Month: May 2011

Egypt’s Moves Raising Anxiety in Washington

With U.S. lawmakers threatening this week to cut aid to Pakistan over its alleged harboring of the late Osama bin Laden, concern is growing steadily here over the future of ties with another key predominantly Muslim ally heavily dependent on U.S. aid: Egypt. Washington has supplied an average of two billion dollars a year – … Continue reading “Egypt’s Moves Raising Anxiety in Washington”

Let’s Call It ‘VO Day’ and Get Out

Although the Obama administration has said that the killing of Osama bin Laden is not a VE or VJ day—which brought a return to normal times after World War II ended—perhaps it should be. President Obama should declare that the Bush-era “war on terror” has finally been won. The main trunk of al Qaeda has … Continue reading “Let’s Call It ‘VO Day’ and Get Out”

Osama the Symbol Not So Easy to Vanquish

Far from concluding the war on terror, both Western and Muslim-majority countries—many emerging or still embroiled in months of popular protests—will continue to face a threat from extremist ideology after the United States’ decade-long campaign to capture or kill Osama bin Laden has come to an end, most analysts say. The U.S. will now position … Continue reading “Osama the Symbol Not So Easy to Vanquish”

To End All Wars

Someday, when historians look back, they will undoubtedly be struck by the utter inanity, not to say collective insanity, of the United States fighting what our president has called a “war of necessity,” now in its tenth year, in Afghanistan, as well as a “covert” war in the Pakistani tribal borderlands. It will undoubtedly look … Continue reading “To End All Wars”

US Refusal of 2001 Taliban Offer Gave bin Laden a Free Pass

When George W. Bush rejected a Taliban offer to have Osama bin Laden tried by a moderate group of Islamic states in mid-October 2001, he gave up the only opportunity the United States would have to end bin Laden’s terrorist career for the next nine years.The al-Qaeda leader was able to escape into Pakistan a … Continue reading “US Refusal of 2001 Taliban Offer Gave bin Laden a Free Pass”

Shut Up, Rachel

My first reaction to the killing of Osama bin Laden was to imagine this meant closure for the American people – that we could put 9/11 behind us, and move on. Talk about naïve! Instead, the country is engaging in an orgy of self-congratulatory hysteria, reliving the darkest moments of 9/11, and blaming Pakistan for … Continue reading “Shut Up, Rachel”

Tuesday: 24 Iraqis Killed, 53 Wounded

At least 24 Iraqis were killed and 53 more were wounded. Targeted assassination continued in Baghdad and elsewhere, but a large blast occurred in the capital as well. Meanwhile, U.S. House Speaker John Boehner said a recent meeting with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki left him believing that a small force of U.S. troops needs to remain after 2011.

Bin Laden’s Killing Could Alter Af-Pak Policies

Sunday’s killing of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden by a small helicopter-borne team of U.S. Navy Seals could result in significant impacts on U.S. relations and strategy both in Pakistan, where the raid was carried out, and neighboring Afghanistan, where it was launched, according to policy experts. Analysts agreed that the operation, which targeted a … Continue reading “Bin Laden’s Killing Could Alter Af-Pak Policies”