Month: June 2004

How High Does the Abu Ghraib Scandal Go? Thank you for your excellent article. The terrifying and grossly illegal excuse offered by the Defense Department attorneys makes me ashamed of the legal profession – once again. The president’s powers derive SOLELY FROM THE CONSTITUTION of the United States. He cannot derive powers outside the limitations … Continue reading “”

BAGHDAD (IPS) – The Iraq issue today may never have arisen if it were not for the support former U.S. president Ronald Reagan gave Saddam Hussein. Reagan died Saturday June 5 in his Los Angeles home. Reagan’s two terms as President correspond roughly to the Iran-Iraq war, the longest conventional war of the 20th century. … Continue reading “Iraqi General: US Helped Us as We Used Chemical Weapons”

Here are some basic documents surrounding the Iraq prison abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib and elsewhere: Abu Ghraib Prison Photos (updated June 11) Justice Dept. Memo Justifying Torture, Aug. 1, 2002 (Released June 13) Pentagon Memo Legitimizing Torture from March 6, 2003 (Released June 9) Sworn Statements by Agu Ghraib Detainees (May 22) Video of … Continue reading “Iraq Prison Scandal Resources”

Near the main office of Moqtada Al-Sadr, in the part of Baghdad known as Sadr City, followers of the rebel cleric continue to fight the U.S. military despite suffering heavy losses. While the military claims to have killed more than 800 Iraqis, most of them fighters, during the last nine weeks in the sprawling urban … Continue reading “Iraqis Grow Weary of War, but Mehdi Army Pledges to Fight On”

A story is told in southern Xinjiang about the first carpet weaver, a princess named Gulem. One day, her father, the king of his realm, was hunting in the forest with his court advisors. A little bird flew from branch to branch following the king and singing into his ear. The king demanded that his … Continue reading “The End of a Golden Age in China”

TOKYO (IPS) – The filing of a suit against his own government by a Japanese activist, blaming it for his ordeal in Iraq when he was briefly held captive there, is an indication of a new side to Japan’s young people. More of them are heading overseas to troubled spots, in defiance of official warnings, … Continue reading “Backlash in Japan”

UNITED NATIONS (IPS) – As violence against civilians and humanitarian workers escalates in the world’s politically troubled regions, the United Nations and major relief groups continue to shy away from countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) or to significantly downsize their emergency operations. “We have no plans to return … Continue reading “Aid Agencies Forced to Leave War Zones”

The biggest single problem the federal government has is its hypocrisy. It talks one way and acts another. It talks of spreading democracy while supporting dictators; it blathers about human rights while violating them; and it claims to promote the rule of law while scoffing at laws it considers inconvenient. If the basis of our … Continue reading “Hypocrisy: The US Government’s Biggest Single Problem”

Conducted by Saul Landau on “Hot Talk” radio Cal Poly Pomona. Check out his other interviews. High Bandwidth (DSL or Cable modem): Low Bandwidth (dial-up modem): Alexander Cockburn is editor of CounterPunch and is the author of the just-published Imperial Crusades.

Two years ago Jose Padilla was arrested for allegedly being sent back here by al-Qaeda "to reconnoiter potential sites" for detonating a radiological dispersal device – sometimes referred to as a "dirty bomb." President Bush promptly designated Padilla an "enemy combatant" and he has been confined to a military prison ever since. Because the issue … Continue reading “Internet Nukes”