Month: September 2004

Sgt. Samuel Provance sealed his fate as a soldier on May 21, 2004, when he went on record with ABC News. His experiences as a U.S. Army junior noncommissioned officer since committing one of the greatest imaginable mistakes in service – speaking out to the news media – have left him dazed, afraid, wondering and … Continue reading “Soldier for the Truth: Sgt. Samuel Provance”

NEW DELHI – As attacks against the media in the disturbed Himalayan kingdom of Nepal continue unchecked, international media organization Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) warns this will impact independent reporting in the region. The organization is supporting efforts by the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) to obtain the release of three journalists held by the … Continue reading “Nepalese Maoists, Security Forces Attack Media”

A 10-member international task force of prominent analysts and former diplomats has warned that recommendations by a special commission on the Bush administration’s plans for Cuba, released last May, “will poorly serve U.S. interests in Cuba and the wider region”. In an open letter to the commission’s co-chair, Secretary of State Colin Powell, the task … Continue reading “Think Tank Blasts Bush Commission Report on Cuba”

PARIS – The two French journalists kidnapped in Iraq more than three weeks back are still in captivity despite efforts by French and Iraqi leaders to secure their freedom. Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot were kidnapped Aug. 20 by the so-called Islamic Army in Iraq, a guerrilla group opposing the U.S. occupation of the country. … Continue reading “French Headscarves Still Fueling Hostage Crisis”

NEW DELHI – It is becoming increasingly evident, after the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan failed to make significant progress in just concluded peace talks, that inroads to normalizing ties between both countries could only be made by improving people-to-people contacts. Lately that seems to be chalking up a better record of success than … Continue reading “Indo-Pak Peace Hinges on Civil Society Contacts”

Why was Dick Cheney so eager to invade Iraq? Why did he repeatedly link Saddam Hussein to al-Qaeda after Sept. 11, and why did he maintain that not only did Iraq have weapons of mass destruction but that he, Cheney, knew exactly where they were? Cheney clearly came into office wanting a war on Iraq, … Continue reading “Halliburton and Iraq: The Purloined Letter”

SANTIAGO – Just a few days before the 31st anniversary of Chile’s Sept. 11, 1973 coup d’etat led by Gen. Augusto Pinochet, the former dictator will be questioned by a judge in connection with the forced disappearance of opponents during his 1973-1990 regime. Pinochet will appear Thursday before Judge Juan Guzmán in a case in … Continue reading “Judge to Question Pinochet”

UNITED NATIONS – As the United Nations gets ready for the opening of the 59th session of the General Assembly next week, Secretary-General Kofi Annan has asked the 191 member states to provide more than 30,000 troops for an anticipated surge in demand for peacekeeping operations in the world’s battle zones. "The number and scope … Continue reading “UN Chief Seeks 30,000 More Troops for Peacekeeping”

These are bad times for Israeli spy operations. It wasn’t enough that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) was outed, last week, as a major supplier of U.S. secrets to Tel Aviv: on Monday, Israel’s spy satellite – meant to keep an eye on Iran’s nuclear ambitions – went kaput on lift-off. Measured in … Continue reading “Neoconservatism and Espionage”

Just kidding of course, but after I watched Pat on Meet the Press Sunday morning, I e-mailed him: "Have you ever thought of running for president?" When he did last time out I supported him, up to the point where I thought he went bonkers on China and trade. Now out of elective politics, he … Continue reading “Pat Buchanan for President!”