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U.S. President George W. Bush’s latest gesture to persuade Muslims both here and abroad that the United States is not seeking a "clash of civilisations" has not gone over well with its intended audience. The White House was clearly hoping its Iftaar dinner Tuesday evening, to which ambassadors from predominantly Muslim nations and individual U.S. … Continue reading “Bush’s Muslim Troubles”

U.S. military training to the Indonesian Armed Forces will be banned until its officials cooperate with investigators probing the ambush and killing of staff from an international school in West Papua province last year, according to amendments passed by the Senate. The change to the 2004 foreign-aid bill that will ban training for Indonesian army … Continue reading “Senate Blocks Military Aid to Indonesia”

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When deceit catches up with a government, officials take refuge in propaganda. Thus, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld told the Washington Times (Oct. 24) that he wants a "21st century information agency in the government" to help fight a "war of ideas" and educate Americans and foreigners that Big Brother is right. Last year Rumsfeld was forced … Continue reading “Rumsfeld Wants a Ministry of Truth”

Paul Wolfowitz’s second visit to Iraq was supposed to underscore the “good news” about the U.S. occupation – how the Americans are building schools, roads, and credibility with the Iraqi people. Instead, it turned into an object lesson in how the country is on the verge of careening out of control. It happened at a … Continue reading “CHICKENHAWK SEES COMBAT”

If U.S. President George W. Bush was surprised on his recent trip to Indonesia by the negative image the country’s Muslim leaders had of his administration, he is unlikely to be reassured by two new surveys from Latin America and Europe. Nearly 90 percent of more than 500 elite figures in six Latin American countries … Continue reading “Bush Falls From Favor Abroad, Too”

"The path of peace is preferable to the path of war." ~ Yitzhak Rabin, November 4, 1995 President George Bush and the United States are in a serious situation in Iraq for one reason only: neoconservatives will permit no dissent. Neoconservatives used their presidential appointments and Vice President Cheney to silence the CIA and Defense … Continue reading “The Axis of Hubris”

Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz’s weekend tour of Iraq appeared to be going splendidly: everywhere he went – even in Saddam Hussein’s former stronghold of Tikrit – Iraqis greeted him with smiles and warm handshakes, no doubt adding to his conviction that the war really was for "liberation" rather than "occupation." Until Sunday morning, that … Continue reading “Who Are the Bombers?”

A Hollywood marketing man, Michael Levine, is pushing what is undoubtedly a good-hearted effort to bridge the gap between the United States and the Muslim world to improve both the intellectual content and the marketing savvy of America’s public relations effort to the world. With all due respect to what is undoubtedly a sincere undertaking, … Continue reading “Get the Product Right First”

The Man Who Had Five Heads Israel’s former Prime Minister Barak and his present successor Sharon made extra-judicial killing – euphemised at first as “targeted assassination”, later as “targeted prevention” – a key element in Israel’s “defence” policy. Gideon Levy of Ha’aretz (14.9.2003) wonders: ”Last week, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced that soldiers from … Continue reading “Lesser-Known Stories from the Only Democracy in the Middle East”