Would Ronald Reagan have invaded Iraq? Would he have declared a doctrine of preventive war to keep any rival nation from rising to where it might challenge us? Would he have crusaded for "world democratic revolution"? Was Reagan the first neoconservative? This claim...
I've always liked the restful quiet of an empty classroom. Maybe this is why the large room where we wait to start mealtime duties, here at Pekin Federal Prison, feels comfortably familiar. During breaks, in the dining area, I've spent many hours reading, writing,...
From Dahr's weblog: This became a very popular saying in Iraq after the U.S. ousted Saddam Hussein. The situation continues to degrade in occupied Iraq. I know I'm beginning to sound like a broken record ... but the need to describe life on the ground here continues,...
Jose Padilla was arrested two years ago at O'Hare International Airport by the FBI on a "material witness" warrant. Padilla was alleged to have met with senior al-Qaeda operatives in Afghanistan and Pakistan, received training in the use of high explosives, and sent...
Are we now torturing children? A chill went down my spine as I read an account of a recent talk given by Seymour Hersh at the University of Chicago (via blogger Brad Delong): "He said that after he broke Abu Ghraib people are coming out of the woodwork to tell him...
BAGHDAD (IPS) - The Iraq issue today may never have arisen if it were not for the support former U.S. president Ronald Reagan gave Saddam Hussein. Reagan died Saturday June 5 in his Los Angeles home. Reagan's two terms as President correspond roughly to the Iran-Iraq...
Here are some basic documents surrounding the Iraq prison abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib and elsewhere: Abu Ghraib Prison Photos (updated June 11) Justice Dept. Memo Justifying Torture, Aug. 1, 2002 (Released June 13) Pentagon Memo Legitimizing Torture from March 6, 2003...
The biggest single problem the federal government has is its hypocrisy. It talks one way and acts another. It talks of spreading democracy while supporting dictators; it blathers about human rights while violating them; and it claims to promote the rule of law while...
UNITED NATIONS (IPS) – As violence against civilians and humanitarian workers escalates in the world's politically troubled regions, the United Nations and major relief groups continue to shy away from countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan and the Democratic...
TOKYO (IPS) – The filing of a suit against his own government by a Japanese activist, blaming it for his ordeal in Iraq when he was briefly held captive there, is an indication of a new side to Japan's young people. More of them are heading overseas to troubled...
