China and India Battle Over Thin Air
Conn Hallinan on US intervention in Asia
Month: February 2010
Can Iran Expand its Nuclear Program Rapidly?
It’s unlikely, says Muhammad Sahimi
Iraqi Govt Expels Former Blackwater Contractors
The Iraqi government has ordered hundreds of private security contractors who previously worked for Blackwater Worldwide or its subsidiaries to leave the country within seven days or risk arrest for visa violations, Iraq’s interior minister said Wednesday. The order applies to roughly 250 security contractors who worked for Blackwater, now known as Xe Services, in … Continue reading “Iraqi Govt Expels Former Blackwater Contractors”
Wednesday: 5 Iraqis Killed, 28 Wounded
Numerous small attacks left at least five Iraqis killed and 28 more wounded. Meanwhile, an Iraqi journalist detained for 17 months on “classified” information has been released.
It Is Now Official: The US Is a Police State
Americans have been losing the protection of law for years. In the 21st century the loss of legal protections accelerated with the Bush administration’s “war on terror,” which continues under the Obama administration and is essentially a war on the Constitution and U.S. civil liberties. The Bush regime was determined to vitiate habeas corpus in … Continue reading “It Is Now Official: The US Is a Police State”
High Price Tag for Settlers’ Eviction
Jerusalem’s mayor threatened last week to demolish 200 homes in Palestinian neighborhoods of the city in an act even he conceded would probably bring long-simmering tensions over housing in East Jerusalem to a boil. His uncompromising stance is the latest stage in a protracted legal battle over a single building towering above the jumble of … Continue reading “High Price Tag for Settlers’ Eviction”
How to Beat the War Party
The road goes ever on – that’s the name of the song Frodo Baggins sings, in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, as he leaves the Shire with his companions to take on the Dark Lord, and I think of it as I wake on a deadline day and start thinking about … Continue reading “How to Beat the War Party”
US Nonprofit Targeted Rights Group Over Goldstone
A campaign of attacks against the New Israel Fund (NIF), a U.S.-based progressive organization that supports human rights groups in Israel, has gained attention in both the Israeli and U.S. media, raising questions about the role played by foreign nonprofits and non-governmental organizations in influencing Israeli government policy. But an IPS investigation into publicly available … Continue reading “US Nonprofit Targeted Rights Group Over Goldstone”
Liberty Versus ‘Patriotism’
Dozens of people have been arrested under the Stolen Valor Act, which punishes, by up to a year in jail, the wearing of any unearned military medal. It is still a crime even if no effort was made to profit from the adornment or dissembling about earning it. This law is now being challenged in … Continue reading “Liberty Versus ‘Patriotism’”
Diplomacy in Afghanistan? Not Until US Identifies Why It’s There
Richard Holbrooke’s comments on reconciliation with the Taliban in Afghanistan, made during the recent Munich Security Conference, echoed earlier remarks by UN officials and American military commanders in Kabul that suggest that diplomacy might be coming alive on the Afghan front. This could be true despite, or in coordination with, a new NATO offensive in … Continue reading “Diplomacy in Afghanistan? Not Until US Identifies Why It’s There”