Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq called for replacing his dictatorial boss during an interview today.. Separately, officials in Iraqi Kurdistan told Baghdad to consider holding Hashemi’s trial in neutral territory because they aren’t handing Vice President Tareq al-Hashimi to Maliki operatives. Meanwhile, no major attacks against Shi’ite pilgrims took place today, but least eight Iraqis were killed and nine more were wounded in new violence. Also, one Syrian militant was killed.
read moreAIPAC Tries to Bamboozle DC Appeals Court
On Feb. 14, 2012, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee will deliver oral arguments to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. At issue is whether AIPAC defamed its former top official Steven J. Rosen by telling the New York Times he was terminated because...
Leading Think Tank Urges Naval Buildup in South China Sea
While much of the world's attention has been focused on U.S.- Iranian tensions over the Strait of Hormuz, a key think tank is urging Washington to devote more focus and resources on another key hub for international commerce several thousand miles to the east.In a...
Don’t Count on Obama’s Defense Cuts
The “lamestream media,” which often parrots what government officials blather, has touted the approximately $480 billion in promised savings to the Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) budget over 10 years as “defense cuts.” Instead, these should be termed “Washington...
Defend Corporal Jesse Thorsen
Support the troops – as long as they keep their mouths shut. That’s the operative principle as far as Jesse Thorsen is concerned. The Boston Globe reports: “An Army reservist who took the stage at a political event for Ron Paul and expressed his support for the...
Energy Wars 2012
Last week, the president made a rare appearance at the Pentagon to unveil a new strategic plan for U.S. military policy (and so spending) over the next decade. Let’s leave the specifics to a future TomDispatch post and focus instead on a historical footnote: Obama was...
30 Killed Across Iraq
At least 30 Iraqis were killed and 32 more were wounded in new attacks against Shi’ite pilgrims and other Iraqis., while the Diyala Council Fears Returning To Work.
read moreObama’s New Military Strategy Doesn’t Add Up
President Barack Obama ordered up yet another strategic review last year. This one explicitly aimed at bringing the nation's military posture into line with something we can afford. In response to that review, his administration forged a plan [.pdf], unveiled during...
Mentally Unfit but Serving Anyway
The year began with a story about a 24-year-old ex-soldier who shot and killed a female park ranger at Mt. Rainier National Park in Washington before dying of apparent hypothermia, his body face down in the snow. Months before, the mother of Benjamin Colton Barnes’...
Iraq: Sectarian Attacks Leave 28 Dead, Dozens Wounded
Attacks on Arbaeen pilgrims continued today, presaging what could be a particularly violent week. At least 28 Iraqis were killed in the both sectarian and other attacks. Another 82 were wounded, along with 16 pilgrims from Afghanistan.
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