Washington Post – ZERO ANTHROPOLOGY

The WikiLeaks Case: Democracy Dies in Empire

In the avalanche of news reports that have washed over the globe since the abduction of Julian Assange, this conversation struck me as containing numerous points of importance. It seemed worthwhile to have some of these points transcribed and listed here. If you have seen it, then the select transcriptions beneath the video might serve […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

An Open Letter to the Media on the “Irony” of Snowden’s Request for Asylum in Venezuela and Ecuador

The supposed “irony” of whistle-blower Edward Snowden seeking asylum in countries such as Ecuador and Venezuela has become a media meme. Numerous articles, op-eds, reports and editorials in outlets such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, NPR, and MSNBC have hammered on this idea since the news first broke […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

Marketing the Martyr: Joan of Arc, Florence Nightingale…Paula Loyd

This post refers to three recent articles in the mainstream “news” media: Constable, Pamela. (2009). A terrain’s tragic shift: Researcher’s death intensifies scrutiny of U.S. cultural program in Afghanistan. Washington Post, February 18. Alpert, Bruce. (2009). Family of Afghan victim seeks to help her avenger. The Times-Picayune, February 14. Stockman, Farah. (2009). Anthropologist’s war death […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

Updates: Spy in Our Midst; Washington Post on Minerva

Concerning the post titled A SPY IN OUR MIDST, both the discussion has continued on this blog, with more blogs joining in and picking up on the Mother Jones story. See: If I Ran the Zoo‘s, “Small World, but not in a Disney Kind of Way.” See also Dylan Kerrigan’s “Anthropology and the Military” on […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

Washington Post: Military’s Social Science Grants Raise Alarm

A new article on the Pentagon’s Minerva Research Initiative is out now, by Maria Glod in The Washington Post, Sunday, August 3, 2008, titled “Military’s Social Science Grants Raise Alarm.”