Iraq: The Battle of Basra

As the Iraqi police checkpoint in Basra loomed up ahead, the two elite British special forces soldiers – dressed in plainclothes, i.e., traditional Arab dress – readied their weapons. For some reason, they weren't too eager to be questioned or examined too...

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Uzbekistan Killings Set Off Massive Crackdown

The government of Uzbekistan has been engaged in unprecedented efforts, including massive detentions, torture, and forced confessions, to persuade its people and the outside world that Islamist extremists were responsible for a bloody massacre in Andijan last May,...

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Uncertain Anniversary for Iraq War Champions

It was four years ago that a little-known group called the Project for the New American Century (PNAC) published an open letter to President George W. Bush advising him on how precisely he should carry out his brand-new "war on terrorism." In addition to ousting...

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Backtalk, September 21, 2005

Why This Soldier Can't Support This WarJustin Gordon: I have a lot of respect for your position. I served in the Navy during the war against Vietnam. Returning to Charleston, S.C., our home port at the time, I informed my captain that I would no longer be able to...

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Will Neocon Fanaticism Destroy America?

The "cakewalk war" is now two and one-half years old. U.S. casualties (dead and wounded) number 20,000. As 20,000 is the number of Iraqi insurgents according to U.S. military commanders, each insurgent is responsible for one U.S. casualty. U.S. troops in Iraq number...

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Weapons of Mass Murder

In announcing his preemptive invasion of Iraq, President Bush had this to say: "Our nation enters this conflict reluctantly – yet, our purpose is sure. The people of the United States and our friends and allies will not live at the mercy of an outlaw regime...

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Confronting the Warfare State

The New York Times began this week with an editorial that typifies the media mindset of the warfare state. Monday's editorial warns of dire consequences from a growing deficit that has been boosted by tax cuts – in combination with "the pre-Katrina...

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