At least eight Iraqis were killed and seven more were wounded in the latest violence. Several of the attacks appeared to target specific individuals, including security personnel and a human rights worker.
Overall, at least 12 Iraqis were killed and 24 more were wounded in the latest reports of violence. However, U.S. military officials are denying one incident in which witnesses claim that U.S. soldiers fired on civilians in Yusufiya. In political news, one lawmaker came out in support of semi-autonomy for Basra, while the vice president denounced plans to expand Iraq’s prison system.
At least 11 Iraqis were killed in the latest violence. Another 23 were wounded as well. Demonstrations for and against granting region status to more areas in Iraq took place in Samarra and Baghdad. Also, the fate of Camp Ashraf residents could soon be decided.
Our country’s need for courageous whistleblowers is now. That is mostly why Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence (SAAII) publicly honors people who have spoken truth, and suffered the consequences, as Sam Adams, my former analyst colleague at CIA, did on Vietnam. So that is why, this year, we are honoring Thomas Drake, who was …
Continue reading “Honoring Whistleblowers”
Saber-rattling for Big Labor and Big Oil
Every childhood has its own geography and every child is an explorer, as daring as any Peary or Amundsen or Scott. I was the mildest of children, such a picky eater that my parents called me a “quince” (a fruit sour enough, they insisted, to make your face pucker, as mine did when challenged by …
Continue reading “How the Movies Saved My Life”
Turkish and Iraqi leaders met today to discuss relations between the two countries, particularly the question of Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq. Separately, Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr came out supporting the current government of another Iraqi neighbor, Syria. Meanwhile, Iraqis are still suffering attacks. At least 11 were killed and 10 more were wounded in them. Also, the government executed 11 men who were found guilty of participating in terrorist activities.
I recently attended a conference where a speaker commented that the Obama administration has seemingly become addicted to war and conflict, finding itself unable to turn down any opportunity to intervene militarily in a new country or region. I might have added that where an actual U.S. military presence is lacking, the White House frequently …
Continue reading “Will Washington Thump the Syrian Domino?”
By the time you sit down for Thanksgiving dinner, the 12-member congressional supercommittee will have succeeded in meeting its Nov. 23 deadline to approve a plan to shrink the budget deficit by at least $1.2 trillion over the next decade. Or it will have failed and produced a turkey instead. The entire government is subject …
Continue reading “Nuclear Turkeys”
Violence resumed in earnest today, with at least two attacks claiming over a dozen casualties each. Overall, at least seven Iraqis were killed and 48 more were wounded across the country. Also, two Iranian pilgrims were killed and nine more were wounded in an attack aimed at their minibus.
