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,...
Haditha Probe Limps to a Close
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...
More Money for Israel?
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...
A Bruised Reed
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...
Empire of Stupidity
[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...
Close, but No Cigar
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...
Tuesday: 1 GI, 40 Iraqis Killed; 27 Iraqis Wounded
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...
Philippines Offensive Against Islamist Rebels for US Benefit?
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...
War With Iran Looks
More Likely
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...
José Padilla: More Sinned Against Than Sinning
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...