Internet Pirates Face Walking the Plank in Sweden

A criminal trial underway in Sweden is testing a very American notion: that artifacts that carry a copyright should not simply be lifted or stolen — that their use requires permission and compensation. That definition of intellectual property may appear almost quaint in these days when it is easy to find almost anything on the Internet and just as simple to download.

Share

Is Obama Ready for a Hard-Right Israel?

After weeks of wrangling following the general election earlier this month, Benjamin Netanyahu is set to become Israel’s Prime Minister for the second time, putting Israel on a potential collision course with its Palestinians partners, its Arab neighbors and perhaps even its American ally.

Share

After the Stimulus, Can Obama Tame the Deficit?

Barack Obama calls them the Propeller-Heads, the cheerful band of financial nerds he has charged with saving America’s economy. And on the Friday before Presidents’ Day weekend, they were ready to show him the latest piece of their rescue plan: the 2010 federal budget. Having just squeezed through Congress what may be the largest spending bill in history, the President now needed to do something that would make the stimulus fight look easy: show the country and the world that he was as serious about preventing waste as he was about promoting growth

Share

The Case for a Truth Commission

More than 30 years ago, a special Senate investigation peered into abuses that included spying on the American people by their own government. The findings by Senator Frank Church’s committee, drawn from testimony spanning 800 witnesses and thousands of pages of government documents, revealed how powerful government surveillance tools were misused against the American people

Share

Afghan supply base eviction prompts U.S. access scramble

Kyrgyzstan said Friday its president has ordered the closure of U.S. military’s only base in Central Asia, further squeezing access for troops and supplies heading into Afghanistan. However, the closure comes as two other central Asian nations — Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – reportedly agreed to allow transit of U.S

Share