Month: March 2008

Devastation on the ground and widely held Iraqi opinion contradicts claims by U.S. officials that the situation in Iraq has improved toward the fifth anniversary of the invasion March 20. U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney during a surprise visit to Iraq on Monday declared the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq a "successful endeavor." According to … Continue reading “Five Years, No End in Sight”

On Sunday, I spoke at an event organized by a coalition of peace groups marking the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. Being the reclusive writer type, I don’t really get much of a kick out of speaking in front of an audience. However, in this case, aside from the somber occasion, it was … Continue reading “Iraq: Five Years After the Conquest”

SILVER SPRING, Maryland – "I would like to share with you how one goes about becoming a concentration camp guard without having made many decisions," 24-year-old former Guantanamo prison guard Christopher Arent told a crowd of hundreds at last weekend’s Winter Soldier gathering outside Washington, D.C. "I was 17 years old when I joined the … Continue reading “US Vets Testify to Torture of Detainees”

There is a lot of talk in Washington these days about "containment." Foreign policy pundits insist that the U.S. must contain Iran, whose rise as a political-military power poses a threat to Western strategic and economic interests in the Persian Gulf region. At the same time, economic experts maintain that the U.S. should contain its … Continue reading “Futile Surges and Bailouts”

Just imagine: You run a flagship national newspaper, the New York Times. It’s the fifth anniversary of President Bush’s catastrophic invasion of Iraq. Your own record of reportage in the period leading up to the invasion was not exactly sterling. So, for a change of pace, you decide to turn most of your double op-ed … Continue reading “Who Got Iraq Right?”

Updated at 11:55 p.m. EDT, Mar. 18, 2008At least 38 Iraqis were killed and another 77 were wounded during continued bombings throughout the country. Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration reported finding that about 2.7 million Iraqis were displaced since the U.S. invasion of the country and that their situation is deteriorating both within Iraq … Continue reading “Tuesday: 38 Iraqis Killed, 77 Wounded”

If your grandfather was the founder of the first Islamic Republic of Iran, you would probably expect to have a very comfortable life in the land of ayatollahs, where Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is president and Khomeini’s successor has absolute power. But you would be wrong. "No recreation is available to us. Arrests are the order of … Continue reading “Khomeini’s Granddaughter Slams Ahmadinejad”

As the fifth anniversary of the United States’ second longest (next to Vietnam) and second costliest (next to World War II) war passes, the good news is that the counterinsurgency strategy of Gen. David Petraeus and Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno seems to be working. The bad news is that it will probably not save Iraq. … Continue reading “For the Iraq War’s Birthday, Slice the Cake”

Updated at 12:45 a.m. EDT, Mar. 18, 2008As U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney took a somewhat secretive visit to Baghdad today, Karbala experienced a major bombing attack that killed dozens of people. Several bomb explosions were also heard across the capital. Overall, 63 Iraqis were killed and about another 111 were wounded across the country. … Continue reading “Monday: 2 US Soldiers, 63 Iraqis, 7 Iranians Killed; 111 Iraqis Wounded”

Garret Reppenhagen received integral training about the Geneva Conventions and the rules of engagement during his deployment in Kosovo. But in Iraq, "much of this was thrown out the window," he says. "The men I served with are professionals," Reppenhagen told the audience at a panel of U.S. veterans speaking of their experiences in Iraq … Continue reading “Iraq Vet: Rules of Engagement ‘Thrown Out the Window’”