Month: June 2005

Everyone is talking about the Downing Street memos, and they are important – although not for the reasons generally assumed. Naturally, we covered these on Antiwar.com when they were first published, but now that the "mainstream" media is finally paying attention it behooves us to go over them with a fine-tooth comb, in an attempt … Continue reading “Behind the Downing Street Memos”

BEIRUT – Lebanon’s formerly anti-Syrian General Michel Aoun is on the verge of outmaneuvering the country’s main anti-Syrian opposition alliance. All eyes are now on the last round of Lebanon’s four-stage parliamentary elections, next Sunday in the north. A spokesman for Aoun conceded that the "general," as his followers still call him, now has a … Continue reading “Aoun Becoming Kingmaker, Maybe President”

JERUSALEM – It might have been expected that Israel, not wanting to have pictures broadcast of Palestinians triumphantly entering the evacuated homes of settlers in the Gaza Strip, would want to demolish those homes. It might equally have been expected that the Palestinians, wanting to be seen marching into the homes of their retreating occupiers, … Continue reading “What Will Become of Gaza Settlers’ Homes?”

[Note: I couldn’t resist interrupting my “Best of TomDispatch” series – there are still two to go – to bring you the latest Jonathan Schell “Letter from Ground Zero” columns from the upcoming issue of the Nation magazine, whose editors have been kind enough, as ever, to let me post it.] Welcome to Iraq… but … Continue reading “The Actually Existing Occupation”

In its first attempt to develop laws governing the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay and other U.S. military prisons, Congress Wednesday began to travel the tortuous road between the argument that "enemy combatants" have no rights, and rising concerns that endless detention is unethical and creates a powerful recruiting tool for terrorists. Senate Judiciary … Continue reading “Sen. Specter: End ‘Crazy Quilt’ Detention System”

The cost of war is always more than anticipated. If all the costs were known prior to the beginning of a war, fewer wars would be fought. At the beginning, optimism prevails. Denial and deception override the concern for the pain and penalties yet to come. Jingoistic patriotism and misplaced militarism too easily silence those … Continue reading “The Hidden Costs of War”

BEIRUT – Former exiled general Michel Aoun made a dramatic comeback in the penultimate round of Lebanon’s legislative elections, sweeping 21 seats out of the 58 contested. The Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader’s unexpected victory represents a major upset to Lebanon’s political landscape, setting back the anti-Syrian opposition bloc in its drive to win a … Continue reading “Lebanon’s Aoun Makes Dramatic Comeback”

In late April, the Washington-based Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a longtime religious watchdog group, called the nation’s attention to numerous incidents of religious bias and the official promotion of fundamentalist Christianity at the Colorado Springs, Colorado-based United States Air Force Academy – a problem that apparently has been brewing for quite … Continue reading “‘Heathens’ Not Welcome at Air Force Academy”

TEHRAN – "This election is absolutely unprecedented in terms of numbers of candidates and their supporters. [But] it seems the people and the eight hopefuls are from different planets," says Ali Hasani, 56, a self-employed businessman commuting between Dubai and Tehran. "I have been carrying this big luggage [pointing to a trunk next to him] … Continue reading “Iran’s Cynical Voters Look at Presidential Race”

There is something pathetic in the recent efforts by the Bush administration (reported by the New York Times this week) to try to enlist Europe, the Arab world, and the United Nations to pressure the ruling Shi’ite-Kurdish coalition in Baghdad led by Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari to include members of the Sunni minority in the … Continue reading “Shi’ites: Game; Kurds: Set; Sunnis: Match; US: Loss”