Month: February 2005

At Fort Bragg, the largest U.S. army installation in the world and home to the famed 82nd Airborne Division, the mood is not exactly buoyant. "There are people here who are being deployed for the third time," said Lou Plummer, a veteran with a son on active duty. "At least 50 people from the base … Continue reading “Antiwar Movement Gears Up for Global Protests on War Anniversary”

LONDON – The conviction of three soldiers by a military court for abusing Iraqi prisoners is seen to have put the British military on trial. But reports on the way the trial has been conducted put Britain’s judicial system itself on trial. The three soldiers were convicted by a British military court at a base … Continue reading “UK: Torture All You Want, but Leave the Cameras at Home”

The "Unfinished War" Rages On Neither the ongoing trouble in Iraq, threats to Syria, North Korea’s nuclear weapons, nor the increasing belligerence toward Russia sufficed to divert the advocates of "independence" for the occupied Serbian province of Kosovo, who resumed their diplomatic and media offensive launched in late January with another set of high-profile editorials. … Continue reading “Convergence in Kosovo”

Whoever said Hunter S. Thompson was dead? You wouldn’t believe it for a moment if you were wading through the paranoia and zaniness festering in the mind of Michael Ledeen. But while the Mad Monk of 17th Street is chewing the carpet at the thought of washing clean the filthy domains, the similarities between the … Continue reading “The Gonzocons Live On”

LONDON – New anti-terror legislation proposed in Britain makes Guantanamo Bay appear liberal in some respects. Britain has had its own Guantanamo Bay in the high security Belmarsh prison, where 10 foreign nationals have been held without charge and without trial for most of three years since December 2001. A panel of law lords, the … Continue reading “Proposed UK Law Makes Guantanamo Look Liberal”

One issue raised in my Feb. 19 interview [stream] [download] of the coincidentally named Scott Horton, director of the International League of Human Rights, was that certain crimes, particularly war crimes, are subject to prosecution by any nation. That is, when the people of a criminal state refuse to hold the individuals in charge accountable … Continue reading “Torturing Our Sovereignty”

“They’ve only just begun, To kill. White lace and Abu Ghraib, A kiss for luck and we’re on our waaaaaay…” With apologies to the shade of Karen Carpenter, the lyrics of her famous song – with a few creative tweaks here and there – pretty much sum up the triumphalist feeling on the other side … Continue reading “They’ve Only Just Begun…”

Most real people had a 9/11 moment. Ann Coulter’s call to arms was particularly memorable. For exhorting, "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity," she was even banished from National Review. This was indeed a puzzling purge, considering neoconservatives promptly adopted her recommendations, invaded Muslim countries, and killed their … Continue reading “Syria Out Doesn’t Mean U.S. In”

As Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party were moving toward capturing political power in Germany, in the aftermath of the last democratic parliamentary elections there in March 1933, there was no indication that the German Communist party was mounting any concerted response against the threat. The relative inaction of the Communists reflected the belief among … Continue reading “The Neocons’ Devotion to Doctrine”

The choice of Ibrahim Jaafari as candidate for prime minister of the majority United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) is seen as an important advance for the more pragmatic forces in the administration of President George W. Bush against their adversaries among the neoconservatives and other hawks. Jaafari, who won the UIA’s nod after the withdrawal of … Continue reading “Jaafari Victory a Win for Administration Pragmatists”