Antiwar.com

ARBIL, Iraq – Fresh from their success at the polls, Iraq’s two main Kurdish political parties have put forward 72-year-old Jalal Talabani as their candidate for the presidency of Iraq. If he succeeds in winning the post, it will be a fitting coda to one of Iraq’s most colorful careers. Born into a prominent Kurdish … Continue reading “The Next President of Iraq?”

Remember that Iraq election everyone was hailing last week as a triumph of democracy and a model for the region? A quagmire was transformed almost overnight into a stunning victory: when election day dawned, Iraq turned on a dime and was supposedly rendered relatively quiet. I heard one news anchor declare that only eight attacks … Continue reading “Iraq’s Dodgy Election”

Despite the Bush administration’s insistence that, at least for now, it remains committed to using diplomatic means to halt Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program, war drums against the Islamic Republic appear to be beating more loudly here. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice assured Europeans on her trip this past week that Washington does indeed support … Continue reading “Iran War Drums Beat Harder”

Antiwar.com columnist Ivan Eland talks exit strategy with Scott Horton. Interview conducted Feb. 5, 2005. Check out Scott’s other interviews with prominent antiwar and libertarian personalities. Listen to Streaming Audio Download MP3 Ivan Eland is senior fellow and director of the Center on Peace & Liberty at The Independent Institute and assistant editor of The … Continue reading “Which Way Out of Iraq?”

Unfortunately, it should hardly come as a surprise that it took about a day into what most of the world press called a cease-fire – though the principals were careful not to use the word – for the first fatality to occur by gunshot. According to the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz, "Gunfire from the Atzmona settlement … Continue reading “Dim Hopes for Peace”

The neoconservative Project for the New American Century (PNAC) has signaled its intention to continue shaping the government’s national security strategy with a new public letter stating that the “U.S. military is too small for the responsibilities we are asking it to assume.” Rather than reining in the imperial scope of U.S. national security strategy … Continue reading “Liberals and Neocons: Together Again”

ARBIL, Iraq – The George W. Bush administration and the Turkish government did their best to kiss and make up this week. After days of saber-rattling from Ankara over Kurdish domination in Kirkuk, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appeared shoulder to shoulder with her Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul, yesterday. "Friends have differences from time … Continue reading “Violence Leaves Long Lines at Gas Pumps”

Less than a week after U.S. President George W. Bush urged his Egyptian counterpart, Hosni Mubarak, to institute democratic reforms, human rights groups are worried that the long-time leader has instead launched a new crackdown against the political opposition. Since late last month, Egyptian security forces have arrested a number of prominent political activists in … Continue reading “Egyptian Dissidents Arrested on Eve of ‘National Dialogue’”

"Fighting should be reserved for genuine self-defense in the face of imminent attack, when no other help is available. Preemptive strikes and aggression disguised as self-defense won’t pass muster under the Golden Rule." – Jesus on Parenting: 10 Essential Principles That Will Transform Your Family Draft? What draft? Yes, there’s a draft going on right … Continue reading “How to Protect Your Child from the Coming Draft”

Empire’s Enablers, Paid and Unpaid Several weeks ago, a scandal erupted in the U.S. when it was revealed that several pundits got paid by the Bush government to support its policies. Commenting on the scandal, Lew Rockwell, president of the libertarian Ludwig von Mises Institute, wrote that “it’s not those who lie for money we … Continue reading “Quislings Do It Better”