"Peace on Earth," people ritualistically intone every Christmas. It's a wonderful platitude. But utterly meaningless, at least in the US. Without question the American government is the most aggressive, belligerent, and warlike on earth. That doesn't mean...
Thursday: 1 US Soldier, 10 Iraqis Killed; 47 Iraqis Wounded
At least 10 Iraqis were killed and 47 more were wounded as Christians and other Iraqis celebrated Christmas as a national holiday for the first time. One U.S. soldier was killed by indirect fire near Mosul. For the first time, the Iraqi government declared Christmas...
Beginning of the End
"What comes next is anybody's guess" were the closing words of this column in December 2007. That had been a turbulent year, marked by a series of setbacks for the Empire on all fronts. Aside from the ongoing quagmire in Iraq and Afghanistan, even in the...
Wednesday: 4 GIs, 4 Iraqis Killed; 26 Iraqis Wounded
Updated at 5:15 p.m. EST, Dec. 24, 2008Three U.S. soldiers died in a vehicular accident on an otherwise quiet day in Iraq. At least four Iraqis were also killed and another 26 were wounded in violent attacks. A U.S. Marine was killed on Sunday as well. Meanwhile,...
Overcoming the Zero-Sum Hurdle in Israel-Palestine Negotiations
It seems as if the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has been dissected from every possible angle. But despite these various close examinations, there has been relatively little progress made toward a lasting peace deal between the two parties, discouraging some peace...
Silent Night
In my Veterans Day column last month, I quoted free-market economist and World War II veteran Richard Timberlake, who wrote: "Yet, any U.S. soldier or airman who thought even briefly about his job of trying to kill and destroy 'the enemy,' knew that he was not...
Here Come the Progressives!
Well, well, well – it looks like our war-birds over at the American Enterprise Institute are getting kicked out of their very well-feathered nest, as Jacob Heilbrunn, author of a fascinating book on the neoconservatives, reports: "The neocon world has been...
Tuesday: 10 Iraqis Killed, 12 Wounded
At least 10 Iraqis were killed and another 12 were wounded in the latest attacks. No Coalition deaths were reported. Meanwhile, the resignation of the parliamentary speaker allowed the passage of a measure that will govern foreign troops in the coming months. Also,...
It Could Be More Than Three Years to US Departure From Iraq
CAIRO - Washington and Baghdad signed a security agreement earlier this month allowing the U.S. to maintain a military presence in Iraq for another three years. But while Baghdad officials hailed the pact as the "beginning of the end" of the U.S.-led occupation,...
Monday: 1 US Soldier, 2 Iraqis Killed; 6 Iraqis Wounded
Updated at 10:35 p.m. EST, Dec. 22, 2008Debate over the journalist shoe-thrower forced parliament to postpone voting on the fate of foreign troops in Iraq and instead focus on the removal of its speaker. Meanwhile, two Iraqis were found dead and six more were wounded...