Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s trip to the United States opened the door to criticism from critics who question the ongoing presence of U.S. personnel in Iraq, even if they technically aren’t troops. Diyala province, meanwhile, confirmed it will seek greater autonomy from Baghdad. Also, at least seven Iraqis were killed and 16 more were wounded in new attacks.
read moreThey Never Learn
Author's note: I’m in the middle of moving, so I won’t be writing this week. I needed a break anyway. I’ll be back on Monday, December 18. In the meantime, this space will feature some past articles of note. Back at the end of 2006 Ethiopia invaded Somalia at...
Iraqi PM Travels To US For Talks, While Kurdish Parties Bicker
Updated at 2:55 p.m. EST, Dec. 11, 2011
At least 16 Iraqis were killed and 13 more were wounded in new violence. Most of the attacks were small by very targeted. Meanwhile, a delegation of Iraqi politicians, including Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, traveled to the United States for meetings with their American counterparts and other officials. While political tensions in Kurdistan continue.
read moreBasra Sues To Terminate Baghdad-brokered Oil Contract
Yesterday, Oil Minister Abdul Karim Luaybi complained that Iraqi Kurdistan is not playing by Baghdad’s rules when it comes to oil sales. Now it is Basra’s turn to criticize the ministry for ignoring its own rules. Local politicians are suing the central government because they were not included in negotiations that lead to a deal between Baghdad and its new partners, Shell and Mitsubishi, in the southern oil fields. At least 11 Iraqis were killed and 12 more were wounded in the latest round of attacks.
read moreEUphoria
Mutually Assured Destruction vs Mutually Assured Respect
The Soviet Union detonated its first nuclear bomb on August 29, 1949, leading to the doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction, shared by both the USA and the Soviets. The unwritten agreement by the two superpowers deterred nuclear war with an implied threat to blow...
Saudi Warning Could Escalate Nuclear Arms Race
The world's nuclear powers - both declared and undeclared - have come primarily from Asia: China, India, Pakistan and possibly North Korea. The Middle East was dominated by a single nuclear power - Israel, which has refused to publicly declare its status. But that...
Do the Republicans Ever Learn?
In August 2008, as the world's leaders gathered in Beijing for the Olympic games, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, hot-headed and erratic, made his gamble for greatness. It began with a stunning artillery barrage on Tskhinvali, capital of tiny South Ossetia, a...
AIPAC Economic Warfare Also Targets US
With U.S. Withdrawal Looming, Baghdad Asserts Old Goals
With the U.S. military withdrawal less than a month away, the situation with Iranian dissidents livng at Camp Ashraf could be heating up. Meanwhile, the Iraqi oil minister suggested to Kurdistan it either start playing by Baghdad’s rules or become fully independent. Both the residents of Ashraf and the Kurdish govenrment were hoping to resolve their separate issues with Baghdad long before the withdrawal, but with time running out, it seems unlikely. Violence was light. Only six Iraqis were reported killed.
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