EU Threatens Burma With More Sanctions

BANGKOK – The showdown between Burma‘s military regime and the European Union (EU) at this weekend’s meeting of Asian and European leaders has propelled into one that could damage the EU’s stature if Rangoon does not blink. As it is, the stakes have never been higher. The Europeans are threatening the junta with plans to … Continue reading “EU Threatens Burma With More Sanctions”

Bush Aides Backtracking on Iraq

How to understand the sudden outbreak of candor among Bush administration officials (or former officials) about Iraq in the past couple of days? In the vice presidential debate on Tuesday evening, Dick Cheney said, "I have not suggested there’s a connection between Iraq and 9/11." Well, maybe not in so many words, but Cheney hinted … Continue reading “Bush Aides Backtracking on Iraq”

Backtalk, October 7, 2004

Antiwar.com Bridging the Gap After going through this website, I noticed that I have perceived Americans in a false way. I have wronged Americans with my false perceptions. Now, I am an Egyptian youth who lives in Qatar, and what I hear in the news and see just makes me more frustrated, angry and start … Continue reading “Backtalk, October 7, 2004”

Video: US Pilots Kill Civilians

Britain’s Channel 4 News has broadcast a 30-second video clip of a U.S. pilot killing a group of what appear to be civilians on a Fallujah street. The video includes an audio track of the pilot’s conversation with mission controllers. As the UK Independent notes, “At no point during the exchange between the pilot and … Continue reading “Video: US Pilots Kill Civilians”

US and India: Unequal Allies, Uneasy Partners

NEW DELHI – Four years ago, they exuberantly declared they were "natural allies," being two of the world’s biggest democracies. Last year, they vowed to pursue their "strategic partnership" and their campaigns against "terror" with full gusto. And now, the United States and India have re-designated their relationship as an "evolving partnership, based on mutual … Continue reading “US and India: Unequal Allies, Uneasy Partners”

Afghan Women Discouraged From Voting

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – "We are trying our level best to educate Afghan women on the election process. But their men seem determined to prevent them from voting on election day," says electoral officer Shahla Ghaffar Khan. "Many women are also reluctant to register as voters because they are forbidden by their husbands or male elders … Continue reading “Afghan Women Discouraged From Voting”

Gaza Through the Looking Glass

One can only imagine the utter outrage that would engulf world leaders and the media if a series of Palestinian bombings rocked an Israeli town and in less than four days killed 60 people and wounded hundreds, mostly innocent civilians. Not even the most open-minded of media pundits would dare justify the crime; not even … Continue reading “Gaza Through the Looking Glass”

Mideast Arms Buyers Shun UN Register

UNITED NATIONS – The UN’s annual arms register, created about 12 years ago to ensure military transparency among member states, continues to be shunned by some of the world’s biggest arms buyers in the Middle East and by key arms exporters such as China. Of the 191 member states only 60 countries have consistently participated … Continue reading “Mideast Arms Buyers Shun UN Register”