The Haunting
Nebojsa Malic on the EU and the Ghost of Yugoslavia
Month: May 2012
A Drone-Eat-Drone World
Nick Turse on the new Terminator Planet
We Interrupt This Column…
Justin Raimondo on our fund drive
Iraq: 20 Killed, 60 Wounded As Baghdad Sees String of Attacks
At least 20 Iraqis were killed and 60 more were wounded across the country. Meanwhile, Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi’s trial in absentia resumed briefly today.
The Moral Challenge of ‘Kill Lists’
In an extraordinary article in Tuesday’s New York Times, “Secret ‘Kill List’ Proves a Test of Obama’s Principles and Will,” authors Jo Becker and Scott Shane throw macabre light on the consigliere-cum-priestly role that counterterrorist adviser John Brennan provides President Barack Obama. At the outset, Becker and Shane note that, although Obama vowed to “align … Continue reading “The Moral Challenge of ‘Kill Lists’”
The Secret Kill List
The leader of the government regularly sits down with his senior generals and spies and advisers and reviews a list of the people they want him to authorize their agents to kill. They do this every Tuesday morning when the leader is in town. The leader once condemned any practice even close to this, but … Continue reading “The Secret Kill List”
The Washington Post Gets Tough With Iran
Many Washington pundits understand that the conclusion of a tale very much depends on where one starts. The starting point is how the argument is framed, and if the reader accepts the initial premises, then the rest of the case being made falls into place. Many of the all-too-familiar voices in the foreign policy community … Continue reading “The Washington Post Gets Tough With Iran”
Iraqi President Rejects No Confidence Vote for Prime Minister
President Jalal Talabani presided over the latest meeting of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s critics, but refused to call a “no confidence” vote in parliament for them. One Iraqi was killed in new violence and several more were wounded.
Heroes and Villains
I was going to defend Chris Hayes, the MSNBC host whose pre-Memorial Day comments provoked the wingnut-osphere into one of its frequent paroxysms of hate. You can go here to hear his remarks, but the gist of it is he said he hesitated to call each and every one of our soldiers “heroes” because: “It … Continue reading “Heroes and Villains”
A Bipartisan Assault on Middle East Peace
Earlier this month, the House of Representatives passed a dangerous piece of legislation, H.R. 4133, which would undermine the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, weaken Israeli moderates and peace advocates, undercut international law, further militarize the Middle East, and make Israel ever more dependent on the United States. The margin was an overwhelming 411-2, with eight abstentions. … Continue reading “A Bipartisan Assault on Middle East Peace”