Month: June 2008

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice paid a surprise visit to Beirut Monday to pledge her support for an agreement giving greater political power to Hezbollah, the militant Shi’ite group that Washington still considers a terrorist organization. The Doha-brokered peace deal – which grants a decisive veto power to the Hezbollah-led opposition bloc – is … Continue reading “Rice Midwifes Lebanon’s Latest ‘Birth Pangs’”

Enough already with the encomiums to Tim Russert, whose untimely death has sparked a veritable chorus of eulogies depicting him as the epitome of objectivity and the greatest of journalists. This is all coming, quite naturally, from his fellow journalists and intellectual gatekeepers, who share his prejudices, his politics, and – alas! – his shortcomings. … Continue reading “Enough Already!”

BEIRUT – Despite the new peace agreement in Doha, Lebanese are becoming increasingly polarized, with confrontation between groups affecting the population at every level. Lebanon’s mounting tensions were triggered by the 2005 killing of Sunni former prime minister Rafik Hariri in a bomb blast in Beirut, allegedly at the hands of the Syrian regime. The … Continue reading “Lebanon: Divided We Arm”

Ring the alarm bells: apparently the Iraq war and occupation are being "privatized" with the introduction of private security contractors such as Blackwater USA. Much has been written on the crimes and abuses of power that have been committed by these "private" mercenary armies in government service, as well as the global collusion between defense … Continue reading “War Is a Racket, but
Blackwater Didn’t Start It”

Updated at 11:57 p.m. EDT, June 17, 2008At least 75 Iraqis were killed and 120 more were wounded in a spate of bombings and other attacks. The heaviest toll occurred at a Baghdad bus stop around dinnertime. No Coalition deaths were reported today. Meanwhile, Turkey claimed to have stopped a force of PKK rebels from … Continue reading “Tuesday: 75 Iraqis Killed, 120 Wounded”

While historians debate whether George W. Bush has been the worst president in U.S. history, a global consensus that he inspires the least confidence of all the world’s major leaders appears to have emerged. An average of two out of three respondents in 20 nations whose combined population make up 60 percent of the world’s … Continue reading “Bush Inspires Least Confidence as World Leader”

President George W. Bush has succeeded in convincing many of America’s European allies to tighten sanctions against Iran to inhibit its nuclear program. He has also reiterated that he prefers negotiations to end the impasse with Tehran but that "all options" remain on the table, a clear threat to use military force if all else … Continue reading “Remaking the Middle East”

Updated at 5:56 p.m. EDT, June 16, 2008At least 15 Iraqis were killed and 40 more wounded across Iraq. Meanwhile, Amara quietly prepares for a security crackdown. Three American servicemembers were killed in separate incidents. A roadside bomb killed a U.S. soldier today near Hilla. Also, the DOD announced the deaths of two Marines on … Continue reading “Monday: 3 GIs, 15 Iraqis Killed; 40 Iraqis Wounded”

ISLAMABAD – As Pakistan stumbles toward democratization amid domestic political uncertainty, armed unrest led by Islamists along the Afghanistan border, and strained military relations with the U.S., a broad consensus in favor of the peace process with India survives – almost miraculously. However, proponents of the process on both sides of the border will have … Continue reading “India-Pakistan Peace Survives, Somehow”

It’s just a $5,812,353 contract – chump change for the Pentagon – and not even one of those notorious “no-bid” contracts either. Ninety-eight bids were solicited by the Army Corps of Engineers and 12 were received before the contract was awarded this May 28 to Wintara, Inc. of Fort Washington, Md., for “replacement facilities for … Continue reading “The Greatest Story Never Told”