The Uses of Political Violence

Rep. Peter King (R-New York) is the kind of in-your-face demagogue that only the state of New York could have elevated to high office. From his perch in the 3rd congressional district, in Long Island, King holds forth like a cruder version of Rudolph Giuliani, if you...

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Saturday: 4 Iraqis Killed, 10 Wounded

Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr drew thousands of Iraqis to his first speech since returning home from Iran. Al-Sadr spoke of resisting the United States but also allowing American troops the opportunity to leave in a “suitable” way. He also gave support to the government he once fought and which had, or perhaps still has, a warrant out for his arrest. Meanwhile, at least four Iraqis were killed and 10 more were wounded in light violence. No reports escaped Baghdad today even though “bombings and shooting remain a daily occurrence in the Iraqi capital.”
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Sudan Referendum May Be Only the Beginning

Amid growing certainty that the much-anticipated weeklong referendum on independence for south Sudan will indeed begin Sunday as scheduled, U.S. officials and independent experts are warning that the situation in both the north and the south is likely to remain very...

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Enough Already: Close Gitmo

Remember way back when? President Barack Obama promised to close the Guantánamo prison, restore the United States' moral standing, and end the practice of torture.  It was two years ago. In January 2009, as one of his first acts as president, Obama signed an executive...

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Thursday: 1 Iraqi Killed, 1 Wounded

A huge military parade in Baghdad marked the 90th anniversary of the founding of Iraq’s army, but other than the arrests of a number of suspects, the day was very peaceful security-wise. Only was person was reported killed, while another wounded. Meanwhile, the Pentagon ordered the largest budget cuts since before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in New York City; the drawdown of troops in Iraq should help keep costs down.
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