Palestinians Run Into Another Wall

This other wall is not so visible as the controversial “security barrier” Israel is building around itself, but it is as real. It divides thousands of Palestinians from one another, and it does not look like it is going to come down. The name of this wall is The Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law … Continue reading “Palestinians Run Into Another Wall”

China Taking Advantage of War on Terror

The reported execution of an alleged Uighur “separatist” in China’s Xinjiang province is adding to concern by human rights groups that Beijing is taking advantage of the ongoing “war on terrorism” to crack down on the predominantly Muslim indigenous population in its westernmost territory. Kuerban Tudaji was reportedly sentenced to death on June 30 after … Continue reading “China Taking Advantage of War on Terror”

Japanese Deliver Verdict on Koizumi’s Troop Decision

TOKYO (IPS) – Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s humiliating blow in Sunday’s House of Councilors election could have a fallout effect on his controversial decision to keep troops in Iraq, say analysts. "The election results reflected people’s anger. Koizumi had too easily followed the United States in drawing up policies on Iraq’s reconstruction," Toshihiro Shimizu, … Continue reading “Japanese Deliver Verdict on Koizumi’s Troop Decision”

CIA Becomes Political Football

The imminent choice by U.S. President George W Bush of a new director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), blasted Friday for “groupthink” and incompetence by a key Congressional committee, is fast becoming the major new battleground between the administration’s hawks and realists. Senior Bush officials have said the president is virtually certain to nominate … Continue reading “CIA Becomes Political Football”

Neocons Stir China-Taiwan Conflict

The Chinese government is fully committed to working with the international community to support economic and political stability in East Asia, but would be willing to sacrifice those principles if Taiwan tried to break away from the mainland and create an independent state, according to a leading Chinese foreign affairs analyst. “Taiwan is a big … Continue reading “Neocons Stir China-Taiwan Conflict”

Whitewash!

The real purpose of a government report is to place the blame where it does the least damage to the political party in office. The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence’s “Report on the U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments on Iraq” carefully follows this time-honored rule. At the July 9 press conference heralding the release … Continue reading “Whitewash!”

Quandary Over Saddam’s Defense

DUBAI – The rumor mill has been hard at work since Saddam Hussein first appeared before an Iraqi investigative judge after his December capture. The questions, now, are who will defend the former Iraqi president and will he get a fair trail under the new government. At his arraignment on July 1, the former Iraqi … Continue reading “Quandary Over Saddam’s Defense”

Condoleezza Needs to Call Anonymous

In our various oral and written presentations on Iraq, my veteran intelligence officer colleagues and I took no delight in sharply criticizing what we perceived to be the corruption of intelligence analysis at CIA. Nothing would have pleased us more than to have been proven wrong. It turns out we did not know the half … Continue reading “Condoleezza Needs to Call Anonymous”

Papuan Self-Determination Sacrificed to US Courtship of Suharto

On the 35th anniversary of the so-called “Act of Free Choice” (AFC) that resulted in West Papua’s annexation by Indonesia, newly declassified documents depict the administration of President Richard Nixon as unwilling to raise any objections to the process despite its assessment that the move was overwhelmingly opposed by the Papuan people. The memos were … Continue reading “Papuan Self-Determination Sacrificed to US Courtship of Suharto”