Updated at 10:55 p.m. EDT, Sept. 21, 2010
At least 15 Iraqis were killed and 84 more were wounded in the latest violence. Meanwhile the Iraqi Air Force opened its flight academy last week, even though they are still completely dependent on the United States for air security. Also, Deputy Prime Minister Rafia al-Issawi denied rumors he has received threats from P.M. Nouri al-Maliki trying to intimidate al-Issawi into approving the premier for a second term.
read moreNew START’s Big Winners: US Nuke Complex, Pentagon, and Contractors
The passage of New START in a 14-4 vote out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is already being hailed by Democrats and arms-control NGOs as a substantial victory. A floor vote for ratification is now apparently set to occur after the elections. While...
US Boosts Aid Amid Doubts About Pakistan’s Recovery
The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama has announced it will provide an additional 75 million dollars in food aid to help Pakistan cope with floods that have affected about one-fifth of the country – including some 20 million people – since they began in...
Where Eagles Double-Dog Dare
We're getting ready to sell $60 billion worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, largely in the form of F-15 Eagle fighter jets. In other news, we're getting ready to sell all of our old elephant guns to the Eskimos. The Eskimos will probably get more use out of the elephant...
Bloggers Chasten Washington Know-It-Alls
When the elite meet – and speak – we listen, especially in Washington, where every word uttered by the chosen few is like a breadcrumb tossed out for a starving man. Washington's national security elite gathered itself up to deliver a full feast this month,...
For Afghan Refugees, Polls Are Far and Near
PESHAWAR, Pakistan - Afghan voters just went to national parliamentary elections, but refugees from that country here in neighboring Pakistan could only rue the fact that they have been left out of this vote. Some 2 million Afghans living overseas in Pakistan and Iran...
Monday: 2 Iraqis Killed, 28 Wounded
Updated at 8:49 p.m. EDT, Sept. 20, 2010
Baghdad again saw a number of attacks today, but they were not as deadly as yesterday’s. At least two Iraqis were killed and 28 more were wounded in the new violence. Meanwhile, hundreds of looted artifacts returned to Iraq before being “lost” again were found in a storeroom belonging to the prime minister’s office. Also, several members of parliament attempted to meet in an unofficial capacity but were thwarted by the usual politics.
read moreWeapons Bizarre
A number of seemingly random news items caught my attention this relatively uneventful weekend, but by the time we get to the end of this column a pattern is bound to emerge: Hypocrisy Watch: Christopher Hitchens, the professional warmonger turned professional...
The Petraeus Bait and Switch
In interviews in recent weeks, Gen. David Petraeus has been taking a line on what will happen in mid-2011 that challenges President Barack Obama's intention to begin a troop withdrawal from Afghanistan by that date. This new Petraeus line is the culmination of a...
Sunday: 56 Iraqis killed, 171 Wounded
Updated at 8:22 p.m. EDT, Sept. 19, 2010
An unusually quiet Saturday was followed by a very bloody Sunday in which at least 56 Iraqis were killed and 171 more were wounded. Baghdad again received most of the violence, for which a member of the Iraqi National Alliance blamed al-Qaeda and the political vacuum. Underscoring the unreliability of news accounts from Iraq since many international reporters left, a couple of the attacks that occurred yesterday went unreported until today and Mosul saw very little violence.
read more
