Also, Bob shared that he’ll be in Eygpt and Gaza from 27 December, so we’ll be hoping to bring you news from him during his trip. Watch out for updates.

We like to include information on how you can intervene in the news stories we cover: see this call from JustForeignPolicy.org about asking your representative to sign onto the letters being circulated.

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Indymedia Radio

Will also be available shortly on AudioPort (login required).

We start in Afghanistan, and discuss the likelihood (and impact) of an escalation in U.S. troop numbers. Bob points to a day of action next Monday, where Peace Action West and others are urging supporters to call the Whitehouse to oppose an escalation.

We then move to Honduras, and discuss recent State Department statements which have garnered praise from supporters of the coup, and corresponding criticism from figures such as Senator Kerry and Rep. Berman. In talking about the situation on the ground I pointed to Bill Taylor of the Primary Communications Project, who has been working with Radio Lenca, one of the few pro-Zelaya broadcast outlets still on the air in Honduras. We note that it seems difficult to believe that the conditions for a free and fair election exist in an environment which has seen assassinations of Zelaya supporters.

GEO members celebrate after their successful strike earlier this week (credit: Ben Seese)

Finally, we move back to Urbana, Illinois, and talk about the succcessful strike by the Graduate Employees’ Organization, defending the continued existence of tuition waivers for graduate employees – and by extension intervening to ensure the accessibility of graduate education.

The version uploaded this evening (Thursday) is a fairly rough version, as I want to get it up for broadcast on WRFU this evening. I have audio courtesy of Joe of I-Resist that I hope to use to supplement our studio-based conversation, but that’s going to have to wait for later this evening or tomorrow.

ACE 2009-11-19 on Radio4All.net

Indymedia Radio copy

With Bob, we started by talking about how the DNC compared to other protest events, then talked about Kucinich’s speech and the importance of international law. I mentioned a new Pew survey (showing that people feel they know more about Obama’s personal story than his policies) as a segue into a discussion of where Obama stands on foreign policy. We then discussed the IVAW rally at the DNC, and closed our DNC focus by talking about a rumoured raid on Indymedia space in Denver. To finish, I asked Bob about significant events in the world this week, and he gave some context on the Gaza convoy, pointed to the continued discussions on a ‘Status of Forces’ agreement (SOFA) in Iraq, as well as to new signs that the Afghan government is interested in having a SOFA to govern US forces in Afghanistan.

During our discussion, Bob mentioned a video he produced of a Code Pink rally, which was included in his blog post on Common Dreams. I promised a link (there’s also a link to Kucinich’s speech in there).

There was also mention of the Blue Dog party hosted by AT&T (to thank them for the gift of retroactive immunity). More from Glenn Greenwald of Salon here. Further DNC coverage from the Colorado IMC.

Next week we’ll be at the RNC.

Audio now up at Radio.Indymedia (mp3), Audioport (mp3), Radio4All

• We start, as usual, with the Panos Institute news bulletin.
• Ecuador is in the process of putting in place a ban on foreign military bases
• Chevron using the US Trade Representative to put pressure on Ecuador and resist an environmental lawsuit. The money quote? We Can’t Let Little Countries Screw Around With Big Companies
• Disputes in Bolivia about attempts to reform constitution. Rich, white provinces (illegally) undertake ‘autonomy’ referendums to protect their privilege.
• Venezuela’s Citgo to offer Venezuelan coffee at their service stations. Post-air update: this is currently a pilot program in Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia, and Citgo will expand it if there is interest.
• AIPAC-backed Congressional resolution calling for blockade of Iran losing steam. Four original sponsors have now revoked their support.
• Ultimatum on ‘Freeze for Freeze’ proposal coming up this weekend.
• Possibilities of a US ‘interests section’ in Iran.
• Prof. Francis Boyle of Illinois says Iran should sue the USA in the International Court of Justice. We discuss the positive normative and diplomatic aspects of such a move. A video interview with Prof. Boyle is available on YouTube.
• US still negotiating ‘security agreement’ with Iraq – have now missed their original deadline. We discuss the issue of ‘permanent’ and ‘enduring’ bases.
• Iraqi government supports Obama’s call for a timetable on withdrawal.
• Increased opposition to calls for more troops being sent to Afghanistan – even Thomas Friedman has criticized Obama’s calls for more troops.

We’ve fallen a little behind in posting shows to the site (I’ve concentrated on getting them onto Audioport during some recent travels). I plan to clear the backlog and get them up soon, probably as a combined post.