Al-Hayat reports in Arabic that the Iraqi government is about to send troops into Diyala in an attempt to tamp down violence and combat local militias there, just as was done in Basra, Maysan and Mosul. I have begun to wonder whether the secret of these campaigns is not so much the show of military […]
Obama on Iraq and Afghanistan: A Friendly Critique
Barack Obama wants to get out of Iraq by summer 2010 but wants to send 10,000 extra troops to Afghanistan. Obama’s editorial is thoughtful and far more sensible than anything we are hearing from the White House or McCain, and I agree with most of it. But I have one quibble and one major critique. […]
Does John McCain’s sick sense of humor matter?
First, he sang ‘bomb, bomb, bomb/ bomb, bomb Iran’ to the tune of the Beach Boys’ ‘Barbara Ann.’ Now, on being told that Iran has increased its importation of American cigarettes, he quipped “Maybe that’s a way of killing them.” Let us review the things wrong with this statement as a joke. First of all, […]
Troops Injured Outside Combat Ignored in Media; Al-Maliki Gives Away Money
Greg Mitchell points out that the media continue to give little coverage to non-combat-related deaths among American troops in Iraq. Actually, they seldom mention the number of those wounded in combat, much less putting them and their stories on the screen. (It happens. It is rare.) Even as much press as the electrocuted soldiers got […]
2 GIs’ Bodies Found; US, Israel Reject Rumors of IAF Flights in Iraq
The bodies of two US troops MIA were recently discovered in Iraq. Have Israeli planes been flying in Iraq, in and out of US air bases, to case Iran for and attack? The Israelis are denying it. I also think it unlikely, since the US air force would have to give the Israelis its Identify […]
Crocker on Aljazeera The Iraq-US Security Agreement
Aljazeera International reports on the current situation in Iraq and the negotiations between Iraq and the US for a Status of Forces Agreement. US Ambassador in Baghdad Ryan Crocker is interviewed at great length. This is the sort of in-depth interview with no-holds-barred questioning that has become rare on US television. Part One: And, Part […]
OSC: Iran Reaction to Possible US Interest Section
The USG Open Source Center reports on reactions in Iran to the possibility of the opening of a US interest section, i.e. a muted embassy, in Tehran. OSC Report: Iran — Reaction to Mottaki’s Comments on Possible US Interest SectionThursday, July 10, 2008 . . . ‘Iran — Muted Reaction to Foreign Minister’s Positive Comments […]
Bhasin: Maliki and the Timetable: It’s all about Blackwater
Madhavi Bhasin writes: On July 7th the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in an Address before the Arab Ambassadors stated that his Government was looking at the necessity of terminating foreign presence on Iraqi land and restoring full sovereignty. The U.S. public diplomacy machinery began operating in full swing after the statement was released and […]
Knight: Out — without ‘Bloodbath’ or ‘Regional Chaos’
Charles Knight writes In October of last year a Boston-area activist called me and reported that he’d recently visited an antiwar Massachusetts congressperson in order to urge that more be done to get the US out of Iraq quickly and completely. Representative Jim McGovern (MA-03-D) had replied that he was doing what he could, but […]
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