Missing the Point on the New Terror

I can’t deny that it has been fun to see all the Bushies pushed on the defensive or jolted into attack mode so dramatically that you can’t help but discern just how insecure and vulnerable they are – as are most people who are at least dimly aware that they have advanced themselves on false … Continue reading “Missing the Point on the New Terror”

Fallujah Deflates Washington’s Optimism

April Fools’ Day is traditionally one of good-natured mischief, but not this year. Indeed, U.S. President George W. Bush’s trademark smirk, which normally fits the day’s spirit almost to a T, was nowhere to be seen Thursday. The reason was clear enough: Iraq suddenly, if gruesomely, recaptured the headlines with Wednesday’s horrific killings of four … Continue reading “Fallujah Deflates Washington’s Optimism”

Documents Shed New Light on US Support for 1964 Brazilian Coup

A newly declassified audiotape and documents released here Wednesday 40 years after the 1964 coup that installed military rule in Brazil show that then US President Lyndon Johnson was directly involved in the decision to back the coup forces, if necessary. In a six-minute tape of Johnson being briefed by phone at his Texas ranch, … Continue reading “Documents Shed New Light on US Support for 1964 Brazilian Coup”

Condi’s Contradictions

"He needs to get his story straight," National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice says of her whistleblowing former aide Richard Clarke. Oh, he does? Rice’s contradictory statements about what the White House knew or didn’t know, did or didn’t do, before 9-11 are legion. And much of what she’s told the media is at odds with … Continue reading “Condi’s Contradictions”

Saying It Ain’t So

What Albanian separatists did in occupied Kosovo in four mid-March days resulted in over 30 deaths, the destruction of over 30 churches and hundreds of homes and vehicles – but more so, threatened to yank off the idyllic mask the occupiers and the compliant media have been forcibly keeping on things for nearly five years. … Continue reading “Saying It Ain’t So”

With Friends Like Uzbekistan…

This week’s outburst of apparently Islamist-related violence, which has killed more than 40 people in two major cities in Uzbekistan in the past three days, could spur renewed attention to the strategically located Central Asian country’s deplorable human rights record. In a new report whose release coincided with the bloodiest day yet in three days … Continue reading “With Friends Like Uzbekistan…”

India’s Post-9/11 Law on Terrorism More Abused Than Used

Mohammed Haneef Abdul Razak Sheikh says he was held under India’s controversial anti-terrorism law for distributing food to victims of the anti-Muslim pogrom that swept western Gujarat state two years ago. All the 287 cases booked under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) in Gujarat following the violence were aimed at members of the minority … Continue reading “India’s Post-9/11 Law on Terrorism More Abused Than Used”

Iraqi Council Bars UN from Overseeing Elections

Al-Hayat reports that the Interim Governing Council (IGC) is rejecting any role for the United Nations in overseeing Iraqi elections save that of “help and consultation). Iraqi National Congress spokesman Intifadh Qanbar said that the UN delegation was told by the IGC that elections would have to be a purely Iraqi affair, that Iraqis would … Continue reading “Iraqi Council Bars UN from Overseeing Elections”

Getting Ugly in Uzbekistan

Suicide bombers, pitched battles, and a massive police mobilization over the past three days have thrust the Central Asian nation of Uzbekistan into the headlines – and demonstrated why our endless “war on terrorism” is doomed to not only fail, but to create the sort of “blowback” that is a windfall for America’s enemies. Uzbekistan … Continue reading “Getting Ugly in Uzbekistan”