Month: October 2004

http://www.independent.org/tii/antiwar/e041005.html

JAKARTA – While the Indonesian military,or TNI, for the first time will not hold any seats in the new House of Representatives, Indonesian legislators, however, with only hours remaining in their mandate approved a controversial new law cementing the TNI’s political power. A bill aimed at redefining the role of the Indonesian military was approved … Continue reading “Indonesians Fear Increased Military Role in Politics”

Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are again contacting Arab and Muslim Americans for what they describe as "voluntary interviews," as the Bush administration launches a new anti-terrorism campaign designed to thwart efforts to disrupt the U.S. elections. In conjunction with the FBI campaign, an agency of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) … Continue reading “Govt Targets Arab, Muslim Americans Again”

On Oct. 31, 2003, in a piece called "The Time of Withdrawal," I wrote: “I think one thing is predictable in a world where predicting anything accurately is a low-percentage bet: Sooner or later, the time of withdrawal will be upon us. Some of us would like it to be sooner, not later. … But, … Continue reading “Withdrawal Goes Mainstream”

Whose Fault Is It?My name is Øyvind Munthe from Norway and I’d just like to thank you for what in my opinion is a very informative and more or less objective column about the Middle East conflict (the Israeli/ Palestinian conflict). Your column is my favorite here at Antiwar.com and I check in a couple … Continue reading “Backtalk, October 5, 2004”

In his scathing indictment of the Bush administration’s policies in the "war on terrorism," Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry twice made a telling point during the debate on national security matters, one that drove home the Bushies’ incompetence with deadly accuracy. In detailing how many former military figures have endorsed his bid to become commander-in-chief, … Continue reading “Imperial Hubris”

Hallelujah! In response to a specific question, John Kerry declared that if elected president his number one priority would be preventing nuke proliferation. How do we know Kerry really means it? After all, President Bush told you that the reason he had to invade Iraq was to keep Saddam Hussein’s nukes out of the hands … Continue reading “Bush’s Backward Nuclear Policy”

While Thursday night’s joint television appearance featuring two presidential contenders mainly revolved around their familiar quarrel over Iraq policy, the candidates skirmished over a lesser known issue: United States policy toward North Korea. President George W. Bush defended his distanced, "multilateral" approach to the isolated nation, while challenger John Kerry accused the president of allowing … Continue reading “North Korea Almost Sparks Real Debate Between Candidates”

If President Bush wins a second term, can the world expect a radically different foreign policy in the Middle East and elsewhere? Optimists suggest that the answer is yes. As evidence, they argue that the White House has rejected the counsel of neoconservatives and is reaching out to moderate Republicans in search of a more … Continue reading “Expect No Second Term Conversion”

The 9/11 commission reported in June that there was no “collaborative relationship” between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda, and thus that Bush’s Enemy No. 1 had no role in the 9/11 attacks. Far from finding any partnership between the two, the report noted that bin Laden “at one time sponsored anti-Saddam Islamists in Iraqi Kurdistan.” This … Continue reading “Saddam as the Twentieth Hijacker”