Human Rights
21st January 2022
Three new books by James Kelman have just been published by PM Press of California. This must be an exciting time for both Kelman fans and for Kelman Studies. One new novel, one collection of essays, and and a philosophical debate between Kelman and Noam Chomsky -it's a lot to chew on. So The Drouth is delighted to be producing the first reviews of these new works. The final piece in our Kelman series is a review of his new collection of essays by researcher and writer Federica Giardino.
22nd October 2021
The absurdities of the American War in Afghanistan -backed by their allies- are exposed here by Owen Dudley Edwards. As another view of the tragedy it is heartbreaking in its farcical detail, and recounts a sorry tale which, despite withdrawal of US and allied troops, is far from over for the people of the region.
10th October 2021
Bombarded with multiple narratives on the ongoing tragedy of Afghanistan it's easy to see why many people might shrug and turn away leaving it as a dangerous and desperate void of suffering... 'The US have learnt nothing' writes Muhammad Idrees Ahmad, and does the world a huge service by getting to the heart of the complex Afghan matter with concision, clear-sightedness and neutrality
23rd December 2020
'Our public spaces are not designed for female bodies', runs the blurb on on Leslie Kerns' book feminist city published by Verso. Writer and housing activist Andrea Gibbons takes a critical read, and ponders on why our cities are still made for and by 'mostly men', and what are the possibilities for other, better cities for all sorts of bodies and beyond the already charted pathways...
16th December 2020
The Brereton Report, commonly named so after the leader of investigations, NSW Supreme Court Judge Paul Brereton, was published in November 2020, seventy-five years after the Nuremberg Trials began. The Report found evidence of war crimes committed by the Australian Defence Force troops in Afghanistan between 2009-13. Shannon Maree Torrens discusses the situation in Australia. In an age where 'sovereignty' is much discussed (and much superficially in Brexit) this piece shows us something of where the life and death issues of the question really lie.
TRANSMISSIONS FOR UKRAINE
by
Michail Mersinis