Month: November 2004

The Sweetheart Contract With Sharon

“In a better world, the PLO chief would have met his end on a gallows, hanged for mass murder much as the Nazi chiefs were hanged at Nuremberg. … In a better world, George Bush would not have said, on hearing the first reports that Arafat had died, ‘God bless his soul.’ ”God bless his … Continue reading “The Sweetheart Contract With Sharon”

Backtalk, November 18, 2004

Pledge WeekThis morning I contributed $20 to Antiwar.com. On the surface it would appear that it is insignificant. The sum of my income is dependent on a disability benefit. I was hesitant to even contribute such a paltry amount for concern that it may appear as an insult.I couldn’t continue reading any further today without … Continue reading “Backtalk, November 18, 2004”

Quit Meddling in the Middle East

The death of PLO chairman Yasser Arafat last week once again brings the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the international forefront. The Bush administration finds itself in an uncomfortable but familiar role as peacemaker for yet another intractable, ancient, and deadly Middle East conflict. The popular press and political world both accept without question the notion that … Continue reading “Quit Meddling in the Middle East”

As Powell Leaves, Hardliners Make Their Move

Monday’s announcement that Secretary of State Colin Powell, by far the most popular of U.S. President George W. Bush’s war cabinet, has submitted his resignation marks the formal launch of a new scramble for top national-security posts that could bring an even more hardline configuration to power. Powell’s disappearance will remove the most influential foreign-policy … Continue reading “As Powell Leaves, Hardliners Make Their Move”

Press Watchdog ‘Deeply Disturbed’ by Iraqi Govt’s Media Threat

A leading U.S.-based press watchdog says it is "deeply disturbed" by a directive issued last week by the Iraqi interim government’s new media commission that warned the press operating in Iraq to reflect the government’s position in fighting by U.S., coalition, and Iraqi forces against insurgents. The warning came in a statement released Thursday by … Continue reading “Press Watchdog ‘Deeply Disturbed’ by Iraqi Govt’s Media Threat”

Dogs Eating Bodies in the Streets of Fallujah

It never fails to get my adrenaline flowing when my hotel rumbles from a car bomb detonating in central Baghdad. Last night around 7 p.m. the explosion occurred at a hotel compound which houses foreign contractors over near Firdos Square. Shortly thereafter, the "Green Zone" took a sustained mortar attack that went on long enough … Continue reading “Dogs Eating Bodies in the Streets of Fallujah”

‘Success’ in Fallujah, Failure Elsewhere

BAGHDAD – Everyone saw it coming, only the U.S. forces did not: humanitarian disaster in Fallujah, and stronger resistance against U.S. and allied occupying forces all around Iraq. The real face of the “success” of the U.S. military assault in Fallujah is now beginning to present itself. Thousands of families remain trapped inside Fallujah with … Continue reading “‘Success’ in Fallujah, Failure Elsewhere”

Arafat’s Death May Change Very Little

RAMALLAH – Just one moment in that jostling crowd under undisciplined Palestinian security forces at the funeral of Yasser Arafat was enough to pick up on huge problems for resumption of a peace process in the Middle East. The faithful of Arafat’s Fatah movement were chanting slogans that they will stick to the supposedly moderate … Continue reading “Arafat’s Death May Change Very Little”

Purge at the CIA

Like another empire founded on ideological hubris, and stained with the blood of countless victims, this one engages in periodic political purges: when one faction is vanquished, mass firings occur in the upper echelons of the bureaucracy. We don’t send them to the gulag – at least, not yet – instead we set them up … Continue reading “Purge at the CIA”