Britain to Probe Collaboration with CIA Renditions

Breaking from President Barack Obama’s insistence on "moving forward, not backward" in investigating U.S. detainee torture, the British government appears poised to investigate its own complicity with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in "rendering" British citizens and residents and subjecting them to "enhanced interrogation" techniques. The British newspaper, The Guardian, is reporting that Prime … Continue reading “Britain to Probe Collaboration with CIA Renditions”

Tuesday: 5 Iraqis Killed, 6 Wounded; Massive Security Sweep

Updated at 7:39 p.m. EST, Jan. 12, 2010 A massive security sweep in Baghdad has suppressed other news reporting in Iraq. The operation, which government officials say was against a bomb plot, even drowned out the stunning assessment that Dutch involvement in the Iraq War was illegal. The much-awaited testimony of former Tony Blair insider … Continue reading “Tuesday: 5 Iraqis Killed, 6 Wounded; Massive Security Sweep”

The Taxi Driver Who Drove Us to War

Over on the other side of the pond, the British are doing something we would never ever do – aside, that is, from spreading Marmite on a tea biscuit and actually consuming it. They are investigating the origins of the Iraq war. They want to know how did they get lured into an operation that … Continue reading “The Taxi Driver Who Drove Us to War”

Thursday: 10 Iraqis Killed, 30 Wounded

Figures from yesterday’s bombings in Karbala climbed overnight adding to today’s toll. Overall, at least 10 Iraqis were killed and 30 more were wounded across the country. Meanwhile, the Turkish prime minister is visiting Baghdad. Also, Malaysian police have arrested MP Mohammad al-Dayni on terrorism charges.

Did World War II Have To Happen?

On Sept. 1, 1939, 70 years ago, the German Army crossed the Polish frontier. On Sept. 3, Britain declared war. Six years later, 50 million Christians and Jews had perished. Britain was broken and bankrupt, Germany a smoldering ruin. Europe had served as the site of the most murderous combat known to man, and civilians … Continue reading “Did World War II Have To Happen?”

A Balkans Belgium?

Brits Debate Bosnia At the end of 2008, basking in the glory of electoral victory, the soon-to-be-inaugurated Obama regime announced it would be going boldly backward, revisiting the Balkans and specifically, Bosnia-Herzegovina. The fact that Obama’s foreign policy team looked a lot like Bill Clinton’s was purely a coincidence, of course. Nine months later, the … Continue reading “A Balkans Belgium?”

‘Culturally Sensitive’ Imperialism

In Britain, they’re getting antsy about Obama’s war – the "Af-Pak" [.pdf] war, that is. Without the poodle Tony Blair to cover for us, Britain’s ruling Labor Party – decisively smacked down in the recent elections to the European parliament – is grumbling about being stampeded by the United States into fighting another unpopular war. … Continue reading “‘Culturally Sensitive’ Imperialism”