Commissar Aaronovitch

They don’t have neocons in Britain: over there, they’re called Blairites, or New Labourites. But it’s essentially the same thing: they love the State, they love themselves, and, most of all, they love war – in the name of idealism, you understand, which, in Blairite circles, amounts to what passes these days for "humanitarian" interventionism. … Continue reading “Commissar Aaronovitch”

Feeding the Iraq Moloch

For a short time, the badly mutilated body of a Western woman found in the ruins of Fallujah gave hope to Margaret Hassan’s family and friends. The unidentified Jane Doe, you see, had blond hair, while hostage Hassan was a brunette. But hope was dashed when images of the British aid worker being shot by … Continue reading “Feeding the Iraq Moloch”

US Downplays Report on Guantanamo Prisoner Abuse

U.S. officials Tuesday insisted that detainees held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have been treated "humanely," despite a Red Cross report that concluded interrogators were using psychological and physical techniques that were "tantamount to torture." "We strongly disagree with any characterization that suggests the way detainees are being treated is inconsistent … Continue reading “US Downplays Report on Guantanamo Prisoner Abuse”

25-Year ‘War on Drugs’ Fails on the Streets

Neither its nearly quarter-century "war against drugs" nor the almost $3 billion Washington has spent since 2000 on Plan Colombia has resulted in higher prices on U.S. streets for cocaine or heroin, says a major report by the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) released Tuesday. The 400-page report [.pdf], which focuses mainly on the … Continue reading “25-Year ‘War on Drugs’ Fails on the Streets”

Neglect Follows Siege of Fallujah

BAGHDAD – The Iraqi ministry of health is failing to provide enough support to hundreds of thousands who fled Fallujah. Doctors in Baghdad are perplexed why there has been little or no assistance from the health ministry to residents or refugees. "During the Najaf fighting this summer things were not like this," says Dr. Riad … Continue reading “Neglect Follows Siege of Fallujah”

Canada Wins Battle of Toledo

TOLEDO – The Canadian government, unhappy for many years with Washington’s belligerent foreign policy and fearful of its massive weapons stockpiles, decided last year to invade the U.S., seizing oil refineries and manufacturing plants, and establishing "regime change" to the delight of many of its neighbors to the south. Canadian officials decided that Toledo, home … Continue reading “Canada Wins Battle of Toledo”

Time to Engage Iran?

Iran does not want a clash with the United States. And unlike Milosevic and Saddam, neither of whom wanted a war, either, Iran is determined not to give the neoconservatives the pretext to launch one. This is behind Tehran’s grudging acceptance of the British-French-German initiative to arrest Iran’s nuclear program by forcing a shutdown of … Continue reading “Time to Engage Iran?”

Get Real: The Case for Restraint With Iran

There are few areas of the world with a more troubling mix of geopolitical problems than the Middle East. The irony is that the war in Iraq, which has consumed so much of our country’s political and economic capital, may hold less far-reaching consequences than challenges posed in neighboring Middle Eastern countries. To the west, … Continue reading “Get Real: The Case for Restraint With Iran”

Nuclear Deception Enters Its 60th Year

Top officials in Washington are now promoting jitters about Iran’s nuclear activities, while media outlets amplify the message. A confrontation with Tehran is on the second-term Bush agenda. So, we’re encouraged to obliquely think about the unthinkable. But no one can get very far trying to comprehend the enormity of nuclear weapons. They’ve shadowed human … Continue reading “Nuclear Deception Enters Its 60th Year”

Bullies at the Airport

If you traveled by air last week for the Thanksgiving holiday, you undoubtedly witnessed Transportation Security Administration agents conducting aggressive searches of some passengers. A new TSA policy begun in September calls for invasive and humiliating searches of random passengers; in some instances crude pat-downs have taken place in full public view. Some female travelers … Continue reading “Bullies at the Airport”