Syrian’s Suicide Leads to Turmoil

BEIRUT – The death of Syria’s interior minister Ghazi Kanaan in Damascus Wednesday has raised new tensions ahead of the publication of the UN report on the murder of Lebanon’s former prime minister Rafik Hariri. The report is expected next week. Kanaan and other members of Syria’s ruling circles had come under increasing pressure in … Continue reading “Syrian’s Suicide Leads to Turmoil”

Danny Ayalon, Spy?

The suicide of Syria’s interior minister – a week before a UN investigation is to release its report on the assassination of Lebanese politician-entrepreneur Rafik Hariri – has the regime-change crowd salivating, and leading the pack is Michael Young, opinion editor at the Beirut Daily Star and Reason magazine’s resident Aounist. Young has been regaling … Continue reading “Danny Ayalon, Spy?”

Mr. Bush Goes to Tikrit (Sort of)

Just when you think that President Bush couldn’t out-Saddam Saddam any more, he goes and does something that proves you wrong. If any Iraqis caught the hilarious video conference Thursday between Bush at the White House and troops from the 42nd Infantry Division in Tikrit, it may have seemed like a high-tech version of a … Continue reading “Mr. Bush Goes to Tikrit (Sort of)”

Making the Middle East Safe for What?

The Bush administration seems to be drawing the outlines of a strategy to oust Syria’s President Bashar Assad and his ruling Ba’ath Party. Of course, no one is considering an American-led military invasion à la Iraq to achieve “regime change” in Damascus. Instead, neoconservative policymakers and analysts are urging Washington to take advantage of the … Continue reading “Making the Middle East Safe for What?”

Good News, or Urban Legends?

Did you know that there are five police academies in Iraq that produce over 3,500 new officers every eight weeks? Well, if you’re among the millions of recipients of that “Did You Know?” e-mail proliferating on the Internet, you “know” that “fact” along with a whole lot of other good-news items about Iraq – astonishing … Continue reading “Good News, or Urban Legends?”

A New York State of Mind

In the late afternoon on Thursday, Oct. 6, New York City authorities raised security as a result of what Mayor Michael Bloomberg described as a “specific threat to our subway system.” According to a bulletin issued by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), “a team of terrorist operatives, some of whom may … Continue reading “A New York State of Mind”

A Lose-Lose Referendum?

Five days before Saturday’s referendum on Iraq’s proposed constitution, the U.S. foreign policy elite appears both anxious and gloomy, increasingly worried that win or lose, the process will bring Iraq one step closer to civil war and, with it, the possible destabilization of the wider region. The constitution’s approval, in the view of many experts, … Continue reading “A Lose-Lose Referendum?”

Empire’s Endgame

Finishing the Balkans Interventions Just days after the anniversary of Serbia’s misnamed "revolution," three things came to pass that suggest a next stage of Balkans tragedy is getting underway. First, the Bosnian Serbs caved in and approved the European Union’s ultimatum for centralization of the police, erasing perhaps the last vestige of their autonomy and … Continue reading “Empire’s Endgame”