary events in New York City and around the world are becoming increasingly impossible to ignore. Meanwhile, US President Barrack Obama on the eve of the anniversary announces his plans to launch military assaults in Iraq and Syria in order to destroy the terrorist menace with virtually no significant resistance. The 9/11 Consensus Panel put out a press release in recent days announcing new points of concensus relating to the 9/11 airliner black boxes found at the World Trade Center site, standard protocols that were not followed in the instance of a hijacking, and incriminating statements from former New York City Mayor Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. The Truth movement may be growing, but there seems to be no noticeable changes in the political landscape as a result. On the week marking the thirteenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we get thirteenth anniversary retrospectives on 9/11 from two people very much at the forefront of the efforts to challenge the official account of the tragedy. They address the efforts to investigate 9/11 using recently revealed but rarely seen on-line documents, the obstacles to 9/11 Truth making a breakthrough in the political arena, the role of groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS/ISIL as US strategic assets, and concerns forming around a new State directed investigation. Elizabeth Woodworth is a retired health Sciences Librarian and researcher. She is coordinator and co-founder of the 9/11 Concensus Panel. Michel Chossudovsky is the Director and Founder of the Centre for Research On Globalization, an Emeritus Professor of Economics at the University of Ottawa and author of “America's War On Terrorism.” He was one of the first people in the world to publicly question the 9/11 narrative, specifically the claim that it was necessary to wage a “War on Terrorism” in order to contain and control Al Qaeda. A complete digest of 9/11 related articles is available on the Global Research site. THE 9/11 READER. The September 11, 2001 Terror Attacks

The crisis in Ukraine was discussed in depth during a special public forum held the evening of June 18 at the Ukrainian Labour Temple in Downtown Winnipeg. Speakers Professor Ray Silvius, economist Alan Freeman, and Professor Radhika Desai provide a fact-based look at the forces at work, the evolving situation in Ukraine and what Canada's role should be in mitigating the tesions.

The Jihadist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), alternatively known as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), has enjoyed spectacular successes overthrowing and controlling territory from northern Syria to the outskirts of Baghdad in Iraq. Previously referred to as Al Qaeda in the Islamic State of Iraq (AQI), the group got its name in April of 2013. For a group estimated to be composed of merely a few thousand militants, the organization has secured astonishing victories over much larger armed forces. [2] The group's first major military success was the conquest of Raqqa in Northern Syria in March of 2013. Since that victory, ISIS has successfully gained control of the Iraqi cities of Tal Afar, Tikrit, Suleiman Beg, and Fallujah. [3] Perhaps their most impressive and shocking achievement to date, and the one that galvanized the attention of the world back to Iraq, was the conquest of Iraq's second most populous city, Mosul. ISIS managed to not only secure this crucial trading post proximate to Syria, but they managed to get hold of weaponry and equipment abandoned when the Iraq security forces fled the city. [4] How is it possible such a relatively small group of rebels could manage to outmaneuver a force presence of 30,000? Michel Chossudovsky of the Centre for Research on Globalization has been tracking these developments. He contends that the rise of ISIS is not a miscalculation on the part of the US-NATO alliance, but is in fact a deliberate strategy to re-engineer the region to advance their imperial aims there. He explains his thesis in part one of the Global Research News Hour. The recent elections in Syria have been described as “meaningless” and “a great big zero” by the US Secretary of State John Kerry. He argues given the state of conflict in the Middle Eastern country that “you can't have an election where millions of your people don't even have an ability to vote.” [5] The final vote posted by the Speaker of the People's Assembly announced that the incumbent President secured a land-slide victory of over 88% with a 73.42% voter turn-out. [6] While a dictatorial power in a time of civil war might have the capacity to gerrymander election results to his satisfaction, is there any indication that this is in fact what happened? Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya is a Research Associate with the Centre for Research on Globalization and a published author. He served as an election observer during the recent Syrian elections and discloses in the second half hour of the Global Research News Hour why he believes the elections were above board, and what role these elections, particularly the perception of them being fraudulent, serves in the broader geo-political context.

A Speech by Guy Mcpherson. The Global Research News Hour Episode 70This week's Global Research News Hour features a speech given by scientist and ‘doomer' author Guy Mcpherson. While much of the public may have doubts about whether or not anthropogenic climate change is a reality, it is a FACT that over 97% of peer-reviewed scientific research published over the last two decades confirm the viewpoint that the planet is indeed warming due to human activities. As noted in a previous interview, Dr. Mcpherson, Professor Emeritus of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona, has spent countless hours pouring over the scientific literature, and connected numerous dots. Dr. Mcpherson is in full agreement with the scientific concensus around anthropogenic (human-generated) climate change. Further, he concludes that global warming has passed a “tipping point” and that habitat loss associated with the warming of the planet will condemn the human species to extinction within 20 years. Unlike other prominent scientists and activists, Mcpherson concludes that there is really nothing the human species can do to prevent or mitigate this catastrophe. Dr. McPherson has given many lectures to public audiences across Canada and the United States and has now done multiple media interviews. His February 6 speech in Winnipeg laid out the evidence in detail. Winnipeg audience members had a chance to direct questions to the American speaker afterward. The talk was introduced by his host, Gerry Kopelow of the Dharma Centre of Winnipeg. Guy McPherson is the author of Going Dark. His blog, Nature Bats Last, can be found atwww.guymcpherson.com.

This month marks the 10th anniversary of the UN's military occupation of Haiti. This Global Research News Hour was first published March 6, 2013. Coup D'Etat in Haiti It was nine years ago, on February 29, 2004 that the democratically elected President of Haiti, Jean-Bertrand Aristide was removed from his Presidential Palace by US forces, assisted by Canada and France. In his place an unelected government was installed by the international community. Thousands of UN ‘peace-keepers' were assigned to Haiti to protect and enforce the authority of this new government. Many representatives of the Haitian government were jailed. The government of Gerard Latortue,installed at the behest of international forces, cracked down hard on the poverty-stricken population, particularly in the slums of Cité Soleil and Bel Air in Port-au-Prince. Thousands of deaths were estimated to have resulted. [1] It is critical to understand this background and the subsequent erosion of domestic institutions and government agencies if one is to understand the current human security issues threatening this small Caribbean island country. It is especially important for Canadians to acquaint themselves with this history. Canadians generally have a positive opinion of their country and role in the world. They are inclined to believe Canada's role in Haiti has been generally beneficent. Such inaccurate perceptions are aided and abetted by compliant politicians, governing and in opposition, and by a silent media. Roger Annis has been a long-time activist with the Canada-Haiti Action group, an organization that has been at the forefront of raising awareness about Canada's true role in Haiti. The Global Research Hour spoke to him while he was in Winnipeg to discuss the nine year old coup, Canada's role in the coup and other ways the Canadian government and Canadian NGOs and development agencies have undermined Haitian democracy and human rights. Annis also draws parallels between Canada's treatment of Haitians, and its treatment of its own Indigenous population. Tar Sands Alberta: The Bitumen Cliff While opposition to the so-called ‘tar sands' in Northern Alberta in Canada is generally framed as an environment versus economics debate, a new study from the Polaris Institute and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives seems to point to an argument that surprisingly reveals the (black) gold rush for bitumen in Western Canada actually putting the Canadian economy at a tremendous disadvantage. Carleton University Graduate student and report co-author Brendan Hayley speaks to the Global Research News Hour about Canada's Bitumen Cliff. America's first African American President: An Obstacle to the Quest for Positive Change and Racial Equality In this exclusive Black History Month interview for the Global Research News Hour, former Georgia Congresswoman and US Presidential Candidate Cynthia McKinney talks about how America's first African American President has been an obstacle rather than an asset in the quest for positive change and racial equality, and about what needs to be done to make substantive rather than cosmetic changes in the US political life. References 1 A. R. Kolbe & R. A. Hutson, ‘Human rights abuse and other criminal violations in Port-au-Prince, Haiti', Lancet; I. Stotsky, Haiti Human Rights Investigation, University of Miami School of Law

Martin Luther King, Barack Obama and the Civil Rights Movement. The Legacy of Vincent HardingOn Monday May 19, 2014, a veteran of the Southern Freedom Movement, known to most as the Civil Rights Movement, passed away from an aneurysm while on a speaking tour in Philadelphia. He was 82. Harding was born and grew up in New York City. He obtained a B.A. in History from City College of New York in 1952, a M.S. in journalism from Columbia University in 1953, and advanced degrees in History from the University of Chicago in 1956 and in 1965. Dr. Harding served as senior academic consultant for the PBS television series Eyes On The Prize. He taught at numerous institutions throughout the United States and eventually served as Emeritus Professor of Religion and Social Transformation at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado. In 1960, he and his wife Rosemarie Freeney Harding moved to Atlanta, Georgia where they started up Mennonite House, an interracial volunteer service centre and gathering place for the Southern Freedom Movement. In the turbulent years that followed Harding would be involved in anti-segregation campaigns as a counsellor and participant. It was during this time when he came to meet and work with Dr. Martin Lutrher King. The two would become close associates. It was Dr. Harding who is credited with drafting one of King's most famous and arguably most relevant speeches. “A Time to Break Silence” was a no-holds barred condemnation of the Vietnam War. King delivered this speech at Riverside Church in New York City, exactly one year to the day before King was assassinated. In addition to authoring numerous articles and books including Martin Luther King: The Inconvenient Hero, Vincent Harding was a significant behind the scenes player, pacifist, and social justice advocate during an important period in American history. This week's Global Research News Hour pays tribute to Dr. Harding's life and legacy by airing a speech he gave at the University of Winnipeg on April 2, 2009. The talk was entitled Martin Luther King and Barack Obama's Other Ancestors. It was a tour of some of the less talked about influences on the American Civil Rights Movement and addressed the question of whether America's first black president truly was the fulfillment of Martin Luther King's dream.

The crisis unraveling in Ukraine is proving to be among the most intense geo-political ruptures on the international stage in many years. Anti-Russian rhetoric rivaling that of the chilliest moments of the Cold War has been spouted by Western leaders and media pundits. One such pundit is Lloyd Axworthy. Axworthy has served as President and vice-Chancellor of the University of Winnipeg for about a decade. Dr. Axworthy served in the 1990s as a Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister. He has written numerous books and articles and is a sought after commentator on international affairs. In 2004 he authored the book Navigating a New World by Knopf Canada Publishing. Following a “fact-finding” Mission to Ukraine this spring, Mr. Axworthy and his Vice President Bill Balan had a chance to survey the situation in Kiev and get a sense of the factors affecting Ukraine's democratic exercise. http://globalbrief.ca/lloydaxworthy/2014/04/21/ukraine-a-non-violent-resistance/ It should be noted that the mission to Ukraine was sponsored by the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs. The NDI is one of the key recipients of funds from the National Endowment for Democracy, identified as a CIA front-group which destabilizes governments and popular movements. According to author Willam Blum, the NED had a hand in the Iran-Contra affair in the 1980s, undermined leftist insurgencies in the Phillipines, and in the early 1990s funded the Miami-based anti-Castro Cuban-American National Foundation. [2] Michel Chossudovsky explains in detail the destabilization efforts of the NED in Ukraine in the articleIMF Sponsored “Democracy” in The Ukraine . This week's installment of the Global Research News Hour features the comments of Dr. Axworthy and his university colleague Bill Balan with regard to their first-hand observations of the Ukraine situation. They were clearly articulating the view that it was the Russian President Vladimir Putin that was the key destabilizing force in the region. Their comments were recorded at a public talk given April 22 at the Free Press Cafe in Winnipeg, Canada. Later in the programme, Rick Rozoff of Stop NATO returns to the Global Research News Hour to respond to Axworthy's comments, to comment on the upcoming May 25 presidential election and exactly who it is that is interfering with Ukrainian democracy, and to update listeners on the alarming developments on the ground in Eastern and Southern Ukraine in the wake of the Odessa 

Egyptian Death Sentences: Human Rights Travesty or Price of Freedom?In recent weeks, the governing authority in Egypt has escalated their crackdown on supporters of deposed president Mohammad Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood. In March, news agencies widely reported that after a two day trial, 529 people, many of whom were tried in absentia, were sentenced to death over an attack on a police station in which a police officer was killed. [2] In late April, 683 alleged supporters of the Brotherhood, including spiritual leader Mohammed Badie were sentenced to death over their supposed role in the August 14 incident. [3] Likewise, the Egyptian courts have banned the April 6 movement, considered a pro-democracy group which played a role in instigating and organizing the Arab Spring movement which overthrew President Mubarak in 2011. [4] Numerous journalists have been jailed as well under the rationale that they are “spreading false news” and “part of a terrorist organisation.”[5] This week's Global Research News Hour examines two perspectives on the repressive measures being taken by the Egyptian military government against the Muslim Brotherhood, the April 6 movement, and other critics of the current authorities. Film Maker John Greyson was one of two Canadians who got caught up in last summer's mass arrests. After fifty days of detention without charge, he and his companion Tarek Loubani were released. [6] Greyson spoke to the Global Research News Hour about his harrowing ordeal, the conditions he and other prisoners faced, and about the need to intervene on behalf of other innocents being wrongfully held. A geo-political analyst and frequent Global Research contributor who goes by the name Tony Cartalucci has a different perspective. He believes the repressive actions being taken by the military government and the courts need to be seen in the context of an ongoing foreign orchestrated insurgency not dissimilar to those that led Libya and Syria to disaster. Cartalucci engaged the Global Research News Hour in an email interview which is reprinted below in its entirety. The email dialogue was voiced, for radio purposes, by Global Research guest host Jon Wilson and regular host Michael Welch.   LISTEN TO THE SHOW Length (58:54) Click to download the audio (MP3 format) The Global Research News Hour airs every Friday at 1pm CT on CKUW 95.9FM in Winnipeg. The programme is also podcast at globalresearch.ca . The show can be heard on the Progressive Radio Network at prn.fm. Listen in every Monday at 3pm ET. Community Radio Stations carrying the Global Research News Hour: CHLY 101.7fm in Nanaimo, B.C – Thursdays at 1pm PT Boston College Radio WZBC 90.3FM NEWTONS  during the Truth and Justice Radio Programming slot -Sundays at 7am ET. Port Perry Radio in Port Perry, Ontario – Thursdays at 1pm ET Burnaby Radio Station CJSF out of Simon Fraser University. 90.1FM to most of Greater Vancouver, from Langley to Point Grey and from the North Shore to the US Border. It is also available on 93.9 FM cable in the communities of SFU, Burnaby, New Westminister, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Surrey and Delta, in British Columbia Canada. – Tune in every Saturday at 6am. CFRU 93.3FM in Guelph, Ontario. Tune in Wednesdays from 12am to 1am.   Notes: 1) Amnesty International, March 24, 2014, “Egypt: More than 500 sentenced to death in ‘grotesque' ruling”;http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/egypt-more-500-sentenced-death-grotesque-ruling-2014-03-24 2) Al Jazeera, March 25, 2014, “Muslim Brotherhood members sentenced to death”;http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/03/muslim-brotherhood-members-sentenced-death-201432481112672803.html 3) Democracy Now, April 30, “Egypt is a Police State: Senior Muslim Brotherhood Member Condemns New Mass Death Sentence for 683”; http://www.democracynow.org/2014/4/30/egypt_is_a_police_state_senior 4) ibid 5) Al Jazeera, March 25, 2014, “Muslim Brotherhood members sentenced to death”;http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/03/muslim-brotherhood-members-sentenced-death-201432481112672803.html 6) CAROL BERGER,  Oct. 10 2013 , Globe and Mail, “Egypt clears Canadians Greyson, Loubani to leave”;http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/greyson-loubani-free-to-leave-egypt-reports-say/article14796228/

On April 13, 2014, Michael Ruppert had just completed his final broadcast of his weekly radio show The Lifeboat Hour, which he has helmed since September 12, 2010. He went to an outdoor meditation spot on the property at which he had been residing. When he was found, he had apparently shot himself in the head with a Glock 30 .45 caliber pistol.  He was 63. Mike Ruppert had become one of the most outspoken and compelling voices in the realm of independent journalism and analysis. He brought to the table a stupendous command of economic, historical and political issues. Ruppert represented a convergence of valuable traits which included an academic's restless intellect, a cop's eye for detail, a heart-felt passion for justice, and the street-level experience of a whistleblower who broke ranks with the people he trusted in the name of an all too uncommon ethical code that he lived by. He was able to bring to the table the critical arguments challenging official government narratives about the global economy, the 9/11 attacks, the fratricidal death of Pat Tillman, CIA drug dealing in Black communities throughout the US, peak oil as a causative factor underlying US foreign policy, and many, many other stories. This week, the Global Research News Hour pays tribute to Mr. Ruppert on the occasion of his recent tragic death. The podcast contains audio from past speeches and a previously recorded conversation with him, as well as post-mortem conversations with five individuals who knew and worked with Mike Ruppert over the years. Carolyn Baker is a long-time acquaintance of Mike Ruppert's. She was an adjunct professor of history and psychology for 11 years and a psychotherapist in private practice for 17 years. She authored several books related to the concept of societal collapse. She contributed to Ruppert's on-line newsletter From The Wilderness, and co-hosted his final radio broadcast before he died. Kellia Ramares-Watson is an Oakland-based independent journalist and broadcaster. She was Bonnie Faulkner's co-host on the very first broadcast of Guns and Butter for radio station KPFA back on October 12, 2001. This debut episode featured none other than Mike Ruppert with his initial impressions of the 9/11 attacks and the US role in failing to prevent the attacks. The transcript of that interview is available on the Global Research website. Wesley Miller was Mike Ruppert's attorney, executor and personal friend. He replaced Ruppert as CEO and President of COLLAPSENET, the on-line community portal for individuals and communities seeking to transition away from a dependence on fossil fuels and industrial civilization. Barrie Zwicker is a long-time independent journalist and media critic. He became one of the first people in the world to publicly critique the official story of 9/11 on a national television broadcast. Barrie was largely for getting RUppert's analysis of 9/11 aired on Canadian television and paid tribute to him in his 2006 book Towers of Deception: The Media Cover-up of 9/11. Guy McPherson is Professor Emeritus of Natural Resources and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona. He has appeared on Ruppert's radio show a number of times pioneering his research pointing to the prospects for the Near Term Extinction of the human species due to climate change. Ruppert's work has appeared often over the years on the Global Research website. A link to some of those stories can be found here.

On this special holiday edition of the Global Research News Hour, we salute the 44th annual Earth Day with a speech given in Winnipeg recently by outspoken anti-globalization author, environmental activist, and eco-feminist Dr. Vandana Shiva.Born in Dehradun India in the foothills of the Himalaya, Shiva got her training at the University of Western Ontario in Canada as a physicist. In 1982, she shifted her focus to inter-disciplinary research in science, technology and environmental policy and moved back to India. Dr. Shiva is the founder of Navdanya, a participatory research initiative dedicated to the preservation of native crop species, the rejuvenation of indigenous culture and knowledge, and to support and direction for environmental activism. She is the author of more than 20 books including Soil Not Oil: Environmental Justice in an Age of Climate Crisis; Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply; Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability, and Peace; and Staying Alive: Women, Ecology, and Development. She is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades including the 1993 Right Livelihood Award (Alternative Nobel Prize) and the 2010 Sydney Peace Prize. On March 29, 2014, Dr. Shiva spoke at the North Centennial Community Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada at the invitation of a local collective known as Power House Producers in association with the Women's and Gender Studies Students Association, and the University of Winnipeg's Womyn's Centre. Her speech followed a so-called Feast of forgotten foods which highlighted a meal prepared by local activists with organic ingredients all provided by local farmers for an audience of about a hundred people. Preceding the talk was an announcement about a Bill moving through the Canadian House of Commons known as Bill C-18, the Agricultural Growth Act which critics argue undermines traditional farm practices by ensuring the intellectual property rights over new varieties of seeds to the plant breeders that generate them and force farmers to pay a royalty to them when crops from those seeds go to market.

This website, among others have articulated the major problems with the official explanation of 9/11 since the day after they happened. These attacks have directly led to an agenda of increased military spending, surveillance, at least two wars of aggression (Afghanistan and Iraq) and a period of curtailed civil liberties in the name of protection from radical Islamic terrorists. Amply documented, there are major problems with this narrative. The following humourous video encapsulates many of these anomalies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuC_4mGTs98  (Video courtesy of James Corbett) A more detailed analysis is available through Global Research's 9/11 Reader. There has been a clear resistance to abandoning this core narrative. Take, for example, the refusal of Canadian Member of Parliament Paul Dewar to table a petition  in the House of Commons calling for a Canadian parliamentary review of the omissions and inconsistencies in the 9/11 Commission report and of available forensic evidence. Mr. Dewar says he doesn't agree with the petition. That is not considered an acceptable rationale for not tabling a petition to Parliament. More background can be found on this webpage: http://www.ae911truth.org/en/news-section/41-articles/732-the-canadian-911-justice-petition-initiative-continuing-the-pursuit-of-a-real-investigation.html There is more to this kind of resistance than a lack of facts. Laurie Manwell is a Ph.D candidate at the University of Guelph and has published articles on psychological resistance to embracing alternative explanations of 9/11 and other so-called State Crimes Against Democracy. Her article, In Denial of Democracy: Social Psychological Implications for Public Discourse on State Crimes Against Democracy Post-9/11 appeared in the February 2010 edition of American Behavioural Scientist. Her thesis was the basis of her outstanding presentation at the Toronto Hearings on 9/11. An excerpt of this presentation airs in the first half hour of this week's Global Research News Hour, courtesy of Press For Truth. Architect and high profile 9/11 speaker Richard Gage, AIA joins us in the second half hour. He talks with guest interviewer Jon Wilson about his tour across Canada, and his view about the prospects of 9/11 making a powerful political breakthrough in this country.

As the world focuses its attention on the Olympic Games in Sochi and controversies around the Russian government's apparent hostility toward gay and lesbian rights, a far-reaching drama is playing out in the former Soviet Republic of Ukraine. The Eastern European country, independent since the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1991, has been gripped by a series of protests that may very well determine its long-term political fate. The Euromaidan was apparently named after the Independence Square in Kiev, Maidan Nezalezhnosti, where a major protest was held on the evening of November 21 of last year. The gathering of 1,000 to 2,000 people was staged in opposition to the abandonment by the Yanukovych government of an Association Agreement with the European Union.[2] Further protests ensued until a particularly violent crackdown by Ukrainian police on November 30. [3] From that point forward, demonstrations intensified and grew larger in number. The protests seemed to take a much more violent turn by mid-January after the Ukrainian Parliament pushed through a sweeping 100 page anti-protest law. [4] The law essentially banned the installation of tents, stages or amplifiers in public places, all critical components of the Euromaidan up to that point. Two and a half months later, the law has been repealed, Yanukovych's Cabinet has been dissolved, and detained protesters granted amnesty on condition of an end to the occupations of government buildings. [5] Nevertheless, the protests continue and demands to end “government corruption” and the resignation of the Russian President remain unrelenting. Complicating the situation is the role of militant fascist groups which appear to be influencing the protest movement, and are reminiscent of Hitler's Brown Shirts and Mussolini's Black Shirts from an earlier era. Foreign governments appear to be influencing the situation as well. Russian President Vladmir Putin's offer of substantial reductions in the cost of Russian natural gas and their willingness to purchase $15 billion in Ukrainian Government Eurobonds could be read as a bribe to keep Ukraine under Russian influence. [6] Meanwhile, Western governments, including those of the US and Canada, are clearly expressing support for government opposition demonstrators. Following harsh crackdowns before and during the G20 protests in 2010, it is hard to imagine the Canadian government behaving much differently if faced by similar demonstrations which have included the occupation of government buildings and the use of molotov cocktails being hurled at police. This week's Global Research News Hour probes some of the less talked about aspects of the Euromaidan with three analysts. University of Winnipeg Associate Professor of History Andriy Zayarnyuk is a Ukrainian national and is a specialist in the field of the Social and Cultural History of 19th and 20th Century Eastern Europe, including the Ukraine and the Soviet Union. He is also the author of the recently released book, Framing the Ukrainian Peasantry in Habsburg Galicia, 1846-1914. He helps provide an overview of the political and cultural background of the current struggle. Eric Draitser is a New York-based geo-political analyst with StopImperialism.org. He discusses the right-wing fascist groups involved with the Euromaidan protests and threats they may pose over and above the opposition movement itself. Finally, Rick Rozoff of Stop NATO returns to provide a thorough examination of the geo-political and geo-strategic context in which the popular uprising is taking place.

Free Trade agreements being adopted by Canada are undermining the ability of governments to protect the public good. That is the conclusion of the civil society farm, labour, indigenous, student, cultural, environmental and other organizations that have come together under the banner of the Trade Justice Network. With January marking the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the TJN recently organized the “Intercontinental Day of Action Against the TPP and Corporate Globalization,” a call to resist the TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership) and similar trade deals. These progressive organizations believe that the free trade agenda, embodied by NAFTA and its offspring, represent a “corporate power grab” that threaten “working families, small farmers, indigenous peoples, small business and the environment in all three countries and beyond.” Traditional strategies for resisting these legislative instruments have famously included mass mobilizations, such as were seen in Seattle (1999) and the Quebec Summit of the Americas (2001), not to mention standard protests, petitions, and other efforts at lobbying politicians to change their minds. Less seasoned activists may resort to throwing their weight behind the campaign of an opposition politician who pays lip service to resisting corporate trade deals, but offers little in the way of concrete action once in a position of power and influence. Another less talked about approach however, is utilizing those legal instruments already available to the people, in the form of constitutional court challenges. Enter Rocco Galati. Galati has over the course of his legal career criticised actions by the State at the Summit of the Americas and the G20 in Toronto. He has represented terrorism-related and other cases that many other lawyers won't touch. He is currently engaged in a number of interesting battles challenging the government, including a challenge against the Finance Minister and the Bank of Canada, and a challenge to Health Canada's restrictions on the sale of natural health products. Galati argues that the afore-mentioned trade agreements, insofar as they are being implemented without the approval of the Canadian Parliament are unconstitutional. Galati had in fact attempted to challenge the Multi-lateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) on the grounds that it conferred on to trans-national corporations powers that over-ride constitutionally protected jurisdiction. Galati explains this view in the first half hour. In the remainder of the program, Galati provides an update of the case he is championing against the Bank of Canada. Galati also resurrects some older cases he took on. He talks about his defence of one of the Toronto 18 terrorism plotters, Ahmad Mustafa Ghany. He talks about his former client, Delmart Vreeland, the jailed Naval Intelligence officer who attempted to warn Canadian and American law enforcement authorities of the attacks of September 11, 2001. He talks about a death threat he received years ago that caused him to back off of the case ofAbdurahman Khadr. He talks about what he calls the '500 mile Liberal Syndrome.' He also talks about fundamental flaws in the system that, as he sees it, prevent ordinary men and women elected to high office from acting in the interests of the public.

If observers in the West naively believed that severing South Sudan from its northern counterpart would resolve the human rights situation there, the events of the last several weeks will have decisively dashed those hopes. The major fighting erupted on December 15 of last year when South Sudan Presisdent Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of launching a coup d'etat against him. Machar denied the charge.[2] A faction of the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA/M) had broken off and engaged in fighting against the main army under Kiir's control.[3] The fighting has begun to align itself with different tribal factions – the Dinka, which Kiir represents, and the Nuer, which Machar represents.[4] As this program is being aired, peace talks between the two warring factions continue in Addis Ababa in neighbouring Ethiopia. The toll on the people of South Sudan has been devastating. UN Human Rights monitor Ivan Simonovic has disclosed that there are human rights atrocities being committed by both sides in the conflict, which include mass and extra-judicial killings, arbitrary detention, sexual violence and the use of child soldiers.[5] As of January 14, one month into the conflict, the UN Office for the Coordination of  Humanitarian Affairs estimates that 413,000 people have been internally displaced by the fighting with 74,000 having fled to neighbouring countries such as Uganda.[6] The International Crisis Group estimated a death toll of close to 10,000. [7] The Global Research News Hour takes a closer look at the conflict and its historical and geo-political under-pinnings with two Africa watchers. Ann Garrison is an independent journalist and broadcaster who has focused in recent years on war and resource extraction issues on the African Continent. A contributor to KPFA in Berkeley, California, she had a chance to interview Mobiar Garang de Mobiar, a negotiator for the opposition in the South Sudan peace talks in Addis Ababa. Garrison has also written for the San Francisco Bay View, the San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Focus, Macworld, Macweek, the Op-Ed News, and Pambazuka News among other publications. She is also an occasional contributor to Global Research. Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya is a geo-political analyst and the award-winning author of The Globalization of NATO (Clarity Press). He is Research Associate at the Centre for Research on Globalization.

Refusing to Fight: Canadians Supporting US War DesertersCanada: A Refuge from Militarism? January 2014 marks the ten year anniversary since Jeremy Hinzman, US soldier with the 82nd Airborne Division, having deserted his battalion, crossed the border into Canada and sought refuge from a war he could not legally or morally participate in. In so doing, he became the first modern day US War Resister to seek asylum in Canada. Others followed. Brandon Hughey, David Sanders, Joshua Key, Kim Rivera, and ultimately more than two dozen others followed suit. All publicly declared their conscientious opposition to the US war agenda, particularly the conflict in Iraq. This is not including the more than one hundred who may have crossed over unacknowledged. Given the unpopularity of the Iraq War, especially in Canada, one would think there would be significant support for these military personnel who sacrificed their careers, their families and their reputations for an unknown future in a foreign country. However, the experience of today's war resisters indicates otherwise. The current Conservative government in Canada seems anything but accommodating of US military deserters, regardless of the questionable legality of the conflicts they were ordered to participate in.

The Global Research News Hour starts the new year off with a retrospective on  important international stories of 2013 ignored by the mainstream media. As noted elsewhere on this site, 2013 has been marked by spreading environmental  degradation, economic uncertainty, and increased military tensions.

On this, the holiday edition of the Global Research News Hour, we present a talk by Chris Hedges.