Month: May 2004

The first time they allowed Brandon Mayfield any visitors, he reached out toward the heavy glass partition and spoke into the telephone, trying to reassure his wife and mother: “Even after the FBI had searched his house, carried away belongings and confiscated credit cards and checkbooks – without charging him with a crime – Mayfield … Continue reading “Why Ashcroft Must Go”

When the U.S. state department shyly released a human rights report two weeks ago amidst an international outcry over U.S. soldiers’ abuse of Iraqi prisoners, it slipped in some tough talk on media freedom – against the practice, not for it as would be expected. Lorne Craner, deputy assistant secretary for democracy and human rights, … Continue reading “Washington Pushes Freedom – But Not for Al-Jazeera”

While U.S. troops continue to damage mosques in heavy fighting against resistance forces they say are holed up in holy sites of Kufa and Kerbala, men in the Sadr City area of Baghdad rushed yesterday to join the Mehdi Army, a militia force loyal to rebel cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr. The recruitment surge followed bloody overnight … Continue reading “Sadr’s Militia Grows”

Iraq could be heading for a far worse situation in weeks ahead, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) warns in its annual report published Tuesday. The IISS, one of the world’s leading institutions for strategic relations, paints a bleak picture for Iraq and for the United States in Iraq. Leading decision-makers are expected to … Continue reading “Report: US Needed 500,000 Troops to Pacify Iraq”

The U.S. government says Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia is nothing more than a deserter who disobeyed direct orders to return to his army unit in Iraq. Mejia does not deny that he refused to go back. He says he witnessed abuse and mistreatment of prisoners at a detention camp outside the Baghdad airport, including mock … Continue reading “Green Card Recruits Get a Raw Deal”

I recently received an invitation to speak at a conference at Ft. Bragg on psychological operations, or psyops. Regrettably, a schedule conflict prevented me from accepting, but the invitation got me thinking: what are psyops in Fourth Generation war (4GW)? It is clear what they are not: leaflets saying, “No on can hope to fight … Continue reading “Psyops In Fourth Generation War”

“Nitwit pundits and Sunday morning television sages, with that faked look of thoughtfulness which is their trademark, talk about an exit strategy – as if it were just one more Mapquest printout. But any such exit strategy will lead us only on a short path to hell.” So writes Tony Blankley, editorial editor at The … Continue reading “Escalation vs. Exit: The Costs of Both”

Motives for 9/11 I didn’t "get" September 11. It was worthy of a Hollywood summer blockbuster in terms of spectacle, and had immense symbolic value, but I was never sure exactly what bin Laden was up to. …. I had to start from the premise that bin Laden isn’t dumb. After all, he pulled off … Continue reading “”

Stephen Cambone, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld‘s right-hand man, was for the first time caught in the glare of media attention as part of the congressional inquiry into Iraq prison abuses. Under sharp questioning by a few senators on May 11, 2004, Cambone vigorously defended both Rumsfeld and Douglas Feith, undersecretary of defense for policy. … Continue reading “Who is Stephen Cambone?”

Launching a new effort to stem the plummeting loss in public confidence in his Iraq policy, U.S. President George W. Bush reiterated his commitment to bringing "freedom" and self-government to Baghdad and warned that US failure will "only mark the beginning of peril and violence." Addressing a respectful and unusually restrained group of mid- and … Continue reading “Bush Offers Nothing New Except Prison”