Month: May 2005

Afghanistan, where in recent weeks U.S. troops have been killed at a higher rate than in Iraq, has evolved into something of a classic imperial dilemma for the United States. The administration desperately wants to put the best possible face on the situation there, insisting that democracy (in the incantatory sense rather than using that … Continue reading “Afghanistan: An Imperial Dilemma”

There is much to be said for the political allusions and messages of the Star Wars epic now that we are able to see it completely. In both very broad and very particular ways, there are stunning and prescient allegories to our own time. With episodes I and II, we learned that the Empire was … Continue reading “The Lesson for the Left in Star Wars“

George W. Bush’s arrival at the Moscow commemoration of V-E Day was preceded and followed by open provocations. The stopover in Riga, Latvia’s capital, was a stinging reminder to the Russians that this former Soviet satellite state, conquered by Stalin as a result of our “victory” in World War II, is now ensconced in the … Continue reading “The Pipeline From Hell”

ARBIL, Iraq – The two main Kurdish parties have still not reached agreement on setting up a regional government and parliament after elections held Jan. 30. In that election Kurds voted for the National Assembly and also for a 111-seat regional parliament. A coalition comprising the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of … Continue reading “Kurds Still Without Govt After January Poll”

Call it Star Wars, parts VII-XXII; but last week, just as Revenge of the Sith was opening galaxy-wide – multiplexes on Tatooine alone were expected to pull in billions – reporter Tim Weiner revealed on the front page of the New York Times that a new presidential directive will soon essentially green-light the future U.S. … Continue reading “Crossing Nuclear Thresholds”

The House of Representatives voted down a measure, by a 128 to 300 vote, that called on President Bush to devise a plan for a withdrawal from Iraq. It came in the form of an amendment to the $491 billion budget for the Pentagon that was passed on Wednesday night. But the withdrawal amendment marks … Continue reading “House Kills First Vote on Iraq Withdrawal”

LIMA – Former president Alberto Fujimori is back in the media spotlight in Peru, amid announcements that he is not only planning to return from exile in Japan, but also has his eye on running in the 2006 presidential elections – despite the fact that he is a fugitive from justice and legally prohibited from … Continue reading “Fujimori the Fugitive – Poised for a Comeback?”

Civil rights groups are accusing the U.S. government of failing to admit the extent to which abuse of non-citizens in U.S. custody in Afghanistan, Iraq, and its base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, violates the international treaty against torture. At issue is a report submitted by the U.S. State Department, or foreign ministry, to the UN … Continue reading “Rights Groups Assail US Govt Torture Report”

The United States has accelerated arms sales to some of the world’s most repressive and undemocratic regimes since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, according to a new report from leading arms trade researchers. The report, from the Arms Trade Resource Center at New York-based New School University’s World Policy Institute, says … Continue reading “US Ramps Up Arms Supplies to Repressive Regimes”

If the administration of President George W. Bush fails to conduct a truly independent investigation of U.S. abuses against detainees in Iraq and elsewhere, foreign governments should investigate and prosecute those senior officials who bear responsibility for them, the head of the U.S. chapter of Amnesty International said Wednesday. Speaking at the release of Amnesty’s … Continue reading “Give Rumsfeld the Pinochet Treatment, Says US Amnesty Chief”