January 12, 2009 Issue

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January 12, 2009 Issue

Cover art by: Cover design by Gene Case & Stephen Kling/Avenging Angels

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Features

Will Peace Finally Come to Sri Lanka?

Decades of civil war have all but destroyed once-progressive Sri Lanka. Now that the army is closing in on Tamil rebels, what chance is there for real peace now?

Barbara Crossette
The Student Loan Bailout

The credit crunch is hitting students hard, but is government aid going to shareholders and CEOs instead of the borrowers who need it most?

Cole Robertson
To Live and Die in Gaza

As Israel's bombardment of Gaza continues, a Nation contributor with roots in the region gives voice to the on-the-ground experience of those who have endured the attacks.

Laila Al-Arian
The View From Tel Aviv

Israel's attack on Gaza has benefited the current leadership, especially Defense Minister Ehud Barak, in pre-election polling. But do they have an exit strategy?

Hillel Schenker
Episcopal Church Splits Over Gay Equality

The Episcopal Church's promotion of an openly gay clergyman has created a serious rift within the religious community, threatening the future of the denomination.

Drew Haxby
Q and A with Lakhdar Brahimi: What Next for Gaza?

Lakhdar Brahimi, a leading UN troubleshooter in the Middle East weighs in on the crisis in Gaza and speculates on how it may affect Obama's presidency.

Barbara Crossette
Pinter: Bare-Knuckled Citizen Playwright

In the end, Harold Pinter devoted himself to defining "the real truth of our lives and our societies." Now that he's gone, his twenty-nine plays will continue that rude, honorable and turbulent work.

Margaret Spillane
NOPD Responds to Nation Investigation

After a report in The Nation revealed how white residents of New Orleans shot at African-American men in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the city's police will launch an investigation.

A.C. Thompson
Redoing Globalization

The economic crisis was caused by world trade imbalances just as much as domestic problems.

Sherle R. Schwenninger
How Obama Can Reform Russia Policy

The Obama administration simply cannot afford a confrontation with Russia, given the challenges we face elsewhere.

Anatol Lieven
A Last Chance at Middle East Peace?

The two-state solution for Israel-Palestine will disappear for good if Obama doesn't move fast.

Henry Siegman
Iraq: The Necessary Withdrawal

The removal of US troops must be prompt, complete and coupled with smart diplomacy.

Juan Cole
Dismantling the Imperial Presidency

Don't assume that the end of the Bush administration marks the end of the imperial presidency he established.

Aziz Huq
A Green Stimulus for the People

Obama's environmental agenda can empower working people to take control of their energy use.

Lisa Margonelli
Beyond Rubinomics

If we stimulate the economy and maintain high rates of growth, higher wages will create the savings required for investment.

Jeff Madrick
A New New Deal?

Because conservatives refused to invest in our future, America is falling apart. Are we ready to expand the social contract?

Robert L. Borosage and Eric Lotke

Editorials

Les Payne’s Too-Quiet Departure

A legendary African-American journalist is cast off by Newsday, and the profession is poorer for it.

Peter Eisner
Vision for a New Foreign Policy

As a new president takes charge, it is time to talk together, to walk together and to work together. It is the only time we have.

Cora Weiss
In Gaza, the War of ’48 Continues

Israel must decide, once and for all, which path it will take: reach a courageous resolution to the conflict, or prolong it indefinitely.

Akiva Eldar
Israel’s New War Ethic

The masters of Israel's war on Gaza have fashioned a bizarre moral code that provides humanitarian assistance to the very civilians they are shooting at.

Neve Gordon
Israel in Gaza: Irrationality

It is not rational to believe that the Palestinians in the occupied territories will be terrorized by force and violence, by cruelty, by starvation or by slaughter into a docile acceptance of the Israeli occupation.

Wallace Shawn
A Memo to Obama on Israel

The following humble suggestions are based on my 70 years of experience as an underground fighter, member of the Knesset and founding member of a peace movement in Israel.

Uri Avnery
Israel’s War Crimes

Israel's assault on Gaza is a massive violation of international law. Nations that have supplied weapons and supported the siege are complicit in the crimes.

Richard Falk
The Kiss

Let us pause, amid the muddle of the moment in this season of renewal and fresh starts, to consider fundamental things.

JoAnn Wypijewski
Obama for America 2.0?

Barack Obama has mobilized the most connected national constituency in history. But can he use it to govern?

Ari Melber
Good God, Bad God

If Rick Warren, Barack Obama and the gay community can find common ground, it'll be on civil, not religious, grounds. So let's separate church and state.

Richard Kim
Noted.

A closer look at Obama's "green team," journalists behind bars and John Nichols on potential labor secretary Hilda Solis.

the Editors
Ideas for a New Era

It's time for progressives to create coalitions and craft smart strategies that will push Obama and the new Congress to seize this moment.

the Editors
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Columns

Moral Blindness on Gaza

Why are we--in the media, politics and intelligentsia--so indifferent to the death and destruction in the latest phase of this interminable conflict?

Robert Scheer
The Year in Political Sports

In 2008, the wall between sports and politics, which we are told is as immutable as Gibraltar, was not only challenged, it was thoroughly breached.

Dave Zirin
Gaza Clouds Obama’s Prospects

So, why didn't they give peace a chance? Why did the leaders of Hamas and Israel not wait for the incoming US president's inauguration before mutually escalating hostilities?

Robert Scheer
Cheney’s Legacy of Deception

In the end, the shame of Dick Cheney was total: unmitigated by any notion of a graceful departure, let alone the slightest obligation of honest accounting.

Robert Scheer
Say Good Night, Charlie

Cutting Charlie Rangel loose would prove just how serious Obama is about transforming Washington's toxic culture of self-enrichment.

Eric Alterman
A Lesson From Muntader Al-Zaida

These boots were made for... throwin'.

Calvin Trillin

Books and the Arts

BookExpo 2012, Los Angeles

The hottest titles exorcise ghosts from our political past.

Will Heinrich
The Uneasy Documentary Vision of Susan Meiselas

A new exhibit explores the remarkably sophisticated wellspring of social, political and ethical deliberation of Susan Meiselas' photography.

Paul Roth
Pinter: Bare-Knuckled Citizen Playwright

In the end, Harold Pinter devoted himself to defining "the real truth of our lives and our societies." Now that he's gone, his twenty-nine plays will continue that rude, honorable and turbulent work.

Margaret Spillane
Ranters and Corantos: Renaissance Journalism

A Folger Library exhibit examines Renaissance journalism and the birth of newspapers.

Richard Byrne
Back Talk: Tim Reiterman

A newsman who witnessed the carnage at Jonestown talks about the People's Temple, the power of images and the state of news.

Christine Smallwood
Point and Place: William Eggleston’s Vibrant Spaces

Democratic Camera: William Eggleston's grand and gorgeous retrospective at the Whitney Museum.

Barry Schwabsky
Living for the City: Robert Clifton Weaver’s Liberalism

A biography of Robert Clifton Weaver traces the life and times of an often misunderstood urban reformer.

Kim Phillips-Fein
The stakes are higher now than ever. Get The Nation in your inbox.

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Letters

Vietnam Revisited, Part Two

San Francisco; Taylor, Mich.

Our Readers and Nick Turse

Crossword

Puzzle No. 3152

ACROSS

Frank W. Lewis

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January 12, 2009 Issue

Features

Decades of civil war have all but destroyed once-progressive Sri Lanka. Now that the army is closing in on Tamil rebels, what chance is there for real peace now?

The credit crunch is hitting students hard, but is government aid going to shareholders and CEOs instead of the borrowers who need it most?

As Israel's bombardment of Gaza continues, a Nation contributor with roots in the region gives voice to the on-the-ground experience of those who have endured the attacks.

Israel's attack on Gaza has benefited the current leadership, especially Defense Minister Ehud Barak, in pre-election polling. But do they have an exit strategy?

The Episcopal Church's promotion of an openly gay clergyman has created a serious rift within the religious community, threatening the future of the denomination.

Lakhdar Brahimi, a leading UN troubleshooter in the Middle East weighs in on the crisis in Gaza and speculates on how it may affect Obama's presidency.

In the end, Harold Pinter devoted himself to defining "the real truth of our lives and our societies." Now that he's gone, his twenty-nine plays will continue that rude, honorable and turbulent work.

After a report in The Nation revealed how white residents of New Orleans shot at African-American men in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the city's police will launch an investigation.

The economic crisis was caused by world trade imbalances just as much as domestic problems.

The Obama administration simply cannot afford a confrontation with Russia, given the challenges we face elsewhere.

The two-state solution for Israel-Palestine will disappear for good if Obama doesn't move fast.

The removal of US troops must be prompt, complete and coupled with smart diplomacy.

Don't assume that the end of the Bush administration marks the end of the imperial presidency he established.

Obama's environmental agenda can empower working people to take control of their energy use.

If we stimulate the economy and maintain high rates of growth, higher wages will create the savings required for investment.

Because conservatives refused to invest in our future, America is falling apart. Are we ready to expand the social contract?

Editorials

A legendary African-American journalist is cast off by Newsday, and the profession is poorer for it.

As a new president takes charge, it is time to talk together, to walk together and to work together. It is the only time we have.

Israel must decide, once and for all, which path it will take: reach a courageous resolution to the conflict, or prolong it indefinitely.

The masters of Israel's war on Gaza have fashioned a bizarre moral code that provides humanitarian assistance to the very civilians they are shooting at.

It is not rational to believe that the Palestinians in the occupied territories will be terrorized by force and violence, by cruelty, by starvation or by slaughter into a docile acceptance of the Israeli occupation.

The following humble suggestions are based on my 70 years of experience as an underground fighter, member of the Knesset and founding member of a peace movement in Israel.

Israel's assault on Gaza is a massive violation of international law. Nations that have supplied weapons and supported the siege are complicit in the crimes.

Let us pause, amid the muddle of the moment in this season of renewal and fresh starts, to consider fundamental things.

Barack Obama has mobilized the most connected national constituency in history. But can he use it to govern?

If Rick Warren, Barack Obama and the gay community can find common ground, it'll be on civil, not religious, grounds. So let's separate church and state.

A closer look at Obama's "green team," journalists behind bars and John Nichols on potential labor secretary Hilda Solis.

It's time for progressives to create coalitions and craft smart strategies that will push Obama and the new Congress to seize this moment.

Subscribe Today and Save $129!

Columns

Why are we--in the media, politics and intelligentsia--so indifferent to the death and destruction in the latest phase of this interminable conflict?

In 2008, the wall between sports and politics, which we are told is as immutable as Gibraltar, was not only challenged, it was thoroughly breached.

So, why didn't they give peace a chance? Why did the leaders of Hamas and Israel not wait for the incoming US president's inauguration before mutually escalating hostilities?

In the end, the shame of Dick Cheney was total: unmitigated by any notion of a graceful departure, let alone the slightest obligation of honest accounting.

Cutting Charlie Rangel loose would prove just how serious Obama is about transforming Washington's toxic culture of self-enrichment.

These boots were made for... throwin'.

Books and the Arts

The hottest titles exorcise ghosts from our political past.

A new exhibit explores the remarkably sophisticated wellspring of social, political and ethical deliberation of Susan Meiselas' photography.

In the end, Harold Pinter devoted himself to defining "the real truth of our lives and our societies." Now that he's gone, his twenty-nine plays will continue that rude, honorable and turbulent work.

A Folger Library exhibit examines Renaissance journalism and the birth of newspapers.

A newsman who witnessed the carnage at Jonestown talks about the People's Temple, the power of images and the state of news.

Democratic Camera: William Eggleston's grand and gorgeous retrospective at the Whitney Museum.

A biography of Robert Clifton Weaver traces the life and times of an often misunderstood urban reformer.

The stakes are higher now than ever. Get The Nation in your inbox.

Letters

San Francisco; Taylor, Mich.

Crossword

ACROSS