The Power Problem: How American Military Dominance Makes Us Less Safe, Less Prosperous, and Less Free Christopher Preble Cornell University Press, 2009 Although there has always been some animosity between some Antiwar.com and some Cato Institute people, I don’t share in that animosity. Is either organization perfect? No. Welcome to reality. But both organizations are …
Continue reading “Hail Christopher Preble”
What country does the US fail to officially recognize, and yet is legally bound to defend? The answer is Taiwan, otherwise known as the Republic of China (ROC), a country born as the last redoubt of Chiang Kai-shek and his Nationalist army, which fled to the island in 1949 after being routed on the mainland …
Continue reading “Will the Dragon Awake?”
Sometimes it pays to read a news story to the last paragraph where a reporter can slip in that little gem for the news jockeys, or maybe just for the hell of it. You know, the irresistible bit that doesn’t fit comfortably into the larger news frame, but that can be packed away in the …
Continue reading “Seven Days in January”
Attacks continued against Shi’ite pilgrims walking to Karbala for Arbaeen observances. Southern Baghdad seemed especially dangerous for the pilgrims who are often traveling on foot. Overall, at least six Iraqis were killed and 17 more were wounded across the country.
A 45-million-dollar program funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) that has been in place for nearly two years in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) has failed to develop local government agencies to ensure delivery of basic services, according to an audit by USAID’s inspector general. he three-year project is run by …
Continue reading “US Aid Program for Pakistan Frontier a Flop, Audit Says”
An increase in violence targeting Shi’ite pilgrims added to today’s casualty figures. At least five Iraqis were killed and 41 more were wounded in sectarian and other assaults. Hundreds of thousands of Shi’ites are now traveling to Karbala for Arbaeen observances. Many are on foot, making them more vulnerable; however, the worst attack that occurred was against security personnel in Samarra. Meanwhile, a second prominent Iraqi leader is now threatening to declare a boycott of upcoming elections and perhaps throw the entire country into disarray. Also, the Islamic State in Iraq claimed responsibility for a blast at a crime lab on Tuesday.
In a surprisingly swift move on Thursday night that could have wide-ranging implications, the U.S. Senate passed a bill containing broad unilateral sanctions to punish foreign companies that export gasoline to Iran or help expand its domestic refinery capabilities. The voice vote came at the eleventh hour before the chamber recessed so legislators could go …
Continue reading “Obama Losing Control of Iran Policy”
And will make the govt more powerful, says Muhammad Sahimi
Mel Frykberg interviews MAHMOUDI RAMAHI, secretary-general of the Palestinian Legislative Council RAMALLAH – Palestinian politics are at an impasse. The four-year term of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) ended on Jan. 25 with no new elections planned. Presidential elections, meant to be held last year, were also postponed indefinitely. IPS spoke with Dr. Mahmoud Ramahi, …
Continue reading “‘Hamas Accepts Existence of Israel Within 1967 Borders’”
Television viewers in the United States seeking international news are starting to switch over to foreign channels to learn what is happening in the outside world, media watchers here say. "They are comparable to CNN," said Steve Randall, about television news channels such as Russia Today, Al Jazeera, CCTV of China, and the Press TV …
Continue reading “Foreign News Channels Drawing US Viewers” 
