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Despite the worsening situation in Iraq and the continued impasse between Israel and the Palestinians, U.S. President George W. Bush has cut Sen. John Kerry’s previously substantial lead among Arab-American voters in four key swing states, according to a new survey released here Wednesday. As recently as July, Kerry led Bush by better than a … Continue reading “Bush Gains on Kerry for Arab-American Vote”

Two shocking manifestos were published this week. Both call for comment. One of them declares that dismantling the settlements in the Gaza Strip is a "crime against humanity." It does not mention that they were set up on the land reserves of a million Palestinians crowded in the tiny strip, and rob them of their … Continue reading “A Kosher-Stamp on Murder”

The US military has offered at least two distinct explanations for killing 13 people and wounding at least 60 others, including children, early Monday morning on Haifa Street in a residential area of central Baghdad. What the Army first explained as a routine operation to destroy an abandoned American military vehicle for the safety of … Continue reading “Motive for Baghdad Helicopter Massacre a Mystery”

Last week, I attended and spoke at a conference on armor in urban operations, put on by the U.S. Army Armor School at Ft. Knox, Ky. In listening to the other presentations, the question I was asking myself was, "What are these guys learning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan?" The question is an important … Continue reading “Doomed to Winning Lost Victories”

Douglas Feith serves as the number three civilian in the George W. Bush administration’s Defense Department, under Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz. Undersecretary for Policy Feith previously served in the Reagan administration, starting off as Middle East specialist at the National Security Council (1981-82) and then transferring to the Defense Department where he spent two … Continue reading “Douglas Feith: Portrait of a Neoconservative”

BANGKOK – A United Nations official is blaming the Burmese military government’s restrictive agriculture policies for driving villages in two border regions of the country into further poverty. The government restricts the free movement of agriculture products in these regions and prevents the trade of farm products between ethnic groups, Sheila Sisulu, deputy executive director … Continue reading “UN Official Blames Burma’s Junta for Impoverishing Villagers”

The Independent Institute VHS, 106 min., $18.95 This forum was sponsored by the Independent Institute and Harper’s magazine in April 2002, almost a year before the Iraq invasion. In a sign of how little has been resolved since, the subject matter remains fresh. David Theroux, founder and president of the Independent Institute, opens the forum … Continue reading “Understanding America’s Terrorist Crisis: What Should Be Done?”

JOHANNESBURG – Debate about the role played by mercenaries in Africa has been revived in recent months, following the arrest and subsequent sentencing of 68 men accused of plotting to overthrow Teodoro Obiang Nguema, president of the tiny, oil-rich state of Equatorial Guinea. The trial of the men took place in Zimbabwe, where they were … Continue reading “The Age of Mercenaries Not Over in Africa”

HONG KONG – Beijing’s leaders could afford a wry smile when they heard that a political activist best known for burning the Chinese flag in public and carrying a coffin through the streets to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre had been elected a Hong Kong legislator. The surprise victory of "Long Hair" Leung Kwok … Continue reading “Hong Kong Voters Reject Break With China”

UNITED NATIONS – The escalating violence in Iraq – with over 50 civilians killed in Tuesday’s terrorist attacks in Baghdad – is dissuading the United Nations from going back to the war-ravaged country, according to a senior UN official. Briefing the Security Council for the first time since his appointment last month as the UN’s … Continue reading “Rising Violence Deters UN Presence in Iraq”