Month: April 2010

Lucrative KBR Contracts Unaffected by Iraq Troop Drawdown

Only one in nine hours billed by a contractor for running the giant military bases that house U.S. soldiers in Iraq in the first half of 2009 was for actual physical labor, according to new testimony by the Pentagon’s auditors. The company — KBR, a former subsidiary of Halliburton — is tasked with military logistics … Continue reading “Lucrative KBR Contracts Unaffected by Iraq Troop Drawdown”

Just Another Atrocity

The video released by Wikileaks showing US helicopters picking off civilians as our airmen chortle with glee is shocking everyone. Everyone but me, that is. Perhaps I’m suffering from some sort of moral exhaustion: I’ve just about gone numb after living through and constantly writing about the past decade of American war crimes. Abu Ghraib, … Continue reading “Just Another Atrocity”

Leaked Video of Shooting Spurs Calls for New Probe

Journalist advocacy groups called for the reopening of an investigation into the 2007 killing of a Reuters photographer and his driver after the WikiLeaks Web site released classified video footage on Monday of a 2007 helicopter attack in Baghdad which killed 12 people. "This footage is deeply disturbing," said Joel Simon, executive director of the … Continue reading “Leaked Video of Shooting Spurs Calls for New Probe”

US War-Fighting Numbers to Knock Your Socks Off

In my 1950s childhood, Ripley’s Believe It or Not was part of everyday life, a syndicated comics page feature where you could stumble upon such mind-boggling facts as: “If all the Chinese in the world were to march four abreast past a given point, they would never finish passing though they marched forever and forever." … Continue reading “US War-Fighting Numbers to Knock Your Socks Off”

Mixed Reviews for Obama’s Nuclear Strategy

U.S. President Barack Obama Tuesday unveiled a new Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) that will significantly limit the circumstances under which Washington would use nuclear weapons as part of a strategy to bolster the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and other efforts to halt and reverse the spread of nuclear arms. Among other changes, the new strategy … Continue reading “Mixed Reviews for Obama’s Nuclear Strategy”

Let’s Get Our Own Foreign Policy House in Order Before Criticizing Others

On March 31, 2010, the New York Times wrote an editorial that briefly expressed horror in response to the Moscow subway terror bombings, then warned that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin might yet again use terrorist attacks to further consolidate his power, and finally lectured Russia that the only way to defeat such extremism was to … Continue reading “Let’s Get Our Own Foreign Policy House in Order Before Criticizing Others”

As Iraq Threatens to Come Apart, US Problems in Afghanistan Mount

Washington once again finds itself dangerously entangled with the hostile policies, nationalistic interests and supporters, and personal ambitions of a foreign figure whom it counted on to serve American interests. This time it is in Afghanistan, the latest in what, alas, must be described as America’s quasi-imperial foreign military adventures. This is a country to … Continue reading “As Iraq Threatens to Come Apart, US Problems in Afghanistan Mount”

Why There Are No ‘Israelis’ in Israel

A group of Jews and Arabs are fighting in the Israeli courts to be recognized as "Israelis," a nationality currently denied them, in a case that officials fear may threaten the country’s self-declared status as a Jewish state. Israel refused to recognize an Israeli nationality at the country’s establishment in 1948, making an unusual distinction … Continue reading “Why There Are No ‘Israelis’ in Israel”