30 November 2009 | Uncategorized | Norman Solomon
An underlying conceit of the new spin about benchmarks and timetables for
Afghanistan is the notion that pivotal events there can be choreographed from
Washington. So, a day ahead of the president’s Tuesday night speech, the New
York Times quoted an unnamed top administration official saying: "He
[...]
16 Comments
30 November 2009 | Uncategorized | Jim Lobe
Iran’s announced intention to build 10 new nuclear enrichment plants has
been deemed "unacceptable" by the administration of President Barack
Obama, which warned Monday of increased pressure on Tehran if it does not soon
accept Western proposals to curb its nuclear program.
The contretemps, which came amid reports that [...]
24 Comments
30 November 2009 | Uncategorized | Margaret Griffis
Updated at 6:59 p.m. EST, Nov. 30 2009
The Health Ministry reported the lowest casualty figures since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. According to their figures, less than 100 Iraqis were killed in November; howver, at least four Iraqis were killed and 15 more were wounded, many after the release of those results. The Eid al-Adha winds down today, so reports should normalize in the next day or so.
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29 November 2009 | Uncategorized | Justin Raimondo
Although we already
know what President Obama is going to be selling this Tuesday – a radical
escalation of the Afghan war involving 30,000 or more troops – we don’t yet
know what his sales pitch will be like. Can the peerless rhetorician apply his
skills to [...]
24 Comments
29 November 2009 | Uncategorized | Jeff Huber
President Obama will announce his big decision about Afghanistan on Tuesday.
The sanctioned leaks about what he’ll say are coming fast and furious.
According to various reports, he’ll commit somewhere between 30,000 and 34,000
extra U.S. troops to the region. When he announces that, NATO
nations will maybe send [...]
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29 November 2009 | Uncategorized | David R. Henderson
Introduction
My local chapter of Libertarians for Peace, co-founded by local libertarian
activist Lawrence Samuels and me in 2005, joined the Peace Coalition of Monterey
County (PCMC) about three years ago. I think we are the only non-Left group
in the 20-plus member coalition. The PCMC includes two religious organizations [...]
7 Comments
29 November 2009 | Uncategorized | Margaret Griffis
Updated at 7:49 p.m. EST, Nov. 29, 2009
The Eid al-Adha holiday continued without any major incidents; nonetheless, at least four Iraqis were killed and nine more were wounded across the country. Also, a U.S. soldier died of non-combat injuries south of Baghdad.
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28 November 2009 | Uncategorized | Gareth Porter
Contrary to the official portrayal of the Afghan National Army (ANA) as ethnically
balanced, the latest data from U.S. sources reveal that the Tajik minority now
accounts for far more of its troops than the Pashtuns, the country’s largest
ethnic group.
The massive shift in the ethnic composition of ANA [...]
4 Comments
28 November 2009 | Uncategorized | William Fisher
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case challenging a law that critics
say treats human rights advocates as criminal terrorists, and threatens them
with 15 years in prison for advocating nonviolent means to resolve disputes.
The case is known as Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project, and is the first [...]
8 Comments
28 November 2009 | Uncategorized | Margaret Griffis
The continuing Eid al-Adha holiday may be limiting reporting from Iraq, but it has not stopped acrimonious reflection on the political process in the country. A compromise on the elections law debate is awaiting Kurdish approval. At least 11 Iraqis were wounded in attacks across central and northern Iraq.
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