Tag: Iraq

Jack Murtha and the Ghosts of Haditha

Nearly two years ago on Feb. 8, 2010, Rep. Jack Murtha, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, who was also a Marine Corps Vietnam Veteran, died of complications from gall bladder surgery. In what is probably a first in modern Congressional history, his untimely death was greeted ghoulishly in certain unseemly sectors with cheers and jeers. “Sufficient … Continue reading “Jack Murtha and the Ghosts of Haditha”

How Two Wars in the Greater Middle East Revealed the Weakness of the Global Superpower

It was to be the war that would establish empire as an American fact. It would result in a thousand-year Pax Americana. It was to be “mission accomplished” all the way. And then, of course, it wasn’t. And then, almost nine dismal years later, it was over (sorta). It was the Iraq War, and we … Continue reading “How Two Wars in the Greater Middle East Revealed the Weakness of the Global Superpower”

How to Avoid a Return to Iraq

Although the increased sectarian violence in a post-U.S. Iraq has gotten most of the publicity from the international media, there are other telling signs that a bloody civil war there may be in the offing. Much sentiment exists in Sunni majority areas — distrustful of the increasingly autocratic and uncompromising Shi’ite-run regime of Prime Minister … Continue reading “How to Avoid a Return to Iraq”

Sunni security forces targets for attack on “Iraq Day”

Security forces are often targets for violence, but the government-backed Sahwa or Awakening Council members took the brunt of attacks. At least 11 of them were killed and one more was wounded. Another seven Iraqis were killed and 16 more were wounded in other attacks.

The Agony of Iraq, the Country of My Birth

As a 17-year-old in 1962, I was one of a group of about 10 Iraqi students doing A-levels in a college in the UK. The group included three Christians and one Kurd; the rest were Muslims. Please do not ask me how many of the Muslims were Shia and how many were Sunni. I had … Continue reading “The Agony of Iraq, the Country of My Birth”

Are We Gods?

This holiday season, as you walk through a public area (any mall, grocery, or restaurant will do), start counting the people you see. Look in their faces, listen to their conversations, and try to appreciate each of them not just as strangers, but as fellow human beings. When you get to 40 (making sure to … Continue reading “Are We Gods?”

How Maliki and Iran Outsmarted the US on Troop Withdrawal

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s suggestion that the end of the U.S. troop presence in Iraq is part of a U.S. military success story ignores the fact that the George W. Bush administration and the U.S. military had planned to maintain a semi-permanent military presence in Iraq. The real story behind the U.S. withdrawal is how … Continue reading “How Maliki and Iran Outsmarted the US on Troop Withdrawal”