Month: September 2007

Trita Parsi, Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the U.S. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007), 361 pp. by Doug Bandow Communist dictators and apparatchiks have routinely visited the U.S., with nary an eyebrow raised in polite society. Third World dictators have traipsed through Washington with only an occasional protest. But the … Continue reading “Treacherous Alliance“

As the presidential election season heats up, Republican candidates have opted for “Guantánamo-forever” policy positions. Retiring Republican Senator Chuck Hagel recently complained that the notorious detention facility – once the proud public face of the President’s attempt to move incarceration and mistreatment offshore and beyond the reach of American courts – has bizarrely enough become … Continue reading “Relax, Mitt: Guantánamo’s Not Closing”

As the cool undercurrents of Indian summer hint at winter frosts to come, the rhetoric of the Democrats at their most recent presidential debate foreshadows their capitulation to the War Party on the two vital issues of the day: Iraq and Iran. The first fifteen minutes of the debate were devoted entirely to these issues, … Continue reading “No Hope in the Democrats”

It is an exceedingly dangerous time. Vice President Dick Cheney and his hard-core “neoconservative” protégés in the administration and Congress are pushing harder and harder for President George W. Bush, isolated from reality, to honor the promise he made to Israel to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. On Sept. 23, former national security … Continue reading “Bush, Oil – and Moral Bankruptcy”

Israel’s air strike on northern Syria earlier this month should be understood in the context of events unfolding since its assault last summer on neighboring Lebanon. Although little more than rumors have been offered about what took place, one strategic forecasting group, Stratfor, still concluded: "Something important happened." From the leaks so far, it seems … Continue reading “Why Did Israel Attack Syria?”

Updated at 12:15 a.m. EDT, Sept. 28, 2007At least 40 Iraqis were killed and 21 more wounded a day after numerous bombings killed over 100 people. No foreign military deaths were reported, but the Multi-National Corps announced that a Task Force Marne helicopter was forced down by small arms fire; no one was injured during … Continue reading “Thursday: 40 Iraqis Killed; 21 Wounded”

The George W. Bush administration recently concluded that the increase in rocket attacks on coalition targets by Shi’ite forces over the summer was a deliberate move by Iran to escalate the war in order to put pressure on the United States to accept Iranian influence in Iraq, according to a senior US government official. The … Continue reading “Have Hawks Won a Round on Iraq Escalation?”

“The hour of Europe has dawned,” declared pompously Luxembourg’s foreign minister Jacques Poos in May 1991, as he led the negotiations that would begin the dismemberment of Yugoslavia. Sixteen years hence, Yugoslavia’s mutilated corpse is still haunting Europe, this time in Mr. Poos’ front yard. Luxembourg’s neighbor to the west, Belgium, has been without a … Continue reading “Brussels’ End”

Daniel Ellsberg, the former Defense Department analyst who leaked the secret Pentagon Papers history of the Vietnam War, offered insights into the looming war with Iran and the loss of liberty in the United States at an American University symposium on Sept. 20. Below is an edited transcript of Ellsberg’s remarkable speech: I think nothing … Continue reading “‘A Coup Has Occurred’”

Updated at 11:53 p.m. EDT, Sept. 26, 2007Numerous bombings rocked the country today. Overall, at least 182 Iraqis were killed and 136 more were wounded during various attacks. Yesterday, a GI was killed during a small arms attack in the capital. Also, lawmakers are considering imposing travel restrictions in an effort to curb the growing … Continue reading “Wednesday: 1 GI, 182 Iraqis Killed; 136 Iraqis Wounded”