Iraq All Over Again?

For at least the past two decades, political leaders in the United States and Israel have warned that Iran was on the threshold of building a nuclear weapon. From what we've been hearing lately from the media, Iran is once again … on that threshold. Touting thousands...

read more

Gingrich the Thanksgiving Turkey

Everyone knows that when you overcook a Thanksgiving Turkey it makes for a dry, overdone meal. Let’s be honest: no amount of gravy is going to mask that disappointment. Kind of like Newt Gingrich, who’s been cooking so long he’s as appetizing as an old leather shoe....

read more

Confessions Broadcast on Iraqi TV Distract From Ongoing Violence

The confessions of 22 men charged with killing thousands of Iraqis, mostly police and army recruits, were broadcast during a news conference on Iraqi state television today. The men, who are also accused of ties to al-Qaeda and the now-illegal Ba’ath Party, were arrested in late 2007 with about 200 other men. At least one Iraqi was killed and eight more were wounded in new attacks.
read more

Weimar Revisited

“You and your Weimar!” a friend of mine once exclaimed in exasperation. "Just because you experienced the collapse of the Weimar Republic as a child, you see Weimar behind every corner.” The accusation was not unjustified. In 1960, during the Eichmann trial, I wrote a...

read more

The Pacific Pivot

Imagine you are an ordinary citizen of some Asian country – say, China – and you hear a news report of the American president’s recent remarks to the East Asia Summit, during which he argued: “While we are not a claimant in the South China Sea...

read more

US Military Denies Shooting Iraqi Civilians; 12 Dead Across Iraq

Overall, at least 12 Iraqis were killed and 24 more were wounded in the latest reports of violence. However, U.S. military officials are denying one incident in which witnesses claim that U.S. soldiers fired on civilians in Yusufiya. In political news, one lawmaker came out in support of semi-autonomy for Basra, while the vice president denounced plans to expand Iraq’s prison system.
read more

11 Iraqis Killed On Prayer Day

At least 11 Iraqis were killed in the latest violence. Another 23 were wounded as well. Demonstrations for and against granting region status to more areas in Iraq took place in Samarra and Baghdad. Also, the fate of Camp Ashraf residents could soon be decided.
read more

Honoring Whistleblowers

Our country's need for courageous whistleblowers is now. That is mostly why Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence (SAAII) publicly honors people who have spoken truth, and suffered the consequences, as Sam Adams, my former analyst colleague at CIA, did on...

read more