Month: March 2009

The appointment of a top-ranking retired diplomat and vocal critic of Israel to a key intelligence post has triggered an intense backlash from hawkish Israel supporters in Congress and the media who are pressing the administration of President Barack Obama to reconsider. Critics have seized upon retired Amb. Charles “Chas” Freeman’s ties to Saudi Arabia … Continue reading “Intel Council Head Draws Ire of Israel Lobby”

In a preview of the heated divisions likely be triggered by the formation of a "truth commission" to investigate detainee interrogation, warrantless wiretapping and other alleged violations during the administration of President George W. Bush, witnesses before a Senate committee Wednesday characterized such a body as either a "profoundly bad idea" or "critically important to … Continue reading “Senate Committee Weighs ‘Truth Commission’”

Updated at 7:30 p.m. EST, March 4, 2009At least 16 Iraqis were killed and 40 were wounded in the latest attacks. No Coalitino deaths were reported. Also, the Turkish foreign minister hinted that Ankara would allow Washington to use Turkish territory for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. In Baghdad, a suicide bomber attacked … Continue reading “Wednesday: 16 Iraqis Killed, 40 Wounded”

Ending a four-year diplomatic embargo on Damascus, the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama Tuesday confirmed that it is sending two high-level officials to Syria this week for "preliminary conversations," presumably on improving relations. The trip, which will be undertaken by Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs Jeffrey Feltman and Daniel Shapiro, … Continue reading “Washington Ends Diplomatic Embargo of Syria”

In two court cases that could test the limits of the Barack Obama administration’s executive authority as well as its commitment to transparency, human rights lawyers are challenging the government’s right to use information obtained through warrantless wiretapping as evidence and to shut down charitable organizations without allowing them to defend themselves. In one case, … Continue reading “Lawsuits Challenge Charity Blacklisting”

Editor’s note: Justin Raimondo is traveling. The following column originally ran on Feb. 2, 2009. We’ve truly entered a Bizarro World universe, where up is down, right is left – and the Russians, of all people, are now lecturing us about the virtues of free enterprise. Yes, it happened at the Davos conference of bigwigs, … Continue reading “Putin to the West: Take Your Medicine”

Lawyers for imprisoned "enemy combatant" Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri are vowing to press the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their case even though al-Marri was suddenly transferred to the civilian justice system after more than five years in solitary confinement in a military brig. According to American Civil Liberties Union attorney Jonathan Hafetz, the case … Continue reading “Al-Marri Lawyers Seek Supreme Court Review”

When U.S. President Barack Obama announced his plan last week to pull out all U.S. combat troops from Iraq by September 2010, the news did not generate much enthusiasm among Iraqi Kurds. A simple math operation reveals the reasons behind the Kurds’ anxiety – add the withdrawal plan to the recent staggering victory of Iraqi … Continue reading “Kurds Headed for Conflict With Baghdad?”

I‘ve just published the first definitive list of the 779 prisoners held in the U.S. prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, which is available in four parts. Click on the following links for Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4. The list is the result of three years’ research and writing about Guantánamo, which … Continue reading “Guantánamo: The Definitive Prisoner List”

Last week, I had the opportunity to travel to Manama (my first visit to the Middle East/Persian Gulf) to attend the Bahrain Security Forum and Exhibition (BSFE) co-sponsored by the Ministry of Interior and the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). Fifty-eight speakers and several hundred participants from all around the world were invited for an … Continue reading “Conflicting Visions of Security”