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Natasha Hunter

Natasha Hunter is a former American Prospect writing fellow.

Recent Articles

Slick Oil:

Natasha HunterApr 02, 2002

For all the attention being paid to drilling for oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) so as to -- here's that tired phrase again -- "reduce our dependence on foreign oil," few are listening to what the U.S. industry itself has to say about its possible future windfall. The answer? Not much.

Killer Logic:

Natasha HunterMar 21, 2002

Another group has slid between the sheets of the strange bedfellows club supporting drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). In addition to the Teamsters, the Bush administration has enlisted veterans' groups -- including the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and AMVETS -- in its push to tap ANWR. The connection, you may wonder? As the argument goes, domestic oil production lessens our dependence on imported oil, which thus reduces the need for our boys to go abroad and die defending US oil interests. And that's something veterans, who know the hell of war, can support. Right?

Team Player?

Natasha HunterMar 13, 2002

Kudos to Dana Milbank for cataloging the rash of Bush administration family hirings in his recent Washington Post column (and he had the deftness not to even mention George W.'s own political head start). The inventory reads a bit like a scatterbrained rendition of "Dem Bones," with brothers and daughters and sons-in-law all connected in a government body united almost as much by DNA as by political ties.

Dem Relatives:

Natasha HunterMar 13, 2002

Kudos to Dana Milbank for cataloging the rash of Bush administration family hirings in his recent Washington Post column (and he had the deftness not to even mention George W.'s own political head start). The inventory reads a bit like a scatterbrained rendition of "Dem Bones," with brothers and daughters and sons-in-law all connected in a government body united almost as much by DNA as by political ties.

Fast Track and the Loss of Popular Sovereignty

Natasha HunterDec 19, 2001

"Unprecedented" is a word being thrown around in discussion of the Fast Track bill, scheduled for what now looks to be a cliff-hanger vote in the House on Thursday. But as several lawmakers and watchdog groups have pointed out, one need look no further than NAFTA Chapter 11 for some ugly forecasts of what's to come if the fast-track legislation -- H.R. 3005 -- is passed.

NAFTA's Chapter 11 investment rules have allowed the Canadian-based Methanex corporation, for instance, to sue the United States for $1 billion because of a California law that phases out MTBE, a gas additive and carcinogen found to be contaminating the state's water. And this is only one of 15 cases that companies in the three NAFTA countries have pursued, with claims totaling over $13 billion.

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