Month: September 2008

In a last-ditch, all-out effort to pave the way for war with Iran, Israel’s lobby in the U.S. has inaugurated a new front group: United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI). What, “another” neocon front group – why is this important? With Richard Holbrooke, Obama’s most prominent foreign policy adviser – and a likely Secretary of State … Continue reading “Iran: And the Beat Goes On”

Since the late 1990s, federal agents have reported systemic communications security breaches at the Department of Justice, FBI, DEA, the State Department, and the White House. Several of the alleged breaches, these agents say, can be traced to two hi-tech communications companies, Verint Inc. (formerly Comverse Infosys), and Amdocs Ltd., that respectively provide major wiretap … Continue reading “Trojan Horse”

Updated at 5:30 p.m. EDT, Sept. 25, 2008At least 15 Iraqis were killed and 24 more were wounded in the latest attacks. The bombings continued in Baghdad, while a suicide bomber killed a U.S. soldier in Baquba. Also, a Saudi national was killed during a raid in Mosul. Meanwhile, the U.S. military denied harming civilians … Continue reading “Thursday: 1 US Soldier, 15 Iraqis Killed; 24 Iraqis Wounded”

In an implicit indictment of President George W. Bush’s "global war on terror" and the hawkish pronouncements by Republican candidate John McCain, a bipartisan group of nearly three dozen U.S. leaders called here Wednesday for Bush’s successor to place much greater emphasis on high-level diplomacy – including direct engagement with Iran and Syria – in … Continue reading “Bipartisan Group Urges Deeper Diplomacy with Muslim World”

with Eli Clifton and Jim Lobe A group of hard-line US neoconservatives and former Israeli diplomats, among others, are behind the mass distribution, ahead of the November US presidential election, of a controversial DVD that critics have denounced as Islamophobic. The group, the Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET), is working with another organization called … Continue reading “Neocons, Ex-Israeli Diplomats Push Islamophobic Video”

At a press conference following his speech to the UN General Assembly Tuesday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he would welcome discussions with the US presidential candidates, but added that "the condition is that our meeting should be open so that all media know what happens." Ahmadinejad’s appearance in New York provoked a series of … Continue reading “Ahmadinejad Open to US Talks, Denounces Threats”

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama’s choice of Joseph Biden as his running mate has drawn sharp criticism from many Democrats as a result of the Delaware senator’s support for the US invasion of Iraq, his flagrantly false claims about the alleged Iraqi threat, and the abuse of his position as chair of the Senate Foreign … Continue reading “Biden’s Foreign Policy ‘Experience’”

Updated at 11:31 p.m. EDT, Sept. 24, 2008At least 43 Iraqis were killed and another 34 were wounded in the latest violence. Among them were 35 security personnel who were killed in a bold attack in Diyala province. Also, the Department of Defense reported that a U.S. soldier died from an non-combat illness.A contentious debate … Continue reading “Wednesday: 1 US Soldier, 43 Iraqis Killed: 35 Iraqis Wounded”

GAZA CITY – So much is missing as you walk down the street along the shops of Gaza: food and medicines kept out by the blockade enforced by Israel, but also newspapers, once a part of the street landscape. Al-Hayat-al-Jadeeda and al-Ayyam, two newspapers loyal to Fatah, are not around any more. And for once, … Continue reading “Palestinian Factions Silence Opposition Media”

As I read the latest headlines reporting the ongoing implosion of the domestic economy and the ominous signs of a pending explosion in the international sphere, I watch a leaf fall from a very great height. The redwoods out here are like the pillars of a temple built by Titans, and a leaf caught in … Continue reading “Decline and Fall”