Four months after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that prisoners held at a special jail at Guantanamo Bay in the U.S. "war on terrorism" have the right to challenge their detention to an independent forum, the legal process appears far from fair, according to...
EU, US Pressure on Iran Could Backfire
TEHRAN - Diplomats might be optimistic about a breakthrough with Tehran over its nuclear program after weekend talks between Tehran and three European Union heavyweights, but realities are more complicated, since many Iranians say their country has a legitimate right...
The Quagmire Deepens in Fallujah
The Bush administration has begun to strike Fallujah with 10,000-15,000 U.S. soldiers, starting with gunships indiscriminately raking the city with cannon fire. By the end of the first day, warplanes had carried out some two dozen sorties against the city, and four...
Phantom Fury, Phantom Victory
With Monday's launch of "Operation Phantom Fury" to regain control of the key insurgent-dominated Sunni city of Fallujah, the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush appears to be moving toward another "phantom victory" in its broader quest...
Carnage and Martial Law
"The Marines that have been killed over the last five months have been killed by a faceless enemy. The enemy there has a face, and it's called Satan, and it lives in Fallujah." These are the words of U.S. Marine Colonel Gary Brandl as he speaks of the imminent attack...
Neocon Agenda: Iran, China, Russia, Latin America…
An influential foreign-policy neoconservative with long-standing ties to top hawks in the administration of President George W. Bush has laid out what he calls "a checklist of the work the world will demand of this president and his subordinates in a second...
Aid Agency Exit Leaves Iraq Further Isolated
MONTREAL - The withdrawal from Iraq of aid agency Doctors Without Borders will further isolate the nation at a time when it should be reestablishing links with the international community, says a doctor with vast experience in the war-torn country. The organization,...
Bye-Bye, ElBaradei
One result of Bush's reelection will be an attempt next month by Undersecretary of State John Bolton to deny Mohamed ElBaradei another term as director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The IAEA was originally set up in 1957 to promote the...
US Ambassador to Afghanistan: ‘I Didn’t Come Here to Be a Flower Pot’
KABUL - Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, gave an exclusive interview to Pajhwok News Agency. He discussed his role in the reconstruction effort and the U.S. commitment to Afghanistan's future. Pajhwok: How do you feel about being Afghan and...
Blinkered Bush Set to Blunder Again
"'We had to stop some operations until the [U.S.] elections were over,' said a senior Iraqi Defense Ministry official who requested anonymity because he's not an authorized spokesman. 'The Iraqi government requested support from the American side in the past, but the...


