Month: October 2006

Updated at 10:45 p.m. EDT, Oct. 6, 2006 Today’s reports from Iraq state that 56 people have been killed and 23 wounded in recent incidents related to the war or sectarian violence. Among the dead or injured are three soldiers, who succumbed to wounds received from combat; a member of the Iraqi parliament; and a … Continue reading “56 Killed, 22 Wounded; Kurdish Politician, 2 GIs, Danish Soldier Killed Friday”

The bloodless coup against a democratically elected government in Thailand last month has forced the United States to review its military relations and suspend aid to one of Washington’s long-standing political allies in Southeast Asia. The administration of U.S. President George W. Bush, which is seeking UN sanctions against the military government in neighboring Myanmar … Continue reading “US Faces Dilemma
Over Thai Coup”

Bob Woodward’s revelation that Condoleezza Rice was warned by George Tenet and two other top CIA officials, on July 10, 2001, that a terrorist attack on the U.S. was imminent continues to reverberate – auguring potentially devastating consequences for the Bush White House. While Rice initially denied it, her spokesman confirmed that a meeting took … Continue reading “States of Denial”

What’s going on with the current bustle around U.S. naval stations? According to Time, the Navy has issued "Prepare to Deploy Orders" (PTDOs) to a strike group including minesweepers, a submarine, an Aegis class cruiser, and a mine hunter. Taken alongside disclosures that the chief of naval operations asked his planners for a rundown of … Continue reading “War or Rumors of War?”

Once while traveling in a taxi, I had an argument with the driver – a profession associated in Israel with extreme right-wing views. I tried in vain to convince him of the desirability of peace with the Arabs. In our country, which has never seen a single day of peace in the last hundred years, … Continue reading “Lunch in Damascus”

One of the biggest promises made by George W. Bush as a candidate – no more nation-building – has turned out to be his biggest lie as president. In the final weeks of the 2000 campaign, Bush slammed the Clinton administration for doing exactly what he’s doing now, only worse. He warned voters his opponent … Continue reading “Bush the Nation-Builder”

Ethical Realism: A Vision for America’s Role in the World Anatol Lieven and John Hulsman Pantheon, 2006 199 pp. George W. Bush still has more than two years to serve as president, but it isn’t too early to proclaim his foreign policy to be a failure. America no longer is seen as unbeatable; its moral … Continue reading “Readings in the Age of Empire”

Updated at 11:00 p.m. EDT, Oct. 5, 2006 In the last day, at least 73 Iraqis have been reported killed and another 58 wounded, including the discovery of at least 30 bodies throughout the capital. There are also reports that Abu Ayyub al-Masri was among four killed in an air strike in Haditha earlier this … Continue reading “Thursday: 73 Killed, 58 Wounded Across Iraq”

Updated at 11:00 p.m. EDT, Oct. 5, 2006 In the last day, at least 73 Iraqis have been reported killed and another 58 wounded, including the discovery of at least 30 bodies throughout the capital. There are also reports that Abu Ayyub al-Masri was among four killed in an air strike in Haditha earlier this … Continue reading “Thursday: 73 Killed, 58 Wounded Across Iraq”

President George W. Bush and his peripatetic secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, may believe that they have broken with 60 years of U.S. policy in order to "transform" the Middle East, but to longtime regional observers, their latest initiatives look painfully familiar. Not only does Washington’s current courtship of Sunni-led authoritarian states – most notably, … Continue reading “Middle Eastern ‘Strategic Consensus’ Redux?”