The improved security in Iraq has had benefits for everyone there. This has included fewer Iraqi civilian deaths, US casualties, and, says a new report, journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) release said that 41 journalists worldwide were killed this...
Report: Recognizing Hamas Could Help Peace
Eighteen months after Hamas evicted Fatah forces from Gaza, the prospects for restoring Palestinian unity are more elusive than ever, with both factions believing that time is on their side, according to a new report by the Brussels-based International Crisis Group...
Obama’s War
Just two months after the twin towers fell, the armies of the Northern Alliance marched into Kabul. The Taliban fled. The triumph was total in the "splendid little war" that had cost one U.S. casualty. Or so it seemed. Yet, last month, the war against the...
There They Go Again
"Fears of new ethnic conflict in Bosnia," declared the New York Times on December 13, in an article that may yet be one of the most curious cases of the dog that did not bark. Authored by Dan Bilefsky, what is supposed to be a news feature ends up being a somewhat...
Thursday: 11 Iraqis Killed, 31 Wounded
At least 11 Iraqi were killed and 31 more were wounded, but the most significant news item coming out of Iraq today was the arrest of dozens of high ranking officials in what may be a Maliki power grab. No Coalition deaths were reported. Meanwhile, the shoe-lobber...
The Mindset That Got Us Into War Is Alive and Well
I must admit that, like most progressives and antiwar activists in the coalition that played a crucial role in the victory of President-elect Barack Obama, I have been greatly disappointed with his national security team (NST). Gone are all the hopeful signs of real...
Muntadar al-Zeidi: Hero, Martyr, Symbol of Resistance
The shoe-throwing Iraqi journalist, who is, by now, probably half beaten to death for the "crime" of paying back in very small measure George W. Bush for his crimes against the Iraqi people, is a folk hero to millions. And his admirers aren't...
Not Home for the Holidays, Again
Once again it's the holidays, and once again some 180,000 U.S. soldiers (about 149,000 in Iraq and 31,000 in Afghanistan) won't be home with their families and friends. This despite the fact that 70 percent of Americans want American troops withdrawn from Iraq. The...
Iran’s Regional Power Rooted in Shia Ties
TEHRAN - As Barack Obama's national security team assesses the challenge of Iran's role in the Middle East, it confronts a paradox: Iran is seen as having ambitions of regional hegemony, but it lacks the military power normally associated with such a role. That...
Wednesday: 35 Iraqis Killed, 70 Wounded
Updated at 6:55 p.m. EST, Dec. 17, 2008At least 35 Iraqis were killed and 70 more were wounded during a bloody day that also saw a visit from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. No Coalition deaths were reported. At the same time, the health of the journalist...


