Month: December 2013

After several years of discussions between the two governments, the first package of US drone material made its way to Baghdad last week and ahead of its 2014 schedule. The possibility of drone-aid has surfaced periodically in response to al-Qaeda’s ongoing campaign and the violence that continues to plague Iraq, with options ranging from material … Continue reading “U.S. Drone-Aid Won’t Repair Iraq’s Woes”

The rushed campaign to insert Stanley Fischer straight from his position leading Israel’s central bank into the number two spot at the Federal Reserve has allowed little time for research into the appointee’s career or for informed public debate about his record. Like the failed recent Obama administration-Israel lobby pincer move to ram approval for … Continue reading “AIPAC’s Fed Candidate Stanley Fischer on a Warpath Against Iran”

JINBA, Occupied West Bank, (IPS) – Jinba is in the crosshair of ‘Firing Zone 918’ – and ‘Firing Zone 918’ is a microcosm of the Israeli occupation. Together with seven other communities, Jinba is slated for demolition to make way for an Israeli training ground. Forced eviction hangs over a thousand Palestinians. Mahmoud Raba’i is … Continue reading “When Home Becomes a Firing Zone”

At least 11 people were killed and 62 more were wounded, including a number of casualties at an Iranian camp outside the capital.

Since 1998, Antiwar.com has been in the forefront of the battle for peace and the restoration of the Constitution: I have personally written thousands of columns commenting on this or that aspect of the struggle, and my co–writers have contributed many tens of thousands of words to that same effort. And so I’m wondering: have … Continue reading “Where Are Libertarians Going?”

Despite an atmosphere of deep mutual distrust, two major rival Syrian Kurdish bodies have agreed to attend an expected international conference on the fate of Syria, known as Geneva II, on the side of the Syrian opposition forces, Syrian Kurdish sources told IPS. That is contingent on the possibility that only two sides will be … Continue reading “Syrian Kurds Agree To Side With Opposition in Geneva Talks”

It was a year much like any other – until it wasn’t. In the Balkans, the tone for 2013 was set in December 2012, when the Empire-installed regime in Belgrade pledged to break Serbia in exchange for lording over its ruins. But the understanding of Empire’s Balkans policy was much illuminated in late January, by … Continue reading “Moments of Revelation”

At least 20 people were killed and 29 more were wounded in scattered violence across Iraq.

2013 has expectedly been a terrible year for several Arab nations. It has been terrible because the promise of greater freedoms and political reforms has been reversed, most violently in some instances, by taking a few countries down the path of anarchy and complete chaos. Syria and Egypt are two cases in point. Syria has … Continue reading “Assessing the Conflict in Syria and Egypt – The Wars Continue”

My Christmas holiday frequently includes a series of reunions with other former CIA people, often grouped by the overseas stations that we served in. This year the Istanbul gathering preceded Spain and the Rome Station ca. 1980 soon followed. Some of the retirees are still working for the government as contractors so I try to … Continue reading “We’re The Good Guys”