Now that the deadline has passed without an international agreement on the future of Kosovo the Serbian province that has enjoyed autonomy under the tutelage of the United Nations since the NATO-Serb war of 1999 a showdown in the UN Security Council...
Khalilzad and the Gangs of Afghanistan
Hamid Karzai is the grandson of Khair Mohammed of the village of Karz, not far from Kandahar. He was an indigent member of the Popalzai tribe with a large family who migrated to Kandahar seeking a better life. Normally, when a Pashtun is of noble stock he's known by a...
Neocons Won’t Let Facts Stand in the Way of Iran ‘Threat’
Longtime viewers of the popular NBC television show Saturday Night Live probably recall "Emily Litella" an elderly woman with hearing problems commenting on the news on the "Weekend Update" segment, played by the late comedian Gilda Radner....
The Wages of Intervention
I had to laugh when I saw the headline: "Iraq Kurdish leader snubs Rice over Turkey raid." So Condi went all the way to Iraq to resolve this latest crisis in our fast-unraveling Iraqi protectorate, only to be told by Massoud Barzani, president of the...
‘Bad’ Women Raped and Killed in Southern Iraq
BAGHDAD - Women are being killed by militia groups in southern Iraq for not conforming to strict Islamic ways, the police say. And increased threats from militia groups are driving many women away from their homes. Basra police chief Gen. Jalil Hannoon has told...
Bush’s New Spin Master
a Lame Duck?
As Karen Hughes, the close confidante of President George W. Bush, gives up her mission to improve the U.S. image abroad amid decidedly mixed reviews of her performance her replacement is already facing criticism for his support of the Iraq war and a...
NIE Bolsters Czech Opposition to US Radar Base
PRAGUE - A report by U.S. intelligence services minimizing the Iranian threat has meant another embarrassment for Czech politicians supportive of U.S. plans to set up a radar base in Central-Eastern Europe. The radar system which Washington claims will protect...
Wednesday: 57 Iraqis Killed, 12 Wounded
Updated at 10:45 p.m. EST, Dec. 19, 2007Despite a very slow newsday, at least 57 Iraqis were killed and 12 more were wounded in the latest reported violence. Meanwhile, Iraqi Muslims are observing the Eid al-Adha, which marks the end of the yearly Hajj pilgrimage to...
Backtalk, December 18, 2007
Creating Crisis: Another War in the Balkans? In past articles, Doug Bandow has pointed to the hypocrisy of the United States government in encouraging secession in the Balkans and elsewhere, despite its own history of launching a bloody war costing 630,000 lives in...
Turkey: Another Ally Lost
Over the past six years the Bush administration, aided and abetted by Congress, has trashed what used to be described as American foreign policy. Foreign policy once was shaped around the U.S. national interest, but no longer. Vulnerable key allies such as Pakistan,...


