United States
United States
Fair Observer provides inclusive, insightful and non-partisan analysis of important American issues, events and trends.
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In 2009, a Department of Homeland Security report on right wing extremism in the United States caused a media outrage that led to the DHS Domestic Terrorism Unit being shut down. Three years on, the author of the report outlines the consequences of its dismissal by the federal government. Violent, domestic non-Islamic extremism (specifically, the anti-government, xenophobic and racist variety) is a growing threat in the United States and Europe. This threat emanates from extremist belief systems that represent a broad range of religious, political and social causes. In the United States, the rightwing extremist movement consists primarily of white supremacists, militia extremists,...
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By Mark PotokIn the second part of his report on right-wing extremism in the United States, Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center breaks down its multiple components. Anti-gay Groups The LGBT community made significant advances in 2011, with the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy on gay men and lesbians in the military, the growing acceptance of same-sex marriage by Americans and the legalization of such bonds in New York state. But it was precisely these advances that seemed to set off a furious rage on the religious right, with renewed efforts to ban or repeal marriage equality and what seemed to be an intensification of anti-gay propaganda in certain quarters...
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By Mark PotokIn the second part of his report on right-wing extremism in the United States, Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center breaks down its multiple components. Anti-gay Groups The LGBT community made significant advances in 2011, with the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy on gay men and lesbians in the military, the growing acceptance of same-sex marriage by Americans and the legalization of such bonds in New York state. But it was precisely these advances that seemed to set off a furious rage on the religious right, with renewed efforts to ban or repeal marriage equality and what seemed to be an intensification of anti-gay propaganda in certain quarters...
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By Mark PotokThe American civil rights NGO Southern Poverty Law Center has registered a dramatic increase in so-called “hate groups" in the United States since 2008, attributing it to the economic crisis, immigration, mistrust of the government, and the election of an African-American president. The radical right grew explosively in 2011, the third such dramatic expansion in as many years. The growth was fueled by superheated fears generated by economic dislocation, a proliferation of demonizing conspiracy theories, the changing racial makeup of America, and the prospect of four more years under a black president who many on the far right view as an enemy to their country. The number of...
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By Mark PotokThe American civil rights NGO Southern Poverty Law Center has registered a dramatic increase in so-called “hate groups" in the United States since 2008, attributing it to the economic crisis, immigration, mistrust of the government, and the election of an African-American president. The radical right grew explosively in 2011, the third such dramatic expansion in as many years. The growth was fueled by superheated fears generated by economic dislocation, a proliferation of demonizing conspiracy theories, the changing racial makeup of America, and the prospect of four more years under a black president who many on the far right view as an enemy to their country. The number of...
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2012 / 360° Analysis / Debate / Elections / obama / Obama Debate / Politics / POTUS / President / Presidential Debate / Romney / Romney Debate / United StatesBy Fact BlinkThe third US presidential debate took place last night, the 22nd of October, on the topic of foreign policy. Over the course of the campaign, the Romney camp has argued that unrest in the Middle East reflects the ‘unraveling of the Obama doctrine,’ while President Obama and his deputy, Joe Biden, have stressed how unlike in the past, when the US acted alone, the world is now united behind America – for example, in imposing strict sanctions on Iran. So who is right about Obama’s effect on America’s global standing? The data offer something for both sides. While European and Latin American perceptions of the US have improved considerably since the...
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360° Analysis / Ivory Coast / Nigeria / Politics / Somalia / Sudan / Uganda / United States / AfricaBy Matteo FigusBarack Obama’s policy towards Africa has probably not lived up to the expectations that accompanied his election, but instead managed to create an intense debate paving the way for a total change of direction. When Barack Obama was elected in 2008, expressions of joy were seen across the world, especially in Africa. His origins, the first black American president, created among Africans the expectation that finally the continent would be placed at the top of the agenda. The years 2008-2012, instead brought turmoil, disillusionment and even some sort of rancorous reflection on Obama’s African legacy. What is the reality and how to assess Obama’s policy? In June 2012, Obama...
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360° Analysis / Humanitarian / Iraq / Lebanon / Politics / Syria / United States / Middle EastThe recent assassination of Wissam al-Hassan in Beirut, brings us one step closer to more war and chaos in the Middle East. Given the history of widespread violence and the implications for the US, why are the largest of the American charities — many of which have provided billions of dollars worth of US government relief assistance in the region for over 60 years — so silent? I first succumbed to the notion of working in a humanitarian effort overseas in 1981. Before that I had been a soldier and a manager of a small business. Of course, the reasons for this transition were mixed but among them was the ambition to right some wrongs. As a newcomer, I was sent to war —...
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Barack Obama / Debates / Elections 2012 / Mitt Romney / Paul Ryan / Politics / Politics News / United States / Focus Articleby Roberton Williams In the second Presidential debate, Mitt Romney repeated the idea that he could pay for much or all of the 20 percent rate reduction and other tax cuts in his tax plan by capping itemized deductions at $25,000. He had previously suggested a $17,000 cap in an interview and, in the first debate, $25,000 or $50,000 caps—and possibly phasing deductions out entirely for high-income taxpayers. Capping deductions would raise revenue in a highly progressive way but how much revenue and how progressive depend on the cap. Itemized deductions disproportionately benefit high-income taxpayers for three reasons: High-income taxpayers are more likely to itemize...