Month: April 2004

US May be Fighting on Two Fronts Too Many

When U.S. troops backed by helicopter gunships attacked the Mehdi Army of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in the holy Shia city of Najaf, it is not clear who they killed. The US military says 64 Iraqi fighters were killed, but hospital officials in Najaf told the Arab satellite network al-Jazeera that several casualties appeared to … Continue reading “US May be Fighting on Two Fronts Too Many”

The Vanunu Campaign and Its Lessons

In November 1992 I traveled from the UK to the US, to join Sam Day Jr. for a speaking tour on behalf of the Vanunu campaign. By that time Mordechai Vanunu had been imprisoned for five years, held in a small cell in total isolation. Our tour began in Madison, Wisconsin – Sam Day’s home … Continue reading “The Vanunu Campaign and Its Lessons”

The Bloody Cost

Here’s another bit of evidence that when the United States condones the bloody ways of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Americans pay for it with their blood. I never saw this reported in the mainstream media, but libertarian Justin Raimondo quotes a group that claims credit for the murder and mutilation of four American mercenaries … Continue reading “The Bloody Cost”

Creating Homeless in Iraq

New families seem to arrive every hour at the Iraqi Red Crescent refugee camp in West Baghdad. The camp, the first tent city erected as a result of the U.S. assault on Fallujah first drew about 50 families, a small fraction of the tens of thousands of civilians forced to flee their homes. These were … Continue reading “Creating Homeless in Iraq”

Kipling’s Brutal Epitaph

At Versailles in 1919, delegates of four of the five victorious powers arrived with cold, clear ideas of what they must bring home. Japan demanded and got Germany’s islands north of the equator and Shantung in China. Italy demanded and got the Austrian South Tyrol, but was denied Fiume on the Adriatic, and left embittered. … Continue reading “Kipling’s Brutal Epitaph”

Neoconservatism Versus Libertarianism

Oh, how the neocons are squirming, and turning somersaults over Iraq, a performance the sight of which would be almost a pleasure to behold if not for the steep price of admission. New York Times columnist David Brooks’ soddily defiant mea culpa – which we covered in the last installment of this column – was … Continue reading “Neoconservatism Versus Libertarianism”

Another Oily Setback for Washington

Another blow has been dealt to the United States and its efforts to realign Iraq’s oil industry after a series of attempted suicide boat bomb attacks on Saturday on the key oil facility at Khor al-Amaya and on four oil tankers waiting to load at the main Basra terminal nearby in the south of the … Continue reading “Another Oily Setback for Washington”

‘Enemy Combatants’ Finally Before Supreme Court

After two years of litigation, the U.S. Supreme Court is finally set to decide whether the executive branch of the US government may detain alleged “enemy combatants” indefinitely without any judicial review of their status. Three cases – one of them argued before the nation’s highest court last week and the other two due to … Continue reading “‘Enemy Combatants’ Finally Before Supreme Court”