Mr. Dickerson Goes to Yokota

By Maidhc Ó Cathail. Published in Kansai Time Out, April 2009.

A high-ranking U.S. Air Force officer and his Turkish wife, alleged to be part of an international weapons smuggling ring by an FBI whistleblower, moved to Yokota Air Force Base in Japan in 2006. According to former FBI translator Sibel Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel (then Major) Douglas Dickerson and her fellow translator Melek Can Dickerson tried to recruit her to this network in late 2001. If Edmonds is to be believed – and there seems little reason to doubt her credibility – the implications could be very serious for Japan.

Moon’s Millions: The Unholy War on Democracy

By Maidhc Ó Cathail. Published in the Kansai Time Out, October 2008.

Reverend Moon’s Unification Church is probably best known for its mass weddings of strangers. Less well-known, however, is the Korean cult’s political significance. For almost half a century, the Moonies have in fact played a crucial role in one of the world’s defining struggles – the right’s covert war against democracy.

The Dirty Secrets of Wildlife Conservationists

By Maidhc Ó Cathail. Published in Beo! September 2008.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is the world’s largest conservation organisation, with an income of $200 million a year. The WWF is familiar to most people with its easily recognisable symbol – the panda. Less well-known, however, is the secret history of this powerful organisation.

Who Will Guard the Guardians?

By Maidhc Ó Cathail. Published in Beo! July 2008.

Very few people today are unconcerned about pollution of the environment. And that’s certainly a good thing – up to a point. Without a healthy environment, our lives would certainly be much the poorer. But is there any danger that our fears about the environment are being exploited? Can we completely trust the leaders of the environmental movement? Could there be a hidden agenda?

He’s No Saint: The Dalai Lama’s Shadow Side

By Maidhc Ó Cathail. Published in Beo! May 2008.

When the Chinese government alleged that the Dalai Lama was behind the recent unrest in Tibet, the international media were incredulous. Since Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, is widely seen in the West as the personification of saintliness, the idea that he was fomenting the violence in his native land seemed preposterous. But might there be any basis to the Chinese claims?