The first shots of what appears to be a renewed Lebanese civil war rang out three days ago as the U.S.-backed government cracked down on Hezbollah, the main opposition party, with a ban on the group's private telecommunications network and the attempted ouster of an...
Lawmakers Seek Probe of ‘Media Generals’
As U.S. television networks continue their silence about their use of retired military officers to "sell" progress in Iraq, members of the U.S. House of Representatives are calling on the Defense Department inspector general to investigate the...
Friday: 52 Iraqis Killed, 157 Wounded
Updated at 7:15 p.m. EDT, May 8, 2008Iraqi authorities ordered residents of Sadr City to temporarily abandon the Shi'ite suburb of Baghdad as fighting between Iraqi forces and the Mahdi army continue. At least 52 Iraqis were killed and 157 more were wounded across the...
Another Needless Confrontation
For decades most Americans weren't aware that there was a Georgia other than the southern state. Today most Americans probably still aren't aware that there is another Georgia. Yet U.S. officials are breathing fire at Russia for confronting the country of Georgia, a...
Abuse Claims Mount Against Pentagon, Contractors
As human rights groups demanded the release of a report on a long-running investigation of the role of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the unlawful interrogations of detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantánamo Bay, new torture claims were...
Thursday: 48 Iraqis Killed; 70 Wounded
Updated at 12:20 a.m. EDT, May 9, 2008At least 48 Iraqis were killed and 70 more were wounded in the latest violence. Clashes continue in Sadr City, while bombings killed and injured many in Baghdad. One British soldier was injured. Also, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, leader of...
Who Are the Latest Gitmo Detainees to Be Released?
Late on Thursday evening, I joined in the widespread celebrations at least in those parts of the world that care about the injustice of holding people in prison without charge or trial that attended the repatriation of al-Jazeera journalist Sami al-Haj...
Franklin’s Choice
History in the Making "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." It's a well-known dictum, attributed to Benjamin Franklin. He was only the publisher of the book in which it appeared; what he...
Al-Qaeda on Slippery Base in Lebanon
BEIRUT - Al-Qaeda's second-in-command, Ayman Zawahiri, announced in an audiotape broadcast April 21 that Islamic groups would play a pivotal role in the war against Jews, and encouraged militants to expel invading 'Crusaders' masquerading as peacekeepers, referring to...
Pressure to Cut Costs, Troops Strains ‘Surge’
Growing impatience in Congress over the enormous costs being racked up by the Iraq war, as well as the Pentagon's belief that it needs more troops in Afghanistan to fight insurgents there, is putting the vaunted success of the George W. Bush administration's...


