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Belgrade (Beograd) means “White City” in old Slavic as well as modern Serbian. The city stands on the confluence of two major rivers, the Sava and the Danube, and presently has almost two million residents. With many of them away on vacation in the dog days of early August, the city is as close to … Continue reading “A Letter from Belgrade”

UNITED NATIONS – With battle-scarred Iraq in shambles, the United States is now trying to showcase war-ravaged Afghanistan as a potentially vibrant multi-party democracy on the road to political success, say UN diplomats and Afghan experts. "[U.S. President George W.] Bush desperately needs an international success story for his reelection in November," a South Asian … Continue reading “Credibility of Afghan Vote Threatened by Violence, Fraud”

MONTREAL – Sarah Bardwell did not get the names of the four FBI agents and two police officers who questioned her and her roommates late on the afternoon of July 22 on the front porch of their house in Denver. "We asked them for their names and they said they wouldn’t give us their names … Continue reading “FBI Launches ‘Preemptive’ Investigations”

BAGHDAD – Seventeen months after the fall of Saddam Hussein, many Iraqi traders say the economy is stagnating. Last year in August the streets of Baghdad were bustling with commercial activity. At almost every corner sat a man exchanging money or selling something, usually an imported commodity. Shops were stacked ceiling high. Many were so … Continue reading “Violence Slows Iraqi Economy”

What’s going on at the State Department? Can’t Colin Powell keep Undersecretary John Bolton in his cage? Apparently, not, because last week Bonkers Bolton made a mind-boggling presentation at the Hudson Institute – which was carried live on CSPAN – entitled "Preventing Iran from Acquiring Nuclear Weapons." Virtually every paragraph in the inflammatory 2,800-word address … Continue reading “Bonkers Bolton Threatens Iran”

Most conspiracy buffs underestimate human stupidity. They see people they consider smart and powerful do stupid things, and they think the people must have some hidden ulterior motive. Surely people in such high positions, they think, couldn’t do something that dumb. They should read more history. In the first place, lots of people are rich, … Continue reading “Conspiracy, or Stupidity?”

When I was a kid, I liked the musical band Devo, whose name was derived from their concept that man was devolving. It was funny at the time, but 30 years later I feel compelled to write why torture is wrong, so maybe Devo was right. I wrote about apparent torture at the U.S. naval … Continue reading “Abu Ghraib and the American Devolution”

Three U.S. senators have called on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to account for $8.8 billion entrusted to the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in Iraq earlier this year but now gone missing. In a letter Thursday, Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon, Byron L. Dorgan of North Dakota and Tom Harkin of Iowa, all opposition Democrats, demanded … Continue reading “‘Staggering Amount’ of Cash Missing in Iraq”

NEW DELHI – Credit must go to women if the insurgency-hit northeastern Indian state of Manipur, bordering Burma, finally gets rid of the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act or AFSPA, imposed a quarter of a century ago. Already the women, protesting for more than a month now, have compelled the provincial government to lift … Continue reading “Women Press for End to Draconian Indian Law”

BANGKOK – By throwing his weight behind the legitimacy of Burma’s opposition party, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has deprived Burmese Prime Minister Khin Nyunt of claiming political progress to mark his first anniversary in office. Annan’s statement on Tuesday goes to the heart of what the Burmese military government has been avoiding – to permit … Continue reading “UN Sees Opportunity to Turn Screws on Burma”