Month: November 2013

At least nine people were killed and 20 more were wounded in new attacks, mostly in northern Iraq.

Does Senator Mark Kirk know whom he is supposed to be representing? One wonders. After an administration briefing to the Senate Banking Committee, held to persuade members to hold off on new Iran sanctions, Kirk had this to say: "’It was fairly anti-Israeli. I was supposed to disbelieve everything the Israelis had just told me, … Continue reading “Showdown at the Geneva Corral”

Originally posted at TomDispatch.In 2010, I arrived at Harvard University with a mess of a manuscript – 10 years’ worth of research on American war crimes in Vietnam patchworked together in such a way that it was comprehensible to only one person on the planet: me. But I was lucky. I had a year to … Continue reading “A Trail of Tears”

While participating in Ashura holiday rituals today, many Shi’ites became easy targets for Sunni militants. Ashura commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein and symbolizes the schism between Shi’ites and Sunnis. Nevertheless, about two million pilgrims safely reached the holy city of Karbala for observances there. At least 67 people were killed and 152 more were wounded.

As the pendulum swings wildly between unexpected rapid success and unexpected rapid falling apart at the P5+1 nuclear negotiations in Geneva, media reports continue, in virtually every article, to remind us of the fragility of diplomatic efforts due to "hardliners" both in America and in Iran. But, to imply an equality between the two groups … Continue reading “Their Hardliners Are Right; Our Hardliners Are Wrong”

Edward Hasbrouck has spent the last 20 years or more helping people travel – travel safely, smartly, and cheaply. His book, The Practical Nomad: How to Travel Around the World, is now in its fifth edition. To write it, he traveled 80,000 miles and visited 28 countries on six continents. While photos of Hasbrouck on … Continue reading “Ed Hasbrouck versus the TSA”

Shi’ites were targeted in a wave of blasts and other attacks, while many of them were taking part in Ashura rituals. Overall, at least 50 people were killed and 131 more were wounded. This solemn holiday marks the martyrdom of Imam Hussein in the 7th century and has become a symbol of the Shi’ite-Sunni schism. Sunnis, however, also suffered casualties in today’s violence. Millions of pilgrims are expected to arrive in the holy city of Karbala and will be easy targets for militants.

Despite having an increasingly autocratic and sectarian Shi’ite government that allows overflights of Iranian arms to a Syrian government opposed by U.S.-supported rebels, President Obama has pledged to increase military assistance to Iraq – reversing a five-year trend of disengagement and aid reduction. The Obama administration will increase intelligence support to the Iraqi government and … Continue reading “A Slippery Slope Back Into Iraq?”

We are living in dangerous times – and this moment, when the Geneva talks with Iran over their nuclear program have reached the tipping point, is potentially a decisive turn for the worst. Two factors are simultaneously moving us toward a general cataclysm, and both have to do with the state of Israel: 1) The … Continue reading “Will Israel Drag Us Into Yet Another War?”

Signs of rapprochement between Tehran and Washington are growing. A new era seems about to begin. It is now possible to imagine a political solution that would put an end to the 33-year confrontation between Iran and the United States. In early September, we were once more on the verge of war in the Middle … Continue reading “Are Iran and the US Headed Towards a ‘Heroic Agreement’?”