Month: September 2008

Friends, Enemies, and "Existential" Threats In the ceaseless and invariably bellicose calls for war (both open and clandestine) against Iran, perhaps one argument invoked by pro-war pundits and politicians stands out and takes pride of place above all others: Iran, it is claimed, "poses an existential threat to the state of Israel." It’s certainly been … Continue reading “Propaganda Is a Two-Way Street”

It should be becoming increasingly obvious that the present arrangement with Pakistan is simply not working for the United States. Although various U.S. military leaders keep traveling to Pakistan to try to tweak things around the edges, it is of course unlikely that this administration will do anything substantive, not only because it is still … Continue reading “Time for a New Pakistan Policy”

Cornering the Russian Bear The article “Cornering The Russian Bear ” is a great article. I really loved it. It looks like nowadays politicians are insane. For almost half a century the U.S. had a cautious policy toward Moscow. When Stalin, back in 1948, encircled Berlin, cutting off all access to the city by land, … Continue reading “Backtalk, September 22, 2008”

Updated at 5:54 p.m. EDT, Sept. 21, 2008At least 20 Iraqis were killed and 114 more were wounded in the latest violence. Relatively small but numerous bombings plagued Baghdad, while Kirkuk and Mosul both suffered bomb attacks that left dozens of casualties. No Coalition deaths were reported.The Interior Ministry launched a new security plan in … Continue reading “Sunday: 20 Iraqis Killed, 114 Wounded”

Updated at 5:15 p.m. EDT, Sept. 20, 2008At least 16 Iraqis were killed and 41 others were wounded in light violence. A Turkish truck driver was injured in Mosul as well, but no Coalition deaths were reported.A car bomb killed three security personnel and wounded 23 others in Tal Afar at a sports field. Three … Continue reading “Saturday:16 Iraqs Killed, 41 Wounded”

Perhaps you’re relieved, judging that the looming worldwide economic depression – which was not deliberately caused by Bubba Clinton or Dubya Bush or the Best Congress Money Can Buy – will make World War III less likely. But Bubba (with a complicit BCMCB) did deliberately launch missile attacks (violations of the UN Charter) in 1998 … Continue reading “What Have We Got to Lose?”

By using the written word and art, veterans of the US occupation of Iraq are transforming their trauma into a message of both healing and resistance to the failed US adventure. "If I say nothing, I have failed," writes veteran Drew Cameron, "If I do nothing, I am guilty. If I live by these ideals … Continue reading “Iraq War Vets Transforming Trauma”

A recent US raid into Pakistan from Afghanistan using Special Forces on the ground is apparently part of the Bush administration’s new "get tough" policy on the Taliban and al-Qaeda sanctuary in the tribal areas of Pakistan. For many years, Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda leadership have been thought by US intelligence to be … Continue reading “Worry About bin Laden, Not the Taliban”

Updated at 5:55 p.m. EDT, Sept. 19, 2008At least 16 Iraqis were killed and 20 more were wounded in the latest attacks, which included a U.S. airstrike that killed civilians. No Coalition deaths were reported. Also, South Korea will pull all remaining troops stationed in Iraq by the end of the year. A U.S. airstrike … Continue reading “Friday: 16 Iraqis Killed, 20 Wounded”

Today, Omar Khadr, the sole Canadian citizen in Guantánamo, marks his 22nd birthday in isolation. Seized in Afghanistan when he was just 15 years old, Omar has now spent nearly a third of his life in US custody, in conditions that ought to be shameful to the US administration responsible for holding him, and to … Continue reading “Seized at 15, Omar Khadr Turns 22 in Guantánamo”