Obama’s Wacky War
Same Song, Different Verse
Wednesday: 2 Iraqis Wounded
Updated at 10:40 p.m. EST, Nov. 11, 2009
Due to the holiday, there is less coverage of Iraqi casualties than normal. Only two Iraqis were reported wounded. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki warned of increasing violence as January’s national elections draw closer. Also, four former Blackwater Worldwide (now Xe Corp.) revealed a plan to pay off Iraqi officials after a controversial 2007 shooting that left 17 Iraqis dead.
read moreA Year With Obama – and US Foreign Relations Have Only Worsened
Who would have thought a year ago that most of the issues of conflict in America's foreign relations would be made worse during the first year following Barack Obama's election as U.S. president? Even those disputes or differences that were appeased or quiet a year...
Drone Race to a Known Future
For drone freaks (and these days Washington seems full of them), here's the good news: Drones are hot! Not long ago – 2006 to be exact – the Air Force could barely get a few armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the air at once; now, the number is 38; by 2011, it...
Why Most Counterinsurgency Wars Fail
In recent history, very few counterinsurgency wars have ended in success. Guerrillas are often outgunned by a wealthier invading power, but they do have two powerful advantages. One is that they are fighting on their home turf, which they usually know much better than...
Stop, Look, Listen
We hear daily reports that President Obama has made this or that decision about how many more troops to send to the Afghan front; the numbers vary. This Reuters report headlines "four options" the president is considering, but then names only three: sending...
Tuesday: 3 Iraqis Killed, 5 Wounded
Updated at 11:28 p.m. EST, Nov. 9, 2009
The Turkish government unveiled a new peace plan that promises to end a 25-year-long guerilla war with the Kurdistan Workers Party. Meanwhile, at least three Iraqis were killed and five more were wounded in the latest violence.
read moreRights Groups: Obama’s Terrorism Courts ‘Fatally Flawed’
Human rights advocates and legal scholars are voicing sharp criticism of President Barack Obama's revisions to the George W. Bush administration's Military Commissions Act of 2006, characterizing them as unnecessary and saying the new law will lead to further delays...
