A piece in the December 27, 2007 Cleveland Plain Dealer, "Vote on fate of Kirkuk postponed," by Tina Susman and Asso Ahmed of the L.A. Times, reported that "Kurdish lawmakers agreed Wednesday to a six-month delay in a referendum on whether the oil-rich...
Fuel Crisis Freezes Iraqi Life
BAQUBA - It's turning out to be about the hardest winter Abu Muslih has known. Too often it's a choice between buying food and medicines, and buying kerosene to keep his children warm. "I see them feeling cold, so I go out to buy kerosene at any price,"...
Providing for the Common Defense
American Airlines will be the first U.S. commercial passenger carrier to flight test a defensive system against anti-aircraft shoulder-fired missiles known in military parlance as MANPADS, for "man-portable air defense system." Although they are participating...
A Surge in Logic
Before we declare the occupation of Iraq a success, nuke Iran, and/or barge into Pakistan, it might be wise to take a deep breath and think logically about some of the pressing issues of the day. Whether you come down on the side of non-interventionism and the...
‘A Heartbeat Away’ From War
As the American people amuse themselves with the illusion that they have any say in the way they are presently governed, our rulers are moving toward war. Two recent incidents underscore the imminence of this prospect. The Iranian "provocation" in the...
Kenya Seen as Anchor to US Position in East Africa
The ongoing turmoil in Kenya, set off by last week's disputed election results, is prompting considerable concern here about the future of the East African nation that has served as Washington's longest-standing and most reliable ally in a deeply troubled region. The...
The $100 Barrel of Oil vs. the Global War on Terror: The Bush Legacy (Take Two)
Consider the debate among four Democratic presidential candidates on ABC News last Saturday night. In the previous week, the price of a barrel of oil briefly touched $100, unemployment hit 5 percent, the stock market had the worst three-day start since the Great...
Wednesday: 9 US Soldiers, 25 Iraqis Killed; 10 Iraqis Wounded
Updated at 6:30 p.m. EST, Jan. 9, 2008Nine American soldiers were reported killed on an otherwise extremely quiet newsday. At least 25 Iraqis were killed, mostly gunmen, and 10 Iraqis were wounded in separate events. Also, the World Health Organization released their...
Who Are the 10 Saudis Just Released From Guantánamo?
As 2007 drew to a close, the tally of detainees released from Guantánamo throughout the year rose to 122, as another 10 Saudis were repatriated, to add to the 53 sent home between February and November. With 492 detainees now released and 281 remaining...
Israel’s White Bird
Tzipi Livni, as her name indicates, is the white bird of Israeli politics (Tzipi is short for Tzipora, "bird," and Livni comes from Lavan, "white"). As against the hawk Binyamin Netanyahu, the vulture Ehud Barak, and the raven Ehud Olmert, she was...


