Sunday: 4 Iraqis Killed, 2 Wounded

At least four Iraqis were killed and two more were wounded in light violence. Several political stories are still in the headlines, including those of the Blackwater case, the bombing in Ramadi last week, and the resolution of the Peter Moore abduction. Also, a mass...

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Friday: 1 Iraqi Killed, 5 Wounded

Updated at 6:30 p.m. EST, Jan. 1, 2010 Although the New Year's holiday has tamped down casualty reports from Iraq, other news made the international media. Among them was an independent analysis of civilian deaths and the Iraqi government's displeasure with the...

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Thursday in Iraq: No Reported Casualties

Thanks to the New Year's holiday, Iraq seemed exceptionally quiet today. No violent attacks were reported; however, other Iraq-related items were in the headlines. Foremost, a U.S. judge dismissed charges against five Blackwater contractors accused of firing upon...

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Whither Iran?

The confrontation that took place in the streets of several large cities in Iran on the occasion of Ashura has brought the acrimonious political fight among the Islamic Republic's elite into focus in significantly different ways than before. Not only did many...

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The Road Ahead

You'll have to pardon me if I utter a long, drawn-out sigh, but the prospect of facing yet another year of phony "crises," official fabrications, and Obama-esque double-talk is daunting, to say the least. My task, as I see it, is to unpack the hyperbole,...

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Is Obama Digging Out or Digging Deeper?

As 2009 draws to a close, the big question here is whether President Barack Obama is succeeding in digging out of the hole – international as well as financial -- that he inherited from George W. Bush or digging deeper into it. The answers to that question are both...

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US Arms Funding May Come Back to Haunt in Yemen

When Yemen refused to vote in support of a U.S.-sponsored Security Council resolution against Iraq during the 1990-1991 Gulf War, a visibly angry U.S. delegate turned to the Yemeni diplomat and said: "That will be the last time you will ever vote against a U.S....

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