Category: Uncategorized

Two years after the invasion and conquest of Iraq, and what have we gained? An Islamic state in Iraq, a looming confrontation with Syria, and the increasingly likely prospect of Lebanon reverting to a state of civil war. Hosni Mubarak is pledging to hold “elections” that will no doubt exclude Islamists and anybody else who … Continue reading “Lebanon’s Hollow
‘Cedar Revolution’”

As Herr Schroeder was babbling on in Mainz, during his joint press conference with President Bush, about a need for carrots to coax Tehran off its nuclear program, Bush interrupted the chancellor to issue yet another demand – that “the Iranian government listen to the hopes and aspirations of the Iranian people.” “We believe,” said … Continue reading “A Republic, Not a Democracy”

The broader implications of the Feb. 14 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was seen by many as the embodiment of the Lebanese people’s efforts to rebuild their country in the aftermath of its 15-year civil war, are yet to unfold. A Sunni Muslim, Hariri reached out to all of Lebanon’s ethnic … Continue reading “All Set for War With Syria”

It is often pointed out that presidents get too much praise and blame for the economy, since the domestic economy has its own rhythms. We are now going to see everything that happens in the Middle East attributed to George W. Bush, whether he had much to do with it or not (usually not). What … Continue reading “Lebanon: Background and Forecast”

The Feb. 15 Christian Science Monitor describes a situation that, to anyone familiar with American-Turkish relations in the post-World War II period, is almost beyond imagining: an American attack on Turkey. According to the Monitor‘s story, "The year is 2007. After a clash with Turkish forces in northern Iraq, U.S. troops stage a surprise attack. … Continue reading “Turkey Imagines the Unimaginable”

JERUSALEM – For now it is just the recriminations that have resumed flying back and forth between Israelis and Palestinians, not yet the bombs, missiles, and bullets in the same numbers as during the height of the Intifada. But the fatal Palestinian suicide bombing of a Tel Aviv disco last Friday night has shattered more … Continue reading “Tel Aviv Blast Spreads New Unease”

ARBIL – In the early days of the U.S. occupation of Iraq, when the international media was discovering mass graves throughout the country, journalists of all types were documenting the full scope of the old regime’s brutality. Having just arrived myself, I paid a visit to the Free Prisoners Committee. The U.S. military had given … Continue reading “Shia Party Rises From the Ashes”

ROME – It was the last dispatch sent by Italian reporter Renato Caprile before he left Baghdad last week. "Don’t believe those who say the situation in Iraq can be covered from abroad," he wrote in La Republica before leaving with all other Italian journalists. "Far from staying confined in hotels, we maintained contact with … Continue reading “Italian Media Shaken by Iraq”

http://www.independent.org/tii/antiwar/e050301.html

The State Department’s decision to renew military training for Indonesia – a major step toward full normalization of military ties between the United States and the giant archipelago – has been greeted with skepticism by human rights groups and some lawmakers critical of Jakarta’s record. "The secretary’s determination is premature and unfortunate," noted Sen. Patrick … Continue reading “Skepticism Over Renewed Military Ties With Indonesia”