Although assassination has become the leading cause of death among Iraqi males, the Iraqi government has its priorities straight: they’re enacting a ban on public smoking. As the New York Times reports, the law – already passed by the Parliament, and now up for an obligatory second reading – “would ban smoking from schools, universities, …
Continue reading “Remember Iraq?”
At least six Iraqis were killed and 18 more were wounded in a series of small attacks that including the assassination of a former Iraqiya candidate and a near miss at the home of another.
The execution-style slaying of Osama bin Laden has been touted as a great success for United States intelligence operatives and also for the special operations soldiers, sailors, and airmen who executed the plan. But it also leaves one feeling a bit uneasy about where this is all going now that the world’s most wanted fugitive …
Continue reading “Osama bin Laden Transfigured”
You might never guess, but across the United States, there are literally hundreds of grassroots peace organizations that have been mobilizing opposition to the wars for years. These groups have a local, regional, or sometimes statewide character, with names like the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center, Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition, Lincoln Park Neighbors …
Continue reading “Stop Knocking the Peace Movement!”
Without admitting a need for continued U.S. military presence in Iraq or that he would prefer American troops stay past a Dec. 31 withdrawal date, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki backtracked from previous statements against mission extension and opened the door to such discussions. He now says he will only ask for an extension if there is strong support across Iraq’s political blocs. Meanwhile, light violence left two Iraqis dead and 16 wounded across central and northern Iraq.
The killing of Osama bin Laden reminds us that there are only two disciplines in which uncaused events occur—quantum physics and the history of U.S. foreign policy. According to the version of history expounded by the American media and politicians, the passenger aircraft hitting the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 9/11 were a …
Continue reading “‘Unprovoked’ Attacks, From 1812 to 9/11”
It may be unseemly for a pundit to highlight his own predictive powers, especially in the first sentence of a column, but propriety has never been much of a constraining factor for me, so here goes: No sooner had I written that the High Mucka-Mucks of the “Kochtopus” would jump on the bandwagon of the …
Continue reading “David Frum and the Winds of War”
RAMALLAH—Despite the euphoria surrounding the recent signing in Cairo of the groundbreaking unity accord between Palestinian rivals Fatah and Hamas, ending their four-year feud, numerous obstacles remain that could impinge on the implementation of a unity government. The Fatah-affiliated Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Islamist movement Hamas still have to overcome mutual suspicion, significant differences …
Continue reading “Fatah-Hamas Honeymoon Could Face Problems”
At least 13 Iraqis were killed and 29 more were wounded in new attacks, but a pair of chilling reports noted a darker side of the Iraqi government’s operations.
Last week marked an important milestone in the war on terrorism for our country. Osama bin Laden applauded the 9/11 attacks. Such deliberate killing of innocent lives deserved retaliation. It is good that bin Laden is dead and justice is served. The way in which he was finally captured and killed shows that targeted retribution …
Continue reading “Lessons From the bin Laden Killing” 
