Month: May 2005

AMMAN – As with the siege of Fallujah six months back, U.S. claims over the siege of the Iraqi town al-Qa’im are being challenged now by independent sources. The U.S. military claims a “successful” end to the week-long operation earlier this month around al-Qa’im, a town about 320km west of Baghdad close to the Syrian … Continue reading “Observers Challenge US Claims About Iraq Siege”

An Iranian rebel group that is aggressively campaigning for Washington’s support as part of a "regime change" strategy in its homeland has committed serious abuses, including torture and prolonged isolation, against dissident members, according to a leading human rights watchdog. The group, the Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), insists that it should lead a U.S.-backed effort to bring … Continue reading “Neocons’ Pet Iranian Revolutionaries Accused of Torture”

I regard a war with China – hot or cold – as perhaps the greatest strategic blunder the United States could make, beyond those it has already made. The end result would be the same as that from the 20th century wars between Britain and Germany: it reduced both to second-rate powers. In the 21st … Continue reading “The Worst Blunder Bush Could Make”

The popular uprising and subsequent crackdown by government troops that left hundreds dead in the eastern Uzbek city of Andijan confirm the international community’s concern over human rights violations in this central Asian nation. According to Nozima Kamalova, chairwoman of the Uzbekistan Legal Aid Society – one of the country’s leading human rights organizations – … Continue reading “Uzbek Uprising Triggered by Rights Violations, Say Activists”

Taken by surprise by the sudden and unexpectedly bloody repression in Uzbekistan, the administration of President George W. Bush appears to be backing away from its initial, reflexive support for its authoritarian ally in the war against terrorism, Uzbek President Islam Karimov. Echoing Karimov himself, the White House expressed particular concern about the escape of … Continue reading “US Caught Up Short by Uzbekistan Violence”

"It [the Koran] is the great visceral connector that makes all Muslims feel that there is a community between them. … For Muslims, dissing the Koran is the hot button of all hot buttons." – Lee Harris, May 12, 20051 One need not be a Pollyanna to find a bright spot in an otherwise negative … Continue reading “A Fire Bell in the Night for the West?”

Not a day goes by in Washington without a smug official or a snooty U.S. columnist delivering a long and tedious sermon to officials in Beijing or Moscow. The Chinese and the Russians are told sternly by the Americans how to behave themselves – that is, if they really, really want to become “full members” … Continue reading “Spare Russia and China the Sermons”

Bush to Finish Clinton Intervention During last year’s electoral campaign, John Kerry’s camp turned to Bill Clinton’s policymakers to offer a "new" strategy of aggression in the Balkans as a way of discounting the botched Babylon operation. Kerry lost, and for a moment it seemed that the Balkans intervention lobby went down with him. Sadly, … Continue reading “Back to Kosovo”

Divert, deny, defame – that’s the strategy of the War Party as the consequences of their policies reap piles of dead bodies worldwide and increase the threat of terrorism against Americans. It doesn’t matter that the now-famous Newsweek story about U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo abusing the Koran had nothing to do with the riots that … Continue reading “Karimov’s American Fan Club”

The FBI’s decision in early May to arrest Lawrence Franklin, the Pentagon analyst accused of disclosing classified information about U.S. forces in Iraq, has put in the spotlight the work of an influential pro-Israel lobbying outfit, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), as well as its many supporters in and outside government, including Paul … Continue reading “What’s ‘American’ About the American Israel Public Affairs Committee?”