One of the biggest promises made by George W. Bush as a candidate no more nation-building has turned out to be his biggest lie as president. In the final weeks of the 2000 campaign, Bush slammed the Clinton administration for doing exactly what he's...
Lunch in Damascus
Once while traveling in a taxi, I had an argument with the driver a profession associated in Israel with extreme right-wing views. I tried in vain to convince him of the desirability of peace with the Arabs. In our country, which has never seen a single day of...
War or Rumors of War?
What's going on with the current bustle around U.S. naval stations? According to Time, the Navy has issued "Prepare to Deploy Orders" (PTDOs) to a strike group including minesweepers, a submarine, an Aegis class cruiser, and a mine hunter. Taken alongside...
States of Denial
Bob Woodward's revelation that Condoleezza Rice was warned by George Tenet and two other top CIA officials, on July 10, 2001, that a terrorist attack on the U.S. was imminent continues to reverberate auguring potentially devastating consequences for the Bush...
US Faces Dilemma
Over Thai Coup
The bloodless coup against a democratically elected government in Thailand last month has forced the United States to review its military relations and suspend aid to one of Washington's long-standing political allies in Southeast Asia. The administration of U.S....
56 Killed, 22 Wounded; Kurdish Politician, 2 GIs, Danish Soldier Killed Friday
Updated at 10:45 p.m. EDT, Oct. 6, 2006 Today's reports from Iraq state that 56 people have been killed and 23 wounded in recent incidents related to the war or sectarian violence. Among the dead or injured are three soldiers, who succumbed to wounds received from...
Thursday: 73 Killed, 58 Wounded Across Iraq
Updated at 11:00 p.m. EDT, Oct. 5, 2006 In the last day, at least 73 Iraqis have been reported killed and another 58 wounded, including the discovery of at least 30 bodies throughout the capital. There are also reports that Abu Ayyub al-Masri was among four killed in...
Iraq Violence Leading to Academic Brain Drain
With Salam Talib Students at Iraq's universities were to start the new school year this week no small task given the daily barrage of violence that surrounds them. "Our ministry is the Ministry of Higher Education, so we don't have a military and we can't make...
A Libby Pardon for Christmas?
Sometimes, the proximate cause of an unraveling, even an implosion, may catch everyone by surprise. This week the "tipping point" (to borrow a Bush administration phrase from the Iraq War) for the possible unraveling of Republican control of Congress may be the...
October Surprise?
When an administration is in trouble right before an election, it sometimes resorts to an "October surprise" designed to build support. Certainly this administration has trouble on a number of fronts, including the Abramoff scandal, congressional corruption,...


