Originally posted at TomDispatch. Spying has a history almost as ancient as humanity itself, but every now and then the rules of the game change. This post-9/11 moment of surveillance is one of those game-changers and the National Security Agency (NSA) has been the...
31 Killed, 58 Wounded in Iraq Attacks; Clashes Ramp Up in Anbar
At least 31 people were killed and 58 more were wounded in attacks across Iraq. An unspecified number of people were also killed in clashes in Anbar province but those figures were not released. The Iraqi government, along with Sunni tribesmen, launched an assault on...
Bombings Resume in Baghdad; 40 Killed, 94 Wounded
For America, Denial Is a River in Iraq
Americans don’t know much about geography. In 2006, three years into the bloody War on Iraq, 63% of Americans aged 18-24 couldn’t find the “target-rich” nation on a map. To be fair, only half could find New York State on a map, so it is unsurprising that, in spite of...
Iran’s Rouhani Needs a Nuclear Resolution
After 34 years of enmity, Tehran and Washington are heavily invested in the success of a deal over Iran’s nuclear program achieved through teamwork. Now the political future of Iran’s new moderate president, Hassan Rouhani, depends on this issue. “Resolving the...
Ten Killed in Iraq Prayer Day Attacks, Clashes
Baghdad caught a break from the violence today, but attacks and clashes left at least 10 dead elsewhere. Another seven were wounded. A suicide bomber in Ramadi attacked a tribal checkpoint where he killed five men and wounded four more. Clashes continued in Falluja....
A Note to My Readers
There's no column today: looks like the flu has claimed yet another victim! But don't worry: I'll be back on Monday. Meanwhile, you can read this old column on Mexico's "vigilante" movement, which the rest of the world is beginning to notice this week. Just remember:...
Applied Rovian Denialism
In spite of the abundant revelations in the preceding year, 2014 in the Balkans seems to portend more of the same. Everyone is still in full-on reality denial mode. Or, rather, entrenched in the imperial belief that assertions can "create their own reality."...
Secret Wars and Black Ops Blowback
Originally posted at TomDispatch. These days, when I check out the latest news on Washington's global war-making, I regularly find at least one story that fits a new category in my mind that I call: What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Take last Saturday's Washington Post...