Month: July 2006

Anyone who has spent time in Turkey will find its people civil, generous, educated, and open-minded. Just don’t mention the Kurds. The day after I zigzagged through a sloped, ramshackle enclave to reach the ancient Alexandrian fort of Kadifekale overlooking the port city of Izmir, I received a stern lecture on this sinister group. While … Continue reading “Will Turkey Follow
Israel’s Lead?”

There never was any doubt of the Bush regime’s complicity in Israel’s naked aggression against the Lebanese civilian population. Bush has protected Israel from world condemnation. Bush has blocked those who attempted to bring a stop to Israel’s bombing of residential neighborhoods and civilian infrastructure, and now Bush rushes more bombs for Israel to drop … Continue reading “US Complicit in Destruction of Lebanon”

Stop That Shit, Indeed Ladies/Sirs, I love your site. It and Lew Rockwell are my favorite sites on the Internet, and the ones I read most regularly. You have even published a couple of my own articles in the past. So, I am a huge fan. With that said, may I humbly suggest that you … Continue reading “Backtalk, July 24, 2006”

In a perfect world, military power would match the brainpower of the people who wield it. Alas, it’s not a perfect world, and the mismatch between power and smarts is sometimes wider than the Grand Canyon. Remember when Paul Wolfowitz was in the Defense Department? Why, he told Congress that the Iraqis will greet us … Continue reading “In a Perfect World”

The general surprise that Lebanese civilians are taking the brunt of Israel’s onslaught – and the unwillingness in some quarters of the media to report the fact – reflects a poor understanding of Israel’s historical use of violence. Since its birth six decades ago, Israel has always been officially “going after the terrorists,” but its … Continue reading “Israel’s Disproportionate Violence No Surprise”

Washington’s strong backing – hedged by occasional calls for restraint – for Israel’s 10-day-old military campaign in Lebanon has won it very few friends in the Arab world, despite recent criticism of Hezbollah by pro-U.S. governments in the region, according to a range of regional and foreign policy experts. On the contrary, most experts believe … Continue reading “Backing for Israel Stymies Larger US Aims in Region”

JERUSALEM – After pounding Lebanon from the skies for nine days, the Israeli army has begun, without any official announcement, the ground phase of its military operation, with thousands of elite troops having crossed the border into south Lebanon to hunt down Hezbollah fighters and their stockpiles of rockets. The army announced Friday that it … Continue reading “Invasion of Lebanon Plays Into Hezbollah’s Hands”

DAMASCUS – The daily Israeli bombardment of Lebanon and the floods of refugees pouring in have set off a wave of anger through Syria. “How can people watch this destruction in Lebanon and do nothing,” Hassan Majed Ali, president of the Union of Engineers in Damascus told IPS. “What is happening in Lebanon is opposed … Continue reading “Fury Grips Syria Over Lebanon Attacks”

There are always multiple causes for an event so complex as a war – and what’s going on now between Israel and Hezbollah fighters based in Lebanon has gone well beyond the skirmish phase. However, the current conflict is to a considerable degree an example of “blowback,” the old CIA term for unanticipated negative consequences … Continue reading “Reality Bites Back”

You can observe three important things simultaneously in the Middle East: One, Israel’s total disregard for the lives and property of the Arab people; two, the effectiveness of the Israeli propaganda machine; and three, the utterly craven support for Israel by the U.S. government. A fourth thing, if you can stand to watch television news, … Continue reading “Disaster in the Making”