Month: December 2006

Well, our esteemed President has decided that he won’t make any adjustments, whether cosmetic or substantive, to his policy in Iraq until after the first of the year, so perhaps I’ll leave the topic alone for a while as well. Although it no doubt means more Americans and Iraqis will die for nothing much, it … Continue reading “Imperial Dreams”

The U.S. military subpoenaed an independent journalist Thursday, demanding she testify as a witness for the prosecution of First Lt. Ehren Watada, the first commissioned officer to be court-martialed for refusing to serve in Iraq. "This morning at 8:45 someone came to my house and delivered a subpoena," Sarah Olson, an Oakland, California-based journalist, told … Continue reading “Reporter Summoned to Testify Against War Resister”

Now that John Bolton, our undiplomatic ambassador to the United Nations, will be stepping down, the Senate ought to take a hard look at the world body before confirming a replacement. The U.N. was cobbled together toward the end of World War II, and it is clear from the charter that the five allied powers … Continue reading “Put No Faith in the United Nations”

The problem facing the Palestinian leadership, as they strive to bring the millions living in the occupied territories some small relief from their collective suffering, reduces to a matter of a few words. Like a naughty child who has only to say “sorry” to be released from his room, the Hamas government need only say … Continue reading “The Trap of Recognizing Israel”

Updated at 11:15 p.m. EST, Dec. 15, 2006 Today, American military authorities reported that two U.S. Marines were killed in Anbar yesterday from "wounds sustained during enemy action." This raised the number of Americans killed in Iraq during December to 53 deaths. Overnight, British bases in Basra were bombarded by katyusha rockets, but no casualties … Continue reading “Friday: 60 Iraqis, 2 Marines Killed”

Attitudes toward the United States reached new lows through most of the Arab world over the past year, according to the findings of a major new survey [.pdf] of five Arab countries released here Thursday by Zogby International and the Arab American Institute (AAI). Based on 3,500 face-to-face interviews of randomly selected adult respondents in … Continue reading “Survey: US Losing Arab Allies’ Hearts and Minds”

KARACHI – "Guantanamo brings images of a man in orange overalls, his face down and a soldier holding him by the neck, like a dog on a leash," says 14-year-old Zahra Paracha. "Animals are treated better," she tells IPS. "What’s the point of talking to you?" she then says, her eyes clouding up. "I’m tired … Continue reading “‘Gitmo Is Like Being Alive in Your Own Grave’”

Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress are likely to drive U.S. military budgets even higher in 2007, experts say. This year’s Pentagon budget is $436 billion. That amount does not include more than $140 billion that’s being spent this year alone on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “If you think a new wind … Continue reading “Experts Expect Democrats to Increase Military Spending”

In my column on the Iraq Study Group, I neglected to mention the most objectionable aspect of the Baker-Hamilton report [.pdf], and that is the suggestion that it might be a good idea to inject a “surge” of U.S. troops to secure Baghdad and stabilize a regime that seems about to fall. The ISG averred … Continue reading “The Urge to ‘Surge’”

With Ali al-Fadhily FALLUJAH – Iraqi doctors and medical staff are outraged over yet another U.S. military raid at Fallujah General Hospital. The raid followed a roadside bombing Dec. 7 in which four Iraqi policemen were killed and two injured. The injured were taken to Fallujah General Hospital. Shortly after this attack, a U.S. Marine … Continue reading “US Troops Raid Fallujah Hospital Again”