Reading the text of a bill that was recently signed into law by US President Barack Obama would instill fear in the hearts of ordinary Americans. Apparently, barbarians coming from distant lands are at work. They are gathering at the US-Mexico border, cutting fences and ready to wreak havoc on an otherwise serene American landscape. …
Continue reading “The Imagined, ‘Sinister’ Iranian Threat in Latin America”
Reported civilian deaths fell sharply in Pakistan in 2012, with Bureau data suggesting that a minimum of 2.5% of those reported killed were civilians – compared with more than 14% in 2011. This suggests the CIA is seeking to limit non-militant casualties, perhaps as a result of sustained criticism.Drone strikes in Pakistan are now at …
Continue reading “Emerging from the shadows: US covert drone strikes in 2012”
A strong explosion targeting Shi’ite pilgrims killed dozens south of Baghdad. Meanwhile, the release of 11 female prisoners did not stop the latest anti-Maliki demonstration. At least 36 people were killed and 81 more were wounded.
Playwright Neil Simon once joked that there are only two universal truths – the law of gravity and that everyone loves Italian food. He might have, in a moment of more serious contemplation, added that it is true that every known form of government is inefficient but nevertheless exists primarily to grow and protect itself. …
Continue reading “How Government Grows”
On the eve of Arba’een observances, at least 14 Iraqis were killed and 26 were wounded. Also, 46 P.K.K. rebels were killed during a Turkish operation inside Iraq.
One night in 1979, bombs dropped from the sky, killing 16 members of Ismail’s family. “The war took some people to Europe and America, but it destroyed my family,” Ismail, who is universally addressed as “uncle”, says. Hailing from the Haska Mena district in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province, he says his parents insisted he go …
Continue reading “The Mindlessness of War in Afghanistan”
At least 17 Iraqis were killed and 16 more were wounded in scattered violence as Prime Minister Maliki and Shi’ite Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr issued warnings.
