Month: July 2008

Updated at 6:50 p.m. EDT, July 31, 2008At least 20 Iraqis were killed and 21 more were wounded in the latest violence. Among the dead are a Samarra family who were unarmed at the time U.S. troops attacked them in their home. Two U.S. servicemembers were killed in separate events. Meanwhile, President Bush said that … Continue reading “Thursday: 2 US Soldiers, 20 Iraqis Killed; 21 Iraqis Wounded”

A mushrooming media controversy pitting neoconservatives against a prominent Jewish-American political commentator could mark a new stage in the growing battle over who speaks for the US Jewish community on foreign policy issues, particularly regarding the Middle East. Time columnist Joe Klein’s accusations that Jewish neoconservatives, who played a particularly visible role in the drive … Continue reading “Neocon Flap Highlights Jewish Divide”

Amid rising speculation about the possibility of an Israeli or US bombing attack on Iranian nuclear facilities earlier this month, a major study produced for the US Air Force by a top defense think tank concluded that US military action against Iran was "likely to have negative effects for the United States.” The study, by … Continue reading “Air Force Think Tank Advises Against Iran Attack”

Members of Washington’s band of foreign policy realists are high-fiving each other these days. First there was the news that the Bush administration decided to have Undersecretary of State William Burns sit in the same room in Geneva with Iranian nuclear envoy Saeed Jalili and high-ranking diplomats from five other countries and try to negotiate … Continue reading “Peace Not Near on Middle East’s ‘Time Horizon’”

In the past ten days, bombs have ripped people apart in high profile, bloody locations like Baghdad and India, killed more in relatively safe locations like Kunming and Istanbul and scared others in Spain. The world is on fire and Beijing is about to party. In China, unconfirmed reports of bomb threats, apprehended terrorists and … Continue reading “The World Under Fire”

A fascinating media phenomenon could be observed last week, following the arrest of Radovan Karadzic, wartime leader of the Bosnian Serbs. Anyone who was even tangentially involved in the 1990s events in Bosnia rushed forth to offer their thoughts; ex-diplomats and politicians, journalists and commentators used Karadzic’s capture as an opportunity to remind the world … Continue reading “Bosnia’s Problem”

Some neoconservatives in Washington are obsessed with attacking Iran before President Bush leaves office at the end of this year. Hence, they have been pushing the Bush administration for increased economic and political isolation of Iran in order to weaken its current regime. Crucial to this plan is the support of Turkey, a traditional U.S. … Continue reading “Why Are Neocons Attacking Turkey?”

If Barack Obama’s idea of ending the occupation in Iraq is to transfer most of the troops to Afghanistan, he won’t have accomplished much. He’s right that we should not be in Iraq, but we also shouldn’t be in Afghanistan. Our sole interest in Afghanistan should be to get Osama bin Laden. After that, we … Continue reading “Quagmire Exchange”

Updated at 6:15 p.m. EDT, July 30, 2008At least eight Iraqis were killed and 12 others were wounded during the latest attacks. The D.O.D. reported the death of a Marine, while the parents of a gravely injured U.S. soldier are expected to remove him from life support today. Meanwhile, security forces are conducting a mostly … Continue reading “Wednesday: 1 US Marine, 8 Iraqis Killed; 12 Iraqis Wounded”

The first historian, the Ionian Greek Herodotus, known as the "father of history," has also been called the "father of lies" because of his reluctance to spoil a good story with the truth. Today the neoconservatives twist history to fit their political agenda. The National Review‘s house historian and Dick Cheney favorite Victor Davis Hanson … Continue reading “The Father of Lies”