 |
|
|
April 2003
Latest News
Posted: Wednesday, April 30, 2003
¤ Iraqi Groups Grab Power in Key City, Factions Fight
¤ History of Warfare for Dummies
¤ Mindanao is next target of US oil imperialism?
¤ Nuclear Power Plant Alert
¤ Coca-Cola promotes drink with 'swastika' robots
¤ American Navy 'helped Venezuelan coup'
¤ Hypocrisy and apple pie
¤ To the Iraqis it was murder
¤ Our Imperial Adventure Inflames the World
¤ Santorum's slip: Another GOP loose cannon backfires
¤ Risky Business Of Occupation
¤ Defense CEOs are big winners of Iraq war
¤ Look into the eyes of Ali Ismail Abbas: what do you see?
¤ Putin Challenges Blair, US on Saddam WMD
¤ We are not with you and we don't believe you
¤ Blair suffers double rebuff as peace-maker
¤ The mirage of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction
¤ US war crimes case 'going ahead'
¤ US to Be Sued for Iraq War Crimes
¤ US troops gun down Iraqi demonstrators
¤ U.S. Troops Fire on Iraq Protesters Again
¤ France, Germany deepen UK rift
¤ Goodbye, Europe ... Hello, "Eurussia"
¤ Washington pushes for interim regime in order to pump Iraqi oil
¤ Suicide bomber kills 3 in Tel Aviv
¤ Blow to Nato is old Europe's payback time
¤ Bin Laden's main demand is met
¤ Pull-out is better late than never for Saudis
¤ Why the U.S. Is Pulling Out of Saudi Arabia
¤ Saddam 'will broadcast'
¤ Israeli Occupation Forces Kill Five Palestinians
¤ Turkish Cypriots relax border crossings
¤ Qataris vote on constitution to set up Gulf-style democracy
¤ We'll put a stop to terrorism, says Palestinian PM
¤ Settlers council proposes plan for 'Jewish, Arab cantons'
¤ Elbowed over, Arafat still reigns
¤ Abbas won't accept changes to roadmap
¤ In peacekeeping mode, US troops tested
¤ US forces 'turn down Sahhaf's surrender overtures'
¤ 13 killed as US troops fire on protest
¤ 13 dead after US troops open fire on Iraqi protesters
¤ At least 10 dead as US soldiers fire on school protest
¤ Four die, dozens injured in suicide attack
¤ Bush's weapons of mass deceit
¤ Weapons of Mass Delusion
¤ Putin reveals deep splits over Iraq
¤ US pulls forces out of Saudi Arabia
¤ Doubts over Iraq links to al-Qaeda
¤ Mission to win Iraq deals gets no favours
¤ Blair suffers double rebuff as peace-maker
¤ Anti-war powers to join forces
¤ Honoring Napoleon-Jefferson deal in age of Bush
¤ Talk is still better than war
¤ Saddam to give message in 72 hours
¤ 21 killed in held Kashmir clash
¤ North Korea says nuclear talks useless without US move
¤ Nuclear WMDs in South Asia
¤ Battling for the soul of the American republic
¤ Troops 'are letting looters smuggle Iraqi antiquities'
¤ Putin snubs Blair by refusing to lift sanctions
¤ Iraq war helps BP gush to record £2.3bn profit
¤ America: Bastion of White Supremacy
Latest News
Posted: Tuesday, April 29, 2003
¤ US threatens Belgium over planned war crimes indictment
¤ U.S. Fears Ethnic Wars: Kurds want to reclaim land
¤ Vexing questions remain in wake of Iraq war
¤ U.S. Pulls Military from Saudi in Gulf Realignment
¤ Weapons of mass deception
¤ We went to war just to boost the white male ego
¤ US Spy Submarine Chased out of Russian Waters
¤ Layers of deceit that built a case for war
¤ Rumsfeld Says United States Not Threatening Syria
¤ Are we dumb or just numb?
¤ War profits and the US "military-industrial complex"
¤ Questioning the war: Matters of emphasis
¤ Did our leaders lie to us? Do we even care?
¤ Takeaway antiquities: art dealers may have 'ordered' looting
¤ Syria Smuggles Saddam Aides Out Of Country
¤ Bush Says Iraqi War Was Extended Because Of Turkey
¤ Iraqis Say US Troops Kill 13; US Says Returned Fire
¤ Russia and France to Collaborate More Closely in Area of Defense
¤ US-Saudi 'uneasy' ties
¤ Chinese villagers riot over SARS
¤ The Dixie Chicks episode has indeed been shameful
¤ Fleecing The Family
¤ Iraqis Say U.S. Troops Kill at Least 13 Protesters
¤ US TROOPS 'SHOOT DEAD 13 IRAQIS'
¤ Developments in Iraq's Oil Fields
¤ Blair 'confident' of weapons finds
¤ The Shiite Shockwave
¤ Russia, ex-Soviet republics set up rapid reaction force
¤ Nuclear war risk grows as states race to acquire bomb
¤ Bush vows to respect the rights of Iraqis
¤ Syria releases British troops
¤ Iraqis agree to form government within weeks
¤ Palestinians prepare the way for publication of 'road-map'
¤ Loyal family paint Tariq Aziz as an innocent patriot
¤ 'Even under Saddam pay was better than this'
¤ Forces chief questioned war legality
¤ Colombian rebel urges surrender
¤ North Korea offers new peace deal
¤ American Forces Reach Cease-Fire With Terror Group
¤ The sun rises on Japanese, U.S. 'neocons'
¤ Blair fears new Cold War over EU rift with US
¤ Avoid war for two years, says defence chief
¤ Mofaz: All illegal outposts to go
¤ Fuzzy math on Iraq
¤ Saudis lose out in US reshuffle
¤ Power play in northern Iraq
¤ Australia's Defence Minister, Hill veers away from providing more help
¤ Wary of US, India eyes China again
¤ US to trim military presence in Gulf, says Rumsfeld
¤ No nuke talks with South: North Korea
¤ Iraq: what next?
¤ Bush vows to respect the rights of Iraqis
¤ Layers of deceit that built a case for war
¤ Iraqi delegates differ on best role for U.S.
¤ Search for Saddam takes a detour
¤ The road to St. Petersburg
¤ Top diplomats left out of the top gun party
¤ Iraqis don't need Allied's short-term remedies
Latest News
Posted: Monday, April 28, 2003
¤ SMOKING GUN STINKS OF SPOOKS
¤ Anti-war Crowd Demands Proof of WMDs
¤ US Lied About Iraq WMDs - Ritter
¤ Iraqis target Gen. Franks for war crimes trial
¤ I wonder when America will say it's had enough of the lies
¤ Springsteen backs under-fire Dixies
¤ US subservience to Israel
¤ Another Fine Mess From Army Intelligence
¤ Remember the lessons of Lebanon
¤ Hizbollah guerillas fire at Israeli planes over Lebanon
¤ Al-Qaida links still dubious
¤ Suspects stripped and paraded at gunpoint
¤ Further tests ordered on suspicious Iraqi chemicals
¤ Israel Wants EU to be Sidelined in Mideast Deal: Report
¤ Iran behind deadly suicide bombing in Israel: report
¤ Thievery in Baghdad
¤ No WMD? No Problem!
¤ No chemical weapons in barrels, tests reveal
¤ US military bases: The spoils and deceptions of war
¤ Garner declares a new beginning for Iraq
¤ Santorum's odious comparisons
¤ Hill sidesteps coalition requests for more help to rebuild Iraq
¤ N.Korea Wants Aid, Festivals but No Nuclear Talk
¤ Report: Aziz Tells Interrogators Saddam Is Alive
¤ Woolsey: Saddam probably still alive
¤ Supporters mark Saddam's birthday
¤ Real Looting
¤ Sharon allows Arafat visitors
¤ Abbas refuses to travel until Arafat ban is lifted
¤ Blair: Chirac's world view 'dangerous'
¤ N Korea nuclear claim 'hushed up'
¤ Paris and Berlin prepare alliance to rival Nato
¤ Did the United State murder journalists?
¤ Rumsfeld again warns Iraqi neighbours
¤ Was Tariq Aziz coalition's mole?
¤ Americans kick out 'mayor of Baghdad'
¤ Iraq weapons chief becomes 13th official captured on US hit list
¤ Peaceful activists caught in fight
¤ Rumsfeld to offer Franks top army post: report
¤ US defence secretary meets UAE officials
¤ Russia to boost mily presence along Tajik-Afghan border
¤ N. Korea Stonewalls Demands to Drop Nukes
¤ Beijing theatres and bars closed in crackdown
¤ Fighting is over but the deaths go on
¤ Al-Qaida links still dubious
¤ Women and children die in Afghan factional fighting
¤ Turkey denies sending commandoes into Iraq
¤ 'Nigerian polls better than US elections'
¤ Colombian rebels murder teacher in 'act of madness'
¤ Americans arrest 'mayor' as Garner struggles for control
¤ Argentina faces runoff poll to decide presidency
¤ Former bureaucrats will be asked to help - for now
¤ Washington heads for new UN row over control of oil wealth
¤ Saddam link to al-Qaeda in doubt
¤ Bush faces Chalabi row
Latest News
Posted: Sunday, April 27, 2003
¤ Germans feel tension at New Mexico Air Force base
¤ How to justify the murder of a 10 year old boy
¤ Halliburton Defends No-bid Iraq Contract
¤ Unembedded Thoughts on the Great Patriotic War
¤ We're sick of SARS -- but at least there's less Iraq blather!
¤ Rebuilding Iraq By Selling Out The Iraqis
¤ Iraqis demand restoration of utilities
¤ Iraqi War Sparks a Wave of Jokes in Egypt
¤ Shi'ite clergy take charge in Iraq
¤ Multiculturalism not for Israel - Leibler
¤ Iraqi Shiites, Sunnis Unite To End Anarchy
¤ Scepticism over Saddam-Osama link
¤ Pause the postwar glee to ask: Were supporters misled?
¤ U.S. Seeks to Keep Gulf Military Presence
¤ 'Empire' creeps into analyses of U.S. world role
¤ Iraq victory may be opening move in U.S. strive for supremacy
¤ Richard N. Perle; From Disinfopedia, the encyclopedia of propaganda
¤ Carving Up The New Iraq
¤ How the road to war was paved with lies
¤ Bush plan to win over Democratic voters lags
¤ Gagged by the flag
¤ Unembedded thoughts on the Great Patriotic War
¤ Newest U.S. colony ruled by air power
¤ Erosion of Rights; Freedom denied -- at home
¤ The history that winners write
¤ There are signs something fishy happened
¤ U.S. empty-handed in Iraq search for WMD
¤ Iraq war: Worse lies ahead
¤ Iraq 'may have to quit Opec'
¤ Controlling the news with 'embedded' journalists
¤ Revealed: How the road to war was paved with lies
¤ The damning of Gorgeous George
¤ Iraqis emulate Palestinians by stoning troops
¤ Five killed in attack on Kashmir TV station
¤ Millions trapped as Beijing shuts gates
¤ Seoul to press North to scrap arms
¤ Baghdad blast kills 40
¤ The spooky provenance of the smoking gun that backfired
¤ Farce mask: it's safe for only 20 minutes
¤ Fury as explosion at weapons dump kills 40
¤ Revealed: the moment Bush pulled war trigger
¤ Blair and that vital vote
¤ Powell rules out US military action in subcontinent
¤ 14 more killed in occupied Kashmir
¤ Rumsfeld sacks army secretary
¤ US asks Syria to stop supporting terrorist groups
¤ Allied troops should leave Iraq: Kuwait
¤ Senior UK ministers prepare to quit over Iraq war
¤ Colony Iraq
¤ Shock & awe indeed
¤ Living with the American empire
¤ Nuke talks over, UN sanctions next step
¤ Rebel leader promises 'thousands of bin Ladens'
Latest News
Posted: Saturday, April 26, 2003
¤ US should focus on Israel's WMDs: Pak MP
¤ Why won't Washington allow the UN weapons inspectors into Iraq?
¤ Bio-Terrorism & SARS
¤ Conquest but no success for Bush in Iraq
¤ U.S. threatens Syria 'to serve Israeli interests'
¤ Is Everything We Learned a Myth?
¤ Administration bent on dictatorship
¤ Weapons inspector says US lied
¤ The Bush 'Warbucks' Family Cashes In
¤ Bush's Revenge
¤ Puzzle pieces fit to reveal US fundamentalism
¤ Bush on a revenge mission
¤ What happened to free speech in America?
¤ After Iraq,It's Syria, North Korea, Iran
¤ No proof of Powell's arms claims
¤ UN heads for new rift over Iraq role
¤ Kashmir Car Bombing, Gunbattle Kills 5
¤ 2nd U.S. Soldier Dies in Afghan Gunbattle
¤ U.N., U.S. Battle Over Iraq Sanctions
¤ U.N.: Iraqis Ought to Run Oil Industry
¤ American to oversee Iraqi oil industry
¤ Thanks, Mr President
¤ New Iraq Isn't Shaping Up The Way War Party Envisioned
¤ Iraq envoy Khalilzad reveals Iran strategy behind the first Gulf War
¤ Fury As Us Strips Thieves
¤ Finding banned weapons in Iraq irrelevant, British official claims
¤ Canada will be left out of first contracts in Iraq: Powell
¤ Iraqi Arms Dump Blast Kills at Least 12 Civilians
¤ Developments in Iraq's Oil Fields
¤ Rumsfeld Heads to Persian Gulf
¤ Iraqis Protest Against U.S. After Baghdad Blast
¤ Unexploded Bombs Kill, Maim Iraqis
¤ U.S. May Consider N. Korea Sanctions
¤ Chavez: Iraq People Should Control Oil
¤ Rift Exposed in Sept. 11 Terror Panel
¤ 21 killed in held Kashmir violence
¤ Iraq occupation could last two years: Bush
¤ Two US soldiers among four killed in Afghan fighting
¤ Muslim clerics demand withdrawal of US forces from Iraq
¤ Bush masters snub as political weapon
¤ Iraqis pick up pieces to rebuild domestic media
¤ Iraq war: From defiance to yielding
¤ Real weapons of mass destruction already destroyed
¤ US and its allies confront dangerous options
¤ U.S. will not allow Islamic state in Iraq
¤ U.S. to Europe: 'Who wants allies?'
¤ Time up for US troops in Saudi Arabia
¤ With the breakdown of the old order came disorder
Latest News
Posted: Friday, April 25, 2003
¤ Can An Entire Country Go Mad?
¤ Meet the new bosses
¤ Powell defends attack on Baghdad hotel
¤ Journalists grilled over theft of Iraqi treasures
¤ Winnie Mandela jailed
¤ US accuses Iran of stirring up protests
¤ Straw plays down N Korea threat
¤ North Korean 'threat' over weaponry
¤ Iraqi Spy, Taken Into Custody, at Home in a Shady World
¤ Syria: Where are weapons of mass destruction?
¤ N. Korea Military Tactics In A War With US
¤ Puppets and puppeteers in Iraq
¤ Document exposes pro-Israel lobby's manipulation of US public
¤ U.S. Arms Dealer To Run Iraq's 'Humanitarian Relief'
¤ U.S. Wants to Shut Down UN Controls on Iraq's Oil
¤ Annan: US-UK's war on Iraq was illegitimate
¤ US anger at Annan remarks
¤ Banned weapons may never be found in Iraq: Bush
¤ U.S. soldier killed in Afghanistan
¤ Nasrallah urges Arab unity to face down US, Israel
¤ US Seen Using Trade as Foreign Policy Stick -Analysts
¤ South casts doubts on North Korea's nuclear claims
¤ US accuses Iran of stirring up protests
¤ Return to violence feared as Aceh peace process unravels
¤ Garner pledges a new Baghdad government within days
¤ Former Iraqi spy chief captured by US forces
¤ Minister still a mine of misinformation
¤ With the breakdown of the old order came disorder
¤ No haggling over Middle East plan, warns Powell
¤ How some soldiers were, for a few hours, hugely and illegally rich
¤ UK soldiers to be tested for toxic exposure
¤ Blair's secret war meetings with Clinton
¤ North Korea pushing ahead with "deterrence"
¤ North Korea's nuclear gamble will change face of Asia
¤ N Korea vows to 'prove' nuclear strength
¤ 'Dixie sluts' fight on with naked defiance
¤ Why Hizbullah may be the next terror target for US
¤ Hey kids, let's bankrupt America! Bush launches tax cut offensive
¤ Ashcroft: Many illegal immigrants can be jailed indefinitely
¤ Those who built up Hussein will profit from his demise
¤ Chris Floyd: 'Open book'
¤ An antiwar American looks for a new place to call home
¤ Bush stays on war footing for his re-election drive
¤ N. Korea Warns U.S. It Has Nuclear Arms
¤ Amnesty finds race factor in US death sentences
¤ Rumsfeld: Iraqis Free to Form Own Gov't
¤ Suicide bombing sends warning to Palestinian PM
¤ Tariq Aziz gives himself up to US
¤ The first global epidemic of the 21st century
¤ North Korea threatens test explosion of nuclear weapons
¤ A huge symbolic coup: The suave face of the regime is in US hands
¤ Q & A: What is this disease and why is it so deadly?
¤ UN need not join in hunt for weapons, says Hoon
¤ US not to allow Iran-like govt in Iraq: Rumsfeld
¤ Wishing for the impossible
¤ Pakistan not next US target: Pak HC
¤ Student kills principal, self in US
¤ Nine killed in held Kashmir violence
¤ The lessons of Lebanon
¤ Powell says talks over and warns Pyongyang
¤ Pyongyang wants US security guarantee
¤ MILF rebels attack buses, kill 16 civilians
¤ Chalabi: with friends like the US...
¤ Ashcroft says illegal aliens in U.S. can be held indefinitely
¤ Nigerian bus crash kills 46
Argentina's Redemption Not Likely
Posted: Friday, April 25, 2003
Presidential Election Promises not a New Start, but Business as Usual in a Corrupt and Cynical Society
The twentieth anniversary of the restoration of representative democracy in Argentina coincides with a nadir in the population's confidence in the country's political system and democratic institutions.
Corruption, misguided economics, and corporatism bordering on neo-fascism, remain chronic maladies that plague Argentina. These persist partly due to the populace's acceptance of the anti-Christ of a civic society and too much indifference, if not fanaticism, to break with the past.
The presidential candidates are for the most part uninspiring, epitomize the status quo and, in Carlos Menem's case, belong behind bars rather than on the presidential ballot.
Presidential campaigns resemble low theater as much as political dialogue; indeed, political posturing, pseudo-populist appeals and vacuous promises substitute for coherent and realistic platforms, and with the exception of Elisa Carrio, devoid of ethical content.
Disenchanted by electoral politics and left with few viable options, Argentines are likely to passively accept more of the same.
On this Sunday, April 27, 2003, Argentines will head to one of the thousands of polling stations across the country to elect its first president of the 21st century. Coincidentally, this year marks the twentieth anniversary of the ostensible restoration of democracy in South America's second-largest economy. The military, which instituted authoritarian rule intermittently since 1930, and most recently and brutally from 1976-1983, has now returned to the barracks. But a new form of dictatorship—the tyranny of the spiritless—has overtaken the nation.
For the most part, this year's field of presidential aspirants are the heirs of the country's chintzy past. Of the five leading candidates, one has served as head of state twice before, another is viewed as the surrogate of the outgoing interim president and a third is an archetype of the sinister traits embedded in Peronism. Bereft of but a few viable alternatives, only a pair of candidates running on independent tickets are largely unblemished by the country's malignant political lymphoma, dejected Argentine voters have yet to rally decisively behind any candidate. Rather than marking a clean break with the country's ugly and pitiful past, the very tendencies that precipitated Argentina's descent from the opulence and the international respectability it enjoyed at the beginning of the twentieth century to its present ruinous condition are poised to be carried over into the twenty-first. The upcoming ballot has little prospect of delivering any respite for the profound political, social and economic problems that bedevil the country.
Continuity Personified
None of the candidates vying for a four-year stint at the Casa Rosada better epitomize Argentina's shortcomings, and by implication the wretched continuity of its deeply distressed political culture, than Carlos Menem, a political parasite, who during his decade of rule, humiliated his nation and drained it of any dignity that it might have once possessed. Having already served two terms as president and with some polls predicting that despite all of his negative baggage he still might serve a third, Menem hopes to eclipse his professed political hero, Juan Peron's, time in office. The self-perceived similarities between Menem and the country's most revered iconic figure do not end there, for the former likens his 2003 candidacy to Peron's triumphant return to the country's presidency in 1973 after 18 years in exile. Now married to the 1987 Miss Universe, the 72 year-old Menem fancies his pregnant Chilean wife, Cecilia Bolocco, to be the next Evita Peron, a notion not lost upon the Argentine electorate.
In civilized countries that uphold the rule of law, as opposed to the rule of man, as sacrosanct, Menem's numerous indiscretions would have him languishing as a disgraced political figure in prison or in political limbo in any self-respecting nation instead of being on the verge of again leading his country. In 2001, the former president spent 5 months under house arrest on account of arms-trafficking for personal aggrandizement and is also alleged to have accepted a $10 million bribe from Arab terrorists in exchange for covering up details surrounding the bombings of several Buenos Aires-based Jewish facilities in the 1990's. His macroeconomic policies specifically linking the Argentine peso to a one-to-one ratio to the dollar, extensive privatizations of state industries in an invariably tainted process, and his lavish fiscal expenditures, are blamed by economists for accumulating an ultimately unsustainable external debt, stoking unemployment, impoverishing millions and decimating the country's middle class. Currently one of the frontrunners, if elected, Menem vows to forge closer ties to the U.S. and the multilateral lending institutions, honor external debt obligations and institute a floating currency regime that circumscribes central bank underwriting of government deficits.
Enter the Other Contenders
Joining Menem in the presidential fray is fellow Peronist Nestor Kirchner (another frontrunner). Drab and business-like, the slightly center-left governor of sparsely-populated but oil-rich Santa Cruz province is a relative newcomer to the national political scene. However, perceptions of independence are compromised by Kirchner's intimate links to the current interim president, Eduardo Duhalde. In reality, the upcoming election is viewed by many observers as a proxy war between Menem and Duhalde, once nominal allies, for control of the Peronist Party's soul. Although one should commend Duhalde for refusing to endorse the U.S. intervention in Iraq, one wonders if Kirchner, who already has agreed to retain Duhalde's minister of the economy, Roberto Lavagna, if elected, will emerge as his own man or remain beholden to his political patron and leader of the Peronist elite old guard.
Rounding out the clutch of Peronist contenders (this is the first time the party has ever failed to settle on a single candidate) is Adolfo Rodriguez Saa. The man who suspended interest payments on the country's external debt during his brief, 7-day presidency in December 2001, Saa is the quintessential Peronist. An avowed populist (he plans to channel the state's resources into creating 3 million new jobs in a mere 6 months) the governor of San Juan province reputedly has relied on a combination of inducements and intimidation to quell opposition to his provincial administration.
Two independent candidates, both of whom broke ranks from a Union Civic Radical Party (UCR) that is still tarnished by the abrupt and premature 1989 and 2001 exodus of two of its party leaders (Raul Alfonsin and Fernando de la Rua) from the Casa Rosada, merit attention as well. One of them, Elisa Carrio, a center-left legislator campaigning under the Republic of Equals banner, plans to purge the Argentine political system of its penchant for corruption. Objectively, she is the most unsullied and most highly regarded of any of the candidates who are running. Her former UCR counterpart, Ricardo Lopez Murphy, is a U.S.-trained economist running on a campaign advocating orthodox macroeconomic reforms. As the election has drawn nearer, he has increasingly posed a serious threat to Menem and Kirchner. In fact, Lopez Murphy's vote total on Sunday might surpass one of them, enabling him to slip into the second round. While Carrio's emphasis on honesty and integrity makes her attractive to middle class voters and while Lopez Murphy's fixation with fiscal prudence prompts approval from the commercial sector, neither one has been able to make significant inroads in the now rapidly disappearing factory belt around Buenos Aires, a portion of the electorate which remains mesmerized by Peronism's intoxicating hybrid of populism, statism and nationalism.
Political Drama
Many pollsters reckon that working class districts, like the patchwork communities comprising the 9 million-strong Buenos Aires conurbano, will determine the outcome of the April 27 presidential election. Keenly aware of this, the candidates, mainly the Peronists, are adopting electioneering tactics suitable to their target audiences. In what better resembles entertainment than political discourse, the candidates routinely address throngs of Argentines in venues like soccer stadiums and other open spaces in an attempt to outdo opponents in terms of promising employment and in exuding personal warmth. In a country where one of the most popular game shows dangles the prize of a job before its contestants, such campaign pledges are no small beer. Ex-president Menem, who harbors no qualms about sacrificing principle on the altar of expediency, has been at the forefront of this political farce. In a bid to cozy up to voters, he employed soccer icon Diego Maradona's number 10 jersey to tout his orthodox economic reforms, despite the fact Maradona resides in socialist Cuba and is chummy with Castro, a man whom Menem loathes because he has a thought. Equally blatant in terms of the breadth of its cynicism and lack of fair play, was the Duhalde government's April 14 announcement that it plans to impose a one-time transfer of 50 pesos ($17) from private sector enterprises to each of its employees. However, it is important to note that not all of the five leading presidential candidates have stooped to such self-serving depths: Elisa Carrio has shied away from radio and television advertisements, saying "I am not a soap or detergent, I am not part of the political marketing and I don't respond to questions with a view to seducing society."
A Disenchanted but Complacent Electorate
When asked by how much the country will change after the election, many Argentines respond "little or nothing." Indeed, negligible differences in support for the five leading presidential candidates testifies to this apathy. Many polls indicate that all of the candidates are struggling to pass over the 20 percent plateau, let alone gaining the 45 percent total and the 10 percent lead over the second-highest finisher that would be requisite to avoid holding a May 18 run-off election. Some analysts suggest that the proportion of spoiled ballots may even exceed the total attracted by the leading vote-getter.
Disenchantment with democracy in Argentina has been gathering apace since the heady days immediately following the military handover of political power to civilians in 1983. According to a 2002 survey taken by Latinobarometro, a Chilean polling firm, over 90 percent of Argentine respondents were dissatisfied with democracy (up from 60 percent in 1996) and almost 20 percent preferred authoritarian government to a democratic variant.
Pervasive corruption fuels a considerable portion of this disgust. In the thousands of complaints filed at the four-year-old, Buenos Aires-based anti-corruption division, not one has been successfully prosecuted. Law enforcement units, particularly the Buenos Aires contingent of the Bonarense have been notorious for abetting organized crime since the 1976-1983 military dictatorship. The judiciary is known to be commensurately tainted, especially the Supreme Court, where the majority of justices owe their appointments to a Menem-orchestrated court-packing scheme.
Furthermore, the Argentine society has yet to come to terms with its brutal, corporatist past. Since 1930, the military has routinely intervened in the country's political system, uprooting the institutions requisite to foster a free and democratic society. Sympathetic to neo-fascism, the ruling military elite over the years provided refuge to fleeing Nazis and in 1976 executed its largely successful, if hate-driven, "dirty war" to systematically eradicate leftist "subversives." The military's round-the-clock extermination of its political enemies claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Argentines. Almost all of the perpetrators of these heinous acts have gone unpunished for a variety of reasons and, as an institution, the military remains largely unrepentant. Ex-president Menem even had the audacity to commend the military officers responsible for conducting the grisly campaign, saying in 1994, "We triumphed in the dirty war, which had placed our society on the verge of dissolution."
However, this appalling and bloody venture could not have been undertaken without the complicity of Argentina's sizeable middle class. Before the country can recover from its 70-year decline and be a respectable member of the Latin American community of nations, its citizens have to confront their nation's shameful misdeeds, their mystifying indifference over the mass murders that occurred around them and address the petty, self-serving mentality that is pervasive throughout Argentine society. Sadly, a single presidential election will not ameliorate Argentina's pitiful state of affairs—only deep introspection will.
This analysis was prepared by Grant M. Nulle, Research Associate at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs. Issued April 24, 2003.
The Council on Hemispheric Affairs, founded in 1975, is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan, tax-exempt research and information organization. It has been described on the Senate floor as being "one of the nation's most respected bodies of scholars and policy makers." For more information, please see our web page at www.coha.org; or contact our Washington offices by phone (202) 216-9261, fax (202) 223-6035, or email coha@coha.org.
Latest News
Posted: Thursday, April 24, 2003
¤ Bush: Iraq's WMD May Have Been Destroyed
¤ Gingrich accused of idiocy, McCarthyism for criticism
¤ A Policy of Christian and Jewish Fundamentalism; Worse lies ahead
¤ Short-sighted U.S. foreign policy spells trouble ahead
¤ BBC Chief Attacks U.S. Media War Coverage
¤ U.S. Warns Iraqis Against Claiming Authority in Void
¤ Britain skeptical about Iraq UN inspectors
¤ No weapons of mass destruction
¤ Source: N. Korea admits having nuclear bomb CNN???
¤ North Korea issues war warning to US
¤ The lessons of Lebanon
¤ The Busher of Baghdad; Liberating Iraq by Caesarean section
¤ Arab world now faces invasion by American TV
¤ Gay rights issues scuttle GOP efforts at unity
¤ Made for TV
¤ Neocons Run Amok!
¤ Loose cannon Gingrich finds a new target
¤ Meanwhile, Back In The States
¤ The war at home; It's time to defend our liberties
¤ U.S., North Korea talks may collapse
¤ Iran Denies It Promoting Shi'ite Role in Iraq
¤ Suicide Blast in Israeli Town Kills One
¤ U.S. tells Iran to stay out of Iraq
¤ Iraqi Pilgrims threaten jihad against American forces
¤ Garner tours Kurdish areas; another Iraqi commander captured
¤ Oil flow from Iraq resumes
¤ Beyond North Korea: A chance for America to check China's rise
¤ British hope colonial past can inspire law and order
¤ Hastert puts Syria and Iran on notice
¤ US advances Bosnian solution to ethnic cleansing in Iraq
¤ Poor Sean Hannity
¤ Hosting US-North Korea talks a high-risk gamble for Beijing
¤ Small states join forces against EU power shift
¤ Britain calls home bulk of ground forces
¤ France 'open' to a NATO role in postwar Iraq
¤ Sunni party pursues moderates in Mosul
¤ Americans reassert authority in Baghdad
¤ Operation obliteration
¤ Indonesia Terror Suspect Denies Charges
¤ Pipelines in S. Iraq Resume Pumping Oil
¤ US facing demonstrations, admits Garner
¤ Bush bars UN weapons teams from Iraq
¤ Toronto is put into 'quarantine' over Sars outbreak
¤ Bush Meets With Uruguay's President
¤ Bush warns Tehran to keep out of Iraq's Shia strongholds
¤ US warns Iran against actions in Iraq
¤ Take him at his word
¤ Arafat and Abbas reach compromise over new cabinet
¤ North Korea begins talks with America but standoff remains
¤ Russian official predicts 'catastrophic' events
¤ The UN is not dead yet: it still has the power to hold America to account
¤ US back in nuclear bomb-making business
¤ US to destroy its chemical weapons by 2007
¤ I'm a victim of the war against the Iraqi people
¤ France to face consequences, warns Powell
¤ Taliban attack kills 9 Afghan militiamen
¤ US economy feels effect of SARS
¤ Iraq and Ruin
¤ US determined to punish France for its anti-war stance
¤ North Korean flights unsettle crisis talks
¤ Security and neutrality vital in delivering urgent relief to Iraqis
Latest News
Posted: Wednesday, April 23, 2003
¤ Iran warned over Iraq 'meddling'
¤ Three Marines die in accident with rocket-propelled grenade launcher
¤ North Korean flights unsettle crisis talks
¤ Russian official predicts 'catastrophic' events
¤ Collectivist calculations
¤ Washington is back in the nuclear bomb-making business
¤ Mossad switches from analysis to action
¤ Doubts on value of Pyongyang defector
¤ US determined to punish France for its anti-war stance
¤ Secret world behind the blackened walls of Baghdad's bureaucracy
¤ DR. BEN ASSAULTED
¤ LOST TREASURES FROM IRAQ
¤ Occupation was the name of the game
¤ U.S. admits unprepared to prevent Islamic government in Iraq
¤ Neocons blast State Dep't: Hawks rip into Mideast peace plan
¤ Chest banging, here and there
¤ Fox News Engineer Charged With Smuggling
¤ Myths and facts about the state of Israel
¤ WMD hunt vital for Blair CNN
¤ Crown jewel of American empire
¤ US signals action against France
¤ Powell puts France on notice
¤ Administration moves ahead on nuclear 'bunker busters'
¤ Seeking solace in intrigue
¤ Gloves come off on the US home front
¤ What happened to Iraq's "weapons of mass destruction"?
¤ BLIX: WHERE ARE THE WMDs?
¤ U.S. Planners Underestimated Iraqi Shi'ites
¤ Bush bars UN weapons teams from Iraq
¤ Bush slams door on U.N. inspectors
¤ BLIX: NO EVIDENCE OF ILLEGAL WEAPONS
¤ Bush's Body Language Speaks Volumes
¤ Playing political games with the public mind
¤ Unilateral reconstruction
¤ Anything into Oil
¤ Sars virus 'mutating rapidly'
¤ Mystery deepens over SARS key
¤ Scientists find there is no quick cure for Sars
¤ Is the Sub-continent immune to SARS menace?
¤ Country needs a dialogue, not just a battle cry
¤ What, no smoking gun? The media and the specter of WMD
¤ Madonna sets the record straight for the first time
¤ American designs on Iraqi bases confront an explosive history
¤ US forces to replace UN arms inspectors
¤ Clash looms over call for Blix's return
¤ Case for war built on fake reports, claims Blix
¤ Iraq's looted artefacts begin to emerge
¤ SARS mutating, becoming more virulent: new warning
¤ A first strike could cost the world
¤ 26 killed in held Kashmir
¤ Iraqis should govern Iraq, says Musharraf
¤ UN experts should return to Iraq: Blix
¤ France proposes suspension of Iraq sanctions
¤ US forces kill one in Afghanistan
¤ Exiles relish re-awakening of Iraq's political culture
¤ Carrot and stick game
¤ A stony road to freedom
¤ The horrible face of state-ism
¤ Next target -- Syria
¤ Don't believe all the patriotic fire on American TV
¤ Another casualty of the war - global prosperity
¤ History may have a say in US use of Iraqi bases
Latest News
Posted: Tuesday, April 22, 2003
¤ Children held at Camp Xray, US admits
¤ Postwar Blues
¤ New Iraq Soon Open for Commerce
¤ Thanks for Ousting Hussein, 'Now Please Go Home'
¤ Bombing Ends but Not Danger
¤ UN must step into the breach
¤ Syria in the US spotlight
¤ Israel poses serious threat to region: Asefi
¤ Looted Iraqi art starts to surface in the U.S.
¤ Rumsfeld calls for regime change in North Korea
¤ Blix Questions Case for Iraq War Before U.N. Speech
¤ Chalabi's men shot dead by American Marines
¤ Media and U.S. Govt, Traitors Of Humanity and the American People
¤ US soldiers find Iraqi cash fortune
¤ Iraqi anger boils over
¤ Case for war built on fake reports, claims Blix
¤ BLIX: US TRIED TO DISCREDIT ME
¤ Blix: 'US undermined inspectors'
¤ Iraq arms hunt erodes U.S. assurance
¤ U.S. plans to bomb Nokor nuke plant
¤ Suspicious powder tests nontoxic CNN
¤ Report: U.S. Has Plans to Bomb N.Korea Nuke Plant
¤ The many faces of Donald Rumsfeld
¤ Adios, 'rule of law'
¤ Europeans Are Baffled by Bush's America
¤ For 2004, Bush's Aides Plan Late Sprint for Re-election
¤ Refusing lollipops of deception from Bush's imperialist bazaar
¤ We now return to our regularly scheduled programming
¤ Did Bush deceive us in his rush to war?
¤ Jury still out on Iraq war's aftermath
¤ Nina Simone, high priestess of soul, dies aged 70
¤ Russia demands UN role in weapons checks
¤ 100 more Sars cases in Beijing
¤ US troubleshooter fails to impress Iraqis
¤ US to hold talks with Pyongyang on nuclear arms
¤ Syria seals border with Iraq in nod to US
¤ Weapons of mass destruction still haunt the Allies
¤ Iraqi scientist says regime destroyed chemical weapons before war
¤ US refuses to allow return of UN aid staff
¤ US won't say how long it will stay
¤ Election may be years off: senator
¤ Iran terms Garner as 'Israel's agent in Iraq'
¤ U.S. Finds Suspicious Chemicals in Iraq
¤ Chechen Official: 16 Died in Bus Attack
¤ Galloway denies he was on Saddam's payroll after 'discovery' of secret memo
¤ Washington split over how to deal with North Korea
¤ China admits Sars may spread out of control
¤ The Iraqis' idea of democracy may differ from that of Mr Bush
¤ Crimes against culture are remembered for ever
¤ Pakistan agrees to UN inspections
¤ Attack if N Korea does not drop nukes: US senator
¤ Patients suffer as Basra hospitals lack drugs
¤ 24 killed in weekend fighting in Colombia
¤ The nature of war and conflicts
¤ Stop the invader
¤ Double jeopardy
¤ Arafat rejects plan by Abu Mazen to disarm Fatah militia
¤ Charges against officer who ordered shots at press dropped
¤ Freedom unbound, and out of control
¤ American governor for Baghdad says she does not recognise 'mayor'
¤ Secret US file: oust regime in Pyongyang
¤ Returned exiles vie for power
¤ FBI seize stolen Iraqi treasure
¤ Chechen Official: 16 Died in Bus Attack
¤ There are war crimes, and then there are reporting crimes
¤ Tear 'em down and give 'em the boot
¤ Muslims reflect on post-Saddam world
Latest News
Posted: Monday, April 21, 2003
¤ Blackwill quits as U.S. envoy to India
¤ Analysis: U.S.-Syrian relations
¤ The Victim as Moral Zombie
¤ Iran Won't Back U.S.-Installed Iraq Gov't
¤ Empty-Handed U.S. Focuses on Iraqi Arms Scientists
¤ 1,000 tons of Imperial Army's poison gas missing
¤ Breast-feeding in a time of war
¤ Senators Wary of Theocracy In Iraq
¤ Graffiti Spreads Iraqi Groups' Democratic Message
¤ 'Freedom' Exposes Internal Splits for Iraqi Shias
¤ U.S. Does Not Recognize Baghdad 'Governor'
¤ Shia protest takes US by surprise
¤ Rumsfeld Calls for Regime Change in North Korea
¤ Administration Divided Over North Korea
¤ How American Power Girds the Globe with a Ring of Steel
¤ US denies move to phase out sanctions
¤ Rumsfeld: No Discussions of U.S. Bases in Iraq
¤ Chalabi Backs U.S. Military Presence in Iraq
¤ Bush More Hopeful on Syria
¤ MSNBC Reveals Facts on Israel's Weapons of Mass Destruction
¤ Licensed to Kill, Inc.
¤ Bush needs his next fix
¤ Ex-CIA chief; Says Syria 'needs regime change'
¤ Shi'a will to power: Downfall of Bush and the Neocons?
¤ Police Questions on War Dissent Are Off Base
¤ The 'wartime president' expects to cakewalk to 2004
¤ Empire vs. Republic
¤ A Holiday Sermon From a Born-Again Optimist
¤ The Silence about September 11
¤ Pressure on Blair over reliability of weapons reports
¤ Liberate America First
¤ A Controversial Crusade: Evangelizing may backfire, some say
¤ Tikrit Residents Mourn Fallen Statue Of Saddam
¤ The unthinkable is becoming normal
¤ US seizure of Baghdad provokes political crisis in France
¤ US imposes sanctions on Pakistani nuclear firm
¤ Attacks Aimed At Coalition Forces In Afghanistan
¤ Report: Iraq destroyed chemical weapons just before war CNN
¤ US caught in "weapons of mass destruction" lies
¤ Secret US file: oust regime in Pyongyang
¤ Iran calls Garner "Israel's agent in Iraq"
¤ Fast food comes to Iraq
¤ Britain's Secret Army
¤ No liberation, just pain and tears
¤ 'Hundreds are dying who should not die'
¤ Israel mounts biggest incursion into Gaza since intifada
¤ Chinese cover-up creates new sense of insecurity
¤ US 'to keep bases in Iraq'
¤ U.S. Opens Baghdad Warehouse for U.N. Aid
¤ Marines Give Control of Baghdad to Army
¤ Bodies of 2 British Soldiers Identified
¤ Six killed as Israeli tanks push into Gaza
¤ Iraq not grateful for manner of its liberation
¤ Ba'athists slip quietly back into control
¤ Pope puts pressure on US
¤ Anger at UN role for rights violators
¤ How CNN hid the truth about Saddam and betrayed the world
¤ Panic grips Beijing as leaders admit tenfold rise in Sars
¤ Death toll tops 200 as countries struggle to stem spread of disease
¤ Delaying the peace plan may help Palestine's new leader
¤ War lessons that Mr Blair should apply at home
¤ 30 die in Afghan floods
¤ Pope appeals to avoid clash between cultures, religions
¤ N Korea asks South to unite in resisting US war moves
¤ Fast food comes to Iraq
¤ Hopes of breakthrough in Kashmir dispute
¤ Al-Jazeera correspondent detained in Basra
¤ For Iraq's oil wealth, tangled pipes
¤ US struggles with new rules as war turns to occupation
¤ Government may block inquiry into Iraqi arms
¤ Self-appointed mayor of Baghdad challenges Pentagon's authority
¤ Hollywood revives McCarthyist climate by silencing and sacking war critics
South America's emerging role
Posted: Monday, April 21, 2003
Matthew Riemer drafted this report.
(PINR) -- The Andean region of northern and western South America will undoubtedly become increasingly important to the Bush administration and its foreign policy focal point, the "war on terror," as instability in the region continues to spread and oil production is expected to increase.
Venezuela has been in and out of the headlines over the past year beginning with the attempted coup of April 2002. President Hugo Chavez was ousted for a matter of hours only to be ushered back to power by loyalists within his own military.
The next attempt to thwart Venezuela's democratically elected government came this past December when opposition leaders fueled a "general strike" in protest of Chavez's presidency; though in many cases the strike was really a "lockout" as opposition leaders and upper managers literally locked workers out of their places of employment, ostensibly forcing them to take part in the protests.
After two months the strike crumbled and, to the chagrin of many in Washington, Chavez remained in power once again. Recently, to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the failed coup, Chavez supporters staged gatherings in Caracas.
The past year has been hailed by many as a victory for leftist agendas in Venezuela, in the region, and more broadly, in the hemisphere. Obviously, this has not escaped Washington's attention; U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell remarked last week that he has "concerns about Chavez's commitment to the kinds of democratic institutions that we believe are vital in a democracy."
In recent weeks, Venezuela has also become notably involved with its crucial neighbor to the west, Colombia. Bogota, as well as anti-Chavez elements in Venezuela, has accused Caracas of not only sympathizing with but also providing shelter and aid to Colombian leftist guerrillas on Venezuelan soil in remote border regions. The Colombian government, prompted by reports from its own villagers living along the northeast border with Colombia, are also conducting an investigation of alleged Venezuelan military strikes within Colombia's borders against Colombian right-wing paramilitary forces engaged with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
Venezuelan Vice President Jose Vicente Rangal has rejected such allegations, claiming that Colombian paramilitaries had crossed into Venezuela: "This is part of an arsenal of lies which are permanently used to discredit Venezuela and make her look like a refuge for guerrillas and other elements involved in Colombia's violence."
Chavez is scheduled to meet with recently elected Colombian President Alvaro Uribe on April 23 to address these contentious issues of global interest.
An indication of how some in Washington are regarding the current situation is a telling Washington Times editorial released April 16, which observed with alarm: "Colombia's narcotics and terrorism cabals are spreading violence beyond Colombia. They have been given sanctuary in Venezuela, are involved in coca cultivation in Peru, are behind some drug-related violence in Brazil and launch forays into Ecuador. This regional aspect of the Colombian problem has developed a dangerous dynamic. Eyewitnesses claim the Venezuelan military has selected which narco-terror group they are backing, and are bombing their adversaries in Colombia. Thus far, the Colombian response has been subdued. But, if such bombing continues, the situation could erupt in conflict."
Such events and formulaic reactions to them illustrate how any region, any conflict in the world, can be neatly molded and packaged to interface with the "war on terror" paradigm. For Bogota's part, the Uribe administration knows it can most easily gain Washington's attention through its use of the rhetorical lexicon of the "war on terror" -- all one need do to emphasize the seriousness of a given situation or to justify one's actions is to dub one's enemies "terrorists."
Chavez, Rangal, and other outspoken members of the Venezuelan leadership are also well familiar with the usefulness of such propaganda, albeit from the other side as they defend themselves against various allegations of "terrorism."
Washington, though seemingly aloof, is anything but and has expressed its concern and commitment to Colombia several times over the last year. In a December 4, 2002 address in Bogota, Colin Powell promised Colombia: "When I return to Washington, I intend to make the case before our Congress for full funding for our Colombia programs. This is a partnership that works and a partnership we must continue to make and invest in." He later added, "I would like to be able to get a lot more funding for Plan Colombia but, as you know, there are limits to what the United States is able to do within our own country and around the world."
Colombia was also significantly mentioned in the U.S. State Department's 2002 report on human rights as being the source of 44 percent of the terrorist attacks against U.S. interests in the form of the FARC.
Colombia's oil production, while far less than Venezuela's, is still among the highest in Latin America. Many foreign companies, such as Occidental Petroleum of Los Angeles have significant investments there. Ecuador's oil production is also expected to increase over the next few years and may reach as high as 600,000 barrels per day by 2005.
Now Venezuelan officials have claimed that they have "evidence" that the United States was involved in the April '02 coup aimed at removing President Hugo Chavez. Without much surprise, the U.S. embassy in Caracas has denied such claims, calling them outright lies.
With the recent elections of Lula da Silva in Brazil and Lucio Gutierrez in Ecuador, both considered populist in nature and prone to making neoliberals nervous about the state of the South American economy, the U.S.-backed government of Alvaro Uribe in Colombia is feeling a bit isolated.
Because of this coalescing of many key events: the popularity of "leftist" leaders, Chavez, Lula, and Gutierrez; the continuing tension and friction between Washington and Caracas; the emerging involvement of Venezuela, though at this point only alleged, in Colombia's civil war; the admission on Washington's part of both its commitment to Plan Colombia and the significance of FARC as the source of 44 percent of terrorist attacks against U.S. interests; and the increasing importance of South American oil over the next 25 years, the United States will only become more intimately involved in the region.
The Power and Interest News Report (PINR) is an analysis-based publication that seeks to, as objectively as possible, provide insight into various conflicts, regions and points of interest around the globe. PINR approaches a subject based upon the powers and interests involved, leaving the moral judgments to the reader. PINR seeks to inform rather than persuade. This report may be reproduced, reprinted or broadcast provided that any such reproduction identifies the original source, http://www.pinr.com. All comments should be directed to content@pinr.com.
Latest News
Posted: Sunday, April 20, 2003
¤ No Role for UN in Weapons Hunt
¤ Bush and Blair and the Big Lie
¤ U.S. forfeits claim to moral authority
¤ U.S. plans to keep bases in Iraq
¤ Israel seeks pipeline for Iraqi oil
¤ Israel wants to extricate remaining Iraqi Jews
¤ Anthrax, Chemicals and Nerve Gas: Who is Lying?
¤ FBI convulsed by spy story of sex and lies
¤ U.S. Tanks Give Way as Pilgrims Clog Iraqi Road
¤ Troops' Moral Quandary: If Civil War Strikes Iraq...
¤ Looting Of Baghdad Museum: America's Clash With Civilizations
¤ US accused of blocking medical relief plane
¤ So, where are all the weapons?
¤ Credibility fears in search for WMDs
¤ So where are they, Mr Blair?
¤ U.S. forfeits claim to moral authority
¤ The real deal on Bush's tax cut plan
¤ Fake documents and exaggeration
¤ Blair 'no' to Iraq arms inquiry
¤ Anthrax, chemicals and nerve gas: who is lying?
¤ Sting operation
¤ Israeli Forces Move On Gaza Refugee Camp
¤ Looting and arson still rife in a city of suspicion
¤ These are the times of double dancing
¤ Sars death toll hits new high in Hong Kong
¤ Israeli army accused of targeting TV man killed in West Bank
¤ US risks provoking Kurds with peacekeeping request
¤ US bars access to oil ministry, power plant
¤ Japan questions Rumsfeld's remarks over N Korea
¤ America nervous as militant cleric's rallies attract mass support
¤ Raiders of the lost art
¤ Goodbye, Coke. Hello, Mecca Cola
¤ Food aid reaches Baghdad, but US blocks relief in north
¤ The world's at Bechtel's beck and call
¤ US envoy warns Pakistan on Afghan stability
¤ Syria urges US to push for Mideast free of WMDs
¤ India building more sophisticated nuclear weapons: US report
¤ Former US official says CIA aided Iraqi Baathists
¤ Farewell to democracy
¤ Biggest worry was friendly fire, says returned officer
¤ Enraged Iraqis take to the streets
¤ The unthinkable is becoming normal. Do not forget the horror
¤ Food aid reaches Baghdad, but US blocks relief in north
¤ The Perils Of Empire
¤ The True Cost of Hegemony: Huge Debt
¤ Severe bird flu hits Europe
¤ Hong Kong: 12 more SARS deaths
¤ Health officials stumped by more resistant cases showing up
¤ Blair 'no' to Iraq arms inquiry
Latest News
Posted: Saturday, April 19, 2003
¤ SARS claims 14th victim in Canada
¤ Our oil is for us, Iraqis warn US firms
¤ Apathy and Amnesia: a Major Weapon of the Bush/Blair Alliance
¤ Let there be might
¤ Another Slice of Cake, Anyone?
¤ Prove Iraqi guilt, MPs tell Blair
¤ Israel also fails to comply
¤ UN credibility in question: Shekhawat
¤ Senators, Congressmen put pro-Israel stance in writing
¤ US government implicated in planned theft of Iraqi artistic treasures
¤ Looted paintings seized by customs
¤ US culture advisers resign in protest over looting of Iraqi museums
¤ The Deal
¤ Defending human rights worldwide
¤ Wanted: New Player for the "Axis of Evil" Team
¤ Iraqis Protest U.S. Military Presence
¤ Iraqis demand end to American occupation
¤ On Native Ground THE WAR I SAW
¤ Ex-spies slam US over failure to find WMD
¤ Iraq: Basra's pivotal issue - water
¤ Ex-spies slam US over failure to find WMDs
¤ Franks faces Belgium 'genocide' case
¤ Thousands march for peace in Tokyo
¤ Neighbours warn US to keep hands off Iraq's oil
¤ AP Cameraman Shot and Killed in West Bank
¤ Australians found MiGs Iraq never had?
¥ Next surprise by the U.S., UFO's are found in Iraq
¤ OBSCENITY OF WAR Three Cheers For Technology, No Tears For The Victims
¤ Soldiers Stumble on Outrageous Fortune
> Given the U.S. sanctions, Iraq would have had to keep their cash out of U.S. banks.
¤ W.’s Sister-in-Law Schleps Tell-All About First Family
¤ Ashcroft mouths off, ignores gag order
¤ North Korea steps up nuclear programme
¤ Arabs Denounced Threat to Syria
¤ Neighbours declare support for Syria
¤ Iraqis Call for Islamic State
¤ UN raises the stakes with call to Blix
¤ Edgy Iraq braces for war of the tribes
¤ Senators, Congressmen put pro-Israel stance in writing
¤ Baghdad's banks stripped as US soldiers stand by
¤ Protesters call for 'army of occupation' to quit Iraq
¤ US under pressure to allow truly independent regime
¤ Regional states unite in appeal for boycott
¤ Was Saddam still alive as statue toppled?
¤ Dangerous groundswell of resentment is building up in Baghdad
¤ Aid agencies say security concerns are holding them back
¤ Half of Saddam's combat fighter force unearthed
¤ Iraqi cleric warns U.S. to leave before 'we force you out'
¤ Finding their voices in free Iraq
¤ Bush Plans to Ask U.N. to Lift Penalties Against Iraq in Phases
¤ Thousands join Baghdad protests
¤ Russian oil deal in the pipeline
¤ Gunfire interrupts first press conference by 'Pentagon's man'
¤ Former US official says CIA aided Iraqi Baathists
¤ Why can't they get everything working again?
¤ Kurds hand Saddam's oil minister to US forces
¤ Finding their voices in 'free' Iraq
¤ Saddam's brother 'is giving valuable help'
¤ Al Kut's self-crowned mayor
¤ FBI sends agents to recover looted treasures of Baghdad
¤ Oil industry is an obvious terrorist target say experts
¤ Iraqi National Congress seeks important postwar role
¤ The future of Iraq: 'Intense dialogue' comes next
¤ Why Iraqis talk of occupation, not liberation
¤ Huge deal to rebuild handed to old friend
¤ Double standards in reporting casualties
¤ Congress team thinks Arafat relevant enough to visit
¤ After victory, our troubles will have only just begun
¤ Huge deficit undermines Bush's tax cut plans
¤ Indian PM offers friendship to Pakistan
¤ Poland snubs EU by buying US jets
Latest News
Posted: Friday, April 18, 2003
¤ Drunk with Power
¤ The despair pushing North Korea to the brink
¤ Australian Forces Find Iraqi Air Force
¤ 'Precision Warfare' Breaks Down in Counting Dead
¤ 'Islam and Peace' conference condemns terrorism
¤ Shia clergy denounce US troop presence
¤ US-UN row brews over Iraq sanctions
¤ Anti-war protesters arrested outside Pentagon
¤ Anti-US Protest Flares in Baghdad After Prayers
¤ Russia fires first shots in post-war battle for oil wealth
¤ You're With the Terrorists If You're Not for Invading Syria
¤ Double standards in reporting casualties
¤ No nerve gas on Iraqi missiles 23 September 1998
¤ US marines hunt gazelles with rocks
¤ Civil rights laywers war with bias law
¤ Another Sign Of The "End Times" For American Journalism
¤ A revealing glimpse of Washington’s "free and democratic Iraq"
¤ Is Killing Part of Pentagon Press Policy?
¤ In-House Memos on Television News Presentations
¤ Under pressure, US sending team to ferret out WMD
¥ Or are they trying to 'Weasel' out of their lies?
¤ How the Euro will Finish What Osama Couldn’t Achieve
¤ Baghdad protestors demand US withdrawl
¤ US company 'wins' big Iraq reconstruction contract
¤ Charity's anger as US halts aid plane
¤ Arabs face evictions as Kurds take revenge
¤ Bush's cultural aides quit over sack of Baghdad's treasures
¤ Old guard faces crisis as heat turns on Syria
¤ U.S. Said to Be Frustrated With Pakistan
¤ Rumsfeld: Iraqi Help Needed in WMD Search
¤ US should be "embarrassed" over failure to find WMDs: ex-spies
¤ US sends in its own weapons inspectors
¤ U.N. Inspectors Wish to Return to Iraq
¤ Syria refuses to allow arms inspection
¤ Americans lean on Israel to make concessions
¤ Australia criticised for troops pullout
¤ Bombs silent, but the children still suffer
¤ EU and US clash on trade with Iraq
¤ Bechtel wins contract prize
¤ Greatest crime against humanity
¤ British agents conducted illegal, secret war on IRA
¤ Why Iraq now needs the help of its neighbours
¤ France and Russia prepare for battle over UN sanctions
¤ This divergence of views over the war complicates the moves towards peace
¤ Five killed in held Kashmir violence
¤ $20bn for war and now a $2bn monthly bill
¤ Bush aides wary of autonomy for Iraq
¤ With or without uniform?
¤ Chalabi's fighters accused of lawlessness
¤ No fanfare as Chalabi returns to Iraq
¤ A state gone mad
¤ The dangers of implanting puppet regimes
¤ Matching rhetoric to reality
¤ A sobering tale of state-sponsored terrorism
¤ Truth has gone down in history
Latest News
Posted: Thursday, April 17, 2003
¤ Why are we allowing the rape of Iraq?
¤ Eight Questions About the War
¤ US admits Mosul killings
¤ Bush call to lift sanctions on Iraq leaves EU cold
¤ Iraq Oil ministry the most secured building
¤ General Franks strides into his Baghdad palace
¤ Fear reigns, as one detested militia replaces another
¤ Blood lust in Kirkuk
¤ Has Iraqi Information Minister committed suicide?
¤ Arab rumor mill says U.S. helped Saddam disappear
¤ Saddam's half-brother arrested
¤ Fresh bank scandals hit Iraq's leader in waiting
¤ America would enter Syria to snatch Saddam
¤ Israel wants strike on Syria while iron's hot
¤ Syria backs anti-WMD resolution in U.N.
¤ Powell plans Damascus trip
¤ Marines shoot seven dead as Mosul spirals out of control
¤ U.S. bombed bases of Iranian rebels in Iraq
¤ Italy, Palestinians and US lay claim to terrorist leader
¤ Let the infighting begin: British and US rivalry resumes
¤ Korea, South and North, at Risk
¤ So now Syria is in America's gun sights
¤ The Iraq War: A Case Study
¤ Chaos Theory and Card Games for Neocons
¤ No Freedom or Independence Without Peace
¤ Civilians face health risk after latest use of depleted uranium
¤ Tales of Saddam's disappearing act
¤ Convention backs Blair's plan for EU presidency
¤ Nothing Stops Iraq Zoo Looters, Except Lions
¤ U.S. May Punish Cuba for Imprisoning Critics
¤ Abbas arrest could fold up US's roadmap
¤ For the people on the streets, this is not liberation
¤ US said to 'care more about Iraqi oil than its people'
¤ Iraqis only count if they're dancing in the street
¤ Iran attacks US and braces for nuclear dispute
¤ Why Syria is America's new target
¤ Blair's alliance with Bush is a damaging strategic error
¤ UN snubs Blair plea for envoy to Iraq
¤ Police fire tear gas in clashes with anti-war protesters
¤ Fear reigns, as one detested militia replaces another
¤ A terrorist, yes, but no proof of Saddam's links to Bin Laden
¤ Mr Bush's new war is with the Democratic Party
¤ US troops kill eight more Iraqis
¤ Bush calls for end to UN sanctions on Iraq
¤ Pakistan shocked at burning of Qur'aan library in Baghdad
¤ Human shields, worried about missing friends, return from Iraq
¤ The deterrence delusion
¤ Imperilling mankind
¤ Hunt for Dr Germ and Missile Man
¤ US sanctions 'Saddam snatch' raid into Syria
¤ Soft power and the rule of law
¤ Please, prove us peaceniks wrong
¤ Hawkish Perle Calls For "Syrian Liberation Act"
¤ U.S. marines accused of civilian deaths in Mosul
¤ Now, to tighten the screws on Damascus
¤ So now Syria is in America's gun sights
¤ Imperial Temptations
¤ America would enter Syria to snatch Saddam
¤ Syria asks UN to turn up heat on Israel's alleged nuclear arms
¤ A crusade after all?
¤ U.S. bombed bases of Iranian rebels in Iraq
Latest News
Posted: Wednesday, April 16, 2003
¤ US neglect casts dark shadow over a city without light
¤ Live From Baghdad, Great Reality TV!
¤ Victory aside, the invasion was a bad idea
¤ Company chosen to extinguish oil well fires supports terrorism
¤ Russia accuses US of military build-up near its borders
¤ Bush's sister-in-law to spill beans on first family
¤ Britons seek war news on the net
¤ Hundreds of U.S. Soldiers Emerge as Conscientious Objectors
¤ IDF holding Palestinian minors in administrative detention
¤ A stone's throw from here
¤ CIA's 'brightest prospect' for Iraq presidency missing
¤ Iran Won't Recognize U.S.-Led Iraq Gov't
¤ US Targets Syria Next
¤ Israel wants U.S. to intervene with Syria
¤ Syria next on the mass destruction list
¤ U.S. concentrating forces near Syrian border
¤ Italian police uncover al-Qaeda link in Syria
¤ Italians say they found Syrian connection in Iraq-based terror
¤ Terror-friendly Syria needs a change, too
¤ Canada won't join U.S. to isolate Syria, PM says
¤ World media ask: why Syria?
¤ Coalition 'focused on oilfields'
¤ Experts' pleas to Pentagon didn't save Iraq's national museum
¤ Phase two of Operation Reshape the Middle East now underway
¤ A Prayer For George Dubya
¤ The Nuremberg tribunal and the role of the media
¤ The Smoking Gun's Charred Trail
¤ 'A Chill Wind is Blowing in This Nation...'
¤ Anti-war protestors rally outside EU ceremony
¤ EU leaders to make Iraq statement
¤ Cook attacks pro-US stance
¤ Iraq's Liberation Front Attempts To Assassinate Chalabi
¤ Smuggling away liberty
¤ US denies civilian bloodbath in Mosul
¤ Chaos mars talks on Iraqi self-rule
¤ Anti-American protests are intensifying in Iraq
¤ US bans media from protests
¤ US in charge but insists it will hand back control
¤ How to deal with Syria
¤ UN human rights panel assails Israel for 'mass killings'
¤ US warns Damascus not to try in Iraq what it did in Lebanon
¤ The globalization of conflict
¤ War provides perfect cover
¤ Anti-Americanism may harm U.S. firms
¤ Drop that salute, Mr. President
¤ IDF holding Palestinian minors in administrative detention
¤ It may be messy at first, but we can remake Iraq
¤ Two Argentine Journalists Killed in Iraq
¤ Democracy only grows from below
¤ Don't hold your breath
¤ Blair's doctrine peters out in the wreckage of Baghdad
¤ Iraq has fallen. Saddam is deposed. But, little else is resolved
¤ Mr Blair has proved his alliance with America, but not his role in Europe
¤ The limits of UN power in the new world order
¤ Has the war left the world a safer place?
¤ So how do we govern an Islamic country, Mr PM?
¤ Six die in Israeli-Palestinian violence
¤ Chalabi, Shiites snub talks on post-Saddam era
¤ Power struggle may derail peace move
¤ US in talks on surrenders
¤ Annan warns of US, Syria flashpoint
¤ Bush team's favoured few share the spoils of lucrative contracts
¤ Bush can't afford another Arab conflict just now
¥ Just give him a week or two...
¤ Serving the US in Iraq is too dangerous an occupation
¤ US Marines kill 12 protesters in Mosul
¤ Don't play games in Iraq, Straw warns UN
¤ Egypt rejects US pressure on Syria
¤ Three Palestinians, three Israelis killed
¤ Pakistan will defend itself with any means: Jamali
¤ Anarchy: the new international norm
¤ Civil war in the making?
¤ A missing piece in the logic of liberation
¤ War's over, now for the tough part
¤ How to handle America
Latest News
Posted: Tuesday, April 15, 2003
¤ Why not liberate Jordan next?
¤ Sen. Graham Urges Possible Missile Attack on Syria
¤ Arabs Fear Syria Threats Signal Wider U.S. Targets
¤ Jobs for the boys: the reconstruction billions
¤ U.S. Has No Plans to Count Civilian Casualties
¤ More wars ahead, Americans think
¤ So begins Blair's descent into powerless mediocrity
¤ Picking a man you can't bank on
¤ Oil to Syria shut down; forces head home
¤ Iraq, Syria had big plans for oil
¥ No bigger than the plans the US has for it...
¤ The Rape of Iraq
¤ Stop Them Before They Kill Again
¤ To Hell With History!
¤ US fire kills at least 10 people in Mosul
¤ Republican Guard commander cut deal with US forces
¤ Syria Rejects U.S. Allegations as Threats
¤ Straw: Syria Must Prove It is Not Harboring Iraqi Fugitives
¤ Powell: Sanctions, not war, for allegedly hiding top Iraqis
¤ Britain backs warning to Damascus
¤ Would President Assad invite a cruise missile to his palace?
¤ US army hampers coverage of Iraqi protests
¤ Troops fire on protesters: report
¤ How and why the US encouraged looting in Iraq
¤ US weapons stance 'hypocritical'
¤ How the CIA found and groomed Saddam Hussein
¤ Three U.S. Soldiers Killed Near Baghdad
¤ Large Protests Greet US-Backed Talks on Post-Saddam Iraq
¤ No Coke, No Pepsi: Pakistanis Boycott Western Products
¤ From Republic to Empire
¤ Bush to push for another tax cut for the rich
¤ Occupation of Paradise Square is an illusory promise of peace
¤ Road to Damascus next for Bush?
¤ Virtual Saddam takes aim
¤ A culture of fear
¤ 'Support the Troops': Catch Phrase or Cop-Out
¤ Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
¤ Three U.S. Soldiers Killed Near Baghdad
¤ Inspectors contest Powell's speech
¤ PM John Howard misled Australians over war
¤ 'British-made' missiles found in Baghdad
¤ Marines Raid Journalists' Baghdad Hotel
¤ The destruction of Iraq is good for business
¤ Are Americans the new Mongols of the Mideast?
¤ US casts an ever-darkening shadow on Syria question
¤ Afghan FM said interested in normalizing ties with Israel
¤ Now Kurds take a turn at oppression
¤ More wars ahead, Americans think
¤ Special forces scour northern Iraq for dictator
¤ Syria points finger at Israel
¤ Bush officials in lockstep on Syria
¤ Troops find 'suspicious labs' buried near factory
¤ US may impose sanctions on Syria: Powell
¤ Syria: the fork in the road for Bush and Blair
¤ US forces capture Tikrit
¤ Justice should be meted out by the Iraqi people, not by the victors
¤ We all watched this war. Now are we ready to pay attention to the peace?
¤ India qualifies for pre-emptive strikes
¤ US to target more Muslim countries: Noorani
¤ Israeli dies after mistaking war message
¤ The Sketch: It's not a conspiracy; it's not even a secret
¤ US policies polarise world
¤ Israel warns Syria not to 'play with fire'
¤ Karzai govt making diplomatic overtures to Israel
¤ Daily riots shake POW camp for Iraqis
¤ New Zealand outlaws seven Muslim groups
¤ Tranquillised US conscience
¤ Can you believe this?
¤ Tip of the iceberg?
¤ The peace dividend
¤ Priceless documents are set ablaze in the sacking of Baghdad
¤ Would President Assad invite a cruise missile to his palace?
¤ Killed commando's widow ordered to repay salary
¤ Shi'ites boycott US-sponsored meetings
¤ Blood on the steps of the mosque
¤ The trashing of civilisation
¤ Case against war involved questions still unresolved
¤ Is there any war the Christian churches would regard as just?
¤ Bush turns his sights on Syria
¤ With God and guns behind them, clerics begin calling shots
¤ Relief for hospitals frustrated by wary US military
Latest News
Posted: Monday, April 14, 2003
¤ Are They Syrious?
¤ Democracy, or Who Made You King?
¤ Activists don't plan to wind down
> Foes of war prepare for next phase
¤ Occupational Hazard
¤ White House Hubris Will End With Domino Effect of Iraq War
¤ How America Lost the War
¤ Our vulnerable warmongers: The rush to justify the devastation
¤ 'Chechen trace' in Baghdad. New lies
¤ Worldwide protests against invasion and occupation of Iraq
¤ Baghdad Battered by US Gas Bombs
¤ The Iraq Money Tree
¤ US backtracks on chemical find
¤ Israel's 'cleansing of Arab menace' shocks young activists
¤ Syria charges incomprehensible
¤ Cheering crowds don't make an unjust war right
¤ Coalition Controls All Iraqi Oil Fields
¤ Muslims save Baghdad's Jewish community centre from looters
¤ US accused of plans to loot Iraqi antiques
¤ War on Hollywood: Return of the blacklist
¤ Shock and Assad - Israel's wish list
¤ Israel to deliver list of demands to Syria through the US
¤ Rumsfeld Requests Power to Reorganize Services
¤ A bush-league call at the hall of fame
¤ U.S. Troops Steals Iraqi Trophies for Fun and Profit
¤ US tells Syria to co-operate or risk conflict
¤ Washington turns its sights on Damascus
¤ FM Shalom: Syria undermining Middle East peace
¤ Chalabi Says He Doesn't Want Role in Iraq Govt.
¤ Britain: There Are No Plans to Invade Syria Next
¤ US Marines take on diehards near Tikrit
¤ Britain upset by American plan to sideline Blix
¤ Clerics seek factories
¤ U.S.-Funded Iraqi Force Hopes to Fill Vacuum
¤ Meet the new Butcher of Baghdad
¤ Bush tells Syria to give up Iraqis
¤ Three weeks on, and still no water. Now doctors fear an epidemic
¤ Russia and Jordan join chorus of alarm
¤ Bomb before you buy
¤ U.S choice to succeed Saddam was found guilty over $200m bank losses
¤ North Korea willing to talk to 'a sincere US'
¤ Israeli report clears troops over US death
¤ The rise of the Washington 'neo-cons'
¤ 100 missing in ferry tragedy
¤ America's attacks on Syria simply confirm fears of its intentions
¤ Cheering crowds don't make an unjust war right
¤ Saddam is airbrushed out by the city that bore his name
¤ Tensions boil over between Kurds and Arabs in north
¤ Syrian FM says if U.S. attacks, Israel will also suffer as a result
¤ Why Hussein's fall won't be a Berlin Wall for Arab world
¤ Analysis / Washington turns its sights on Damascus
¤ US soldiers' wives fight bitter battle of their own
¤ Syria has chemical weapons: Bush
¤ Explosion rocks US embassy in Kabul
¤ Consequences and lessons
¤ Be 'critical' than complacent
¤ Thieves in Baghdad
¤ Iraq changes everything
Latest News
Posted: Sunday, April 13, 2003
¤ Marines back off chemicals claim
¤ Israeli violence against peace activists
¤ Pay Up Blair
¤ 'Bull Durham' decision just plain un-American
¤ Come tax day, some won't pay
¤ What a Great Nation, Iraq
¤ Hizbollah Fires at Israeli Jets Over South Lebanon
¤ Myths About Israel, Iran-Iraq War, Saddam Debunked
¤ Fierce fighting on the edges of Tikrit
¤ 7 US POWs recovered
¥ Prelude to new attack...
¤ Israel to U.S.: Now deal with Syria and Iran
¤ Syria could be next, warns Washington
¤ 'We want them to be nervous' (That means you Ali, Bashar and Kim)
¤ Powell deals Syria new warning
¤ Syria Could Be 'Phase Three', U.S. Warns
¤ Are Bush officials hinting of things to come?
¤ We will find WMD, says Powell
¤ Legacy Of Anarchy, Terrorism
¤ So, all's well that ends with oil wells?
¤ Welcome aboard the Iraqi gravy train
¤ Scandal-hit US firm wins key contracts
¤ Firms that gave to Bush get contracts
¤ Carving Up The New Iraq
¤ It's not the Berlin Wall
¤ Pope Preaches Solidarity With War Victims
¤ Biblical Vengeance in the 21st Century
¤ US gives Israel 3 years to quit occupied Arab land
¤ I'll stay off bandwagon of conquering army
¤ Peace protesters rally in cities across Canada
¤ Admiral says banned arms claims were exaggerated
¤ Old warlord proves thorn in the side of Afghan government
¤ BBC defends its reporter in Baghdad
¤ Downing Street denies appeal to Dyke over BBC's war coverage
¤ US alarmed by India's war threats
¤ Afghanistan faces return of Taliban
¤ Chaos in Iraq, a resurgence of the Taliban. Where's Blair? Springfield
¤ The Toppling of the Saddam Statue
¤ Baghdad Seethes With Anger Toward U.S.
¤ The politics of propaganda
¤ A civilisation torn to pieces
¤ Too early to talk of war's success
¤ Iraq's neighbours fear which is next on the US hit list
¤ Hunt for Saddam intensifies as Iraqis plead for protection
¤ Baghdad's chemical arms chief surrenders
¤ Blair's fondest hope is that we will forget
¤ Congress Approves $80B War Spending Plan
¤ Pakistan wants central UN role in Iraq
¤ US downscales military presence in Gulf
¤ US general for joint patrols along Pak-Afghan border
¤ Muslim govts urged to declare Jihad against US, Britain
¤ The moral brigade is back
¤ By the waters of Babylon
¤ Case against war
¤ Saddam falls, dollar rules
¤ The war, anger and economy
¤ Suicide vests found as checkpoint Marine killed
¤ Howard and Islamic leader clash at dinner
¤ IDF debating if U.S. conquest is also an Israeli victory
¤ US alarmed by India's war threats
¤ Saddam's son spotted after bombing
¤ Flags fly, statues topple. But what are we fighting for?
¤ Iraq's future pictured as a dismal negative
¤ Why war is so risky for reporters
¤ No one is safer in the new empire of the son
¤ They came with guns and took everything
Latest News
Posted: Saturday, April 12, 2003
¤ Has anyone in U.S. read history of Iraq?
¤ The Rush to Justify the Devastation
¤ BBC under fire over chaos reports
¤ Protestors target oil, media
¤ Leaders Ask: Where are Iraq’s Weapons of Mass Destruction
¤ Peace marchers on streets again
¤ Iraq chaos boosts anti-war rally in London
¤ Why we are still marching
¤ ChevronTexaco: Toxic Terrorists and War Profiteers
¤ British activist with Corrie's group shot in Gaza
¤ US-Europe Iraq row threatens trade talks
¤ Pow's Folks Still Worried
¤ Thousands in India, Bangladesh Protest Iraq War
¤ Lost contact hinders effort to find POWs
¤ Blix: US was bent on war
¤ London protest rally today part of world day of peace
¤ Putin warns US over ambitionsUUUUE%A>м5¼ `àEÜ_a@}éÑ^Êæ@â ªÕPWˆDcúP"8PdE
¤ Baghdad protests over looting
¤ War veterans protesting for peace in Middle East
¤ Free speech strikes out at baseball hall of fame
¤ "Feelings"
¤ Operation Iraqi Chaos
¤ Wrecked City Of Tears And Pain
¤ The battlefield deaths of American journalists some hard truths
¤ It's Toony Blair
¤ Who is to blame for the collapse in morality that followed the 'liberation'?
¤ Rumsfeld cracks jokes, but Iraqis aren't laughing
¤ Men of straw
¤ Civilians, US tank crew killed in attempt to destroy arms
¤ What ever happened to free speech?
¤ Children killed as marines fire on vehicle
¤ Mosul descends into chaos as even museum is looted
¤ World Finance Officials Discuss Iraq Aid
¤ U.S. May Send Battle Groups Home
¤ Blast Destroys Venezuela Office Building
¤ British activist shot in head by Israeli troops
¤ The hell that once was a hospital
¤ Jokes aside, this corner of America wants Dubya impeached
¤ UK troops 'break law' by hooding Iraqi prisoners
¤ U.S. Under Fire for Failure to Halt Looting
¤ The real war - on American democracy
¤ Chaos, or just a little vase they're going through?
¤ Rejoice? Pride just might precede a fall
¤ It's not all hail the conquerers
¤ Why the road to democracy is still uncertain
¤ France to pay for opposing war: US
¤ Germany, France, Russia seek UN role in post-war Iraq
¤ Iraq war undermined law and concept of sovereignty: Putin
¤ 'Syria closes border with Iraq'
¤ US-led Iraqi ministries for Iraq: Pentagon
¤ US aims to run Iraqi oil until new authority formed
¤ US blueprint gives Iraqis little comfort
¤ Iraq war is not over, says Fleischer
¤ Bush warns Syria over Saddam
¤ North Korea vows not to give up nuclear programmes
¤ Are tyrants shocked, awed or stocking up on nukes?
¤ Ahmed Chalabi - the saviour of Iraq, or a chancer whose time has come?
¤ US remains committed to Afghanistan: Franks
¤ US lawyers seek arrest of Iraqi envoy to UN
¤ After the fall of Baghdad
¤ Meanwhile, back at the ranch
¤ Media fights war within a war
¤ Horror for family as three shot by marines
¤ The start of Bush's crusade
¤ A nation in chaos
¤ Flames engulf the symbols of power
¤ Israeli army sniper leaves British peace activist brain-dead
¤ U.S. Reacts to Criticism on Iraq Looting
¤ Hard fighting near Syria border suggests hidden weapons cache
¤ Baghdad archeological museum looted
¤ Long memories of the Crusades overshadow the future
¤ Europe still matters
¤ Horror for family as three shot by marines
¤ Seduced by victory's jig
Latest News
Posted: Friday, April 11, 2003
¤ Fears for the future
¤ Global Eye -- Damascus Road
¤ Cheering Iraqis are just a diversion, folks.
¤ Syria and those elusive Weapons of Mass Destruction
¤ A Fine Line Between Liberty, Chaos
¤ Upper-Class Tax Cuts, Working-Class Soldiers
¤ Dave Zweifel: Cheney's smooth, with a heart of stone
¤ Future Plans And Problems For the Postwar Period
¤ Long memories of the Crusades overshadow the future
¤ Baghdad archeological museum looted
¤ US barbarism in Iraq
¤ Geneva Convention breached, says UN
¤ Political lessons of the war in Iraq
¤ Embedding, repression and murder: US military degraded journalism
¤ Putin, Schröder, Chirac to meet in St. Petersburg
¤ Real Iraqis Are Not Dancing In The Streets
¤ "Democracy in Iraq will take up to 30 years"
¤ US Army Commander in Iraq Says City Not Yet 'Liberated'
¤ US troops' anguish: Killing outmatched foes
¤ Turkish press rages at Kurds and US
¤ US 'Stooges' Chosen For New Govt Executed By Iraqis
¤ Activists focus on 'anti-occupation'
¤ Details Given on Contract Halliburton Was Awarded
¤ U.S. planning camp for up to 24,000 Iraqi PoWs
¤ War in Iraq - a week of war
¤ France, Germany, Russia can help Iraq settle enormous debt: Wolfowitz
¤ Syria puts its foot down
¤ The future of America's imperial reach
¤ Regimes who worry that they will be next
¤ Only Saddam's home town left
¤ Chaos as Mosul falls to Kurds
¤ The general waits in the wings
¤ Military to Tap Interim Rulers
¤ Iraqis Storm Embassy in Tehran, but Still Hate U.S.
¤ 10 Suspects In USS Cole Bombing Escape
¤ Muslim leaders killed in mosque
¤ The war's implications for Israel
¤ Water Shortage Worsens Daily in Basra
¤ Can Iraq be held together now Saddam is gone?
¤ Kurdish victory provokes fears of Turkish invasion
¤ Palestine, Syria, Cuba advised to draw lessons
¤ Robert Fisk: Baghdad: the day after
¤ US says flag incident was a 'coincidence'
¤ US troops fire on ambulance, two killed
¤ Some may be dancing now, but in 18 months . . ?
¤ Paying back the Americans
¤ Bush and Blair launch new 'free' Iraqi TV station
¤ The images they choose, and choose to ignore
¤ Palestine, Syria, Cuba advised to draw lessons
¤ Syria calls for end to Iraq 'occupation'
¤ The next patriotic war
¤ No plan to target others after Iraq: Powell but..
¤ US lawmakers target Syria
¤ Pro-West Shia leader assassinated in Najaf
¤ 2 Israeli troops, 4 Palestinians killed in West Bank
¤ Malaysia demands proof of Iraq's WMDs
¤ US renews call for closure of Iraqi embassies
¤ Building change
¤ The SARS toll mounts
¤ Suicide bomber kills US Marine
¤ War 'not over yet'
¤ Told you so from hawks is premature, despite the celebration
¤ Australians mobilise themselves to protest war
¤ US faces severe criticism from global leaders
Venezuela - A Year Later
Posted: Friday, April 11, 2003
Some progress towards reconciliation
A year ago, Venezuela's democracy narrowly survived a major test as rightist sectors of the middle-class-led opposition joined with several ranking military officers to briefly overthrow President Chavez, taking advantage of an ongoing popular protest that was peacefully calling upon him to step down.
Even prior to last April's failed coup, Venezuela's opposition had a list of both valid grievances and skeptical critiques on Chavez's commitment to democracy. These included a concern over a set of government decrees issued by Chavez in November 2001, which his opponents insist undermined local authorities as well as the national assembly's jurisdiction over projects both small and large. These also allowed the president to appoint his political allies to senior posts at the national oil company, PDVSA, which could compromise that venerable institution's belief in a practicing meritocracy in its hiring practices.
The Ouster
At the time of the attempted coup, Chavez's narrow survival was mainly due to his close ties to loyalist factions of the military. Business-federation head Pedro Carmona, who comedically had himself sworn in as the country's new president, was unable to secure support from key senior officers and enlisted personnel at the air-force base at Maracay and at other garrison sites in the interior, which declared that they would not recognize the golpista's rump government. At that point, Chavez's supporters began marching downtown in defense of their revolution.
But ultimately, it was Venezuelans' residual high regard for non-violent solutions that allowed Chavez to return. Broad participation in the repeated protest marches that made up the opposition's core strategy preceding the coup indicated that while Chavez's rule had lost much of its popular support, Carmona did not have sufficient elite backing or support of the poor to neutralize pro-Chavez generals in the country's interior. This was the case even though Chavez was repeatedly being assailed by the media, particularly, the country's four major television stations, which specialized in anti-Chavez advocacy rather than providing a dispassionate, balanced assessment of a deteriorating political situation.
Since last April, the opposition has continued to plot to bring down Chavez by any means, most notably by the now ended two-month general strike that paralyzed the government's main source of income, the national oil industry. Venezuela's private media once again joined the effort by churning out grossly one-sided, anti-Chavez coverage, which included dozens of alternately clever and vicious articles aimed at discrediting him and demanding that the president step down.
The Confrontation
Once again, the opposition was inspired by a valid list of complaints against Chavez's Bolivarian revolution's traditional belief in plebiscitary democracy and its unique interpretation of the rule of law. In recent months, anti-Chavez forces have mobilized around such issues as the now reversed inflammatory militarization of the Caracas metropolitan police, edicts that could curb freedom of speech and the government's allegedly lax stance against Colombian rebels constructing staging sites on Venezuelan territory.
One very important development in recent months has been the emergence of a small bipartisan initiative, mainly located in the national legislature, aimed at reconciling the vast chasm separating the government and the non-government positions. Named the Boston Group (where they will be meeting next month), the initiative was launched with the help of three U.S. members of Congress who visited Venezuela last September. Composed of ten Venezuelan National Assembly members from each side, the group aims at modernizing Venezuela's parliamentary procedures and increasing the national assembly's role in the public policy process. With a constructive agenda in mind, Boston Group members have organized forums where opposition and government representatives can express their views on public policy, rather than blaming the other as the source of their nation's problems. At a meeting in Washington on April 7, group members Calixto Ortega and Pedro Diaz Blum described the recall referendum as the only solution in sight to break the stagnated political climate by means of an electoral solution.
The opposition has provided a distinct service to the nation in reminding the government that democratic legitimacy goes much further than merely respecting electoral results. But, with the decline in the effectiveness of the now disbanded general strike, even the most anti-government sector must realize that lasting changes in Venezuelan society should at least begin within an electoral solution and not by destroying the national economy.
Presently, the anti-Chavez movement has been somewhat hobbled by an abiding hatred for Chavez, which appears to be its only unifying credo. As a result, schisms are breaking out as various likely opposition presidential candidates jockey for the possible race, if a proposed referendum on Chavez's rule in August actually materializes.
Possible Reconciliation
The tough task of establishing a referendum date on Chavez's recall still lies ahead. Yet it should be remembered: none of the admittedly frustrating negotiations on mending Venezuela's democratic procedures would have occurred if the Bush administration had been successful in backing Carmona's White House-approved script by lending support to the ouster of a constitutionally-elected president, which would have all but guaranteed bloody class-strife.
In that scenario, Venezuela's democracy would have been most likely engulfed in political violence, akin to that being witnessed in neighboring Colombia. While no one can deny that Venezuela's democracy still requires a defibrillator, the slow rehabilitation of the country's democratic institutions and the population's almost visceral respect for non-violent solutions to political differences, has at least given it an opportunity to confirm its heritage and move on. This is a lesson that hopefully Washington will also take to heart.
This analysis was prepared by Larry Birns, Director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, and Manuel Rueda, a Research Associate. Issued April 11, 2003.
The Council on Hemispheric Affairs, founded in 1975, is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan, tax-exempt research and information organization. It has been described on the Senate floor as being "one of the nation's most respected bodies of scholars and policy makers." For more information, please see our web page at www.coha.org; or contact our Washington offices by phone (202) 216-9261, fax (202) 223-6035, or email coha@coha.org.
Venezuela - A Year Later
Posted: Friday, April 11, 2003
Some progress towards reconciliation
A year ago, Venezuela's democracy narrowly survived a major test as rightist sectors of the middle-class-led opposition joined with several ranking military officers to briefly overthrow President Chavez, taking advantage of an ongoing popular protest that was peacefully calling upon him to step down.
Even prior to last April's failed coup, Venezuela's opposition had a list of both valid grievances and skeptical critiques on Chavez's commitment to democracy. These included a concern over a set of government decrees issued by Chavez in November 2001, which his opponents insist undermined local authorities as well as the national assembly's jurisdiction over projects both small and large. These also allowed the president to appoint his political allies to senior posts at the national oil company, PDVSA, which could compromise that venerable institution's belief in a practicing meritocracy in its hiring practices.
The Ouster
At the time of the attempted coup, Chavez's narrow survival was mainly due to his close ties to loyalist factions of the military. Business-federation head Pedro Carmona, who comedically had himself sworn in as the country's new president, was unable to secure support from key senior officers and enlisted personnel at the air-force base at Maracay and at other garrison sites in the interior, which declared that they would not recognize the golpista's rump government. At that point, Chavez's supporters began marching downtown in defense of their revolution.
But ultimately, it was Venezuelans' residual high regard for non-violent solutions that allowed Chavez to return. Broad participation in the repeated protest marches that made up the opposition's core strategy preceding the coup indicated that while Chavez's rule had lost much of its popular support, Carmona did not have sufficient elite backing or support of the poor to neutralize pro-Chavez generals in the country's interior. This was the case even though Chavez was repeatedly being assailed by the media, particularly, the country's four major television stations, which specialized in anti-Chavez advocacy rather than providing a dispassionate, balanced assessment of a deteriorating political situation.
Since last April, the opposition has continued to plot to bring down Chavez by any means, most notably by the now ended two-month general strike that paralyzed the government's main source of income, the national oil industry. Venezuela's private media once again joined the effort by churning out grossly one-sided, anti-Chavez coverage, which included dozens of alternately clever and vicious articles aimed at discrediting him and demanding that the president step down.
The Confrontation
Once again, the opposition was inspired by a valid list of complaints against Chavez's Bolivarian revolution's traditional belief in plebiscitary democracy and its unique interpretation of the rule of law. In recent months, anti-Chavez forces have mobilized around such issues as the now reversed inflammatory militarization of the Caracas metropolitan police, edicts that could curb freedom of speech and the government's allegedly lax stance against Colombian rebels constructing staging sites on Venezuelan territory.
One very important development in recent months has been the emergence of a small bipartisan initiative, mainly located in the national legislature, aimed at reconciling the vast chasm separating the government and the non-government positions. Named the Boston Group (where they will be meeting next month), the initiative was launched with the help of three U.S. members of Congress who visited Venezuela last September. Composed of ten Venezuelan National Assembly members from each side, the group aims at modernizing Venezuela's parliamentary procedures and increasing the national assembly's role in the public policy process. With a constructive agenda in mind, Boston Group members have organized forums where opposition and government representatives can express their views on public policy, rather than blaming the other as the source of their nation's problems. At a meeting in Washington on April 7, group members Calixto Ortega and Pedro Diaz Blum described the recall referendum as the only solution in sight to break the stagnated political climate by means of an electoral solution.
The opposition has provided a distinct service to the nation in reminding the government that democratic legitimacy goes much further than merely respecting electoral results. But, with the decline in the effectiveness of the now disbanded general strike, even the most anti-government sector must realize that lasting changes in Venezuelan society should at least begin within an electoral solution and not by destroying the national economy.
Presently, the anti-Chavez movement has been somewhat hobbled by an abiding hatred for Chavez, which appears to be its only unifying credo. As a result, schisms are breaking out as various likely opposition presidential candidates jockey for the possible race, if a proposed referendum on Chavez's rule in August actually materializes.
Possible Reconciliation
The tough task of establishing a referendum date on Chavez's recall still lies ahead. Yet it should be remembered: none of the admittedly frustrating negotiations on mending Venezuela's democratic procedures would have occurred if the Bush administration had been successful in backing Carmona's White House-approved script by lending support to the ouster of a constitutionally-elected president, which would have all but guaranteed bloody class-strife.
In that scenario, Venezuela's democracy would have been most likely engulfed in political violence, akin to that being witnessed in neighboring Colombia. While no one can deny that Venezuela's democracy still requires a defibrillator, the slow rehabilitation of the country's democratic institutions and the population's almost visceral respect for non-violent solutions to political differences, has at least given it an opportunity to confirm its heritage and move on. This is a lesson that hopefully Washington will also take to heart.
This analysis was prepared by Larry Birns, Director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, and Manuel Rueda, a Research Associate. Issued April 11, 2003.
The Council on Hemispheric Affairs, founded in 1975, is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan, tax-exempt research and information organization. It has been described on the Senate floor as being "one of the nation's most respected bodies of scholars and policy makers." For more information, please see our web page at www.coha.org; or contact our Washington offices by phone (202) 216-9261, fax (202) 223-6035, or email coha@coha.org.
Latest News
Posted: Thursday, April 10, 2003
¤ Experts:US "Discovery" Of Nuclear Materials Already Known
¤ US targets Iraqi-Syrian border to prevent missile launches
¤ War in north still to be won
¤ If Saddam is dead, the US might have trouble proving it
¤ The killer attack journalists never saw coming
¤ Pro-US Shia religious leader assassinated
¤ US marines killed in human bomb attack
¤ Iraqis have paid the blood price for a fraudulent war
¤ Factions arising in Iraq
¤ Save me, save me from fog of U.S war coverage
¤ Afghanistan, busted, broke, and on the back burner
¤ 'Hitler' Exec Producer Fired Over Remarks
¤ Speaking out against war
¤ We said it would be a nightmare And yes, that's exactly what it is
¤ THE MEDIA: MAKE IT GO AWAY
¤ Sony leads charge to cash in on Iraq
¤ US stops short of announcing victory
¤ A chickenhawk's work is never done: Syria - you're next
¤ Count your remaining liberties at the next security checkpoint
¤ It's still the economy, stupid
¤ A one-man encapsulation of what's wrong with Bush's Washington
¤ Brutality in war
¤ Arab street finds capitulation hard to swallow
¤ Volunteers resist US troops in Baghdad
¤ Fighting around the al-Azimiyah palace in central Baghdad
¤ Iraqi Leaders Are Nowhere To Be Seen
¤ Baghdad Is Hit by Arson and Looting
¤ Which country is next on the list?
¤ The Iraqi killing fields
¤ The CIA and the KGB are negotiating about Saddam
¤ Damascus Aiding Iraqi Leaders, Rumsfeld Says
¤ Against the Occupation
¤ Counting the dead
¤ Blair launches new Iraqi TV
¤ Symbolic in more ways than one
¤ Baghdad Joy Unconfined As Saddam Is Toppled
¤ Chirac hails fall of Saddam Hussein
¤ Arab world dismayed at 'new colonialism'
¤ U.S. had veto power over possible Israeli retaliation
¤ Syria told 'stop flow of weapons to regime'
¤ Three shot dead as thousands protest at Israeli air strike
¤ Iraq's U.N. Envoy: 'The Game Is Over'
¤ Garner plan will divide the country into three zones
¤ Anger at 'governor' Garner's pro-Israel stance
¤ US holds 7,300 POWs in Iraq, weighs their fate
¤ US troops fire on ambulance, two killed
¤ 'Rough justice' on streets of Basra: UK troops
¤ Descent into a charnel-house hospital hell
¤ The victor of the news war has been the internet
¤ U.N. Council Won't Condemn North Korea
¤ Israeli army kills 12 Palestinians
¤ Iraq war planned long in advance, says Blix
¤ Where is Saddam Hussein?
¤ Now, to find the right strongman for a new US-friendly Iraq
¤ Arabs Withdraw Request for U.N. Meeting
¤ Is this the end?
¤ Now, a puppet in Iraq Praful Bidwai
¤ Thinking out of the Box
¤ UK and France push for UN Iraq role
¤ Spanish newsmen protest against colleagues' killings
¤ US bomb kills 11 Afghan civilians
¤ A day that began with shellfire ended with...
¤ 20,000 stage demo outside US embassy in Moscow
¤ Britain must now ensure that there is no US puppet government in Iraq
¤ Knock it down, then build it back up again
¤ 11 Afghans killed in US bombing
¤ Russia denies Saddam hiding in its Baghdad embassy
¤ Russian diplomats were taking Iraqi secret files: report
¤ Give my life to Saddam, says injured Fatima
¤ Ominous signs
¤ Enduring a vandalised world
¤ Hospital short of everything, except pain
¤ World will be watching who wins the peace
¤ America broke Iraq and now has to fix it
¤ The victor of the news war has been the internet
Latest News
Posted: Wednesday, April 9, 2003
¤ Bush Offers Crooks and Warmongers to Lead Iraq
¤ The Images They Choose, and Choose to Ignore
¤ Where are the weapons?
¤ Foreign fighters seen as ominous sign
¤ In Iraq Towns, Allegiances Shift Quickly to Winning Side
¤ Will US fabricate WMD evidence?
¤ Arab nations ask for special UN General Assembly meeting
¤ 20 school children injured in bomb blast near Jenin
¤ Right-wing Jewish group claims blast in Palestinian school
¤ Nobel laureate proposes US, Britain be tried for invading Iraq
¤ Protesters target local NBC branch
¤ No evidence of weapons of mass destruction
¤ GOP wants to keep anti-terror powers
¤ Massacre in Gaza: seven Palestinians killed, 50 wounded
¤ Hussein's regime fights on
¤ Russia Denies Its Baghdad Embassy Sheltering Saddam
¤ U.S. Bombing Kills 11 Afghan Civilians
¤ Bush team pulls off great illusion - NO WMD
¤ Beijing turns up heat on Pyongyang
¤ North Korea threatens Japan
¤ U.S. to Shift Seoul Garrison, Expand S.Korea's Role
¤ Patriotism Doesn't Mean Blindly Following the Leader
¤ On the Past—and Present—of Military Psychiatry
¤ U.S. Tells Iran, Syria, N.Korea: Learn from Iraq
¤ ICRC Suspends Baghdad Operations; Canadian Missing
¤ In-House Memos On Television News Presentations
¤ Russia helping Saddam flee: Report
¤ Al Jazeera: Saddam Hussein Seeking Asylum in Russia
¤ BOMBS BLAST HOMES INSTEAD OF SADDAM
¤ Were these deaths mishap, or murder?
¤ The Secrets of Drudge Inc.
¤ Amid Allied jubilation, a child lies in agony
¤ PNAC.info - Exposing the Project for the New American Century
¤ Looking forward to deja vu
¤ Our Man in Iraq: Hero or Crook?
¤ Shoot the morons, then the journalists?
¤ In Defense of Cacophony
¤ The War for the White House Is On
¤ America's sovereign right to do as it damn well pleases
¤ The uses of Osama, dead or alive
¤ The Longest Winter
¤ Early casualties in the network war for ratings
¤ US Postwar Plan Rings Alarm Bells
¤ Ominous Signs, Arab News
¤ Iraqi government collapses
¤ Democrats urge probe into post-war contracts
¤ Republicans Want Terror Law Made Permanent
¤ Did Saddam escape again?
¤ Force is not enough
¤ The two horrible flaws in Blair's Panglossian vision
¤ Looting and celebrations begin in Baghdad
¤ Boy Bomb Victim Struggles Against Despair
¤ U.S. conducts forcible censorship of Arab and other media outlets
¤ A picture of killing inflicted on a sprawling city
¤ US forces ratchet up pressure on Baghdad
¤ In Basra, Growing Resentment, Little Aid
¤ Might As Well Get To Know The Middle East
¤ "Kelly the Hawk" meets the old Iraqi warrior
¤ Israeli secret services in Chechnya
¤ Saddam 'Survives'
¤ Bombs Blast Homes Instead Of Saddam
¤ 'International war crimes court' call
¥ Is the U.S. making fun of the international community?
¤ Iraq's WMD revisited
¤ Dark day for Iraq journalists
¤ DOD says reporter deaths sad, unavoidable
¤ All the news that's dangerous to gather
¤ Infantry heads north for the last act in fall of Saddam
¤ Saddam survived attack on building - British
¤ Islamist group wiped out in northern Iraq
¤ Iranian students attack UK embassy
¤ Surgeons using headache pills instead of anaesthetic
¤ Storm over future of Iraq
¤ Britain's inglorious experience in Iraq
¤ The US advances, street by street
¤ Scramble for Central Asian bases
¤ Baghdad slips into lawlessness as its defences crumble
¤ U.S. Insists Damascus Poses A Threat
¤ 'We shoot them down like the morons they are': US general
¤ Position vacant: puppets apply
¤ America doesn't just spin, it uses a sledgehammer
¤ Rumsfeld urges caution on chemical suspicions
¤ What will Blair do if the hawks set their sights on Syria?
¤ Afghanistan was not a triumph, but a warning
¤ US denies aid bribe claims
¤ Iraq crisis--scars of war
¤ Media deaths spark outrage
¤ Hotel hit 'deliberate': French TV
¤ Footage shows tank deliberately hit hotel
¤ Stray missile kills Iranian
¤ Missile kills nine in one family: 'Why was this done?'
¤ The dogs were yelping. They knew bombs were on the way
¤ Victory's spoils
¤ Fighting rages across Baghdad
¤ US tank fire kills three journalists in Baghdad
¤ Fresh violence claims 11 lives in held Kashmir
¤ China, Russia issue warnings over North Korea nuclear stand-off
¤ India condemns Iraq war, demands US troops' withdrawal
¤ Journalists and others
¤ Moving beyond the US conquest
¤ A peep into post-Iraq world
¤ Amid the fragments of lives, new enemies are made
¤ Welcome to Bush's new Middle East order
¤ 40 million starving 'as world watches Iraq'
¤ Amid the fragments of lives, new enemies are made
Might As Well Get To Know The Middle East
Posted: Wednesday, April 9, 2003
by Charley Reese, reese.king-online.com
Now that our president has embedded us in the Middle East for an indefinite future, you might as well start trying to educate yourself about the area and its conflicts. As one can say about so many problems in this world, it all began with the British Empire.
When you look at a map of the Middle East, you are looking at a map drawn by two Europeans by the names of Sykes and Picot. This map represents the betrayal of the Arabs and the Kurds. Before this map was drawn, the area had been part of the Ottoman Empire. (That's Turkey, for those of you who hate history and geography.)
The British, with their usual perfidy, had promised everything to everybody. Help us overthrow the Turks, they said to the Arabs, and you can have an independent Arab nation afterward. Help us overthrow the Turks, they said to the Kurds, and you will get an independent Kurdistan. And for some reason historians still argue about, they also promised European Zionists that they (the Brits) would establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine. They betrayed them, too, because what they did was establish the Palestine mandate - or, in plain language, British occupation of Palestine.
Britain and France divided the Middle East between themselves, and this basic fact set off the conflicts we are still dealing with. The problem with establishing a Jewish state was that Arabs already occupied the area chosen. While they initially had no quarrel with Jews who wanted to immigrate to Palestine (the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has nothing to do with religion and never has), as soon as they figured out that European Jews were not coming to be Palestinians but to take their land away from them, the Arabs revolted. The British crushed this.
It wasn't too long, however, before Jews became impatient with British occupation and so, to drive out the British, did what Palestinians are doing today - used terror. Two of the premier Jewish terrorists - Menachem Begin, who led the Irgun, and Yitzhak Shamir, who led the Stern Gang - would later become prime ministers of Israel. It is the political parties these terrorists started that rule Israel today. Begin is famous for blowing up the King David Hotel, Shamir for reputedly ordering the assassination of Swedish diplomat Count Folke Bernadotte, who had been sent on a peace mission by the United Nations. Both of their groups joined forces to commit one of the most infamous massacres in history at the little village of Deir Yassin, where more than 200 men, women and children were slaughtered. Much of modern terrorist methods were pioneered by Begin. You should read his book "The Revolt."
Sometime in 1947, the British had had enough of Palestine and announced they were going to end the mandate the following year and dump the problem in the lap of the United Nations. The Zionists fiercely lobbied both Harry Truman and Joe Stalin. The deal was to get a vote to partition Palestine. The Jews would immediately proclaim the state of Israel, and, as preplanned, the United States and the Soviet Union would instantly recognize it. This was the first instance of the United States using a combination of threats and bribery to round up votes at the United Nations.
Jews and Palestinians were already fighting, and in the course of that fighting, the better-organized Zionists decided to expand beyond the boundaries set by the partition resolution and to do a little ethnic cleansing, since Arabs still outnumbered Jewish residents 2-1. Despite some volunteers coming in from other Arab countries, the Zionists had accomplished both goals by the cease-fire in 1948. In a 1967 war, the Zionists took the rest of Palestine, and Palestinians, who stubbornly insist on self-determination (once, but no longer, an American value), are fighting them the best way they can.
With the United States loading the Israelis down with both modern arms and billions of dollars, however, the Palestinians are having a hard time. This issue has made the United States hated in the region and the king of hypocrites because we have vetoed 35 U.N. resolutions to prevent the international community from giving any justice or help to the Palestinians.
Now, our president has included Palestinian organizations that are not international terrorists (Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah) on our list of enemies. Originally, they were just aiming their attacks at Israel, but I suppose this might change since George Bush has become the puppet of the Israeli government.
Hang on to your hats, folks. You're in for a violent next 50 years or so.
© 2003 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
Latest News
Posted: Tuesday, April 8, 2003
¤ The Battle of Tel Zorab
¤ US-backed militia terrorises town
¤ In liberation's name Iraq is being crushed
¤ How Much Truth in War Reporting
¤ Iraqi Marshall Plan
¤ US civil agency enters Iraq
¤ 'Sheikh' to help rule Basra
¤ CIA report slams Pentagon's favorite Iraqi
¤ Israeli missile kills 6, plus Hamas leader
¤ 11 Journalists Die in 21 Days of War
¤ US demanded Russian diplomats leave Baghdad
¤ Al-Jazeera claims military 'cover up'
¤ Journalists Die, the Networks Lie, Iraqis Ask "Why?"
¤ Killing a child: 'I did what I had to do'
¤ American imperial reach unsettles the world
¤ Why Uncle Ben Hasn't Sold Uncle Sam
¤ The Ring of Truth?
¤ Watch Woolsey
¤ Anger, despair... Arab world backs Saddam
¤ As Tactics Change and Battle Lines Blur,...
¤ Bush to Focus on Palestinians After Saddam Is Gone
¤ Rumsfeld: Bush will control money to reconstruct Iraq
¤ Protesters stop warship leaving for Iraq
¤ 'This is not the face of a peacekeeper'...
¤ Growing civilian casualty toll raises worries about alienating Iraqi people
¤ For Some, Syria Looms as Next Goal
¤ French TV film shows US tank blasting hotel
¤ Afghanistan Rocks As Taliban Escalate Attacks
¤ Is Al-Jazeera Being Targeted by the U.S. Government?
¤ Bush, Blair haggle over Iraq war spoils
¤ Israelization of the United States
¤ Aid 'double standard' slammed
¤ Iraq and Bush muddy NI loyalties
¤ Al Jazeera, Abu Dhabi TV Hit By U.S. Forces in Baghdad
¤ New Iraq Report: Yes, Tony, There is a Conspiracy
¤ Killing the Messengers
¤ No representative government in future Iraq
¤ The view from the throne
¤ Yesterday's Emergency Has Been Cancelled Due to Political Inconvenience
¤ Bush's Alderaan
¤ Nation Scarred by Many Wars
¤ Guns, butter and taxes
¤ The last refuge
¤ Iraqis might not welcome imported democracy
¤ Forcing change through war rarely works
¤ Be Seeing You
¤ US turns to net for war updates
¤ War cannot resolve mounting US economic problems
¤ Antiwar protests continue throughout Turkey
¤ Antiwar protests in China despite police intimidation
¤ CIA death squads operating in Iraq
¤ Police fire rubber bullets at anti-war protesters in California
¤ Wallowing in Hypocrisy
¤ Australia calls in favour from Washington
¤ WMD'S? NO IT'S JUST FARM PESTICIDE
¤ US ambassador under fire
¤ Press group slams US attack on journalists' Baghdad hotel
¤ Iraq not your 'treasure chest', UN warns coalition
¤ George W. Bush, Tony Blair and the fly on the wall
¤ The growth mirage
¤ To Europeans, Bush is still the problem
¤ Reuters cameraman killed
¤ Money, Politics and War
¤ IRAQ: FNSI, STOP BOMBARDING JOURNALISTS
¤ Central Command calls incidents 'unfortunate'
¤ Saddam fled Baghdad 3 days ago: Ex-aide
¤ Two US planes shot down: Iraq
¤ Blair tries to reassure Assad that Syria won’t be next
¤ Al-Jazeera cameraman killed in US raid
¤ Three journalists killed in US strikes
¤ British army chief claims military victory
¤ Baghdad Hotel Struck by U.S. Forces; Two Journalists Killed
¤ Mystery over Saddam as battle rages
¤ New 'bin Laden' tape surfaces
¤ U.S. plane shot down in Iraq; pilot rescued
¤ U.S. Raid Pounds Baghdad Ministry District
¤ Chemical Hypocrites
¤ Iranian armed forces urged to prepare for probable foreign threats
¤ Syria and Iran must get their turn
¤ Five FSB officers killed in Chechen capital
¤ Shooting overshadows Rice's Moscow visit
¤ Up to 14 killed as missiles strike residential area
¤ Battle for Baghdad takes a new turn
¤ US bombs target Saddam, sons
¤ Syria now top US target for 'regime change'
¤ Amid Allied jubilation, a child lies in agony, soaked in blood
¤ Watch Woolsey: former director of the C.I.A.
¤ An unholy alliance with the Christian right
¤ Political survivor with connections to Republican right
¤ In north, a city with close ties to Hussein chooses to fight back
¤ 'Republican Guard surrendering can have role in post-war Iraq'
¤ Missile cache may be regime's elusive chemical weapons - US
¤ The American battle for Baghdad moved on...
¤ Chalabi calls for uprising as he joins exiles in Iraq
¤ Watching Iraq, China begins to lean on North Korea
¤ It seemed as if Baghdad would fall within hours...
¤ After Iraq: who is next?
¤ Between Iraq's peace and real stability hover the political vultures
¤ Al-Jazeera says US forces shot at its car near Baghdad
¤ US forces deliberately attacked Russian convoy: envoy
¤ Saudis live in fear of being 'next' on America's list
¤ American jail population hits two million
¤ Two Marines Who Drowned Deemed Accident
¤ Gulf War lessons not learned: critics
¤ Journalists Killed, Abducted in Iraq
¤ Police Attack Calif. Anti-War Protesters
¤ Classroom Gunman Kills One Student in L.A
¤ US forces storm into heart of Baghdad
¤ Bush joins Blair for another war summit
¤ French, Russian firms broke Iraq sanctions
¤ ICRC battles to get supplies to Baghdad hospitals
¤ Arabs react with disbelief to news of US troops in Baghdad
¤ Cuba worried about its diplomats in Baghdad
¤ Iranian clerics, students slam US, UK presence near Iraq shrines
¤ The road to Baghdad
¤ The war of approaches
¤ Pakistan, a coalition member?
¤ Hollywood's scriptwriters are already at work
¤ When Saddam is ousted, the UN inspectors should be sent back in to Iraq
¤ By the right, Fox in step with brass
¤ Tide of anti-US sentiment rises in Russia
Latest News
Posted: Monday, April 7, 2003
¤ Is U.S. installation of government in Iraq democratic?
¤ Taliban said to have control of dist offices in Zabul
¤ Baghdad defiant in face of US advance into capital
¤ "Smoking gun" WMD site in Iraq turns out to contain pesticide
¤ WMD site in Iraq turns out to contain pesticide
¤ U.S. holds Baghdad palaces as night falls
¤ Israel Sets Sights on Iraq War Strategic Gains
¤ Soldiers fall ill, decontaminate after finding sarin nerve agent
¥ Nice try.. It was only pesticide...
¤ Iraq may have set up Russian convoy attack: US official
¥ Sure... The Iraqis made us do it...
¤ S.Africa's Mbeki Decries 'Force-Fed' Democracy
¤ Racist War & Pirate Plunder
¤ The twisted language of war to justify the unjustifiable
¤ Washington's colonial regime in waiting for Baghdad
¤ Russian envoy: US forces attacked convoy
¤ Taliban Reviving Structure in Afghanistan
¤ Henry Kissinger: Shadow Government Secretary of State
¤ Israel Minister Scraps Talk with Germany's Fischer
¤ The Alibi Club and the Blackout on Truth
¤ US rampage through Baghdad kills thousands
¤ Britain: Blair doubling of budget for war vs. Iraq
¤ Saudis live in fear of being on America's list
¤ No firm evidence of banned weapons
> Washington shifts attention to need to 'liberate' Iraq
¤ Questioning a precedent from the Afghan war
¤ The Truth Got Arnett Fired Stupidity and naivety also!
¤ A Popular War
¤ A Vet Watches Rerun of a Bad War
¤ Arab volunteers join Iraqis to defend capital
¤ Jews settle in Palestinian Jerusalem
¤ Pyongyang abandons talks with Seoul
¤ Streets littered with Iraqi corpses as troops close in on Kerbala
¤ Exiled rebel set for lead role
¤ What's next, Mr. President?
¤ Army declines to send reservist-congressman
¤ Gatecrashers at the palace
¤ By the right, Fox in step with brass
¤ U.S. May Have Found Iraqi WMD Storage Site ???
¤ U.S. Seizes Palace and Says It Intends to Remain in City
¤ The mystery of Saddam's banned arms
¤ Putin and Bush agree on need for Iraq dialogue
¤ Iranians torn between disliking Saddam, hating the US
¤ The dangers of bypassing cities
¤ Where are the WMD? - Robert Novak
¤ Battle over who can sell Iraq's oil
¤ U.S. tanks attack central Baghdad CNN
¤ Blasts rock presidential complex in Baghdad
¤ East Timor sentences militia leader for crimes against humanity
¤ Diplomats injured in attack on convoy evacuating Russia's Baghdad envoy
¤ How the US plans to take control of Baghdad
¤ Blair's peace efforts too extreme, says Israel
¤ US troops suffer heavy losses in Baghdad fighting
¤ Baghdad hospitals on the brink of crisis
¤ The twisted language of war that is used to justify the unjustifiable
¤ Summit pressure on Bush over UN role
¤ Spanish Judge Joins Anti-War Rally
¤ Hospitals buckle as casualties escalate
¤ US pilot bombs his own: 22 killed
¤ U.S. Mistakenly Hits Kurd Convoy; 18 Die
¤ On a road to Baghdad, dead men tell no tales
¤ To Europe, via Baghdad, and reading the wrong map
¤ The Blair-Bush project
¤ Jews settle in Palestinian Jerusalem
¤ 1,000 killed in Congo, says UN
¤ Three Britons killed as troops storm in through grenade fire
¤ 'This is like a scene from hell. There are bodies all around'
¤ The Allied grip tightens on Baghdad
¤ The one word in every American's mind: Vietnam
¤ Bush is right: this is not a clash of civilisations
¤ Can you help get my arms back?
¤ India urges US to attack Pakistan
¤ Two killed, four hurt in Indian shelling
¤ Anti-American sentiment grows in Europe
¤ European humourists in action
¤ Russian diplomats come under fire in Baghdad
¤ US forces secure Karbala, kill 400
¤ Iraq: the quick and the dead
¤ War a political milestone
¤ Deaths bring reality of war home
¤ Oil politics, post-war
Latest News
Posted: Monday, April 7, 2003
¤ One Woman Enrages War Rally: 'I Love My Country But...'
¤ 'Saving Private Lynch' and Other Tales
¤ We See Too Much. We Know Too Much. That's Our Best Defense
¤ Baghdad defiant in face of US advance into capital
¤ "Smoking gun" WMD site in Iraq turns out to contain pesticide
¤ WMD site in Iraq turns out to contain pesticide
¤ U.S. holds Baghdad palaces as night falls
¤ Israel Sets Sights on Iraq War Strategic Gains
¤ Soldiers fall ill, decontaminate after finding sarin nerve agent
¥ Nice try.. Iraq may have set up Russian convoy attack: US official
¥ Sure... The Iraqis made us do it...
¤ S.Africa's Mbeki Decries 'Force-Fed' Democracy
¤ Racist War & Pirate Plunder
¤ The twisted language of war to justify the unjustifiable
¤ Washington's colonial regime in waiting for Baghdad
¤ Russian envoy: US forces attacked convoy
¤ Taliban Reviving Structure in Afghanistan
¤ Henry Kissinger: Shadow Government Secretary of State
¤ Israel Minister Scraps Talk with Germany's Fischer
¤ The Alibi Club and the Blackout on Truth
¤ US rampage through Baghdad kills thousands
¤ Britain: Blair doubling of budget for war vs. Iraq
¤ Saudis live in fear of being on America's list
¤ No firm evidence of banned weapons
> Washington shifts attention to need to 'liberate' Iraq
¤ Questioning a precedent from the Afghan war
¤ The Truth Got Arnett Fired Stupidity and naivety also!
¤ A Popular War
¤ A Vet Watches Rerun of a Bad War
¤ Arab volunteers join Iraqis to defend capital
¤ Jews settle in Palestinian Jerusalem
¤ Pyongyang abandons talks with Seoul
¤ Streets littered with Iraqi corpses as troops close in on Kerbala
¤ Exiled rebel set for lead role
¤ What's next, Mr. President?
¤ Army declines to send reservist-congressman
¤ Gatecrashers at the palace
¤ By the right, Fox in step with brass
¤ U.S. May Have Found Iraqi WMD Storage Site ???
¤ U.S. Seizes Palace and Says It Intends to Remain in City
¤ The mystery of Saddam's banned arms
¤ Putin and Bush agree on need for Iraq dialogue
¤ Iranians torn between disliking Saddam, hating the US
¤ The dangers of bypassing cities
¤ Where are the WMD? - Robert Novak
¤ Battle over who can sell Iraq's oil
¤ U.S. tanks attack central Baghdad CNN
¤ Blasts rock presidential complex in Baghdad
¤ East Timor sentences militia leader for crimes against humanity
¤ Diplomats injured in attack on convoy evacuating Russia's Baghdad envoy
¤ How the US plans to take control of Baghdad
¤ Blair's peace efforts too extreme, says Israel
¤ US troops suffer heavy losses in Baghdad fighting
¤ Baghdad hospitals on the brink of crisis
¤ The twisted language of war that is used to justify the unjustifiable
¤ Summit pressure on Bush over UN role
¤ Spanish Judge Joins Anti-War Rally
¤ Hospitals buckle as casualties escalate
¤ US pilot bombs his own: 22 killed
¤ U.S. Mistakenly Hits Kurd Convoy; 18 Die
¤ On a road to Baghdad, dead men tell no tales
¤ To Europe, via Baghdad, and reading the wrong map
¤ The Blair-Bush project
¤ Jews settle in Palestinian Jerusalem
¤ 1,000 killed in Congo, says UN
¤ Three Britons killed as troops storm in through grenade fire
¤ 'This is like a scene from hell. There are bodies all around'
¤ The Allied grip tightens on Baghdad
¤ The one word in every American's mind: Vietnam
¤ Bush is right: this is not a clash of civilisations
¤ Can you help get my arms back?
¤ India urges US to attack Pakistan
¤ Two killed, four hurt in Indian shelling
¤ Anti-American sentiment grows in Europe
¤ European humourists in action
¤ Russian diplomats come under fire in Baghdad
¤ US forces secure Karbala, kill 400
¤ Iraq: the quick and the dead
¤ War a political milestone
¤ Deaths bring reality of war home
¤ Oil politics, post-war
Latest News
Posted: Sunday, April 6, 2003
¤ Record 2 million in jails, prisons
¤ War and Occupation: The Future of the World?
¤ US accused of plans to loot Iraqi antiques
¤ Cronies set to make a killing
¤ Now playing: Saving Private Lynch
¤ A Warm Hand Cools Quickly
¤ N Korea Says Only Massive Deterence Can Avert War
¤ NBC's correspondent embedded with Infantry Division in Iraq Dies
¤ The Israelization of America
¤ Doubts grow over US war claims
¤ Uncensored Info on Iraq War from the Russian GRU
¤ Saddam fled Baghdad 3 days ago: Ex-aide ??
¤ Russian Black Sea Fleet tanker sails for Indian Ocean
¤ In this war, victory could be worse than defeat
¤ Totals Of Forces: Killed, Missing, Wounded ?
¤ Biblical Vengeance in the 21st Century
¤ Was Einstein Right?
¤ A wake up call
¤ Iraqi Hospitals Offer Snapshot of War Horror
¤ Bomb attack on Beirut McDonald's
¤ Guidelines for Hate Mail
¤ 200 bodies found are Iranian soldiers The US lied about this!!!
¤ A morally hollow victory
¤ Report: 'Friendly Fire' Kills U.S. Soldiers
¤ U.S. Friendly Fire Kills 12 Kurds
¤ 'Neocons' espouse preemption policy
¤ U.S.'s Rice in Moscow as ties strained over Iraq
¤ US/UK Invaders hit Kurdish convoy
¤ US 'friendly fire' kills 18 in Kurdish convoy: witnesses
¤ Mortars rain down as US forces encircle Baghdad
¤ Russia claims diplomats injured in Iraqi bombing raid
¤ Son must finish dad's work
¤ Street-to-street fighting in Karbala
¤ Doubts grow over US war claims
¤ War provides cover for a fresh Israeli crackdown
¤ For Iraq: Déjà Vu All Over Again
¤ Israel Eyes Security Issues in U.S. Plan
¤ One boy's war... bathed in blood of his family
¤ Cronies set to make a killing
¤ Deadlock on the edge of Basra
¤ US accused of hypocrisy on human rights
¤ The Battle of Baghdad
¤ US Covert Units Conduct an Invisible Campaign
¤ A Muslim World Torn
¤ Viewing the War as a Lesson to the World
¤ Former general to head post-war administration
¤ The fight yet to come
¤ Endgame in Baghdad
¤ US troops move closer to Mosul and Kirkuk
¤ An Anglo-American Miscalculation
¤ Saddam calls on Iraqis to save Baghdad as US tanks enter capital
¤ US, Iraqi troops face off in Baghdad
¤ US warns India against pre-emptive strike
¤ N Korea rejects any UN resolution on nukes
¤ America and the world
¤ One of these people says we shouldn't be fighting
¤ Anything concerning the military is not a story
¤ The sound of the spineless
¤ 'Liberation' is nigh, says Bush
> Wasn't this Invasion about getting Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction?
¤ Beyond the battlefield: hearts and minds
¤ An unjust conflict
¤ In the fog of hostilities
¤ The war within
¤ Finale in Baghdad may delay the peace
¤ CIA 'Assets' Weak on Intelligence About Saddam
¤ Retired US General to head post-war administration
¤ 'Dirty war' allegations cut both ways
¤ Nasiriyah citizens claim mistreatment
¤ Out of Ammunition, the Economy Faces a New Foe
¤ Barrage of Fire, Trail of Death
¤ No Chivalry in Attacking a Weak and Impoverished Nation
¤ An Anglo-American Miscalculation!
¤ Blair Has 'Failed Dismally' to Check Bush
Latest News
Posted: Friday, April 4, 2003
¤ White House hunts western oil chiefs to advise Iraqis
¤ Saddam Loyalists Man Baghdad Defenses
¤ Iraq said to have regained Saddam Airport
¤ It is not about Saddam anymore
¤ Anti-war marchers to confront Bush
¤ Basra Control Key to Iraq Oil Exports-U.S. Officer
¤ Accounts Vary on U.S. Move Into Baghdad
¤ THE WAR FOR TRUTH
¤ Suicide Bomber Attacks U.S. Unit at Baghdad Airport
¤ Iraq's Information Minister: Baghdad was firmly under Iraqi control
¤ Britons ask for flags to ward off US friendly fire
¤ Bomb Hits Central Baghdad Near Palestine Hotel
¤ Thousands protest outside US Embassy
¤ Britain admits there may be no WMD's in Iraq
¤ Are psychopaths running our government?
¤ In the beginning, there was Reagan
¤ Ashcroft has trouble with lawyerly ethics
¤ Iraq denies US claims to have entered Baghdad
¤ First Tests Show Iraq Powder Not Chemical Weapon
¤ An Easter Egg Hunt for Weapons of Mass Destruction
¤ Turf war rages in Washington over who will rule Iraq
¤ UN and Army at odds as troops encourage looting
¤ Israel couldn't have asked for more
¤ Hoon is 'cruel' for claims on cluster bombs claims
¤ Union Jacks fight friendly fire
¤ History has honed Iraqi suspicions of foreign 'liberation'
¤ Key Marine Commander Is Removed
¤ Ambush Was an Episode in a Drawn-Out Battle
¤ Time to stand up to America
¤ Amid the casualties and chaos, a sudden appearance by Saddam
¤ Bus Collision Kills 18 in Brazil
¤ Car bomb kills three US soldiers and two Iraqis at checkpoint
¤ Fog of war shrouds the facts
¤ Hearts, minds and bodybags
¤ Ready for battle with paperclips and string
¤ Pressure on king to denounce invasion
¤ Anti-war ministers insist on UN role to build peace
¤ Bush's undiplomatic posting draws scorn
¤ The language of war
¤ Where were the panicking crowds? Where were the food queues?
¤ US Marines 'kill seven Iraqis after truck fails to stop'
¤ Geoff Hoon, Robert Fisk and reporting the truth
¤ Even in battle, blondes get all the attention
¤ Samar's story
¤ If you want peace, preach to the unconverted
¤ Feeling of despondency prevails
¤ 'State Dept, Pentagon in dispute over post-war Iraq set-up'
¤ Powell fails to convince European allies over Iraq
¤ Clerics warn US troops not to damage shrines in Iraq
¤ Finding Saddam not needed for victory: US
¤ Britain defends use of cluster bombs in Iraq
¤ No end to wars unless...
¤ The Turkey shoot
¤ The high and mighty officer
¤ What happens now, Mr Rumsfeld?
¤ After the war, a lingering legacy of hate
¤ Knocking on Baghdad's gates, but wary of stepping inside
¤ Korea stand-off could lead to war, says envoy
¤ Who are these 'warmongers'?
¤ Britain loses all credibility
¤ Terrorists have hatred to spare for junior ally
¤ The hard road to a Battle for Baghdad
Latest News
Posted: Friday, April 4, 2003
¤ US-UK Continues Air-raids on Baghdad, Fierce Fighting Goes On
¤ Marines Fire on Truck, Kill 7 Civilians
¤ Girl, 2, among three killed in shooting at checkpoint
¤ Bullets, bombs, bibles and Bush
¤ Bringing aid and the Bible, the man who called Islam wicked
¤ The Thick Fog Of War On American Television
¤ Halliburton, Dick Cheney, and Wartime Spoils
¤ Troops pray for Bush: Isn't that special?
¤ Lessons unlearned haunt U.S.
¤ The night the lights went out
¤ U.S. 'wags the dog' with lies, Iraq says
¤ US military admits 'suspicious' powder is explosive
¤ White man's burden
¤ Who Cares About Dead Iraqis?
¤ Iraqi troops massacred from the air as US advances to Baghdad
¤ No Credible U.S. Terror Threats Since War
¤ Britain: Soldiers face court martial for refusing to fight in Iraq
¤ 'Rolling' Victory Key to U.S. Endgame
¤ Iraq Promises 'Unconventional' Attack
¤ Fears of a steeper decline for the dollar
¤ Myers raises possibility of isolating Baghdad
¤ Powder, nerve agent antidote found
¤ Some worry U.S. may bend facts for policy
¤ In Najaf, regime's symbols tumble
¤ We own part of Saddam's airport, says US forces
¤ America between the colonial and the postcolonial
¤ Britain Is Up to Its Neck in This Mire
¤ Bush Mix of God and War Grates on Many Europeans
¤ Blair: Iraqis Should Rule After Saddam
¤ U.S.: After Iraq, we'll deal with other radical Mideast regimes
¤ Support Troops = Support Bush False Propaganda
¤ Fighting for Controlling Saddam International Airport
¤ Saddam Hussein calls for jihad and vows victory
¤ Obsessed With Tactics and Technology
¤ Marines: 2,500 Iraqi Guards Surrender
¤ Between Iraq and a hard place: The use of propaganda during war
¤ US soldier killed, several missing in 'friendly fire' attack
¤ 'Liberated' city where looters run wild and death stalks the streets
¤ Only a few trucks and foot soldiers to halt march on to airport
¤ Allies 'seize most of Baghdad airport'
¤ Three soldiers dead in suicide attack
¤ Battle For Baghdad Airport
¤ Republican Guards in mass surrender
¤ Geoff Hoon, Robert Fisk and reporting the truth
¤ Cluster bombs liberate Iraqi children
¤ A just war. So why are cluster bombs being used?
¤ Kirkuk: A disaster waiting to happen
¤ Mystery of the missing Republican Guard
¤ U.S.: After Iraq, we'll deal with other radical Mideast regimes
¤ Red Cross tells horror of war
¤ Robert Fisk: Reports of airport assault premature
¤ Republican Guard down, but is it out?
¤ Silencing dissent is extremist and un-American
¤ Downer backs US control
¤ US forces use schools for cover
¤ Victory Plan Is Formed by U.S.
¤ U.S. Troops Seize Control of Baghdad Airport
¤ Marines move in for the kill
¤ Iraqis seemed to be totally prepared to die for their country
¤ Powell rules out UN lead role in rebuilding of Iraq
¤ Anglican Bishops condemn war on Iraq
¤ Rumsfeld's War
¤ Masters of concealment
¤ US forces seize Baghdad airport
¤ Saddam palace raided
¤ Powell seeks to mend fences with Europe
¤ 20 Taliban killed in fresh Afghan offensive
¤ Seven Palestinians killed in Israeli raids
¤ Iraq war to fuel hatred against US, UK: Khatami
¤ 'No deal' on cease-fire: Rumsfeld
¤ US, UK asking Pakistan to end infiltration: Straw
¤ US accused of hiding facts behind missing TV cameraman
¤ China and Russia eye new checks on US power
¤ Russian media slams US aggression
¤ Iraqis fighting a mysterious war
¤ Six dead in Chechnya bus blast
¤ A wakeup call
¤ Howard doesn't like what the media shows us
¤ Accuser and juror
¤ The fate of empire builders
¤ Why US juggernaut is so dangerous
¤ The downside of being too close to the US
Latest News
Posted: Thursday, April 3, 2003
¤ Smoking gun still a phantom
¤ Iraq attacks Annan, says war kills 1,250 civilians
¤ Israel accused of 'exploiting' war
¤ The Defence of Baghdad - Special Military Report
¤ White House downplaying weapons of mass destruction
¤ US forces rounding up Iraqi civilians
¤ Small bombs look like rations to Iraqi kids: UN
¤ Is the Bush administration seeking "regime change" in Canada?
¤ U.S. Investigates 'Friendly Fire' in Hornet Crash
¤ "It's getting hot in herre" - Iraq
¤ Ignore German History at Your Own Peril
¤ UN must act now to regain world's confidence
¤ Perle's new world order -- and ours?
¤ Hussein's jihad cry resonates in Mideast
¤ On Soldiers of Fortune
¤ The networks are wrapping themselves in the flag
¤ I Miss America, Even Dick Nixon looks good to me now
¤ Our Flag, Too
¤ Neo-con pundits fire barrage at liberals
¤ The Whipping Boy of the Pentagon
¤ Some Observations on the Recent Behavior of the Empire
¤ Red Cross tells horror of war
¤ Israeli Minister dreams of Iraqi oil flowing to Haifa
¤ British troops are fighting on two fronts for Basra
¤ Afghan Women Fear Fallout of Iraq War
¤ 28 Arrested at Alliant While Protesting Depleted Uranium Weapons
¤ Iraqis Will Resist Occupation, Canadian Peacemaker Says
¤ There's No Business Like War Business
¤ Ex-CIA director: U.S. faces 'World War IV'
¤ Greek general strike to protest over war
¤ Hospital struggles to cope as civilian injuries mount
¤ Western Journalists Beaten, Starved by Americans
¤ Congressmen seek clarifications of Patriot Act
¤ A Possible Use of Unconventional Weapons in Iraq
¤ No sign of the dreaded Republican Guard
¤ Baghdad: Surround and squeeze?
¤ Is Final Push on Baghdad Under Way?
¤ Buying the tribes from Saddam
¤ Al-Jazeera halts Iraq broadcasts
¤ Iraq kicks out al-Jazeera from Baghdad
¤ Listen to the nuclear chatter
¤ Powell fails to win over Turkey
¤ The minute it's made up, you'll hear about it
¤ It will take more than Powell's visit to mend the fractured Turkish alliance
¤ Detecting disinformation, without radar
¤ Wailing children, the wounded, the dead
¤ BBC man killed by landmine in north of Iraq
¤ Rumsfeld 'resisting' Powell's Iraq team
¤ There is a conflict in Washington too
¤ Would there have been this war if there was true equality for women?
¤ French PM wades into a tide of anti-Americanism
¤ Shifting sands, shifting alliances
¤ West vs East, at daggers drawn
¤ Coming to terms with the 'great equalizers'
¤ Blair gazes ahead to an Iraq of milk, honey and oil
¤ US troops launch battle for Baghdad
¤ Indian Foreign Minister hints at pre-emptive strike against Pakistan
¤ US pursuit of war presages review of diplomatic ties
¤ American PoW rescued in raid on hospital; 11 bodies found
¤ Mini-Mes fail to see blood on Iraq's walls
¤ Errant missiles fuel anger in Turkey
¤ US effort for defections appears ineffective
¤ A consumer boycott to scuttle the war
¤ Washington's impotence
¤ Destruction for reconstruction
¤ The blame game begins
¤ Creating Bin Ladens
¤ Battle of the skies leads inevitably to fatal fallout on the ground
¤ Mini-Mes fail to see blood on Iraq's walls
¤ Travellers told to avoid five destinations as SARS spreads
¤ No cheers, no sweets, no flags - welcome to Saddam country
¤ Israel set to reject US peace plan, say critics
¤ Blast kills at least eight, injures 33 in Davao Philippines
¤ Right time for the showdown
¤ It is unacceptable to lie to excuse poor judgement
Latest News
Posted: Wednesday, April 2, 2003
¤ Russia accuses US authorities of media deception over Iraq
¤ Jordanian king slams 'invasion' of Iraq
¤ Bush's racial policy insults the military
¤ Let Us Count the Lies on the Road to War
¤ Bush benefits from decay of democracy
¤ Once reviled, Hussein now winning many Arabs' support
¤ Iraq War Quiz
¤ New Jewish chapter is critical of Israel policies
¤ Powell Remarks At The AIPAC Annual Policy Conf.
¤ War in Iraq and religious extremism at home
¤ Get Ready for PATRIOT II
¤ The lessons that Washington has still to learn
¤ Can Bush Handle Panel's Questions?
¤ Freedom under attack
¤ Rumsfeld defends 'superb' war plan
¤ Iraq denies U.S. troops crossed Tigris river
¤ Why have Iraqi Forces not yet surrendered
¤ U.S. Troops Push to Within 19 Miles of Baghdad
¤ What Is The Real Cost?
¤ Blast Kills 15 In Philippines
¤ BAGHDAD MATERNITY HOSPITAL BOMBED
¤ Activists confirm Iraqi hospital bombed
¤ US Special Forces Admit To Heavy Losses
¤ 'I saw the heads of my two little girls come off'
¤ A bushel of mistakes
¤ Children killed and maimed in bomb attack on town
¤ Straw: UK will not attack Syria or Iran
¤ Residents Say Hussein Loyalists in Full Control
¤ US and UK are playing a dangerous game
¤ Mesopotamia. Babylon. The Tigris and Euphrates
¤ Russia raps US over Iraq raids
¤ Witnesses Say U.S. Raid Strikes Iraqi Hospital
¤ Israeli planes invade Lebanon
¤ Iraq checkpoint killings-the ugly face of imperialist war
¤ Washington's warnings to Iran and Syria part of a broader agenda
¤ Labour's Cook and Mowlam rally round the flag
¤ German Greens back airspace for US warplanes
¤ Solomon Islands dragooned into the "coalition of the willing"
¤ Tyrant 'to damage holy sites' - Blair
¥ This is simply a spin for US/UK damages.
¤ Civilian death toll rises in Iraq
¤ Emperor George
¤ The Cheney connection
¤ Weapon Of Mass Construction?
¤ Woman PoW Rescued In Night Raid
¤ US bans trade with Pakistani nuclear lab
¤ Fears of "Pakistan next after Iraq"
¤ US reveals new shoot to kill rule NEW?
¤ We don't understand Iraqis, admits US officer
¤ Allies are failing to win over Iraqi public, senior officer admits
¤ Arab hopes rest on toppling Saddam and humbling the US
¤ U.S. Forces Secure Kerbala, Move North
¤ Residents Say Hussein Loyalists in Full Control
¤ First blows hit US economy
¤ Children killed and maimed in bomb attack on town
¤ Send in the bulldozers: what Israel told marines about urban battles
¤ One in three French backs Saddam
¤ Battle for Baghdad imminent
¤ Big push for Baghdad begins
¤ Bombing Signals Final Baghdad Push
¤ Difficult task of uncovering true damage to capital
¤ Normality in streets of Iraqi capital despite war
¤ Iraq's sidelined opposition pushes for greater war role
¤ Powell to press Serbs on warcrimes
¤ Pentagon vetoes new task force to take control of Baghdad
¤ Israel spending £27,000 a month on protection for lone settler
¤ Strains of war test the allies (US-UK)
¤ War's cruel dilemma: the civilian factor
¤ U.S. extends military mission to Korea
¤ The proof: marketplace deaths were caused by a US missile
¤ Red Cross terms Baghdad bombings 'horror'
¤ Oilmen's burning wish to help spurned
¤ Voices in the darkness
¤ Civilian deaths occur in war - but that is no excuse for needless belligerence
¤ 'A war like none before' is turning out to be all too familiar
¤ Where is the truth amid all this subterfuge?
¤ 'Remarkable achievement'
¤ Requiem for the UN
¤ Murder most foul
¤ Iraq war takes toll on US news stars
¤ Experts say US is losing public relations
¤ US anti-war drive breaks ranks with '60s
¤ North Korea may seek nukes, says Russia
¤ Straw warns of fierce resistance, setbacks
¤ Iraq war casts doubts on Arab League future: Mussa
¤ The lessons that Washington has still to learn
¤ I am angry and ashamed to be British
¤ Unfriendly fire hits war correspondents
¤ British Propaganda's Distortions Obvious
|
Previous Page | Trinicenter Home
|
|
