JERUSALEM - Israel has published tenders for the construction of 1,761 illegal housing units for Israeli settlers in occupied east Jerusalem alone, according to the Israeli rights group Peace Now. The expansion plans come despite promises by the Israeli government at...
For 16 days I had hoped the world would stand still so I could watch the spectacle and history of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, on my widescreen HDTV. Although there is certainly an element of national pride (both for the host country and all the...
As part of its alleged "desire not to hold detainees any longer than necessary," the Pentagon announced on Tuesday that two Guantánamo prisoners had been transferred to Algeria. This follows the repatriation of two other Algerians – Mustafa...
Iran could emerge as a big winner, at least in the short term, from the rapidly escalating tensions between the United States and Russia over Moscow's intervention in Georgia, according to analysts. Whatever waning chances remained of a U.S. military attack on Iran...
Updated at 7:10 p.m. EDT, Aug. 28, 2008Two U.S. soldiers died in separate events today. At least seven Iraqis were killed and 14 more were wounded as well.Controversy continues to rage over security forces in Kurdish regions of Diyala province. Elsewhere, Shi'ite...
Updated at 7:12 p.m. EDT, Aug. 27, 2008At least 14 Iraqis were killed and 47 were wounded in the latest incidents. Baghdad was the scene of a spate of bombings, while tribal warfare in Hay left a small number of casualties. Meanwhile, a U.S. soldier was killed in a...
Meron Benvenisti in an excellent article mentions the "success of the propaganda campaign known as 'negotiations with the Palestinians,' which convinces many that the status quo is temporary." There's indeed no better way to describe the ongoing talks between the...
Why do politicians make disastrous decisions with the consistency of iron filings obeying a magnet? Decisions that in retrospect (and frequently in prospect) seem doomed to failure? After 9/11, did it make any sense when, after coming close to the point of capturing...
"Politics stops at the water's edge" is an old aphorism that aptly describes the history and current trend of American politics. The period marking the run-up to World War II was the last time we saw any meaningful discussion of America's role in the world....
[Note for TomDispatch Readers: This is the second post in a pre-Labor Day "best of TomDispatch" series. The first was Chalmers Johnson's 2005 "Smash of Civilizations." Now, we backpedal another year to 2004 and reconsider the Pentagon's ceaseless efforts to dream up...
