Month: October 2008

PORTLAND, Ore. – Veterans from the U.S. occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, along with Iraqis, Afghans, Vietnam veterans, and family members of U.S. military personnel, converged in this West Coast city over the weekend to share stories of atrocities being committed daily in Iraq, in a continuation of the "Winter Soldier" hearings held in Silver … Continue reading “Winter Soldiers: ‘We Have to Share This Pain’”

When is a child not a child? Apparently, when he is Omar Khadr, a 15-year-old Canadian who was shot in the back after a firefight in Afghanistan in July 2002. Omar has been in U.S. custody ever since, first at a prison at Bagram airbase in Afghanistan, and for the last six years in Guantánamo. … Continue reading “When Is a Child Not a Child?”

The present U.S. policy in Afghanistan of using air strikes to target local Taliban leaders was rejected by the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan in early 2004 as certain to turn the broader population against the U.S. presence. Lt. Gen. David Barno, the three-star general who commanded the Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan, the overall U.S. and … Continue reading “Fears of Blowback Nixed Afghan Air Strikes in 2004”

Whoever wins the presidency in two weeks will have to put his own stamp on the United States’ foreign and security policies. Though constrained by an economy that can no longer afford guns and butter, the U.S. president can pretty much call the shots on foreign policy, subject only to limited congressional oversight and the … Continue reading “Zero Plus Zero Equals Zero”

Updated at 11:55 p.m. EDT, Oct. 20, 2008At least 28 Iraqis were killed and another 16 were wounded in the latest attacks. Also, a U.S. Marine was killed in a non-combat incident at a base in Anbar. Meanwhile, the U.S. and Iraq have apparently agreed on a security pact that was in limbo only yesterday; … Continue reading “Monday: 1 Marine, 28 Iraqis Killed; 16 Iraqis Wounded”

The former head of Britain’s intelligence agency, MI5, says the U.S. response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks – specifically the invasion of Iraq – and the launching of a worldwide “war on terrorism” was “a huge overreaction.” Those words would’ve gotten her in big trouble back in the bad old days, when the “warbloggers” were … Continue reading “Susan Sontag Was Right”

Militarily, the most helpful – or least harmful – thing the West can do is to withdraw all troops from the entire Middle East, and from South Asia to boot. That’s the bottom line I got from a conversation with celebrated British foreign correspondent Robert Fisk a couple of weeks ago. Pulling out the military … Continue reading “Coffee With Robert Fisk”

On Sept. 23, the neoconservative chiefs of the Washington Post‘s editorial page mourned, in a tone much like what one hears on the death of a close friend, that "a military strike by the United States or Israel [on Iran is not] likely in the coming months." One could almost hear a wistful sigh, as … Continue reading “Attack on Iran Off the Table?”

Updated at 5:20 p.m. EDT, Oct. 17, 2008A spate of bombings opened the workweek in Baghdad. At least 10 Iraqis were killed and another 25 were wounded across the country. Meanwhile, the Shi’ite coalition in government suggested that a potential security pact with the U.S. needs more discussion and amendments. Also, the new British defense … Continue reading “Sunday: 10 Iraqis Killed; 25 Wounded”

Increasingly frustrated by the "downward spiral" that the U.S. intelligence community sees in Afghanistan, the Pentagon appears to be moving in support of engaging leaders of the resurgent Taliban who are prepared to disassociate themselves from al Qaeda. While the seeds for that strategy are being planted now, the next U.S. president – be it … Continue reading “Moving Towards a ‘Grand Bargain’ in Afghanistan”