Month: February 2008

Think of the top officials of the Bush administration as magicians when it comes to Iraq. Their top hats and tails may be worn and their act fraying, but it doesn’t seem to matter. Their latest “abracadabra,” the president’s “surge strategy” of 2007, has still worked like a charm. They waved their magic wands, paid … Continue reading “How Never to Withdraw
From Iraq”

Updated at 3:05 a.m. EST, Feb. 20, 2008The Interior Ministry began rounding up homeless and mentally challenged people in Baghdad to prevent their exploitation by armed groups. Meanwhile, a large explosion in Baghdad killed over a dozen policemen who were trying to defuse several rockets. At least 40 Iraqis were killed and 67 more were … Continue reading “Tuesday: 3 US Soldiers, 40 Iraqis Killed; 67 Iraqis Wounded”

When the Great War comes, said old Bismarck, it will come out of “some damn fool thing in the Balkans.” On June 28, 1914, Gavrilo Princip shot the archduke and heir to the Austrian throne Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, setting in motion the train of events that led to the First World War. In the … Continue reading “Does Balkanization Beckon Anew?”

It is impossible to keep up with all the Bush regime’s lies. There are simply too many. Among the recent crop, one of the biggest is that the “surge” is working. Launched last year, the “surge” was the extra 20,000-30,000 U.S. troops sent to Iraq. These few extra troops, Americans were told, would finally supply … Continue reading “Paying Insurgents Not to Fight”

On Jan. 23 Ha’aretz readers were utterly embarrassed. Just as the quality paper was printing its top headline, based on Israel’s omniscient “security sources” – “New Israeli Policy in Gaza: Border Crossings Will Stay Closed” – the border crossings between Gaza and Egypt were being opened; a few hours later, they didn’t exist anymore. Once … Continue reading “Israel Says ‘No’”

The Dragon or the Snake? After reading this article and others by Mr. Sascha Matuszak, one can only conclude that he is only interested in smearing China, be it its government, its people, its culture, its food, its anything. I wouldn’t be so dismayed by his articles if he were to give us more in-depth … Continue reading “Backtalk, February 19, 2009”

Updated at 1:50 a.m. EST, Feb. 19, 2008At least 29 Iraqis were killed or found dead and another 36 were wounded during the latest attacks. Rocket fire targeted the Green Zone and Baghdad International Airport. No Coalition deaths were reported. A roadside bomb in Mosul left three dead and four wounded in the al-Iqtesadiyn quarter. … Continue reading “Monday: 29 Iraqis Killed, 36 Wounded”

President George W. Bush’s critics are charging that he is attempting to use a “backdoor signing statement” to thwart Congress’ desire to lift the veil of secrecy that has shrouded the U.S. government for the past seven years. In August 2007, Congress passed the Open Government Act. The measure established a new Office of Government … Continue reading “Bush’s Budget Sidelines Transparency”

"Is the American era over?" That was the big question that launched a lengthy analysis by veteran international affairs reporter James Kitfield in the influential National Journal last May. Significantly, the article – which featured interviews with an all-star cast of former top U.S. policymakers – was titled "The Decline Begins." Nine months later, the … Continue reading “Can the US Brace Its Fall?”

So I’m waiting around for Robert Marleau to give me some information about Canadian prisoners in Afghanistan, having waited 14 months, the waiting likely to be longer now that I’ve posted a snotty letter to him about the delay, and I can’t help but notice the Manley Report. Actually, it almost doesn’t matter about my … Continue reading “The Quick and the Dead:
Eric Margolis and John Manley on Afghanistan”