While no one was looking, the US lost the war in Afghanistan. The announcement that joint operations involving US/NATO forces and Afghan military and police personnel will cease — “temporarily” — went down with a whimper, not a bang. Since the whole purpose of our continued presence in that country is supposedly to train the …
Continue reading “The Hollow Empire”
Since this is my version of an election piece, I plan to get the usual stuff out of the way fast. So yes, the smartest political odds-givers around believe President Obama has a distinct edge over Mitt Romney coming out of the conventions, the Senate is trending Democratic, and who knows about the House. In …
Continue reading “Obama Against the World”
At least 10 Iraqis were killed 11 more were wounded in today’s attacks. Among the dead was a brigadier general, and among the wounded was a small child.
At least eight people were killed and 18 more were wounded in several attacks across northern and central Iraq.
In a move certain to ratchet up already-high tensions with Iran, the administration of President Barack Obama will remove a militant anti-regime group from the State Department’s terrorism list, U.S. officials told reporters here Friday. The decision, which is expected to be formally announced before Oct. 1, the deadline set earlier this year by a …
Continue reading “US to Take Iran Anti-Regime Group Off Terrorism List”
On this International Day of Peace I am sitting in Kabul, Afghanistan with a handful of youth that want nothing but peaceful coexistence in their lives. This in some respects is like a dream because their entire lives have been surrounded by war, death, corruption, and struggle. Peace has been in short supply. For three …
Continue reading “International Peace Day from Kabul, Afghanistan”
Chanting anti-U.S. and anti-Israel slogans, thousands of demonstrators returned to the streets in central Basra in ongoing film protests. Meanwhile, at least 13 Iraqis were killed and nine more were wounded in attacks.
The warmed-over Cold War continues: this week, Moscow booted the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), accusing the agency of unacceptable interference in Russian sovereignty. Washington countered with claims that USAID has promoted only "civil society, democracy [and] human rights" and that "the United States is extremely proud of what USAID has accomplished in Russia …
Continue reading “In Death Ground”
"Little wheels spin and spin, big wheels turn around and around Little wheels spin and spin, big wheels turn around and around Merry Christmas, Jingle Bells, Christ is born and the devil’s in Hell Hearts they shrink, pockets swell Everybody know and nobody tell" ~ Buffy St. Marie Washington can’t seem to get their story …
Continue reading “Spinning Benghazi”
Sharply increased attacks on U.S. and other NATO personnel by Afghan security forces, reflecting both infiltration of and Taliban influence on those forces, appear to have outflanked the U.S.-NATO command’s strategy for maintaining control of the insurgency. The Taliban-instigated “insider attacks”, which have already killed 51 NATO troops in 2012 – already 45 percent more …
Continue reading “Taliban Outflank U.S. War Strategy with Insider Attacks” 
