The war in Iraq by no means ceased on May 1 when President Bush announced the end of major hostilities. It simply entered a new and ominous phase. It is the war that keeps on killing. Not least, it keeps on killing American troops. As long as U.S. body bags keep piling up, this war … Continue reading “The Iraq Dilemma:
An Illegitimate Occupation”
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The Iraq Dilemma:
Chinese Big Bosses Rule – with the Backing of Beijing
I spent this past week smiling and clinking wine glasses with a multi-millionaire from the town of GuangYan – roughly two hours north of the capital by highway. This particular boss is one of a breed of new rich that rule the “small” towns and cities outside of the major hub cities such as Beijing, … Continue reading “Chinese Big Bosses Rule – with the Backing of Beijing”
National Endowment for Democracy: Paying to Make Enemies of America
The misnamed National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is nothing more than a costly program that takes US taxpayer funds to promote favored politicians and political parties abroad. What the NED does in foreign countries, through its recipient organizations the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the International Republican Institute (IRI), would be rightly illegal in the … Continue reading “National Endowment for Democracy: Paying to Make Enemies of America”
US WAR PROPAGANDA IS PATHETIC
The U.S. government is launching a public relations blitz designed to show the American people that they shouldn’t believe the evidence right in front of their eyes, because our success (or lack of it) in Iraq is all in how you look at it. The President has complained that the “good news” about Iraq has … Continue reading “US WAR PROPAGANDA IS PATHETIC”
Israel Defends Itself
Reading the New York Post Letters page is like smoking opium, without the body high. It seems so surreal, so removed from reality, that I wonder if the letter writers are real people or simply constructs. The Letters from 7 October, “Israel’s Right to Take the War to Damascus”, were the first I’d read in … Continue reading “Israel Defends Itself”
We Report, You Get It Wrong
The more commercial television news you watch, the more wrong you are likely to be about key elements of the Iraq War and its aftermath, according to a major new study released in Washington on Thursday. And the more you watch the Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox News channel, in particular, the more likely it is that … Continue reading “We Report, You Get It Wrong”
Visiting the Vassals
Following in the footsteps of Bill Clinton, two more former Imperial dignitaries have toured the occupied Balkans this past weekend. Onetime stepfather of Bosnia Richard Holbrooke and former Kosovo viceroy Bernard Kouchner visited Sarajevo and Pristina, reminiscing about their glory days. The adulation of local media and politicians must have made them believe they actually … Continue reading “Visiting the Vassals”
HANDS OFF BOB NOVAK!
The idea that, because of the Plame Affair, conservative columnist Bob Novak may be called on to reveal his sources – perhaps even be subpoenaed – leads to an interesting question: Did the leaker (or leakers) hope to ensnare Novak in a legal and ethical web – and discredit him as a reporter – when … Continue reading “HANDS OFF BOB NOVAK!”
A Bureaucratic Fix for Iraq?
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Bush Stance on Syria Hit Shows Neocons Still Hold Sway
The neo-conservatives in and around the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush may be on the defensive, but Washington’s reaction to the Israeli attack on Syria Sunday shows that they remain in the driver’s seat at the White House. The fact that Bush has himself refused to in any way criticise the Israeli attack … Continue reading “Bush Stance on Syria Hit Shows Neocons Still Hold Sway”