"Fears of new ethnic conflict in Bosnia," declared the New York Times on December 13, in an article that may yet be one of the most curious cases of the dog that did not bark. Authored by Dan Bilefsky, what is supposed to be a news feature ends up being a somewhat...
Wednesday: 35 Iraqis Killed, 70 Wounded
Updated at 6:55 p.m. EST, Dec. 17, 2008At least 35 Iraqis were killed and 70 more were wounded during a bloody day that also saw a visit from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. No Coalition deaths were reported. At the same time, the health of the journalist...
Iran’s Regional Power Rooted in Shia Ties
TEHRAN - As Barack Obama's national security team assesses the challenge of Iran's role in the Middle East, it confronts a paradox: Iran is seen as having ambitions of regional hegemony, but it lacks the military power normally associated with such a role. That...
Not Home for the Holidays, Again
Once again it's the holidays, and once again some 180,000 U.S. soldiers (about 149,000 in Iraq and 31,000 in Afghanistan) won't be home with their families and friends. This despite the fact that 70 percent of Americans want American troops withdrawn from Iraq. The...
Muntadar al-Zeidi: Hero, Martyr, Symbol of Resistance
The shoe-throwing Iraqi journalist, who is, by now, probably half beaten to death for the "crime" of paying back in very small measure George W. Bush for his crimes against the Iraqi people, is a folk hero to millions. And his admirers aren't...
The Mindset That Got Us Into War Is Alive and Well
I must admit that, like most progressives and antiwar activists in the coalition that played a crucial role in the victory of President-elect Barack Obama, I have been greatly disappointed with his national security team (NST). Gone are all the hopeful signs of real...
Tuesday: 19 Iraqis Killed, 50 Wounded
Updated at 8:34 p.m. EST, Dec. 16, 2008At least 19 Iraqis were killed and 50 more were wounded in the latest round of violence. No Coalition casualties were reported, but the Iraqi cabinet has drafted a law that will cover British troops remaining in Iraq. Meanwhile a...
Iraqi Hospitals Suffer From Corruption, Shortages
BAQUBA - A nurse at Baquba General Hospital asked Ahmed Ali, who co-authored this report, for a bribe to look after his sick baby. It was hardly an exceptional demand. Patients around Iraq have begun commonly to speak of the need to bribe medical staff to get some...
Is a US-Iran Deal on the Middle East Possible?
TEHRAN - Would a negotiated agreement between Iran and the Barack Obama administration be feasible if Obama sent the right signals? The answer one gets from Iranian officials and think-tank analysts is, "Yes, but " The Iranian national security...
Back to the Future With the Complex?
Once upon a time, Detroit was known as "the arsenal of Democracy" because the city's big three automakers converted so quickly from turning out civilian vehicles to producing the tanks and trucks that "helped win World War II"(and then "lent their technology to...


