PRAGOTI

If the nuclear weapon state (NWS)-parties to the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty are at all serious about implementing Article – VI, at the 2010 NPT Review Conference they would have given binding unqualified negative security assurance to Non-NWS, consent to a no-first-use pledge between the NWS, agree to de-alert all deployed nuclear weapons, and take necessary steps to begin preparations for holding a nuclear weapons convention. Without these binding commitments, every other step would merely amount to an exercise in futility.

Vijay Prashad comments on the reactions to the Fort Hood massacre in the US, where more than a dozen people were shot dead by a US military man.

Only two members of the Congressional Black Caucus mustered the courage to oppose a House Resolution in support of Israel's savage assault on Gaza, last week. An additional seven CBC members sought cover by voting "present." The remaining 30 Black lawmakers (the delegates from Washington, DC and the Virgin Islands cannot vote on the House floor) gave their assent to a statement that could have been written by the Israeli government - and probably was,writes Glen Ford.

Philip Agee ,a former CIA covert operations officer,who now lives in Havana,writes about how United States imports subversion and civic unrest to overthrow Governments hostile to it.