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Friday, May 16, 2008

Speaker: Noam Chomsky
Title: Iraq: The Forever War (lecture)

Imperial powers have historically cooked up great reasons to sell their wars to their people. The standard litany for aggression is self-defense, freedom, liberty and democracy. The attack on Iraq was not a mistake. It was a crime. And criminals should be brought to justice. But we don't have anyone in the political system that can utter those words. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said, "Impeachment is off the table." And the media? Surely the watchdog of democracy won't shy away from the truth. They'll tell the American people the hard facts. Sorry. The press corps is more like a press corpse. The crime of the war on Iraq and its now estimated, by Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, three trillion dollar cost will hasten the demise of the United States as a world power. Will anyone be held accountable?

Noam Chomsky, internationally renowned MIT professor, practically invented modern linguistics. In addition to his pioneering work in that field he has been a leading voice for peace and social justice. He is in huge demand as a public speaker all over the world. The New York Times calls him, "a global phenomenon, perhaps the most widely read voice on foreign policy on the planet." Author of scores of books, his latest are "The Essential Chomsky" and "What We Say Goes."

Friday, May 23, 2008

Speaker: Benjamin Barber
Title: Runaway Capitalism (lecture)

Our great leaders tell us what we already know, The economy is "sour." But no worries. At the end of the day all will be well. Just keep on shoppin.' Capitalism is the only game in town. Growth for growth's sake, without any attention paid to its consequences, is producing what one Canadian writer calls "The Cancer Stage of Capitalism." And like a cancer it will keep metastasizing until it kills its host. The economic system is predicated on constant expansion and growth. The gospel of consumerism is an unsustainable paradigm. What is required is a radical rethinking of basic assumptions. Yet virtually no politician is willing to speak the hard truth to citizens. They are tinkerers at best, suggesting cosmetic changes such as buying a hybrid car and recycling paper and glass. Other than that it's business as usual.

Benjamin Barber is a well-known scholar and political theorist. He is the author of many books including the bestseller Jihad vs. McWorld. His latest book is Consumed: The Fate of Citizens under Capitalism Triumphant.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Speaker: Steven Salaita
Title: Anti-Arab Racism (lecture)

Edward Said, the great Palestinian-American scholar commented that racism against Arabs is the last acceptable form of racism in the U.S. Arabs are constructed as the Other, dark and evil. There have been numerous Newsweek and Time magazine covers depicting angry, bearded Arabs, wearing a checkered kaffiyeh, and brandishing a weapon. Radio & TV talk show hosts compare Islam to fascism. Hollywood movies contribute greatly to negative images of Arabs. They are the enemy du jour. The conventional stereotype of Arabs usually consists of the following elements: They are all wealthy, barbaric, cunning, untrustworthy, mendacious, misogynist, cruel and sadistic. Perhaps the most bizarre comment about Arabs is that they are anti-Semites. Bizarre why? Arabs are Semites. Arabic is a Semitic language. In these formulaic constructions, repeated ad nauseum, an entire people and culture have been reduced to caricatures.

Steven Salaita is a professor at Virginia Tech. He's the author of Arab American Literary Fictions, Cultures and Politics. His latest book is Anti-Arab Racism in the USA.