Month: February 2010

High Court to Revisit Terrorism Support Law

Next week, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider one of the most consequential cases to arise from the "global war on terror." The nine justices will hear lawyers’ arguments in a case known as Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project, which challenges a portion of the USA Patriot Act. That act was hastily passed by Congress … Continue reading “High Court to Revisit Terrorism Support Law”

‘Disgraced Soldier’ Fights Trauma With Documentary

LONDON – A new documentary, Diary of a Disgraced Soldier, follows the dismissal from the British army of an Iraq war veteran and his battle with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) linked to his videographing the brutalizing of Iraqi youth by fellow servicemen. For five days in 2004, Corporal Martin Webster and about 100 other … Continue reading “‘Disgraced Soldier’ Fights Trauma With Documentary”

Friday: 2 Iraqis Killed, 1 Wounded

The first official boycott of March 7 elections was called when MP Mutlaq took himself and his party out of the running. The prayer day was otherwise fairly quiet with only two Iraqis having been reported killed while a third Iraqi was wounded. Also, Iraq has rejected international calls to end its death penalty.

Jailed Taliban Leader Still a Pakistani Asset

Contrary to initial U.S. suggestions that it signals reduced Pakistani support for the Taliban, the detention of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the operational leader of the Afghan Taliban, represents a shift by Pakistan to more open support for the Taliban in preparation for a peace settlement and U.S. withdrawal. Statements by Pakistani officials to journalists … Continue reading “Jailed Taliban Leader Still a Pakistani Asset”

American Blitzkrieg: Loving the German War Machine to Death

Remember the 100 hours of combat that made up the first Gulf War, the mere weeks it took for Kabul to fall in the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, or the "shock and awe" wave of air attacks that led off the 2003 invasion of Iraq, followed by the 20-day blitzkrieg-like campaign that left American troops … Continue reading “American Blitzkrieg: Loving the German War Machine to Death”

US Starts Syria Normalization Process in Earnest 

After months of delay, the administration of President Barack Obama is taking major steps engage the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as part of a broader regional strategy designed in major part to isolate Iran, escalate the fight against al-Qaeda and other radical Sunni groups, and encourage peace talks with Israel. Wednesday’s meeting in … Continue reading “US Starts Syria Normalization Process in Earnest “