GOP Blank Check for War?

High among the blunders of history was the “blank cheque” Kaiser Wilhelm gave Vienna, after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, to deal with the Serbs as they saw fit. Five weeks later, Vienna cashed the check and declared war, after Belgrade refused to submit to all 10 demands of an ultimatum. Russia mobilized; Germany … Continue reading “GOP Blank Check for War?”

Sanctions Give China an Advantage in Iran

LONDON — The European Union’s new sanctions against Iran appear to open a new space for eager Chinese companies to expand their investments in a country viewed as a rogue player by much of the western world. With China recently coming to light as Iran’s largest trade partner, some Chinese analysts predict a wealth of … Continue reading “Sanctions Give China an Advantage in Iran”

Thursday: 34 Iraqis Killed, 60 Wounded

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said he is wagering that sectarian violence will not surge after a massive reduction of U.S. combat troops next month. Ahead of that withdrawal, the violence continues. At least 34 Iraqis were killed and 60 more were wounded across the country. Security forces were targeted in several cities.

Sources: Amiri Told CIA Iran Has No Nuclear Bomb Program

Contrary to a news media narrative that Iranian scientist Shahram Amiri has provided intelligence on covert Iranian nuclear weapons work, CIA sources familiar with the Amiri case say he told his CIA handlers that there is no such Iranian nuclear weapons program, according to a former CIA officer. Philip Giraldi, a former CIA counterterrorism official, … Continue reading “Sources: Amiri Told CIA Iran Has No Nuclear Bomb Program”

Pavlov’s Dogs of War Revisited

Super Dave Petraeus, newly installed as top banana in the Bananastans*, is practicing the exploding-cigar kind of diplomacy Dick Cheney and his cabin boys perfected during the Li’l Bush regime. Following policies outlined by the neoconservative cabal in their September 2000 manifesto Rebuilding America’s Defenses, Dick and the Destroyers’ negotiations with Iran amounted to a … Continue reading “Pavlov’s Dogs of War Revisited”

Clues Suggest Amiri Defection Was an Iranian Plant

U.S. officials are explaining Iranian scientist Shahram Amiri’s return to Iran as the result of a defector having a change of heart because of his concern about Iranian government threats to his family. Iran and Amiri himself have insisted that it is a simple case of a victim of abduction escaping his captors. But several … Continue reading “Clues Suggest Amiri Defection Was an Iranian Plant”

The Shahram Charade

By now the narrative is well-established, at least as far as the Western media is concerned: Shahram Amiri, an Iranian scientist, defected to the US last year, but changed his mind and has now returned to Iran. No matter: we squeezed him dry, as one intelligence official boasted, and received "valuable" information about Iran’s nuclear weapons program … Continue reading “The Shahram Charade”

The Shahram Affair

Confronted with the accusation that Iranian nuclear scientist Shahram Amiri had been kidnapped by US and Saudi intelligence agencies while on a trip to Mecca, and brought to the US for interrogation, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley averred: “We are not in the habit of going around kidnapping people.” To which the only proper response … Continue reading “The Shahram Affair”