PRETORIA - Saleh Mahmood Osman chooses his words carefully. The human rights lawyer makes it clear that, although he comes from strife-torn Darfur, he does not bear ill will toward the Sudanese diplomats who have come to listen to his address in the South African...
EU Threatens Burma With More Sanctions
BANGKOK - The showdown between Burma's military regime and the European Union (EU) at this weekend's meeting of Asian and European leaders has propelled into one that could damage the EU's stature if Rangoon does not blink. As it is, the stakes have never been higher....
Reject Draft Slavery
I oppose HR 163 in the strongest possible terms. The draft, whether for military purposes or some form of "national service," violates the basic moral principles of individual liberty upon which this country was founded. Furthermore, the military neither...
US Military Aid to Latin America Grows
Steadily growing military aid to Latin America and Caribbean nations encourages armed forces in those countries to "blur the lines" between the roles of the civilian and military, according to a report released this week. U.S. military aid to the region has...
Electing to Abstain
"Elections are being advertised as a way of claiming responsibility for one's future. In reality, they are nothing but a way to fool the people into believing that their opinions matter. And it is very obvious that for a very long time, that has definitely not...
Argentina Finally Recognizes Veterans of Falklands War
BUENOS AIRES - This Tuesday the Argentine government announced a substantial increase in the pensions paid to veterans of the 1982 Malvinas/Falkland Islands War. The decision is a first step towards recognizing the participants in a conflict that continues to cause...
Bush’s Case for War Crumbles
Is there anything at all left of the Bush administration's case for going to war in Iraq or, for that matter, the way it has been fought? The answer seems increasingly doubtful given what appears to be an accelerating cascade of news, leaks and admissions by senior...
FBI Audit Leaves Vital Questions Unanswered
Glenn A. Fine, Inspector General U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 4322 Washington, D.C. 20530-0001 Dear Mr. Fine: I have reviewed the recently released redacted and unclassified version of your department's audit of the FBI's Foreign...
UN Unions Want Workers Out of Iraq
UNITED NATIONS - Nationwide elections in Iraq, scheduled to take place before the end of January 2005, are now jeopardized by two powerful UN staff unions demanding that no UN employees be sent to the violence-ridden country. "Just one staff member is one staff...
House Set to Nullify More Civil Liberties
Civil liberties and immigrant rights advocates say House Republicans are using legislation based on the 9/11 Commission's recommendations as cover to implement a series of troubling, unrelated reforms condoning torture, limiting immigration and increasing surveillance...


