Saying Good Bye to Dubai; Bidding Adieu to Globalization?

Philip Bobbitt’s The Shield of Achilles: War, Peace, and the Course of History (Alfred A. Knopf) received a few glowing reviews when it was published in early 2002 but did not get much attention beyond the confines of think-tanks and academia. Perhaps the book was too heavy for the broader readership (well, with more than … Continue reading “Saying Good Bye to Dubai; Bidding Adieu to Globalization?”

War-Loving Pundits

The third anniversary of the Iraq invasion is bound to attract a lot of media coverage, but scant recognition will go to the pundits who helped to make it all possible. Continuing with long service to the Bush administration’s agenda-setting for war, prominent media commentators were very busy in the weeks before the invasion. At … Continue reading “War-Loving Pundits”

Is Another 9/11 in the Works?

If you were President George W. Bush with all available US troops tied down by the Iraqi resistance, and you were unable to control Iraq or political developments in the country, would you also start a war with Iran? Yes, you would. Bush’s determination to spread Middle East conflict by striking at Iran does not … Continue reading “Is Another 9/11 in the Works?”

Gaza: Life Gets Harder in the ‘Prison’

JERUSALEM – The overcrowded Gaza Strip has routinely been described as a big prison following the onset of the second Palestinian rising, the Intifadah, six years ago and the virtual closing of crossing points to and from Israel. Life for the 1.4 million Palestinians packed into refugee camps on this thin sliver of land, one … Continue reading “Gaza: Life Gets Harder in the ‘Prison’”

Withdrawal May Not Mean Liberation

*with Isam Rashid BAGHDAD – Talk of withdrawal has been dogging the administrations of the United States and Britain for months. Recently the Sunday Telegraph in Australia and the Daily Mirror in Britain ran reports quoting a senior British official that the two countries will withdraw by 2007. The United States was quick to deny … Continue reading “Withdrawal May Not Mean Liberation”

US Support for Iraq War Down to 28%

Three years after Pres. George W. Bush ordered U.S. troops into Iraq, public confidence in the operation is dwindling ever smaller, as is the belief that Bush’s stated reasons for going to war were sincere, according to a new poll released here Wednesday by the University of Maryland’s Programme on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA). Only … Continue reading “US Support for Iraq War Down to 28%”

Backtalk, March 16, 2006

Untitled Document Was Serbia a Practice Run for Iraq?Thank you Mr. Paul Craig Roberts for being a light in the darkness, writing of the American experience for the last 20 years.In my opinion, attacking Serbia and winning the Balkans was an integral part of getting the agenda to run the oil and gas pipeline from … Continue reading “Backtalk, March 16, 2006”

Fixing Intelligence

It is fashionable to believe that the intelligence community “failed” on 9/11 and that if it is “fixed,” future terrorist attacks can be prevented – and by implication, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks could have been prevented. Such thinking assumes that intelligence can be perfect, but as James W. Harris – former chief of the … Continue reading “Fixing Intelligence”

US, EU at Odds on Iran Action

GENEVA – As the United States began making the case in the UN Security Council this week for what its Ambassador John Bolton calls “painful consequences” if Iran continues with its controversial nuclear program, Washington is facing a familiar dilemma: What to do if the rest of the world refuses to go along? Unlike the … Continue reading “US, EU at Odds on Iran Action”