Month: August 2008

JERUSALEM – With the eruption of fighting between Russia and Georgia, Israel has found itself in an awkward position as a result of its arms sales to Georgia, caught between its friendly relations with Georgia and its fear that the continued sale of weaponry will spark Russian retribution in the form of increased arms sales … Continue reading “Israeli Arms Sales to Georgia
Raise New Concerns”

Updated at 6:35 p.m. EDT, Aug. 12, 2008A provincial governor was the target of today’s most significant bombing. He survived, but three died others died in Baquba. Overall, 16 people were killed and 23 more were wounded across Iraq. Also, a Marine was killed, two others were wounded, in Anbar province during a small arms … Continue reading “Tuesday: 1 Marine, 16 Iraqis Killed; 23 Iraqis Wounded”

All you really need to know is that, at Robert Gates’ Pentagon, they’re still high on the term “the Long War.” It’s a phrase that first crept into our official vocabulary back in 2002 but was popularized by CENTCOM commander John Abizaid in 2004 – already a fairly long (war-)time ago. Now, Secretary of Defense … Continue reading “The American Military Crisis”

There should be little doubt that the Israeli government is making every effort to jump-start a war against Iran sooner rather than later. Many Israelis not surprisingly believe it is in their interest to convince the United States to attack Iran so that Israel will not have to do it, and they are hell-bent on … Continue reading “America’s Israeli-Occupied Media”

Updated at 4:44 p.m. EDT, August 11, 2008Even as violence continues to plague Diyala, the Iraqi government pulled back operations in the province to allow gunmen to peacefully surrender. Overall, at least 16 Iraqis were killed and another 38 were wounded across the country. No Coalition deaths were reported, but Russia expressed its annoyance with … Continue reading “Monday: 16 Iraqis Killed, 38 Wounded”

Last week Iran responded to the latest European proposal regarding its controversial nuclear program. The so-called Iran Six, however, were neither amused nor heartened by the proposal’s apparent "ambiguity" regarding the demand that Iran cease it enrichment activities. Such ambiguity has not been received in the spirit of Kissingerian "constructive ambiguity," whereby intractable sticking points … Continue reading “A Not-So-Diplomatic Turn”

The anti-Russian bias of the Western media is really something to behold: “Russia Invades Georgia,” “Russia Attacks Georgia,” and variations thereof have been some of the choice headlines reporting events in the Caucasus, but the reality is not only quite different, but the exact opposite. Sometimes this comes out in the third or fourth paragraph … Continue reading “The Real Aggressor”

Before considering whether this week’s outcome means the commissions are out of commission or not, wasn’t there supposed to be a tradition called an Olympic Truce, whereby active hostilities were supposed to stop for the duration of the Games? But of course, the best time to start a war – whoever did it, about which … Continue reading “The End of the Military Commissions?”

Bruce Ivins: The Movie Hi Justin, I’d like to add a few things for you to look into, if you are so inclined. First, the anthrax sent to the Democratic senators was highly potent. Some reports say it used either silica or an electrostatic charge to help the spores disperse into the air better (making … Continue reading “Backtalk, August 11, 2008”

Updated at 7:00 p.m. EDT, August 10, 2008A number of bombings have rocked Iraq at the start of this work week. Baghdad suffered a number of small explosions, while larger bombings took place north of the capital. A complex attack in Tarmiyah left one American soldier dead as well. Overall, at least 21 Iraqis were … Continue reading “Sunday: 1 US Soldier, 21 Iraqis Killed; 113 Iraqis Wounded”