Julio Godoy

PARIS – The French ban on Muslim headscarves at school was to have been a domestic, if controversial move when it came into force this week. But the abduction of two journalists over the issue has turned it into an international crisis. The so-called Islamic Army in Iraq kidnapped two French journalists Aug. 20 and … Continue reading “Headscarves Become a Life or Death Issue”

PARIS – France and the United States have begun a new race to compete for favors with undemocratic regimes in Africa. The competition is growing particularly in the oil-rich North and West Africa. The French government announced last month that it is due to sign a military pact with former colony Algeria that would include … Continue reading “US and France Begin a Great Game in Africa”

PARIS – Four French prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba who were transferred to France earlier this week are likely to be released because the police have no case against them. In this they will follow their British, Danish and Spanish counterparts who were all freed without charge after release from Guantanamo Bay earlier … Continue reading “French Have No Case Against Guantanamo Prisoners”

PARIS – The kind of torture inflicted upon Iraqi prisoners by the U.S. army followed methods France used during the Algerian war of independence in the late 1950s, several French historians and journalists say. Both the U.S. and the French armies had obviously studied Islamic traditions in order to devise torture methods aimed particularly at … Continue reading “US Hawks Owe More to the French Than They Realize”

PARIS (IPS) – France has finally rallied behind the United States and Britain over Iraq despite earlier insistence on an independent foreign policy. France has backed the U.S.-British proposal for a new United Nations Security Council resolution on Iraq even though it ignores its demand to give an Iraqi administration veto right in military matters. … Continue reading “Chirac Caves to Bush and Blair”

Arms dealer Viktor Bout was the merchant of death wanted for feeding conflicts in Africa – until Iraq happened. Today the United States and Britain are using his extensive mercenary services in Iraq. The condemnation of his role in the diamond wars and other conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa over the past ten years is being … Continue reading “Friends in High Places: Fugitive Mercenary Makes Good in Iraq”