Month: September 2007

BAQUBA – Amid the violence and chaos in Diyala province, kidnappings continue unabated, bringing an uncertain fate for the abducted and unanswered questions for their families. Kidnapping has become another form of violence, to add to car bombs, assassinations, displacement, theft, threats, and air strikes. And kidnapping itself is carried out in all sorts of … Continue reading “Many Iraqis Search Hopelessly for the Kidnapped”

Last December, when the U.S. Marine Corps charged four infantrymen for the murder of 24 civilians in the Iraqi town of Haditha on Nov. 19, 2005, the counts represented the most serious case of alleged war crimes committed by Marines in Iraq or Afghanistan. An official account of the incident, released Nov. 20, said that … Continue reading “Haditha Probe Limps to a Close”

American military aid to Israel has been increased yet again, which leads us to ask the inevitable question: What are we getting for our money? Well, we’re getting this, as well as this, and this – not to mention this. The regularly quoted figure is $3.5 billion per year. John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt … Continue reading “More Money for Israel?”

In the year 701 B.C., the Assyrian king Sennacherib besieged Jerusalem. The Bible records the words that the Assyrian general, Rabshakeh, addressed to Hezekiah, king of Judah: "Now, behold, thou trusteth upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand and pierce … Continue reading “A Bruised Reed”

[Note for TomDispatch readers: In the weeks when the first Gulf War was underway – it seems a lifetime ago – I began researching a book on the history of American triumphalism (which I came to call “victory culture”), especially as I had experienced it in my 1950s childhood. By the time I began writing, … Continue reading “Empire of Stupidity”

In a classic case of “close, but no cigar,” Newsweek recently reported that in the early winter of 2004-2005 U.S. soldiers nearly stumbled on Osama bin Laden’s mountain hideout in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. As we approach the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks against New York and Washington, D.C., how and why is … Continue reading “Close, but No Cigar”

Updated at 12:14 a.m. EDT, Sept. 5, 2007Today, Chemical Ali, Saddam’s cousin, lost his court appeal and will be hanged within 30 days for crimes against humanity. Meanwhile, 40 Iraqis were killed and 27 were wounded in the latest round of violence. Also, the DOD reported that an American soldier was killed on Thursday during … Continue reading “Tuesday: 1 GI, 40 Iraqis Killed; 27 Iraqis Wounded”

MANILA – A major military offensive against separatist rebels in the southern provinces of Basilan and Sulu is raising concerns for displacing thousands of residents and causing setbacks to a peace process. The renewed offensive was ordered following the deaths of scores of soldiers in clashes with the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and … Continue reading “Philippines Offensive Against Islamist Rebels for US Benefit?”

For months – perhaps even a couple of years – I have been downplaying the likelihood that Bush would be so foolish as to start a war with Iran, especially in light of how much more difficult such a war would be than the war on Iraq and how thinly the military is stretched. It’s … Continue reading “War With Iran Looks
More Likely”

News that José Padilla’s lawyers are seeking to hold former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and 59 other U.S. officials responsible for "abusive and unconstitutional tactics used against Mr. Padilla while he was held in military custody as an enemy combatant from 2002 to 2006" has temporarily revived the story of the Chicago-born former gang member … Continue reading “José Padilla: More Sinned Against Than Sinning”