Jim Lobe

With former president Saddam Hussein in the bag, the administration of President George W. Bush appears determined to make U.S. voters forget Washington invaded Iraq on the pretext that its apparently nonexistent weapons of mass destruction (WMD) posed a direct threat to the United States and its allies. The effort so far has taken two … Continue reading “Who Needs WMD When You’ve Got Saddam?”

U.S. civil liberties and human rights groups Thursday hailed the one-two punch delivered by two federal appeals courts against the Bush administration’s refusal to recognize basic due-process rights of alleged U.S. and foreign detainees held as "enemy combatants" in Washington’s "war on terrorism." "Not one, but two federal courts have rebuked the President today for … Continue reading “Rights, Liberties Groups Hail Court Defeats for Bush Anti-Terror War”

At last in U.S. military captivity, ousted former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein will soon mark an important 20th anniversary, the kind of anniversary that brings with it an appreciation of the ironies of life, and politics. His captor, Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld, might also recall long-forgotten memories – or memories best forgotten – of what … Continue reading “US Takes Custody of Another Wayward Client”

U.S. President George W. Bush celebrated a second victory in Iraq here Sunday with confirmation that occupation forces had captured fugitive former president Saddam Hussein on Saturday evening at a farmhouse outside Tikrit. But even the normally cocky U.S. commander-in-chief, who addressed the nation by television from the White House, stressed that the former Iraqi … Continue reading “Future Uncertain as Saddam Unearthed”

It may be that, by four or five months from now: Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz will have heard the siren song of academia and returned to teach in ivy-covered halls somewhere, and that His deputy, Undersecretary for Policy, Douglas Feith, will have decided he can’t really afford to put his young kids through school … Continue reading “Baker’s Return Equals Cheney’s Heartburn”

As the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush searches increasingly desperately for a viable "exit strategy" from an Iraqi quagmire, its policy there is appearing ever more incoherent. The latest example – and an especially spectacular one – took place Wednesday when, at the same moment that Bush himself was personally asking key European … Continue reading “The Axis of Incoherence”

Hundreds of civilians were killed by Coalition cluster bombs and air strikes designed to "decapitate" the Iraqi leadership, according to a new report by New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), which said the high cost in civilian casualties caused by the two tactics may have violated the laws of war. The report, which found that … Continue reading “Cluster Bombs, Air Strikes Killed Hundreds in Iraq”

Key U.S. civil liberties and social justice groups marked International Human Rights Day Wednesday by launching a new "US Human Rights Network" dedicated to raising awareness about international human rights standards and focusing attention on the US failure to enforce them. More than 50 groups, ranging from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to the … Continue reading “New Activist Network Slams Growing Abuses Under Bush”

President Bush’s recent vows to pursue a "forward strategy of freedom" in the Islamic world are in the spotlight as a close ally, Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov, comes under attack by human rights groups. Despite Western pressure, Karimov has outlawed opposition parties, harassed and imprisoned dissidents, and, despite his own promises, failed to take meaningful … Continue reading “Uzbek Leader Becoming Embarrassment to West”