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The U.S. government says Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia is nothing more than a deserter who disobeyed direct orders to return to his army unit in Iraq. Mejia does not deny that he refused to go back. He says he witnessed abuse and mistreatment of prisoners at a detention camp outside the Baghdad airport, including mock … Continue reading “Green Card Recruits Get a Raw Deal”

Iraq could be heading for a far worse situation in weeks ahead, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) warns in its annual report published Tuesday. The IISS, one of the world’s leading institutions for strategic relations, paints a bleak picture for Iraq and for the United States in Iraq. Leading decision-makers are expected to … Continue reading “Report: US Needed 500,000 Troops to Pacify Iraq”

While U.S. troops continue to damage mosques in heavy fighting against resistance forces they say are holed up in holy sites of Kufa and Kerbala, men in the Sadr City area of Baghdad rushed yesterday to join the Mehdi Army, a militia force loyal to rebel cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr. The recruitment surge followed bloody overnight … Continue reading “Sadr’s Militia Grows”

When the U.S. state department shyly released a human rights report two weeks ago amidst an international outcry over U.S. soldiers’ abuse of Iraqi prisoners, it slipped in some tough talk on media freedom – against the practice, not for it as would be expected. Lorne Craner, deputy assistant secretary for democracy and human rights, … Continue reading “Washington Pushes Freedom – But Not for Al-Jazeera”

The first time they allowed Brandon Mayfield any visitors, he reached out toward the heavy glass partition and spoke into the telephone, trying to reassure his wife and mother: “Even after the FBI had searched his house, carried away belongings and confiscated credit cards and checkbooks – without charging him with a crime – Mayfield … Continue reading “Why Ashcroft Must Go”

The Arab world is in a dilemma. Never before have internal dissension and the ills facing it been so numerous, mirrored in the just-concluded Arab summit in Tunis. Arab unity has never been legendary. Contradictions and discord have plagued the Arab League, older than the United Nations, almost since its inception in 1944. With vague … Continue reading “Arab League Turns On Itself”

Despite a tidal wave of bad news from the Iraq occupation they did so much to promote, neoconservatives are calling for U.S. President George W. Bush to pursue a military solution against resistance fighters there. “Crush the Insurgents in Iraq,” screamed a column in Sunday’s Washington Post by prominent New York politician-banker Lewis Lehrman and … Continue reading “Neocons Go Macho on Iraq”

Decades of smiles have left crinkles on his face that belie the sadness deep within his eyes. His hope and love for America has turned to a despair he is unable to express. “I want to talk to an American general or judge,” says Nihad Munir. “I will give them my guarantee that my son … Continue reading “‘I Know Americans Are Very Friendly People’”

As violence continued in Iraq, President Bush addressed the nation Monday night about his plans for the June 30 "transfer of power." Bush offered preliminary details about Iraq’s forthcoming sovereignty. Iraqi "sovereignty" will apparently include a large U.S. military and advisory presence for the indefinite future. No date is set for coalition troops to leave … Continue reading “A Government to be Named Later”

Launching a new effort to stem the plummeting loss in public confidence in his Iraq policy, U.S. President George W. Bush reiterated his commitment to bringing "freedom" and self-government to Baghdad and warned that US failure will "only mark the beginning of peril and violence." Addressing a respectful and unusually restrained group of mid- and … Continue reading “Bush Offers Nothing New Except Prison”