Month: July 2008

After the assassination of the archduke in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, Austria got from Kaiser Wilhelm a “blank cheque” to punish Serbia. Germany would follow whatever course its ally chose to take. Austria chose war on Serbia. And World War I resulted. On March 31, 1939, Britain gave a blank check to Poland in … Continue reading “No More Blank Checks for War”

President George W. Bush, the neoconservative war lobby, and Sen. John McCain all have one overriding goal for U.S. policy towards Iraq: a permanent occupation. Of course, they all prefer that the American regency be peaceful, but Sen. McCain captured the mood when he called for U.S. troops to garrison Iraq for 100 or 1000 … Continue reading “Exit Iraq, and Leave No Bases Behind”

There is increasing discussion and speculation about the possibility of an American military strike against Iran prior to President Bush leaving office. The justification for such an attack is derived from Iran’s continued refusal to adhere to Security Council demands that it suspend its enrichment of uranium (a program Iran contends is exclusively for peaceful … Continue reading “Congressional Hearings Are Needed to Forestall an Attack on Iran”

The Iranians just don’t get it. What they’re supposed to do in response to the superheated rhetoric coming out of Washington – and the full-scale dress rehearsals for a bombing raid on their country coming out of Israel – is cower, downplay their own military prowess, and hope for the best. But – no. Instead, … Continue reading “Iran and the Photoshop Threat”

Updated at 7:15 p.m. EDT, July 10, 2008As Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Iraq today, two Turkish citizens were killed inside the neighboring country. At least eight Iraqis were killed and another 17 were wounded in other incidents across the country. No Coalition deaths were reported, but one American soldier was wounded in … Continue reading “Thursday: 8 Iraqis Killed, 17 Wounded”

While Wednesday’s test-firing by Iran of nine medium- and long-range missiles was strongly denounced by Israel and the United States, there appears to be a growing consensus here that the chances for war, at least between now and the US elections in November, have actually receded in recent days. The State Department charged that the … Continue reading “Despite Fireworks, War Clouds Recede”

It’s been on the minds of antiwar activists and war critics since 2003. And little wonder. If you don’t remember the pre-invasion of Iraq neocon quip, “Everyone wants to go to Baghdad. Real men want to go to Tehran…” – then take notice. Even before American troops entered Iraq, knocking off Iran was already “Regime … Continue reading “Reality Bites Back: Why the US Won’t Attack Iran”

Douglas Feith, an undersecretary of defense in the Bush administration from 2001 to 2005 and an early supporter of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, recently wrote a remarkable defense of the war. His article, “Why We Went to War in Iraq,” was published on the July 3 opinion page of the Wall Street Journal. I … Continue reading “Fisking Feith’s
Faulty Case for War”

Updated at 11:35 p.m. EDT, July 9, 2008A number of bombings rocked Mosul and Fallujah today, leaving dozens of casualties. Overall, 30 Iraqis were killed and another 76 were wounded across the country. Also, one American soldier was killed and another two were wounded in Samarra. In Mosul, eight people were killed and 41 were … Continue reading “Wednesday: 1 US Soldier, 30 Iraqis Killed; 76 Iraqis Wounded”

A 15-page paper on the process requirements for casting and machining of uranium metal into hemispherical forms – said to useful only for making the core of a nuclear weapon – has been raised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in recent months as evidence of an alleged Iranian intention to built nuclear weapons. … Continue reading “Did IAEA Revive Uranium Paper Issue Under Pressure?”