Month: February 2008

A new report published by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) think-tank purports to show the reach and scope of Iranian influence across the Middle East, but it stops short of drawing conclusions about Tehran’s intentions or grand strategy. Co-written by AEI fellows Fred Kagan and Danielle Pletka with Kagan’s wife, Kimberly, who heads the Institute … Continue reading “Neocons Fine-Tune Iran Angle”

As bad as the past eight years have been, it may be fruitful to remember what U.S. national security policy was like under Bill Clinton, as it is very possible that Washington will soon be returning to that gold standard for underachievement. Under Bill, Serbia was bombed in 1999, killing more than 500 civilians in … Continue reading “The Clinton Years Revisited”

Updated at 1:00 a.m. EST, Feb. 26, 2008Turkish forces continued to battle PKK forces in northern Iraq, even as the White House urged Turkey to limit the incursion. The actual number of casualties is unknown as both sides are giving conflicting figures. Elsewhere, at least 44 Iraqis were killed and 37 more were wounded in … Continue reading “Monday: 44 Iraqis Killed, 37 Wounded”

From Chiapas, Mexico, and Vietnam’s Mekong Delta to West Africa (where a war against women is now underway), TomDispatch has lately been traveling to some of the more scarred places on the planet. Today, Jen Marlowe, a documentary filmmaker and human rights activist (as well as the author of Darfur Diaries: Stories of Survival) offers … Continue reading “Gaza Struggling Under Siege”

The violent reaction from the Serbian “street” to Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence is “blowback” – as the writer Chalmers Johnson terms it – with a vengeance, and we have not yet experienced the worst of it. The U.S. attack on Kosovo has come back to haunt Washington, and not just with the burning of … Continue reading “Kosovo, the Kremlin, and the Kurds”

History will probably show George W. Bush to have been a bold president, ready to gamble his legacy at a moment’s notice. Some risk-taking has paid off for him, and other rolls of the dice haven’t. Even in instances where Bush’s chutzpah got results, the policy goals obtained were disastrous for the country. For example, … Continue reading “Bush ‘Triples Down’ in Pakistan”

Cuba Fidel has been and is a perennial source of inspiration for all those who struggle for the emancipation of the mankind from the clutches of the world-gendarme, viz. U.S. imperialism, which, in the name of democracy and freedom, is killing and maiming tens of thousands of hapless children and civilians in the AFRO-ASIAN COUNTRIES. … Continue reading “Backtalk, February 25, 2008”

Updated at 10:25 a.m. EST, Feb. 25, 2008Suicide bombers using the Arbaeen religious observance to attack Shi’ite pilgrims, exacted a heavy toll today in Baghdad and Iskandariya. Meanwhile, fighting continues between Turkish troops and PKK rebels in northern Iraq. Overall, 75 Iraqis were killed and another 166 were wounded. The number of Turkish soldiers and … Continue reading “Sunday: 2 US Soldiers, 75 Iraqis Killed; 166 Iraqis Wounded”

Updated at 12:12 a.m. EST, Feb. 24, 2008At least 39 Iraqis were killed and another 10 were wounded in the latest round of routine violence. In northern Iraq, Turkish security operations left 55 PKK separatists and two Turkish soldiers dead. The PKK claimed to have the bodies of another 15 Turks who were killed. No … Continue reading “Saturday: 39 Iraqis, 55 PKK Rebels, 17 Turkish Soldiers Killed; 10 Iraqis Wounded”

On 21 August, 2007, Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei of the International Atomic Energy Agency came to an "understanding" with Iran on a "work plan" for resolving outstanding "issues" tangentially related to the implementation of Iran’s Safeguards Agreement. On the eve of what is expected to be the issuance of the final IAEA report on that resolution, … Continue reading “Nukes and Rumors of Nukes”