Bomb School Blows Up; 45 Killed, 97 Wounded Across Iraq

Although attacks and airstrikes continues in Anbar, the main source of militant casualties was an accidental bomb explosion at a bomb-making class in northern Iraq. Also, there were assassination attempts against the speaker of the house and a Turkmen political leader. At least 45 people were killed and 97 more were wounded in the attacks.
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The Folly of Arming Israel

Originally posted at TomDispatch. Last year, Secretary of State John Kerry condemned Russia’s pledge to sell advanced antiaircraft weapons to Syria, noting that it would have "a profoundly negative impact on the balance of interests and the stability of the...

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The al-Qaeda Menace: A Tale of Two Headlines

What exactly is al-Qaeda?Is it a group of committed jihadists previously led by Osama bin Laden? Or it is a “brand?” Is the enemy just the so-called “core” al-Qaeda, or it is now an amorphous conglomerate of affiliates, franchisees and enthusiasts? If “core al-Qaeda”...

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The Wild West of Surveillance

Originally posted at TomDispatch. The question Senator Ron Wyden asked on March 12th of last year was straightforward enough and no surprise for Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. He had been given it a day in advance of his testimony before the Senate...

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Staying Out of Other People’s Wars

"If these negotiations [with Iran] fail, there are two grim alternatives," said Sen. Richard Durbin, "a nuclear Iran, or war, or perhaps both." Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham returned from the Munich security conference saying that even John Kerry agrees that...

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