On July 16, I attended Christians United for Israel's annual Washington-Israel Summit. Founded by San Antonio-based megachurch pastor John Hagee, CUFI has added the grassroots muscle of the Christian right to the already potent Israel lobby.

Hagee and his minions have forged close ties with the Bush White House and members of Congress from Sen. Joseph Lieberman to Sen. John McCain.

In its call for a unilateral military attack on Iran and the expansion of Israeli territory, CUFI has found unwavering encouragement from traditional pro-Israel groups like AIPAC and elements of the Israeli government.

But CUFI has an ulterior agenda: its support for Israel derives from the belief of Hagee and his flock that Jesus will return to Jerusalem after the battle of Armageddon and cleanse the earth of evil.   more »

A case that has just ended at the Old Bailey criminal court in London throws light on how far the 'war on terror' has taken us.

The case involves a schoolboy and four Muslim students at Bradford University who have been convicted of “possessing articles for terrorism”—in other words, downloading radical Islamic material from the Internet.

Yes, that's it. Five young British Muslim men have been jailed for downloading and sharing information. During their trial they argued that they were not terrorists but intellectually curious.

If I were a Muslim, I too would be interested in radical literature.   more »

At the root of those seemingly unrelated events is a single new reality, one that could portend trouble for the broader US economy: The era of cheap money appears to be ending.

For years, easy credit had fueled a seemingly effortless rise in financial markets, “but now, the investors who a few months ago were willing to lend money to Wall Street at low interest rates, on loose terms, are balking as they worry about having to pay the price for lax lending standards.

The trouble started in one of the shakiest sectors of finance, home mortgages for people with bad credit, but it is spreading.

As easy credit dries up, some huge corporate deals are being delayed and could unravel. The question now is how far will the pain spread, and how many people will get hurt as it does.   more »

The Tour is a race apart and professional cyclists, in particular, have long felt exploited by the extreme expectations of their sport The team managers, harassed by commercial pressures, feel doping is justifiable. And in some ways, why shouldn’t they?

The Tour de France doesn't inhabit a sporting Utopia that is free of the temptations of everyday life.

In that sense, the old-fashioned values of sport that we grew up with — the value of fair play, the importance of being an honourable winner and a good loser — have long been irrelevant.

What is unforgivable is the way in which riders are blamed for taking drugs. Who do you think provides them with those drugs? Who pushes the riders to extremes of endurance?   more »

The first truth of American foreign policy is that it is formulated to maximise corporate profits and state power.

The second truth is that it is perennially sold to the public as a mission to spread freedom, democracy and human rights.

The third truth is that the first two truths apply regardless of whether the Republicans or Democrats hold power.

The first truth of British foreign policy is that it is also formulated to serve elite power.

The second truth is that it is rooted in unwavering support for US policy, including participation in attacks on defenceless Third World targets - the reason London, not Stockholm, has been subject to September 11-style suicide attacks.   more »