Middle East Politiks

McCain, Militarism, and the Legacy of Teddy Roosevelt

2008-02-27T13:20:00.001-08:00

2007-12-09T20:51:00.000-08:00

RON PAUL! The Only Candidate to Advocate a Non-Interventionist Policy

2007-06-07T15:16:00.000-07:00

655,000 Iraqi deaths!!!!!!

2007-02-19T18:41:00.000-08:00

EU divided over German bid to ban Holocaust denial

2007-02-16T19:44:00.000-08:00

"European Union countries remained divided Thursday over a German initiative to make Holocaust denial and incitement to racial hatred a crime."

Fore-runner to thought crime?

Rumors of War

2007-02-11T09:21:00.001-08:00

Iran - What the Media Won't Tell You

2007-02-09T14:13:00.000-08:00

Iran strike 'would be disastrous'

2007-02-07T14:50:00.001-08:00

Israel and Moral Blackmail

2006-04-04T13:52:00.000-07:00

By Justin Raimondo

Keeping It Quiet: The Israel Lobby's Crushing of Dissent

2006-04-01T21:57:00.000-08:00

by Charley Reese

The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy

2006-04-01T21:47:00.000-08:00

This report, linked to above, has created controversy and a revival of name-calling tactics, the likes of which is exactly described in the paper. Written by the highly reputable professors Steven J. Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago and Stephen M. Walt of Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, it attacks the Israel Lobby's stranglehold on U.S. foreign policy making. Since its publication, the likes of Alan Dershowitz and Co. have come out with their old antics; Dershowitz even claimed on MSNBC's Scarborough Country that the authors plagarized the paper of of neo-nazi websites, with absolutely no foundation whatsoever!!! Read it for yourself - it is enlightening.

Palestine slideshow

2006-04-01T07:42:00.000-08:00

Palestine 2006

2006-04-01T07:41:00.000-08:00

Orwell could have a case against Bush

2006-01-07T14:03:00.000-08:00

"Lawyers for the estate of George Orwell have announced their intention to sue President Bush for plagiarism.

"'We have long believed that this administration has stolen much of its policy from Mr. Orwell's writings,' said attorney Will Bilyalotz. "Expressly, '1984' and 'Animal Farm.' In some cases, like the illegal surveillance of its own citizens, this administration has lifted the passages word for word from '1984.' Just changing the year doesn't protect the president from copyright laws.'"

Juan Cole on Abramoff

2006-01-07T13:55:00.000-08:00

Corporate Media Reveals the Obvious: Neocons Authorized Domestic Snooping

2005-12-18T19:51:00.000-08:00

Alcohol Misuse and Divorce Rates Higher Among Returning Troops

2005-12-10T18:19:00.000-08:00

"Army researchers saw alcohol misuse rise from 13 percent among soldiers to 21 percent one year after returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, underscoring the continuing stress of deployment for some troops.

"In post-deployment reassessment data completed in July, researchers also saw soldiers with anger and aggression issues increase from 11 percent to 22 percent after deployment. Those planning to divorce their spouse rose from 9 percent to 15 percent after time spent in the combat zone."

2005-12-10T18:17:00.000-08:00

by Steve Bell of the Guardian (2005)

Video Shows Contractors Killing Iraqi Civilians

2005-12-10T18:09:00.000-08:00

The Washington Post reports: "Framed as if on a movie screen by the outline of a sport-utility vehicle's rear window, those scenes and others show what appear to be private security contractors firing on Iraqi civilians."

Zia ul-Haq Mossad Hit is Non-News in America

2005-12-08T22:14:00.000-08:00

"John Gunther Dean, former US ambassador to India, suspects Mossad of assassinating Pakistan’s General Muhammad Zia ul-Haq and yet this is not considered a news item in the United States. It’s an important news story in Pakistan, of course, and Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, India, North Korea, Taiwan, and even Australia and Britain, but not here in the United States. As of this evening, a Google News search returns eleven results on this story."

In One Week

2005-10-30T15:18:00.000-08:00

"A week of violence has now also left 12 Palestinians dead."

Blair’s New Tune on Iran

2005-10-27T16:09:00.000-07:00

"British officials used to be certain that a military attack on Iran was out of the question. Now, it seems, they’re not so sure."

Karen Hughes & Bush Propaganda

2005-10-22T08:21:00.000-07:00

Here's but an example; USA Today reports:

U.S. envoy Karen Hughes on Friday defended Washington's decision to go to war against Iraq in front of a skeptical audience, saying Saddam Hussein had gassed to death "hundreds of thousands" of his own people. A State Department official later said she misspoke about the number.

Deconstructing Nation Building

2005-10-17T12:17:00.000-07:00

"The historical record shows that attempts to remake countries by military force most often fail."

Fake al-Qaeda Letter

2005-10-14T17:10:00.000-07:00

Al-Qaeda has deemed fake the letter of exchange between a top al-Qaeda official and al-Zarqawi in Iraq US officials alledgedly obtained recently. As Kurt Nimmo humorously notes,

It is simply astounding how many videos and audio tapes and letters slip through al-Qaeda’s fingers and into the hands of the Pentagon, the State Department, and various Bushites and intelligence factotums. Recall the Osama dinner party video found in Afghanistan and the “al-Qaeda in Iraq” chemical weapons plant left behind in Fallujah. Now we have a letter purportedly from Ayman al-Zawahri to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, “acquired during U.S. operations in Iraq,” according to the Associated Press. How this supposed letter was “acquired” is not revealed. Maybe Ayman didn’t affix the correct postage. Or maybe Abu didn’t leave a change of address.

Could this be a desperate attempt on the part of the Bush Administration to forge ties between the Iraqi insurgency and al-Qaeda? No need for a letter, George. All we need to do is sit back and look at what has happened since the 2003 invasion, and, note, not beforehand.

Terrorism has increased substantially. As the Washington Post reported on 14 January, 2005,
Iraq has replaced Afghanistan as the training ground for the next generation of "professionalized" terrorists, according to a report released yesterday by the National Intelligence Council, the CIA director's think tank.
Al-Qaeda has in fact set up a stronghold and expanded its network in occupied Iraq. While the "Sept. 11 commission reported yesterday that it has found no 'collaborative relationship' between Iraq and al Qaeda, challenging one of the Bush administration's main justifications for the war in Iraq," as the Washington Post reported in 2004, al-Qaeda is staging regular attacks in Iraq, and Iraq is soon replacing Afghanistan as the center of the al-Qaeda network.

And a fake letter was supposed to alter lies?
--------------------------------------------
UPDATE: Juan Cole of Informed Comment says:
"The Arabic text of the recently released letter alleged to be by Zawahiri (al-Qaeda's number two man) to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Iraq raises questions for me as to its authenticity."
Read what he has to say.

Another Israeli Spy in the US?

2005-10-14T17:03:00.000-07:00

Israeli Ambassador Danny Ayalon a spy? Justin Raimondo of Antiwar.com investigates:

I've covered the prosecution of AIPAC officials Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman at length in this space, and for background the reader can click on the links: in brief, the two are accused [.pdf] of acquiring top secret information from Pentagon analyst Larry Franklin and passing it on to Israeli officials, one of whom is none other than Ambassador Ayalon.

Read the entire piece.

Iraq Constitution

2005-10-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

via

Galloway and the Stampeding of Arab Jews

2005-10-07T19:07:00.000-07:00

News & Comment Roundup

2005-10-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

U.S. Troops Launch Offensive in Iraq: "About 1,000 U.S. troops stormed through the western Iraqi town of Sadah near the Syrian border early Saturday morning, battling foreign fighters loyal to al Qaeda, the military said in a statement.

"A joint force of Marines, soldiers and sailors took part in the assault, which the military dubbed "Operation Kabda Bil Hadid, " or Iron Fist. The operation aimed to "root out al Qaeda in Iraq terrorists operating in the area and to disrupt terrorist support systems in and around the city," according to the military." (Washington Post, 10/1)

Israel Kills 2 in Arrest Raid; Hamas Gains in Elections: "Israel continued its weeklong offensive against Palestinian militants on Friday, as preliminary results in some municipal elections in the West Bank showed the militant group Hamas making political gains." (New York Times, 10/1)

Officials Fear Chaos if Iraqis Vote Down the Constitution: "Senior American officials say they are confident that Iraq's draft constitution will be approved in the referendum to be held Oct. 15, even though Sunni Arabs in Iraq are mobilizing in large numbers to defeat it." (New York Times, 9/30)

Mysterious Bombings Frighten Lebanese: "A recent string of bombings — particularly the last brutal attack that maimed a prominent TV anchorwoman — has left many Lebanese frightened over who could be next and increasingly puzzled about what can be done to stop the mysterious attacks." (San Fransisco Chronicle, 9/30)

Plea bargain in AIPAC case: "The AIPAC spy nest has been burrowing deeply into Washington's official secrets without regard for propriety or party. The indictment describes the duo's extensive contacts with a wide range of U.S. government officials, Israeli diplomats, and other individuals, none of them identified by name. However, two have been subsequently outed in the media by sources close to the investigation: they are David Satterfield, a deputy assistant secretary for Near Eastern affairs and now the second most senior U.S. government representative in occupied Iraq, and Kenneth Pollack, who served on the National Security Council in the Clinton administration. Said Pollack: "I believe I am USGO-1," identified in the second indictment as having met with Rosen and Weissman on Dec. 12, 2000. Pollack handed over classified information about "strategy options" against an unidentified "Middle Eastern country."" (Justin Raimondo, Antiwar.com, 9/30)

Sharon: No more unilateral disengagements: "Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Thursday shot down suggestions Israel might go for another unilateral withdrawal, this time in the West Bank." (World Peace Herald, 9/29)

2005-09-24T14:41:00.000-07:00

Bin Laden Starts his Second Term

2005-09-11T15:00:00.000-07:00

It's been four years since Osama bin Laden attacked the United States, and now he is begining his second term. Why is he still at large? Michael Thomasky of The American Prospect asks.

Four Years on

2005-09-09T18:51:00.000-07:00

Analysis from the BBC regarding 9/11, four years on. May we remember all the victims of the past four years.

Israeli Militiary Equipment Removed from Gaza

2005-09-09T18:45:00.000-07:00

"The Israeli army completed the removal of its military equipment from the Gaza Strip today, demolishing the last of its buildings and watchtowers, in preparation for a handover to the Palestinians on Sunday or Monday."

Lahoud Facing Political Pressure

2005-09-09T18:42:00.000-07:00

"Syria's last major hold on Lebanon's state structure is coming increasingly under fire as the UN investigation into the murder of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri enters its final phase.

"Calls for the resignation of Emile Lahoud, the country's pro-Syrian president, have accelerated since four security chiefs who were among his closest associates were charged last week in connection with the assassination.

"Mr Lahoud has shrugged off the growing pressures and insisted he has no intention of stepping down. To the dismay of many of the country's politicians, he is determined to lead Lebanon's delegation to the UN summit next week. "He's living in fantasy land," remarked a western diplomat in Beirut."

A Time for Action

2005-09-09T18:41:00.000-07:00

By Justin Raimondo

Remaking Gaza's Image

2005-09-06T17:21:00.000-07:00

Working to improve Gaza's image:

The Gaza Strip's image could hardly be worse. It is seen as a place of bombs, and armed men in masks, and furious funerals.

Television screens around the world have shown Israeli soldiers opening fire in refugee camps, and sending bulldozers into Palestinian homes.

All that has certainly happened. The years of the uprising against the Israeli occupation were sometimes intensely violent.

But the picture that the world has of Gaza, is not the whole story.

It has often been a war zone - but it is also a place like many others.

It is a place where people get educated, have careers, dance at weddings, raise their children, and make the best of life by the Mediterranean.

Death Threats

2005-09-06T13:27:00.000-07:00

The Neocons want to kill ... and this time it's personal; politics according to Moonbat Central:

Al-Qaeda now has irrefutable evidence that America is breakable and beatable. At least twenty percent of the country can be counted on providing a seditious level of psychological comfort for the enemy by falling into one of these four categories: protesters, anti-American cynics; criminals; indifference. Of that twenty percent, perhaps .5 to one percent can be counted on self-interested criminal actions and or direct acts of violent, politically-motivated treason against their country. Al-Qaeda now knows that Homeland Security has squandered millions, perhaps billions in useless exercises and programs than have fallen flat when reality struck as in what has occurred in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast regions. A WMD attack must be coordinated and launched against two distinct targets, preferably East and West (Left) Coast cities. A nuke or two, even if low yield, will devastate America. A Hobbesian “war of all against all” will emerge as the criminal, opportunistic, and seditious elements strike out. Expect heavily armed and infuriated conservatives to launch a cleansing war against the traitors. The armed will mow down the mostly unarmed segments, especially those elements that devoted forty-plus years to anti-American hatred to destroy this country. Should the likes of Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Michael Parenti, Michael Moore, Ward Churchill, Dennis Raimondo, et al. act out their sedition in a just-nuked America, expect their bodies to be found shot full of holes. Expect gun battles at banks, food stores, ATMs, gas stations, and outside hospitals. Leftist professors will be strung up. It will be every man, woman, and child for themselves.

Well, here you have it: the Neocons want the United States to get nuked so that they may further their own political agenda. Does this surprise anyone?

End of the Binge

2005-09-06T13:23:00.000-07:00

From The American Conservative:
"This fragile calculus plays out against a background of rapidly escalating and increasingly desperate strategic maneuvering around the global oil-production peak and its implications. Peak oil, for short, would unseat the relative peace and cheap-energy basis of our current global arrangements. It is already beginning to happen. Yet most of the discussion about the boon of globalism, especially the virtual cheerleading of New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, is occurring in complete disregard of the gathering peak-oil crisis. The Left and Right are both equally guilty of epic cluelessness."

Petropolitics

2005-09-04T20:12:00.000-07:00

"Is the biggest threat Iran poses to the United States really its nuclear ambitions - or is it petropolitics?"

Peace Activists Protest at Soccer Match

2005-09-03T19:30:00.000-07:00

The IMEMC reports that several peace activists reached the field of the Switzerland-Israel 2006 World Cup qualifying match bearing signs reading "Free Palestine" and "End the Apartheid":

The Israeli and Swiss soccer teams and the spectators were shocked to see several peace activists running into the soccer field carrying slogans in support of the Palestinians during a match that joined the Israeli team with the Swiss team in Switzerland.

At around the 52 minute of the game, several peace activists rushed in to the field carrying big banner reading, “Free Palestine”, “End the Apartheid” while other protestors carried Palestinian flags, and ran around the field.

In response, some pro-Israeli spectators jumped into the field carrying Israeli flags.

The security guards managed to get the protestors out of the field and held them for questioning. The might be fined for breaking the law.

This World Cup qualifying match was held in Basel, and ended in a 1-1 draw.

Apparently, the reason behind choosing a soccer match is that protestors wanted to manifest their rejection to the occupation and the construction of the separation wall, often called the “Apartheid wall” by the anti-occupation groups, to a wide audience.

American Priorities

2005-09-01T14:40:00.000-07:00

There's No Such Thing as Jewish Terror

2005-08-31T14:04:00.000-07:00

War is Peace.

From the BBC:

Families of Israeli Arabs shot dead on a bus in Galilee are not considered terrorism victims because their killer was Jewish, the defence ministry says.

So, in Israel an Israeli-citizen must be killed by an "Arab enemy" to be considered a victim of terror. Mark Elf's comments:

If they were victims of terrorism then their dependants could receive pensions as a result of their love ones' deaths. An Arab member of the Israeli parliament is seeking an amendment to the law which at present states that "only attacks by enemies of Israel are considered terrorism." Now there's a dilemma for Israel. If they change the law to include the victims of Jewish terrorists, how will they distinguish between Jewish terrorists and Israeli soldiers?

The Question on Everybody's Mind

2005-08-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

Does Anyone Know What We Are Doing in Iraq?
From Paul Craig Roberts:

What are our efforts "in the broader Middle East"?

The only American efforts "in the broader Middle East" that have been defined are in the policy writings of Bush's neoconservative advisers who cooked up the invasion of Iraq. For the neocons, our efforts are in behalf of Israel's security.

The neocons' belief that Israel is made more secure by U.S. military aggression in the Middle East is delusional. How is Israel made secure by an invasion that turns the Muslim world against America as all polls show and Iraq into a training ground for al-Qaeda, as the CIA says has happened?

I say: "losing" (whatever that means) is an option.

Arabism

2005-08-29T13:58:00.000-07:00

A new blog from a guy who has commented here before. Good stuff from a secular Arab perspective.

The Global Blog

2005-08-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

Another blog from a guy who has commented here before, on Islam and the West, an Indonesian perspective.

Quotable

2005-08-27T14:44:00.000-07:00

On Iran:
"As I say, all options are on the table. The use of force is the last option for any president"
- George W. Bush in an inteview with Israel's Channel One, August 12, 2005

On Iraq:
"I will keep all options on the table. ... We want to resolve all issues peacefully"
- George W. Bush at a Tokyo News Conference, February 18, 2002

(Source: American Conservative Magazine, Sept. 12, 2005)

Mubarak Leads in Polls

2005-08-27T07:57:00.000-07:00

According to the World Peace Herald:

Opinion polls published by several Egyptian newspapers showed incumbent Hosni Mubarak is leading in Egypt's first multi-candidate presidential elections.

The polls projecting the results of the elections slated for Sept. 7 showed Mubarak, candidate of the ruling National Democratic Party, is followed by Naaman Jomaa, the secretary general of the Wafd Party, and Ayman Nour, head of the opposition al-Ghad party.

The daily al-Usbu' published a fresh poll Friday of a sample of 646 eligible voters indicating 63 percent will take part in the voting and 75 percent of those voting will vote for Mubarak while 8.2 percent backed Jomaa and 7.7 percent said they will vote for Nour.

The paper quoted Mubarak's backers as saying it is "better to choose who we know than one we don't know."

News & Comment Roundup

2005-08-26T12:57:00.000-07:00

Israel is out of the Gaza strip. Notice use of the expression "also claimed" in this report: "Israeli police and soldiers swept aside resistance at two Jewish settlements in the West Bank on Tuesday in the final act of a historic withdrawal from 25 settlements the government maintained for decades as an expression of its vision of a Jewish state in land also claimed by Palestinians." (Washington Post, 8/24)

The Arab blogosphere: "Many Arab bloggers are tackling sensitive political and human rights issues rarely broached by the state-controlled media. They are proving to be a powerful source of information, capable of reaching a few hundred like-minded activists, or of rallying international attention to a cherished cause." (Christian Science Monitor, 8/24)

After the Gaza withdrawals, now building begins in West Bank: "Hard on the heels of its withdrawal from Gaza, Israel has begun to confiscate West Bank land to extend its “separation barrier” around the Jewish settlements that it wants to keep.

"Even as settlers were hauled from Gaza rooftops, the Israeli Ministry of Justice gave the all-clear to extend the 680km (425-mile) barrier in a loop east of Jerusalem." (Times, 8/25)

Exiles (no not Chalabi, now it's Iranian-CIA people) say Iran is building the bomb. Speaking of the CIA, I wonder if these exiles got wind of that CIA intelligence report that says that Iran is a decade away from possibly obtaining a nulcear weapon: "Iranian agents have tried to obtain from South Korea a substance that can be used to boost nuclear explosions in atomic weapons, an Iranian exile group said on Thursday." (Reuters, 8/25)

Israel wants another $2.2 billion, this time, for developing the desert: "Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert pressed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in a rare two-hour meeting yesterday for U.S. financial assistance to develop the country's Negev and Galilee regions in the wake of the Gaza pullout." (Washington Times, 8/25)

Israel steals more land for West Bank settlements: "Israeli officials confirmed Wednesday that the government had issued orders to seize West Bank land needed to extend the separation barrier around the largest Jewish settlement, Maale Adumim, and link it to Jerusalem." (New York Times, 8/25)

The Palestinian economy: down, way down: "The United Nations Conference for Trade and Development, UNCTAD, reported that the Palestinian economy has sharply deteriorated since the beginning of Al Aqsa Intifada in 2000.

"A report prepared by the UNCTAD revealed that the Palestinian economy is facing serious setbacks, adding the one out of three Palestinian workers is jobless." (International Middle East Media Center, 8/26)

5 Palestinians killed in Israeli raid: "The Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, accused Israel on Thursday of undermining peace efforts with an undercover military raid in the West Bank city of Tulkarm in which five Palestinians were killed." (New Tork Times, 8/26)

Sunnis rally against constitutional charter: "With Iraq's political leaders still struggling to finalize a draft constitution, thousands of Sunni Arabs rallied in central and northern Iraq today to protest the proposed charter." (New York Times, 8/26)

After three constitutional deadlines, Iraqis still do not have a constitution. But why the rush? After all, think of what happenned in America following constitutional discrepencies: "A third deadline for agreeing on a constitution for Iraq has come and gone. Though the talking may continue for a while, Shias and Kurds say the current draft is good enough and will be put to voters. Sunni Arabs continue to object strenuously to the document and say it could provoke a civil war." (Economist, 8/26)

More violence: "As the two-day death toll around Iraq reached 100, fighting between two powerful Shiite militias in the southern city of Najaf subsided, with 19 reported dead overall. The clashes Wednesday night and Thursday between the Mahdi Army, loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr, and fighters allegedly linked to the government-allied Badr Organization were the deadliest between Iraqi militia forces since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003." (Washington Post, 8/26)

Justin Raimondo: the Democrats are just as bad: "The war-hawk mentality of these "national security Democrats" trickles down the "pyramid" of power from the apex, where party leaders like Senators Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton dwell. The former criticizes the administration's war policy from the right, and the latter has a bill in the hopper increasing the size of the army by 80,000 soldiers. On the second level, we have former government officials like Richard Holbrooke, one of the main architects of Bill Clinton's Kosovo adventure. Holbrooke, a key adviser to John Kerry, was instrumental in blocking any hints of antiwar sentiment from coming out of the Democratic side during the last presidential election." (Antiwar.com, 8/26)

Technological Innovation at its Peak

2005-08-25T13:14:00.000-07:00

Via Speaking Truth to Power: A veteran listens to George Bush's speech in Idaho using the latest in anti-propaganda technology.

I wonder what this guy did hear.

Iraqi Kurdish Leadership and Israel

2005-08-24T18:19:00.000-07:00

An excellent article from Lenin's Tomb:

One of the least noticed but most curious aspects of the current battle for Iraq is the relationship between Kurdish leaders and Israel. There have been a number of reports about the growing closeness between leaders of the two main Kurdish parties, the KDP and the PUK, and Israel, not least by Seymour Hersh. They seem to have struck upon a common interest: Iraq should not survive as a state.

Read it in its entirety.

Seymour Hersh, writing for the New Yorker (linked in the above article), reports:

Israeli intelligence and military operatives are now quietly at work in Kurdistan, providing training for Kurdish commando units and, most important in Israel’s view, running covert operations inside Kurdish areas of Iran and Syria. Israel feels particularly threatened by Iran, whose position in the region has been strengthened by the war. The Israeli operatives include members of the Mossad, Israel’s clandestine foreign-intelligence service, who work undercover in Kurdistan as businessmen and, in some cases, do not carry Israeli passports.

Asked to comment, Mark Regev, the spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Washington, said, “The story is simply untrue and the relevant governments know it’s untrue.” Kurdish officials declined to comment, as did a spokesman for the State Department.

However, a senior C.I.A. official acknowledged in an interview last week that the Israelis were indeed operating in Kurdistan. He told me that the Israelis felt that they had little choice: “They think they have to be there.” Asked whether the Israelis had sought approval from Washington, the official laughed and said, “Do you know anybody who can tell the Israelis what to do? They’re always going to do what is in their best interest.” The C.I.A. official added that the Israeli presence was widely known in the American intelligence community.

Fundie Morality

2005-08-23T16:50:00.000-07:00

Sharon to Consolodate Hold on West Bank

2005-08-23T13:02:00.000-07:00

"Old" news worth documenting:

Mr Sharon said Israel would continue to build in the West Bank and not carry out further withdrawals like the ones from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank.

Yes, Mr. Sharon said, actually said, not implied, gestured towards, hinted at, no, SAID that Israel will expand its hold on the West Bank. Where's the mainstream media on this?

Settlers Get More US Dollars Than Iraq Troops' Families

2005-08-22T13:46:00.000-07:00

An acute observation in Pat Buchanan's latest Antiwar.com column, concerning the "Disengagement":

After Sharon has withdrawn the last settler, he will demand $2.2 billion for his heroic achievement. The request, already in, breaks down to $1 million for every family moved out of Gaza. Bush and Congress, who only in May raised the death benefit for families of GIs killed in Iraq from $12,000 to $100,000, will fall all over one another expediting the latest tranche of U.S. tax dollars.

A superb column overall.

Satire

2005-08-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

Read this.

Elie Wiesel: Palestinians Should Feel Sorry for Settlers

2005-08-21T14:18:00.000-07:00

"Peter" over at one of Jews Sans Frontieres's comment threads brought this flamingly ignorant New York Times op-ed by Elie Wiesel, titled "The Dispossesed," to the fore. Amazingly, Mr. Wiesel wonders why the Palestinians don't feel sorry for the settlers:

I know only that in my opinion, what is missing from the chapter now closing is a collective gesture that ought to be made, but that hasn't been made, by the Palestinians.

Let's imagine it, if you will. Let's imagine that, faced with the tears and suffering of the evacuees, the Palestinians had chosen to silence their joy and their pride, rather than to organize military parades with masked fighters, machine guns in hand, shooting in the air as though celebrating a great battlefield victory. Yes, imagine that President Mahmoud Abbas and his colleagues, in advising their followers, extolled moderation, restraint, respect and a little understanding for the Jews who felt themselves struck by an unhappy fate. They would have won general admiration.

I will perhaps be told that when the Palestinians cried at the loss of their homes, few Israelis were moved. That's possible. But how many Israelis rejoiced?

I'll tell you who rejoiced, THE SETTLERS! Mr. Wiesel expects the Palestinians, who, it seems he has forgotten, are still under a 38-year-long military occupation, to bow their heads down and conceal their joy. How many Israelis rejoiced? We should ask, How many Israelis have to live with illegal settlers on their own territory, endure hundreds of checkpoints, endure rising unemployment rates and malnutrition, endure ongoing "incursions" and murders and assasinations, et cetera?

Besides, What "gesture" did the Israelis, exactly, make to the Palestinians who lost their homes, without $250,000 of compensation or an assured place to relocate? It seems he takes it to be obvious that the Israelis would extend a hand of sympathy.

Not to delve too far into a sensitive topic, but this is the same guy who suffered at the hands of the Nazis, and later on instructed not only his fellow victims, but Jews in general, to

. . . set apart a zone of hate -- healthy, virile hate -- for what the German personifies and for what persists in the German. To do otherwise would be a betrayal of the dead.

You would think someone who says something like that could remotely understand what the Palestinians, even Arabs in general (he has an interesting quote over at Memri.org), would feel.

All in all it was a stupid op-ed from a stupid newspaper.

Quote of the Day

2005-08-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

"Allow the president to invade a neighboring nation, whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you allow him to do so whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such a purpose—and you allow him to make war at pleasure."
– Abraham Lincoln

Neoconservative "Think-Tanks"

2005-08-20T00:48:00.000-07:00

Ha'aretz reports that the "New Right" Hudson institute is creating a "Project Zionism," described thus:

Hudson is now working on a new, ambitious long-term project. And the week of the disengagement appears to be a particularly suitable time to make it public for the first time. Called the Zionism Project, it involves a two-year study intended to explore "the identity crisis of Israel and Zionism," and the "reasons for the crisis" and to formulate recommendations "that can aid" in resolving it.

The head of this project -- none other than the neoconservative Israel-firster (and Israeli-national) Meyrav Wurmser, former head of Memri and wife of Dick Cheney's Middle East advisor, David Wurmser. A strongly pro-Israel advocate, she co-wrote "A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm," a policy paper for the Israeli government published by the Israeli think-tank Institute for Advanced Strategic and Political Studies in 1996, the writers of which include such prime neoconservative figures in the Bush Administration as Douglas Feith and David Wurmser, along with think-tank-soliciting Ms. Meyrav. It ominously reads:

Israel can shape its strategic environment, in cooperation with Turkey and Jordan, by weakening, containing, and even rolling back Syria. This effort can focus on removing Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq — an important Israeli strategic objective in its own right — as a means of foiling Syria’s regional ambitions. Jordan has challenged Syria's regional ambitions recently by suggesting the restoration of the Hashemites in Iraq. This has triggered a Jordanian-Syrian rivalry to which Asad has responded by stepping up efforts to destabilize the Hashemite Kingdom, including using infiltrations. Syria recently signaled that it and Iran might prefer a weak, but barely surviving Saddam, if only to undermine and humiliate Jordan in its efforts to remove Saddam.

It appears the spectre of neoconservatism is rising by means of these strange institutions.

Empire

2005-08-19T13:41:00.000-07:00

Pay particular attention to that red area between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and Turkey - yeah, that's Iraq. And notice the empty white space in between Iraq, Georgia, Aghanistan, Pakistan, etc. - yeah, that's Iran. (Graphic from OldAmericanCentury.org -- click for larger image)

Political Blog Roundup

2005-08-19T00:53:00.000-07:00

Jews Sans Frontieres blogger Mark Elf has posted an excellent and informative piece that had been published in Ireland's Sunday Business Post regarding the "disengagement" and its true motives and implications. An exerpt:

Gaza and Ariel Sharon have been well acquainted since the 1950s when Ariel Sharon led "reprisal" raids against Palestinian villages that brought shame even to Israeli leaders. Foreign Minister Moshe Sharrett referred to one of Sharon’s atrocities as a "stain [that] would stick to us and not be washed away for many years". Clearly he underestimated the strength of Zionist propaganda in the mass media.

The unabashedly ignorant (read: neoconservative) Moonbat Central blog (yes, that is what they call themselves), has published a piece titled "Is Pat Buchanan a Communist?" (they have a thing with titles) which concludes from one of Buchanan's pieces that he is in fact not a Communist, but a National Socialist. Humorous nonetheless. For the uninitiated, Buchanan, who founded The American Conservative Magazine and The American Cause, is a staunch paleo-conservative against the Iraq War and against the neoconservative agenda. (So why would the Neocons want to call him a Nazi?) Visit the sites and judge for yourselves.

Pensees sur les USA features an article on Middle East oil and the EU: "Work on a pipeline designed to transport natural gas from the Caspian region and the Middle East to the European Union (EU) has begun, a Romanian newspaper reported Friday."

Thoughts on the Eve of the Apocalypse (TOTEOTA) continues to post thought-provoking material (a must-visit blog), and the Syrian News Wire continues to furnish readers with news and analysis concerning Syrian politics and the Middle East, including a recent piece on Syria's Palestinian refugees.

Antony Loewenstein addresses so many issues its hard to keep track.

The Global Blog reminds us concerning the Gaza Pullout, "the West Bank is Palestinian territory under international law, which mean, all israeli settlers in this part of the world are illegal and therefore stealing the land, or 'borrowing' from the palestinians."

May the Blogosphere continue to make a difference.

Cindy Sheehan vs. Israel and Neocons!!!

2005-08-17T13:50:00.000-07:00

According to NewsMax.com:

The media's favorite Gold Star mother is blasting Israel along with the U.S. for being the primary cause of worldwide terrorism.

"You get America out of Iraq and Israel out of Palestine and you'll stop the terrorism," Sheehan declared Saturday, in quotes picked up by the Drudge Report.

It appears this antiwar mother understands. OfficialWire reproduces a letter by Ms. Sheehan to Nightline concerning the report they made about the incident in Iraq that killed her son, in which she lambasts the Neocons and their Israel-first agenda (take a deep breath, you may be overwhelmed with truth and frankness if you usually listen to the mainstream talk):

Yes, he was killed for lies and for a PNAC Neo-Con agenda to benefit Israel. My son joined the Army to protect America, not Israel. Am I stupid? No, I know full-well that my son, my family, this nation, and this world were betrayed by George Bush who was influenced by the neo-con PNAC agenda after 9/11. We were told that we were attacked on 9/11 because the terrorists hate our freedoms and democracy...not for the real reason, because the Arab-Muslims who attacked us hate our middle-eastern foreign policy. That hasn't changed since America invaded and occupied Iraq...in fact it has gotten worse.

Long live Cindy Sheehan!

"Colonization will continue"

2005-08-17T13:40:00.000-07:00

Le Monde reports (Google translation):

Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, affirmed Wednesday August 17 in Jerusalem that "colonization will continue and to develop" in the West Bank after the withdrawal of the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Authority immediately rejected the declarations of Mr. Sharon, qualifying these remarks of "unacceptable". "If the Israelis want peace, they must dismantle the colonies of the West Bank and in the area of Jerusalem as they decided to do it in the Gaza Strip" , declared the principal negotiator Palestinian, Saëb Erakat.

Israeli Terrorist Kills Four in West Bank

2005-08-17T13:22:00.000-07:00

Ha'aretz reports:

An Israeli Jew killed four people and wounded one other Wednesday afternoon when he opened fire on a group of Palestinians in the industrial area of the northern West Bank settlement of Shiloh.

The victims have been identified as Mohammed Mansour, 48, and Bassam Tauase, 30, both from the Nablus region; Halil Salah, 42, from Qalqilyah; and Osama Moussa Tawafsha, 24, from the village of Sanjil, not far from the West Bank town of Ramallah.
Asher Weisgan, a 38-year-old driver from Shvut Rahel in the West Bank, ransported Palestinian workers to and from the industrial area daily.

The Settlers and the Motives

2005-08-14T15:43:00.000-07:00

Apparently, The New York Times want us to feel sorry for the settlers. Yes. The 7,000 illegal colonists that complicated and bolstered an occupation that has led to thousands of Palestinians dead.

In fairness, the Times did put out an article on Friday detailing the Gazans' sentiments:

The Palestinian Authority is planning rallies as if it were the homestretch of an election campaign. Small sewing factories are cranking out thousands of Palestinian flags and street banners, T-shirts and backpacks that proclaim, "Today Gaza, tomorrow the West Bank and Jerusalem."

So what of this "disengagement plan"? In Israel, political turmoil surrounding the "disengagement" is heavy and potentially violent, so what is Ariel Sharon's motive for doing this? Ostensibly, PM Sharon has nothing to gain from unilaterally giving up Gaza, and even his fellow Likudniks are getting upset. Yet, the Israeli daily Ha'aretz quoted the true motives from one Dov Weisglass, who is considered the architect of the plan; according to Le Monde Diplomatique:

The plan was the result of the internal and external pressure on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s government, combined with Sharon’s own will to hold on to large parts of the West Bank (45%-55%). His adviser, Dov Weisglass, considered to be the architect of the plan, explained this clearly in his interview with Ha’aretz (1): “In the autumn of 2003 we understood that everything is stuck . . . There is international erosion [of Israel’s position], there is internal erosion, everything collapses, the economy is in a hellish state. And when the Geneva intiative appeared, it received wide support. And than came the letters of the officers, the letters of the pilots [who refused to serve in the occupied territories].”

According to Weisglass, Sharon decided to give up Gaza, which he had never considered as a national interest, to save the settlements in the West Bank and, more important, to prevent any negotiated agreement with the Palestinians. “The meaning of what we did is to freeze the negotiation process. And when you freeze the negotiation process, you prevent the creation of a Palestinian state and you prevent discussion on the refugee issue . . . The disengagement offers the right amount of formalin needed so that there will not be a negotiation process with the Palestinians.”

So now you know.

More on the "Disengagement"

2005-08-14T15:01:00.000-07:00

"Tex" of Antiwar.com's blog caught this one.

As quoted by The Times, an Israeli commander said this regarding the "disengagement":

“Normally we would storm a house killing everyone inside, whereas here we have to storm the house and keep everyone alive,” said one commander. “It’s not an easy job.”

Middle East Times Cartoon

2005-08-12T12:23:00.000-07:00

Nuclear China Good, Nuclear Iran Bad?

2005-08-12T09:52:00.000-07:00

While the Bush Administration is prodding Iran to give up nuclear power on the premise that Iran may harm one of her neighbors, the US is selling China two nuclear reactors. In an excellent column, Paul Craig Roberts, an Antiwar.com contributer, ponders the above question:

Meanwhile, the chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has announced that the commission will approve Westinghouse's sale of two nuclear reactors to China.

Conservatives and Republicans think this is a good idea. Vice President Cheney has lobbied in behalf of the sale. It is good for private business. It means $2.4 billion in revenues for Westinghouse Electric Company.

Iran will never again be a world power, even if it has a few nukes. Persia was a power in ancient times, not today. If we don't bother Iran, Iran won't bother us.

China is a different matter. China already is a world power. China holds enough U.S. government debt to have the dollar and U.S. interest rates in its hand. Last month in an official briefing, a top Chinese general, Zhu Chenghu, said that if the United States messes around with China or tries to interfere with China's reunification with Taiwan, China will nuke the United States: "If the Americans are determined to interfere, then we will be determined to respond. We Chinese will prepare ourselves for the destruction of all the cities east of Xian. Of course, the Americans will have to be prepared that hundreds of cities will be destroyed by the Chinese."

VP Cheney and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission want to make sure China has what it takes to do the job.

The worst kind of hypocracy: the one that doesn't serve the national interest.

Gulf War 'Provoked More Terror'

2005-08-12T09:47:00.000-07:00

Do we really need proof to know intervention causes terror? Well, if you're skeptical:

The 1991 Gulf War was more important in provoking terror than the recent Iraq war, the defence secretary has said.

John Reid said al-Qaeda had mounted attacks in response to the internationally-backed action against Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait.

He denied Iraq had descended into civil war and was in "chaos".

Earlier this year a report by a US intelligence agency said Iraq could become a breeding ground for the next generation of terrorists.

Coup in Baghdad!!!

2005-08-10T12:06:00.000-07:00

Symbolizing the rising power of radical Shiite religious groups following the US-led invasion, there was a mayoral coup d'état in Baghdad on Monday in which the mayor, a secular engineer with no party affiliation, was deposed by a Shiite militia group, and replaced by a member of the Badr Organization, the military wing of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq; according to the New York Times:

The deposed mayor, Alaa al-Tamimi, who was not in his offices at the time, recounted the events in a telephone interview on Tuesday and called the move a municipal coup d'état. He added that he had gone into hiding for fear of his life.

"This is the new Iraq," said Mr. Tamimi, a secular engineer with no party affiliation. "They use force to achieve their goal."

The group that ousted him insisted that it had the authority to assume control of Iraq's capital city and that Mr. Tamimi was in no danger. The man the group installed, Hussein al-Tahaan, is a member of the Badr Organization, the armed militia of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, known as Sciri.

The militia has been credited with keeping the peace in heavily Shiite areas in southern Iraq but also accused of abuses like forcing women to wear the veils demanded by conservative Shiite religious law.

A sign of things to come? You betcha. Following the Iraqi elections, the Shiite majority has come to power swiftly and thoroughly, estabishing close ties to the Islamic regime in Iran, and greatly influencing the writing of the new Constitution. What ever happened to that "Liberal Democracy" the neoconservatives were going to put there? It's out of reach. The secularists have long since been sold out.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Update: Juan Cole says that the municipal "coup" was indeed sanctioned by the January 30 Baghdadi provincial elections, i.e., SCIRI had the right to name the mayor of Baghdad:

That SCIRI and the Badr Organization (this militia ran as a political party) won the election in Baghdad province gives them the right to name the mayor. Some US reports are portraying this as a coup by a "Shiite militia", but the "coup" happened on Jan. 30 at the ballot box.

Wild West Bank

2005-08-10T10:30:00.000-07:00

Does anyone know the rules to THIS Israeli videogame?
--------------------------------------------------------
Update: Here's the English version. Thanks, Marsden.

News & Comment Roundup

2005-08-09T12:49:00.000-07:00

Gaza settlers going: "In a last-ditch effort to stop the Israeli government from withdrawing from Gaza and portions of the West Bank later this month, tens of thousands of Jewish settlers gathered Tuesday, vowing to march toward the Gush Katif settlement enclave, and setting up a showdown with police.

"But even as the battle escalates over Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's landmark pullout from territories claimed by Palestinians as part of a future state, some settlers are already worrying about the evacuation's impact on a movement that has promoted the steady expansion of Jewish settlements for three decades." (Christian Science Monitor, 8/3)

Pentagon wants to send more troops to Iraq: "Anticipating a new burst of insurgent violence, the Pentagon plans to expand the U.S. force in Iraq to improve security for a planned October referendum and a December election." (Yahoo! News -- AP, 8/8)

The majority of Americans may now be considered politically sensible: "By a record 57-34 percent margin, most Americans believe the Iraq war has made their country more vulnerable to terrorist attacks, according to a poll.

"And by a 56-41 percent margin, Americans believe some or all US troops should be withdrawn from Iraq -- a record 33 percent said all troops should be pulled out, according to the USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll.

"By a 54-44 percent margin, the 1,004 adults polled by telephone August 5-7 said the Iraq War was a mistake and by a 56-43 percent margin, they felt the war was going badly." (Yahoo! News -- AFP, 8/9)

Despite the fact that it would be ten years before Iran may acquire a nuclear bomb, and despite the fact that Israel already has 400 or so, this is happening: "Iran is facing mounting calls to halt uranium conversion, a day after it resumed operations at its nuclear facility at Isfahan." (BBC, 8/9)

Four in 9/11 plot are called tied to al-Qaeda in the year 2000: "More than a year before the Sept. 11 attacks, a small, highly classified military intelligence unit identified Mohammed Atta and three other future hijackers as likely members of a cell of Al Qaeda operating in the United States, according to a former defense intelligence official and a Republican member of Congress." (New York Times, 8/9)

More violence: "A car bomb which exploded on Tuesday afternoon in Baghdad brought the death toll in the Iraqi capital to at least 20, following a string of attacks by gunmen on Iraqi security forces which began early on the morning." (Al-Bawaba, 8/9)

And even more: "A suicide bombing in central Baghdad has killed at least three Iraqis and a US soldier." (BBC, 8/9)

Palestinian Foreign Minister says that Gaza withdrawal will not end the occupation: "Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip will not mark the end of the territory's occupation as Palestinians will be unable to exercise full sovereignty, the Palestinian foreign minister said yesterday. 'The Israelis are leaving the entire Gaza Strip but Israel will maintain control of its air space, territorial waters and, partially, the crossing points,' Nasser Kidwa said in an interview." (Daily Star, 8/9)

Deposed Mauritanian US-ally to be replaced with democratic government: "The United States denounced the loss of one of its closest allies on the African frontier of the global "war against terror" after Mauritania's president was ousted last week in a bloodless coup.

"But some analysts say that the long-term campaign for hearts and minds in the troublesome sub-Saharan region may now stand a better chance of success." (Christian Science Monitor, 8/9)

Shiites, Kurds disagree over role of Islam in Iraqi Constitution: "'Ayatollah al-Sistani does not want to impose dictates on drafting the constitution, but according to my knowledge he hopes that Islam becomes the main source of legislation,' [Prime Minister] Mr. Jaafari told reporters.

[...]

"But in a populist speech to one of two Kurdish regional parliaments over the weekend, Kurdish regional President Massoud Barzani, who also leads the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) signaled a hardening of his position.

"'We will not accept that Iraq's identity is an Islamic one,' he told them. 'There will be no bargaining over our basic rights.' He also demanded 65 percent of the revenue from the Kirkuk oil fields, Iraq's second largest, to go to the Kurdish autonomous region, something Shiite leaders say is unacceptable." (Christian Science Monitor, 8/9)

In other news, Oscar, creator of the amazingly interesting Middle East Politiks blog, changed his comments system and lost all of his previous comments. He was quoted by the New York Times as saying, "Darn it!" Subsequently, he requests readers to post as many comments as they possibly can (spam still prohibited).

Good Columns (READ THESE!):
"After the War," by Patrick Buchanan, 8/1

"Survival of the Fittest, Indeed," by Charley Reese, 8/6

"The Neocons' Childish Theories," by Charley Reese, 8/8

Oil Prices at All-Time High

2005-08-08T18:12:00.000-07:00

As the Independent reports:

The price of oil rose to its highest level for more than 22 years after warnings of imminent terror attacks against Westerners in Saudi Arabia.

All the more proof it would be better if America stayed out of the Middle East.

A Conspiracy Theory from Pravda

2005-08-08T17:42:00.000-07:00

I was surfing the Net and came accross Pravda.ru, and I wondered if this is the website of the Pravda, as in "The Truth" -- the "reputable" Soviet newspaper that we all know about from the Cold War.

The Wikipedia says this on the relationship:

[...] Over 90% of the journalists who had been working for Pravda until 1991 quit their jobs. They established their own version of the newspaper, which was later shut under government pressure. These same journalists led by former Pravda editors Vadim Gorshenin and Viktor Linnik in January 1999, launched Pravda Online, the first web-based newspaper in the Russian language; English and Portuguese versions are also available.
The new Pravda newspaper and Pravda Online are not related in any way, although the journalists of both publications are still in touch with each other. The paper Pravda tends to analyse events from a leftist point of view, while the web-based newspaper often takes a Nationalist approach.

Well anyway, not to endorse or denounce (though I'm definately not a Communist myself), but Pravda.ru has a rather speculative August 5th article titled "Did the USA orchestrate the mammoth Asian tsunami of December 2004?", which reads in part:

With Afghanistan and Iraq already lost, the Wall Street bankers were all desperately looking for other ways to control our world, when suddenly and very conveniently, the Sumatran Trench exploded.

Despite having a huge number of tsunami victims in its own State of Tamil Nadu, India completely converted the survey ship INS Nirupak into a 50-bed floating hospital in less than 72 hours, then sent it unarmed to help the desperate people of Aceh in Indonesia. By direct comparison, America sent combat ships and armed Marines. The US Navy has two 1,000 bed hospital ships, the 'Comfort' and the 'Mercy', but neither one was dispatched. Though the USNS Comfort was deployed to New York when 3,000 Americans died in September 2001, this current lack of action sends a strong signal that 150,000 (mostly Muslim) dead in South East Asia, and half a million injured, are of no concern whatever to the power brokers in New York.

Wow, huh? Either this is quite some investigative reporting or just Soviet propaganda!

Two Good Columns

2005-08-07T17:10:00.000-07:00

Fourth post of the day:

American Conservative coumnist Patrick Buchanan writes a well-thought-out column regarding the adverse effects of American empire:

But what comes after the celebratory gunfire when wicked Saddam is dead? Initially, the President and War Party will be seen as vindicated by victory and exhilarated by their new opportunity. For Iraq is key to the Middle East. With Iraq occupied, Syria will be hemmed in by Israeli, American, and Turkish power. Assad will have to pull his army out of Lebanon, so Sharon can go back in and settle scores with Hezbollah. Iran will be surrounded by U.S. power in Turkey, Iraq, the Gulf, Afghanistan, Central Asia and the Arabian Sea.

This is the vision that intoxicates the neoconservatives who pine for a “World War IV” – a cakewalk conquest of Iraq followed by short sharp wars on Syria and Iran. Already Israel is tugging at our sleeve, reminding us not to forget Libya.

[...]

With our MacArthur Regency in Baghdad, Pax Americana will reach apogee. But then the tide recedes, for the one endeavor at which Islamic peoples excel is expelling imperial powers by terror and guerrilla war. They drove the Brits out of Palestine and Aden, the French out of Algeria, the Russians out of Afghanistan, the Americans out of Somalia and Beirut, the Israelis out of Lebanon.

Twelve years ago, this writer predicted that George Bush’s Gulf War would be “the first Arab-American War.” The coming war will not be the last. We have started up the road to empire and over the next hill we will meet those who went before. The only lesson we learn from history is that we do not learn from history.

Similarly, columnist Charley Reese characterizes the downfall America will incur if it remains on its imperialist track:

All imperialism, even the American form, is ultimately based on social Darwinism, a belief not openly stated these days that we are a superior people and therefore must inevitably rule in one way or another the inferior others.

[...]

It is a national disgrace that so many thousands of Americans have died in wars that had absolutely nothing to do with the safety and security of the United States. What the imperialists in Washington are doing by abandoning the wisdom of our forefathers is proving that they are certainly not the fittest to survive.

If you want good columns, these are the two.

Bush's Doublespeak

2005-08-07T14:36:00.000-07:00

Can anyone make sense of Bush's recent statements following the release of the al-Qaeda tape, as quoted by the Financial Times:

"The comments made by the number two man of al-Qaeda make it clear that Iraq is part of this war on terror and we're at war," he said. "We will stay the course. We will complete the job in Iraq."

So let me get this straight. Iraq is part of the War on Terror because al-Qaeda commented on it? It seems Bush created a venue for terror, and now considers this venue a major front in the war to defeat al-Qaeda. It's difficult to rationalize such a statement.

Iran and Syria Brought Together by 'Shared Threats'

2005-08-07T14:31:00.000-07:00

Looks like American policies are creating some enemies: "Iran's new President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad welcomed Syrian President Bashar Assad in Tehran, vowing to strengthen ties between the two countries brought together by 'shared threats.' 'Syria represents the front-line of the Muslim nation, shared threats bring us together and make our cooperation even more necessary,' Ahmadinejad said ahead of talks with the leader of Iran's leading Arab ally.

"'Reinforcing our bilateral relations will protect the region against the threats of its enemies ... our enemies are trying to undermine this relationship,' he said.

"Iran and Syria both face U.S. sanctions for their alleged sponsorship of terrorism and quest for non-conventional weapons. They also stand accused of playing a spoiling role in their shared neighbor Iraq.

"John Bolton, in his debut speech as U.S. ambassador to the UN last week, pressed Syria and Iran to do more to stem the flow of insurgents, arms and funding into Iraq.

"Tehran and Damascus - allies in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war - have repeatedly said they are doing all they can to control their borders with Iraq." (Daily Star, 8/8)

Church May Divest from Companies Supporting Israel's Occupation

2005-08-07T14:28:00.000-07:00

"The Presbyterian Church U.S.A. announced Friday that it would press four American corporations to stop providing military equipment and technology to Israel for use in the occupation of the Palestinian territories, and that if the companies did not comply, the church would take a vote to divest its stock in them.

"The companies - Caterpillar, Motorola, ITT Industries and United Technologies - were selected from a list of several dozen possibilities by a church investment committee that met Friday in Seattle. The Presbyterians accused these companies of selling helicopters, cellphones, night vision equipment and other items Israel uses to enforce its occupation.

"In an effort to appear even-handed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the church committee also included Citigroup on its list of targets, alleging it had a connection to a bank accused of having a role in funneling money from Islamic charities to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers. The church said it included Citigroup because it was mentioned in an article in The Wall Street Journal." (New York Times, 8/6)

New York Times Downplays AIPAC Indictments

2005-08-05T18:31:00.000-07:00

America's most influential newpaper downplays the recent indictments of two senior AIPAC officials in a front-page story.

Charged with leaking classified national security information to Israeli government officials and journalists, Steven J. Rosen and Keith Weissman each face a single count of conspiracy, while Mr. Rosen is charged with "an additional count of passing classified information".

But the New York Times downplays this indictment by claiming it to be "expected, but nevertheless unusual":

The charges in the long-running inquiry were expected, but nevertheless unusual. Neither Mr. Rosen nor Mr. Weissman, who have denied any wrongdoing, held security clearances.

[...]

The offenses charged in the indictment fall under the Espionage Act, but no one has been charged with spying. Although the statutes do not explicitly apply only to government officials with security clearances, prosecutors have not often pursued cases like the one against Mr. Rosen and Mr. Weissman. They are accused of transferring classified information to journalists and foreign government officials that could be "used to the injury" of the United States or "to the advantage" another country.

The Times does not substantiate these claims or relate their relevance vis-a-vis the necessity or legality of the indictments, but it seems to me that any harm done regarding national security and classified information should be prosecuted within the law, so why must the Times deem it unusual to follow through?

Bush and Blair Still Living in a Hole

2005-08-04T07:52:00.000-07:00

Al-Qaeda number two, Ayman al-Zawahri, has come out with a statement saying that UK foreign policy is to blame for the 7/7 terrorist attacks:

"Blair's policies brought you destruction in central London and will bring you more destruction ..."

To America, he says:

"What you have seen in New York, Washington and Afghanistan, are only the initial losses and if you (United States) continue the same hostile policies you will see what will make you forget those horrors"

"Attack our freedom"? "Change our way of life"? How come al-Qaeda knows the cause of terror, but our leaders don't? Why are our leaders lying?

News & Comment Roundup

2005-08-02T16:57:00.000-07:00

Suicide attacks evolving, increasing: "Suicide terrorist attacks worldwide have risen from an average of 3 per year in the 1980s to about 10 per year in the 1990s, according to Robert Pape [my link -- O], author of Dying to Win: the Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism. 2004 alone saw 158 suicide attacks, according to Scott Atran, a research director at the National Center for Scientific Research in Paris, France.

[...]

'Although suicide terrorism accounts for just 3 percent of all terrorist events [between 1980 and 2003], it accounts for 48 percent of all deaths,' Pape said." (National Geographic, 7/29)

Dubai women in work-force: "With the job opportunities of a booming economy, a government drive to empower and educate women and exposure to other cultures, Dubai's women are moving in increasing numbers into a wide range of professions." (BBC, 7/29) See also the BBC's new series on Middle Eastern youth.

Are you sure there isn't a timetable? US Ambassador discusses troop pullout: "In his first press conference, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said that American forces would hand over control of specific areas to Iraqi forces and "withdraw its own units from these areas." He declined to say which Iraqis cities American soldiers would leave first, but said he had formed a committee with Iraqi leaders to draw up a detailed withdrawal plan." (New York Times, 8/1)

Iran far from obtaining nuclear bomb, according to US intelligence: "A major U.S. intelligence review has projected that Iran is about a decade away from manufacturing the key ingredient for a nuclear weapon, roughly doubling the previous estimate of five years, according to government sources with firsthand knowledge of the new analysis." (Washington Post, 8/2)

More violence; seven Marines killed, toll tops 1800: "The American death toll in Iraq has topped 1,800 with the killings of seven Marines in northwestern Iraq, including six sniper team members, U.S. commanders said Tuesday." (CNN, 8/2)

Israeli extremists demonstrate in major rally: "With a huge police contingent keeping close watch, thousands of right-wing Israelis demonstrated tonight against the planned withdrawal of Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip, which is to begin in just two weeks." (New York Times, 8/2)

Saudi king buried, Muslim leaders attend funeral: "The body of King Fahd bin Abdel Aziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia was lowered into a simple, unmarked grave today before a gathering of several hundred Muslim political and religious leaders from around the world." (New York Times, 8/2)

Iran changes nuclear plans: "Threats by Iran to re-start the process of enriching uranium could indicate that it has taken a strategic decision to develop a nuclear fuel production cycle." (BBC, 8/2)

A history of al-Qaeda: "Fisking the 'War on Terror'"

Political cartoon from Antiwar.com:

Bolton is Appointed to UN

2005-08-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

During the US Senate's recess, President Bush took the initiative to appoint neoconservative hawk John Bolton to represent the US in the UN. This comes as a surprise given Bolton's unpopularity (among some Republicans as well as Democrats) in the Senate and the electorate.

John Bolton sridently backed US calls for attacking Iraq, with or without "weapons of mass destruction," and has called for war in the Middle East with more Muslim countries; according to the Christian Science Monitor:

In February 2005, Mr. Bolton was nominated US ambassador to the UN by President Bush. If confirmed, he would move to this position from the Department of State where he was Under Secretary for Arms Control, the top US non-proliferation official. Prior to this appointment, Bolton was senior vice president of the neoconservative think tank American Enterprise Institute. He also held a variety of positions in both the George H. W. Bush and Ronald Reagan administrations.

Bolton has often made claims not fully supported by the intelligence community. In a controversial May 2002 speech entitled, "Beyond the Axis of Evil," Bolton fingered Libya, Syria, and Cuba as "other rogue states intent on acquiring weapons of mass destruction."

In July 2003, the CIA and other agencies reportedly objected strongly to claims Bolton made in a draft assessment about the progress Syria has made in its weapons programs.

This UN nomination is widely regarded to isolate the US in the international community.

"Iraq Dances With Iran, While America Seethes"

2005-08-01T10:56:00.000-07:00

"Regaining a semblance of stability here is a goal of both the Iraqi government and the Americans. But the country's elected leadership apparently believes that Iraq's long-term welfare will depend on building a strong relationship with Iran as well as on maintaining ties to the United States. As the Shiite Arab leaders who now hold sway in Baghdad see it, support from their co-religionists in Iran could be decisive in keeping Iraq from slipping further into chaos." (New York Times, 7/31)

Senator in the Middle East

2005-07-31T12:46:00.000-07:00

Judging from her "Blog from the Middle East," Democratic Senator Patty Murray (WA) doesn't understand the current Palestinian situation well.

Currently serving her third term in the US Senate, Ms. Murray devoted two days of her six-day regional tour to visiting Israel-Palestine. She recounts a vivid picture of the Palestinian situation, "immediately" seeing "poverty and very badly deteriorating buildings and roads"; then she met with PM "Almad [sic]" Quraya', expecting the Palesinians to control Hamas:

We pushed him on the need for stopping terrorist activities and told him that the US wanted to be helpful but was watching carefully the actions of the new government particularly where it concerned Hamas.

And then with the Interior Minister:

His job is to oversee the implementation of security. When I asked him about the connection between economics and security he told me a story of going to the Gaza area a year or so ago and meeting with 35 or 36 young boys under the age of 15, all of them had lost their hands in explosions when they threw bombs and pulled the pin too early, or threw it too late. He talked about how the reason they did this was that they were the sole support for their families and were paid money to throw the bombs. He said Hamas can recruit because these families are desperate.

She then made an acute observation as to the infrastructure of the territories: "The buildings themselves were crumbling old, had only one bathroom, the elevators were not working, paint was peeling. It is hard to imagine how they can forge ahead when it is so clear they need to spend an awful lot just on basic infrastructure needs." But then she corrected herself in the next sentence: "However, it was clear to all of us that they needed to show they could stop terrorism and would be clear in doing that before they could get more help from the US. It is a very difficult situation." Difficult indeed.

Following the Senator's Catch-22 logic, How could the Palestinian Authority stop terrorism effectively if it does not have the basic infrastructure, and if the people are living in such a dire situation? It would be impossible to expect the PA to meet US and Israeli demands under such circumstances, and also without proper peaceful exchanges between the Palestinians and Israelis. Unbeknownst to Ms. Murray, with the Israeli occupation and settlements, et cetera, Hamas' popularity and following is ever-growing.

Besides, Hamas has largely stuck to the cease-fire, so one must suspect that excuses are being made, or that Ms. Murray cannot see beyond a stereotype.

Interestingly enough, by her own account, she did not ask Israeli leaders to do anything! Neither still did her meetings with Israeli leaders follow the same line of logic as with the Palestinians. About Shimon Peres, having dutifully praised him, she wrote:

He said the Peace Process is difficult, and that security is such a huge issue here that it is hard to move forward. I think everyone hopes that with the new Palestinian leadership movement will be made. But no one is expressing huge optimism for anything immediate. The issues are too large and complex.

Then with Sharon:

We met this morning with Prime Minister Sharon - he painted a very tough but slightly optimistic picture of the future of peace talks. He said that with Arafat's death new hope is there, but that the window is short and security is absolutely the bottom line. That all will fail if terrorism is not stopped. He also emphasized that we need to make sure we support the Palestinian Authority - as they must have infrastructure improvements. It will also legitimize their new government if we support them. I found that interesting. However, he did say that we should verify where all aid went so it would not go to terrorist activity. What a challenge!

Yes, and what of the challenges of the occupation, settlements, the wall, the incursions, et cetera? It seems she had forgotten to comment.

US Supports Iranian Terrorists

2005-07-30T20:18:00.000-07:00

William Van Wagenen of the Electronic Iraq reports that the US is supporting an Iranian Marxist group called Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MEK), which was designated in 1997 as a terrorist organization by the US Department of State and is hostile to the current Iranian government, by sponsoring an MEK conference in the foreigner-frequented Palestine Hotel in Baghdad:

The U.S. Government is now openly supporting the Mujahideen-e-Khalq, an Iranian resistance movement designated as terrorist organization by the US State Department. On June 20th of this year, the Mujahideen-e-Khalq held a conference at the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad, which is where many foreign journalists stay and is under the full protection of the U.S. Army. I was in the area of the hotel that day, and saw at least 10 U.S. tanks heading in the direction of the hotel to provide additional security. I knew of the conference in advance, because of a report issued to all NGO's working in Iraq, which mentioned that the conference would take place. The report warned of an increased danger of attacks against the hotel, as anti- U.S. insurgents were likely to attempt to disrupt the conference [1].

He goes on to explain the purpose of such support:

Support for the MEK reveals one of the advantages the U.S. has acquired by occupying Iraq. The country can now be used as a staging post for carrying out attacks against regimes hostile to U.S. interests in the region, whether through proxy organizations such as MEK, or by attacking such countries directly by dispatching U.S. forces based on Iraqi soil. U.S. planners are currently somewhat constrained from using the latter option due to the difficulty they face in pacifying Iraq, so the first option, namely supporting terrorist organizations that are trying to destabilize the Iranian regime, will likely be their preferred course of action until U.S. control of Iraq is fully consolidated.

The MEK, according to Van Wegenen, has been responsible for the bombings of Iranian offices, killing 70 high-ranking officials, have assisted in quelling the Shiite-Kurdish uprising in post-Gulf War Iraq, and have continued to conduct terrorism through the 1990s.

News & Comment Roundup

2005-07-30T13:54:00.000-07:00

Iraqi professionals leaving war-torn Iraq: "In stifling summer heat, Dr Muthanna al-Assal patiently waits his turn in a jostling queue. Like many doctors in Baghdad, he is making preparations to leave the country.

The main passport office in the city is crammed with people, like Dr Assal, trying to get out of Iraq. Some are planning holidays in neighbouring countries but others are in search of a better, safer life abroad." (BBC, 7/28)

Iraqi insurgents pursue aim of diplomatic isolation: "Two Algerian diplomats who were kidnapped in broad daylight less than a week ago have been killed after receiving a death sentence from what was described as a religious court, a group led by the Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi said in an Internet posting on Wednesday." (New York Times, 7/28)

Big political change in Egypt unlikely: "After months of expectations -- high hopes for change that followed this spring's protests in Lebanon and Mubarak's own hints at more political freedom -- the longest-serving ruler of modern Egypt today is struggling through a season of discontent. There is nascent dissent against him, and far broader frustration over decades of perceived stagnation. Three nearly simultaneous bombings Saturday in the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, which killed as many as 88 people, have undercut the mantra of his government -- security and stability. Beyond his election this fall is another for parliament in November that will be viewed in the United States and elsewhere as the barometer of whether Mubarak will inaugurate long-awaited reform." (Washington Post, 7/28)

More violence: "A suicide bomber wearing a vest laden with explosives blew himself up outside an army recruitment center in a remote northern village on the Syrian border on Friday, an official with the Iraqi Interior Ministry said. An Iraqi official said the attack killed 26 people and wounded at least 30, though American military officials put the figures at 10 dead and 21 wounded." (New York Times, 7/29)

No evidence proclaiming tie between Iranian President and hostage crisis: "A month after some former American hostages in the United States Embassy in Tehran asserted that the president-elect of Iran was among their captors in 1979, government officials say they have turned up no evidence to support that claim." (New York Times, 7/29)

Islam will play large role in new Iraqi government, unlike prior to the US-led invasion: "The framers of Iraq's constitution appear likely to enshrine Islam as the main basis of law in the country -- a stronger role than the United States had hoped for and one some Iraqis fear will mean a more fundamentalist regime." (AP -- New York Times, 7/30)

No timetable? Gen. Casey says large troop reduction likely in spring; Mr. Rumsfeld wants Iraqis to hurry up with the Constitution: "Mr. Rumsfeld declined to say when conditions would permit that drawdown to start. But the top American commander here, Gen. George W. Casey Jr., reaffirmed to reporters his own statement in March that the Pentagon could make 'some fairly substantial reductions' in troops by next spring if the political process remained on track and Iraqi forces assumed more responsibility for securing the country.

[...]

First and foremost, Mr. Rumsfeld told reporters, was the need to stick to a political timetable that calls for Iraqi officials to write a constitution by Aug. 15. 'We don't want any delays,' Mr. Rumsfeld said. 'They're simply going to have to make the compromises necessary and get on with it.' He added, 'That's what politics is about.'" (New York Times, 7/30)

Check points to be upgraded; differing views: "A modern terminal will soon replace the old Qalandiya checkpoint, one of 20 multimillion-dollar crossings planned along the route of a barrier designed to separate Israel from the Palestinian population of the West Bank.... Palestinians said the new terminals provide further evidence that Israel intends the separation barrier to mark its eastern border, along a route that is not being negotiated with them.... Israeli officials said the $333 million project, calling for 14 terminals and six cargo hubs to be built along the 400-mile barrier, will simplify the crossing process. The U.S. Agency for International Development is contributing $50 million to the project." (Washington Post, 7/30)

Pakistan to crack down on foreign students after 7/7: "General Pervez Musharraf pledged to expel an estimated 1,400 foreign students from Pakistan's Islamic schools and arrest extremist leaders as part of a crackdown on militant groups." (Guardian, 7/30)

Riot police beat Cairo protesters: "Egyptian security forces have used force to disperse pro-reform demonstrators trying to hold a protest in a main square in central Cairo." (BBC, 7/30)

Oh yeah, last but not least, our favorite little president is in top notch shape; oh joy: "President Bush's doctors pronounced him in excellent health after his annual physical examination yesterday and said a calf strain that had slowed his running regimen has healed." (Washington Times, 7/30)

Pope Rejects Israel's Complaints

2005-07-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

Despite Israeli complaints against the Vatican that it left Israel off of a list of countries recently hit by terrorist attacks, the Vatican stood by its list; according to the BBC:

[The Vatican] said this was mainly because "the attacks against Israel sometimes were followed by immediate Israel reactions not always compatible with the rules of international law".

"It would thus be impossible to condemn the first (Palestinian attacks) and let the second (Israeli retaliation) pass in silence".

Thomas Friedman is a Propagandist

2005-07-28T23:59:00.000-07:00

Thus spake the propagandist:

We also need to spotlight the "excuse makers," the former State Department spokesman James Rubin said. After every major terrorist incident, the excuse makers come out to tell us why imperialism, Zionism, colonialism or Iraq explains why the terrorists acted. These excuse makers are just one notch less despicable than the terrorists and also deserve to be exposed. When you live in an open society like London, where anyone with a grievance can publish an article, run for office or start a political movement, the notion that blowing up a busload of innocent civilians in response to Iraq is somehow "understandable" is outrageous. "It erases the distinction between legitimate dissent and terrorism," Mr. Rubin said, "and an open society needs to maintain a clear wall between them."

So Thomas Friedman thinks people who point to a connection between US foreign policy and Islamic extremism are "dispicable" "excuse makers". May I inquire, Mr. Friedman, Can you, that is, Are you able, to disprove the claims of the "excuse makers"?

No.

And that is why you are a propagandist.

When the Going Gets Tough, Nuke Iran

2005-07-28T19:59:00.000-07:00

And that's exactly what Dick Cheney wants to do; according to intelligence analyst Philip Giraldi, writing in The American Conservative Magazine:

The Pentagon, acting under instructions from Vice President Dick Cheney's office, has tasked the United States Strategic Command (STRATCOM) with drawing up a contingency plan to be employed in response to another 9/11-type terrorist attack on the United States. The plan includes a large-scale air assault on Iran employing both conventional and tactical nuclear weapons. Within Iran there are more than 450 major strategic targets, including numerous suspected nuclear-weapons-program development sites. Many of the targets are hardened or are deep underground and could not be taken out by conventional weapons, hence the nuclear option. As in the case of Iraq, the response is not conditional on Iran actually being involved in the act of terrorism directed against the United States. Several senior Air Force officers involved in the planning are reportedly appalled at the implications of what they are doing – that Iran is being set up for an unprovoked nuclear attack – but no one is prepared to damage his career by posing any objections.

Apparently the Bush Administration is learning from its mistakes, only instead of fixing them, they adopt them as policy, i.e., attacking countries that have never attacked the United States to further seemingly seperate interests. Indeed, nuking Iran would have major implications (apart from the immense loss of life), as Juan Cole (who deems such an action "unlikely") of Informed Comment relates:

First, the Vice President and the Department of Defense may have by now noticed that Iran is a Shiite Muslim country. There are other important Shiite Muslim communities in the Middle East that would, let us say, mind their coreligionists being turned into shadows on walls.

Among these, even the Vice President and Mr. Rumsfeld may have noticed, is Iraq. Nuking Iran would certainly produce large-scale attacks on US troops in Iraq. I suspect the Iraqi government would fall over it, insofar as it is closely connected to the US. If you think things are bad in Iraq now, you don't even want to think about this scenario, in which religious Sunni Arabs and religious Shiites would almost certainly unite in an anti-American pan-Islamism.

Some 15 percent of Afghans are also Shiites. In addition, the Tajiks or Persian-speakers in Afghanistan are closely allied to Iran. The same scenario, of attacks on US troops and the dragging of Hamid Karzai's body through the streets of Kabul, would likely ensue.

Both the Shiites and the Sunni Muslim fundamentalists of Pakistan would rise up over such an action. The government of Pakistan, led by secular Gen. Pervez Musharraf, might not mind the attack on Iran, with which it has a rivalry. But the Musharraf government is not popular and could be overthrown in such a crisis. At that point angry Shiite and Sunni fundamentalists in Pakistan might gain control of that country's nuclear arsenal.

A US nuclear strike on Iran would be absolutely unacceptable to China. The Chinese could wreak major harm on the US economy by simply disinvesting in it. They hold massive US debt.

A US nuclear strike on Iran would anger many publics in Europe. An economic boycott by Europe would also be devastating.

Although US trade with India is still small, all the attempts to build a stronger relationship with Delhi would be undone. India has a tacit alliance with Iran and would certainly be absolutely outraged, both at the governmental and the public level, by a US nuclear attack on Iran. Pushing both China and India toward postures of enmity toward the United States would greatly weaken it.

The US would suddenly find its influence throughout the world plummeting, its economy badly hurt by boycotts. It would become a pariah nation. And, if it thinks it faces a terrorist threat now, you can only imagine what kind of retribution would be exacted.

Website Profile: Challenging Christian Zionism

2005-07-27T13:16:00.000-07:00

I found this after a Google search for "Christian Zionism": Challenging Christian Zionism. Here we have a website run by dissenting Evangelical Christians challenging the Christian Zionist mode of thought, i.e., Israel is a fulfillment of prophecy and one step closer to Armageddon and the subsequent Second Coming of Jesus Christ, and America must therefore support Israel unconditionally (and these people have a lot of influence).

About the website owners:

We are a group of evangelical pastors, academics and mission executives who have been disturbed by the growing influence of Christian Zionism on the political scene in America recognizing this ideology to be a major factor in the stalled peace process in Israel / Palestine. We hope to offer an alternative biblical view, one that reflects the true nature of God as a God of compassion and justice. Christian Zionism and the dispensationalism which undergirds it distorts this.

The site also includes articles, a forum for members, and a bunch of other stuff. Check it out.

New: Syndication

2005-07-27T12:55:00.000-07:00

Just scroll down the right-hand side of the page until you hit "Syndication", and you can transfer the newest material from Middle East Politiks to News Gator, My Yahoo, or My MSN (click to access homepages and sign up) and keep updated!

As simple as a click, and free of charge!

If you don't understand what syndication is exactly, click here to read what the BBC says about it.

The Economist Doesn't Know What's Going on

2005-07-25T12:44:00.000-07:00

I paid $4.95 for this baloney:

Mr Blair's blank refusal to acknowledge a possible link to Iraq is wrong. But so what if there was one? Those who would go on to conclude that the right course of action in the light of the bombings is for western countries to flee Iraq are in danger of making a very much bigger mistake. This is not only because of the need to defend the principle that the foreign policy of democracies should be made by representative governments, not by disaffected young men bent on murder. It is also because, whatever reasons America and Britain had for invading Iraq in 2003, they now have a moral obligation not to abandon its people to mayhem. Besides, fleeing the terrorists is not even likely to advance the West's own safety. All the evidence since the emergence of al-Qaeda in the 1990s, its declaration of jihad against “Jews and Crusaders”, and the attacks in East Africa, New York, Washington, Bali, Madrid and elsewhere, suggests that “victory” in Iraq would merely encourage the terrorists to pursue the defeated infidels home.

Apparently The Economist is not up to date with recent studies (which only serve to bolster common sense); namely Associate Professor Robert Pape's Dying to Win, as expounded in this American Conservative Magazine interview. Mr. Pape, a professor at the University of Chicago, has created the first comprehensive database of all suicide bombings from 1980 to 2004, from which data he concludes that suicide-terrorists are compelled to attack foreign countries (nominally modern democracies) primarily based on those countries' occupations of terrorists' land (which duly serves to debunk Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair's reasoning; but who ever believed them in the first place?):

The central fact is that overwhelmingly suicide-terrorist attacks are not driven by religion as much as they are by a clear strategic objective: to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from the territory that the terrorists view as their homeland. From Lebanon to Sri Lanka to Chechnya to Kashmir to the West Bank, every major suicide-terrorist campaign—over 95 percent of all the incidents—has had as its central objective to compel a democratic state to withdraw.

[. . .]

Since suicide terrorism is mainly a response to foreign occupation and not Islamic fundamentalism, the use of heavy military force to transform Muslim societies over there, if you would, is only likely to increase the number of suicide terrorists coming at us.
Since 1990, the United States has stationed tens of thousands of ground troops on the Arabian Peninsula, and that is the main mobilization appeal of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. People who make the argument that it is a good thing to have them attacking us over there are missing that suicide terrorism is not a supply-limited phenomenon where there are just a few hundred around the world willing to do it because they are religious fanatics. It is a demand-driven phenomenon. That is, it is driven by the presence of foreign forces on the territory that the terrorists view as
their homeland. The operation in Iraq has stimulated suicide terrorism and has given suicide terrorism a new lease on life.

So, it is now beyond doubt: terrorists are compelled to attack western nations because of direct or indirect military occupations. Knowing this, what is the logic behind the statement that withdrawal from Iraq "would merely encourage the terrorists to pursue the defeated infidels home." Mr. Pape addresses this fantasy head-on:

Many people worry that once a large number of suicide terrorists have acted that it is impossible to wind it down. The history of the last 20 years, however, shows the opposite. Once the occupying forces withdraw from the homeland territory of the terrorists, they often stop—and often on a dime.

In Lebanon, for instance, there were 41 suicide-terrorist attacks from 1982 to 1986, and after the U.S. withdrew its forces, France withdrew its forces, and then Israel withdrew to just that six-mile buffer zone of Lebanon, they virtually ceased. They didn’t completely stop, but there was no campaign of suicide terrorism. Once Israel withdrew from the vast bulk of Lebanese territory, the suicide terrorists did not follow Israel to Tel Aviv.

This is also the pattern of the second Intifada with the Palestinians. As Israel is at least promising to withdraw from Palestinian-controlled territory (in addition to some other factors), there has been a decline of that ferocious suicide-terrorist campaign. This is just more evidence that withdrawal of military forces really does diminish the ability of the terrorist leaders to recruit more suicide terrorists.
That doesn’t mean that the existing suicide terrorists will not want to keep going. I am not saying that Osama bin Laden would turn over a new leaf and suddenly vote for George Bush. There will be a tiny number of people who are still committed to the cause, but the real issue is not whether Osama bin Laden exists. It is whether anybody listens to him. That is what needs to come to an end for Americans to be safe from suicide terrorism.

It amazes me that a publication of such reputable standards as The Economist would ignore common sense AND political analysis and print that unfounded claim. Perhaps I should send the editor a copy of Mr. Pape's book.

Is Civil War Looming in Lebanon?

2005-07-24T16:41:00.000-07:00

In the Middle East Times Claude Salhani writes in an opinion editorial that, "The Lebanese like to reiterate they have learned the lessons of the 15-year civil war and that the risk of another fratricidal conflict is unthinkable. But in spite of its recent tumultuous history, Lebanon is sitting atop an over-active political volcano, risking eruption at any moment."

Indeed, since former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated by an unknown bomber on February 14, 2005, additional violence, including assassinations (and some unsuccessful attempts), have polluted the post-Hariri climate. Lebanon, with its history of sectarian strife, is particularly susceptible to the spark of civil war. Journalists, political figures, and civilians of varying religions and political ideologies have been targeted.

The civil war cost many thousands of lives; but now with Syrian troops, who virtually kept the peace, out of Lebanon, and Sunnis, Shiites, Christians, and other sects all vying for a larger piece of the Lebanese political pie, security and political concerns are rampant. Salhani goes on to describe the sectarian situation and its violent potentials:

Now the Maronites are worried again. They find themselves without a real charismatic leader, able to counter the immense popularity enjoyed by Saad Hariri, a Sunni Muslim and son of the late Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. They have no one commanding the respect or following of Walid Jumblatt, the Druze leader; nor are they as united as the Hizbullah-Amal alliance, with its well-organized infrastructure representing the interests of the Shias.

Now that the Syrians have withdrawn, the fragile multi-sectarian alliance formed to expedite their withdrawal risks being fragmented, leaving the Maronites weak.

With that in mind, the Maronites - at least some of them - have turned to former Lebanese army Gen. Michel Aoun and his Free Patriotic Movement, hoping to draw on the immense popular support they command. Aoun returned from 15 years of exile in France and is aiming to claim the grand prize of Lebanese politics, the presidency.

Fearing a possible win by Aoun who is rumored to have obtained the support of Damascus and the Maronite Church, the anti-Syrian opposition, now holding a majority in parliament, enacted a bill granting amnesty to Samir Geagea, leader of the disbanded right-wing Christian Lebanese Forces militia.

Geagea was arrested 11 years ago and convicted of ordering the murder of three prominent political rivals. He has been in a military prison since.

Upon hearing the news of his imminent release some of his supporters celebrated by firing their guns into the air, as often some Lebanese do. The problem was that this celebration took place in Ain Al Remanneh, a Christian neighborhood abutting the Shia Muslim Beirut suburb of Chiah. This is where the first incidents triggering the 1975 civil war occurred.

The celebration by Geagea's supporters did not take long to upset the Shias living just across the Old Sidon Road, and who responded with their own guns. Except those were not aimed in the air. Before long one person was dead in the ensuing gun battle and about a dozen others were wounded.

Thankfully, the Lebanese army intervened, putting a stop to the fighting, something it failed to do in 1975. At the time, the government feared committing the military would fragment it, something that happened anyway.

This incident that took place along what became known as a traditional hot spot - the former Green Line - shows just how precarious the situation in Lebanon remains and how easily violence can flare up unless the new government of Fouad Siniora moves quickly and decisively to establish order.

Adding more explosive elements, after authorizing Geagea's release the government found it had also to accommodate the Muslim community. An amnesty was therefore granted to a group of 69 Sunni fundamentalists who were jailed for allegedly plotting a number of terrorist acts, including planning to blow up the Italian Embassy and other foreign diplomatic missions.

Finally, in a move that drew a strong rebuke from Washington, the new Lebanese cabinet for the first time included a senior member of Hizbullah. The US State Department, which considers the Shia organization a terrorist group, issued a statement saying their ability to deal "with those individuals" would be circumscribed by law. Watch the political volcano continue to boil.

Yet others are less convinced of a violent eruption looming. Sasa of the Syrian News Wire discloses the following:

No, I don't think there's any real chance of a spiral into civil war. Lebanon is in denial that another war COULD happen - these are just isolated incidents,k [sic] they tell themselves. They are scared to even think about the civil war - this year's memorial of the start of the war was the first time there has been any kind of memorial in the last 15 years.You have to remember that there has been low level fighting in Lebanon throughout its tortured history. It is only a shock to us now because the Syrian forces were able to twist the arms of the militias and keep a lid on tensions, I expect the killings and retaliations to continue for some time - but I think it'll take a lot to force Lebanon to war (sending American troops in to bring back the Syrian-led peace might just push them over the edge though).

Perhaps, as Sasa suggests, the war years have been put behind them, even though the rival sects are evidently pursuing more powerful positions with Syria gone and a new order forming. But only time will tell for sure. What seems evident is that old power struggles and prejudices, at least in the fringe of the sectarian society, are forming anew.

Contradictions

2005-07-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

Ariel Sharon:

"[. . .] I hear MKs saying that I'm going to divide Jerusalem, but I don't intend even to discuss Jerusalem. The incitement keeps recurring, and even those who incite know it's a lie and that there won't be a second or additional disengagement, and that Jerusalem will not be divided."

Roadmap to Peace:

Parties reach final and comprehensive permanent status agreement that ends the Israel-Palestinian conflict in 2005, through a settlement negotiated between the parties based on UNSCR 242, 338, and 1397, that ends the occupation that began in 1967, and includes an agreed, just, fair, and realistic solution to the refugee issue, and a negotiated resolution on the status of Jerusalem that takes into account the political and religious concerns of both sides, and protects the religious interests of Jews, Christians, and Muslims worldwide, and fulfills the vision of two states, Israel and sovereign, independent, democratic and viable Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security.

Poll Results

2005-07-22T14:56:00.000-07:00

Question: Should the US give $2.2 billion to Israel to pay for the Gaza pullout?

Total votes: 17

Results:
-Yes: 2 (12%)
-No: 15 (88%)
-Unsure: 0 (0%)

Analysis: The vast majority of Middle East Politiks readers do not favor the United States $2.2 billion deal to finance the Gaza pullout.

Charley Reese: A Quarter of a Million Dollars Per Settler

2005-07-21T20:03:00.000-07:00

Traditionally conservative (i.e., not neoconservative) columnist Charley Reese eloquently opines on the US aid package of $2.2 billion to Israel to pay for the Gaza pullout, describing it as an unfounded action that "will derive no benefits [for the US] at all"; he writes:

The state of Israel – which, the last time I checked, was both a foreign and a sovereign nation – wants the American taxpayers to cough up $2.2 billion in addition to our regular $3 billion-or-so annual subsidy to pay for the withdrawal from Gaza.

Unless the American people raise hell about this, it's a done deal. In Washington, whatever Israel wants, Israel gets. [. . .]

Ostensibly, Reese goes on, the soon-to-be-US-financed Gaza pullout is a unilateral progression towards peace with the Palestinians. Not so:

. . . Sharon's adviser spilled the beans in an Israeli newspaper interview. The withdrawal from Gaza is not part of any peace plan. It was just an excuse to put off serious peace negotiations. Sharon will remove about 8,000 settlers from Gaza who are a pain in the government's rear end anyway, shut down four tiny settlements on the West Bank, and that's it. As Sharon's adviser admitted, there won't be any serious negotiations with the Palestinians until they "turn into Finns."

Of great import, as Reese apparently fails to address, is the destination of these 8,000 Gaza settlers; according to the Guardian, these settlers may move to the West Bank as easily as to Tel-Aviv, and thus the Israeli government is wittingly perpetuating the conflict. (They will also receive a bonus of $30,000 if they choose move to densely Arab Galilee.) And to these settlers, as a result of this recent deal, goes approximately a quarter of a million dollars per head; Reese reiterates:

A normal president would view Sharon's actions as unacceptable and his casual expectation that we would pay for it as a personal insult. President George Bush, however, when it comes to Israel, is just like Congress – a candy-bottom.
That's why, despite all of our problems, all of our deficits, all of our debts, the U.S. government has gifted Israel with more than $90 billion in recent decades. If Washington gives in, we taxpayers will be spending about $227,000 per Jewish settler. That's a sporty moving expense.

He goes on to describe the proper American response to all this cost and war and conflict:

The proper American attitude should be: "We think, Israel, it is in your interests to make peace with your Arab neighbors. That's your decision, however; if you would prefer to remain at war, that's OK with us, because either way – peace or war – we aren't going to pay for it."

Indeed, American policies in the region have belied fiscal conservatism for years; and for what? Given the history, the current situation, the overall policies, no one can say.

Ken Livingstone: Truth-Teller Extraordinaire

2005-07-19T14:14:00.000-07:00

Ha'aretz reports on London Mayor Ken Livingstone's newest statements regarding Israel and the Palestinians, quoting him as saying, "The Likud and Hamas members are two sides of the same coin. They need each other in order to attract support." Bravo.

But that's not all. Ha'aretz goes on:

"I believe it is forbidden to take human life," Livingstone said. "I will welcome and meet with senior members of the Israeli government if they come here because they serve their country's government even though I believe they have done terrible things bordering on crimes against humanity."

Livingstone said Israel has indiscriminately killed men, women, and children in the West Bank and Gaza Strip for dozens of years.

Livingstone is, to the chagrin of the Likudniks, known for his pro-Palestinian stance, and he expresses it openly. Good thing that this prominent Londoner is not brainwashed into believing that "Britain's war is Israel's war", or something vile of that nature, following the London attacks. If only it were the same in the US.

Mossad Chief Confirms Netanyahu's Warning of London Bombing; Discrepancies Galore

2005-07-18T10:50:00.000-07:00

Antiwar.com's Justin Raimondo blogged this interesting tidbit regarding the Israeli connection to the London bombings:

[. . .]Israel Insider cites Mossad chief Meir Dagan, in an interview with the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag:

"The Mossad office in London received advance notice about the attacks, but only six minutes before the first blast, the paper reports, confirming an earlier AP report. As a result, it was impossible to take any action to prevent the blasts."

Here is the Bild am Sonntag story in German, and a Google translation.

So now it is undeniable that the Mossad had some sort of prior knowledge, whether it be from the police, as they now say (but as Scotland Yard denies), or direct foreknowledge, as was the case on 9/11. As detailed in a previous post, The Simon's Matt Hutaff, who invokes a media report that says the attacks were initially thought to be power surges (providing for yet another discrepancy), was also intrigued with the "ever-present Israeli connection":

[...]Before today's attack, the Israeli Embassy in London was notified an attack was forthcoming. As a result, former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu remained in his hotel room rather than head towards a nearby hotel where he was to address an economic summit.

The embassy denies it had any prior knowledge, of course, but the story has changed dramatically in the process. If, as they say, Netanyahu was not warned, how did he know to stay in his room? How did he know the danger was so severe that he dare not venture out of the hotel?

Oops! The story's changed again - here Netanyahu says that British police had warned the Israelis (but not the rest of the city?) of a pending attack. Scotland Yard denies this; Israel's reply was to say Netanyahu received his warning after the first blast. How? It was initially reported as a power surge for hours [emphasis added]. What is being hidden here? And why isn't there an investigation into these obvious discrepancies?

It's enough to make your head spin and your eyes cross with rage.

Indeed it is. In light of what we now know, if it was initially being "reported as a power surge for hours", how did the Mossad "receive" advanced warning of "attacks" "six minutes before the first blast", even when Scotland Yard denies this, and not the rest of the city? Someone is not telling the truth!

Update: Lou Dobbs Reports on the $2.2 Billion in Aid to Israel

2005-07-15T09:12:00.000-07:00

CNN's Lou Dobbs brings us an informative report on the $2.2 billion in aid to Israel, mentioning both the economic (i.e., the burgeoning deficit of the United States) and the political implications. In the way of the latter, a former American ambassador to Israel, who was interviewed on the show, came to the conclusion that it would not even further US interests!

Here is the clip.

Included in the clip, as the Jerusalem Post reports, Lou Dobbs Tonight viewers voted overwhelmingly against giving Israel this aid package:

On Tuesday night, the network reported that 94 percent of the viewers who responded voted no as opposed to only 6% who said yes.

And despite all this Congress, prodded by a few shadowy friends, is going on with it.

Reports: Israel to ask US for $2.2 Billion

2005-07-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

According to the Middle East Times:

An Israeli delegation was on Monday to request $2.2 billion from Washington to help bankroll Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip, over four times the amount initially discussed.

Israel had been on track to extract $500 million from the United States to help finance the pullout, but in preliminary talks, the Americans said that they were prepared to grant Israel "generous aid", public radio said.

The money will cover the cost of relocating military bases to Israel and improve security on the Egyptian-Israeli border after the pullout. The rest will be used to develop the Galilee and Negev regions, where many of the settlers from Gaza are likely to be rehoused.
[. . .]
US Congress needs to approve the special aid package, which is expected to be made up of grant-in-aid money and loan guarantees, the radio said.

So the federal government of the United States is again seeking to send taxpayers' money - non-repayable - to the state of Israel, so that its "best friend" can do something that it can not only do by itself, but should have done a long time ago - get out of the Gaza Strip.

Such large sums of blank-check aid has a history in the US-Israeli relationship. In toto, a conservative estimate of US direct aid to Israel since 1948, according to Shril McArthur of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, is approximately $105 Billion - money much better spent supporting America.

For instance, let us examine the actual implications of the "disengagement", if it happens. Evacuation of the Gaza Strip implies a "deoccupation". Not so. Israel will retain the right to invade and will control the air and sea, reducing autonomy and hampering the Gazan economy. Secondly, and more importantly considering long-term implications, the Gaza settlers may relocate to the West Bank, and thus perpetuate the conflict. According to the Guardian:

Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip and the northern West Bank will be able to use the compensation they receive from Israel to build homes in other West Bank settlements, the director of the agency responsible for evacuating settlers said yesterday.
Yonathan Bassi said the settlers would be able to spend their compensation wherever they wanted.
"They are free people - they can go where they want. They can go to Canada, Jerusalem or any of the settlements in the West Bank," he said.
Settlers who went to the West Bank would receive as much money as those who chose Jerusalem or Tel Aviv. Those who moved to the Negev or the Galilee, where there are big Arab populations, would receive a $30,000 (£16,000) bonus.
The news angered Palestinians, with the possibility of up to 9,000 settlers moving directly from Gaza to the West Bank.
Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said the transfer of settlers from Gaza and the northern West Bank to other settlements would "create more obstacles to peace". He said: "One of the main things that we have stressed about making the disengagement plan work is that they must be transferred to Israel. Moving them to the West Bank will kill the whole project and destroy the idea of evolving the peace process."

With Israel consolidating its hold on the West Bank by means of the expansion of settlements (despite objection from its chief benefactor), and also by means of the separation barrier, a two-state solution will no longer be possible, for even the weakest Palestinian standards would not permit such a situation. Therefore, before the US government foots the bill for anything Israeli, it must examine the actual situation; that this money shall do more harm than good in the long term while the current Israeli government, and its conniving ways, seeks to expand the conflict under the pretense of peace.

The London Bombings: What They Said, What They Didn't Say

2005-07-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

Fifty Londoners are estimated to have perished in the gruesome attack on London's underground subway system during the morning of Terror Thursday, June 7, 2005, in what are currently believed to have been the first suicide attacks against Britain in the country's history. The reasons behind this attack have hardly been discussed in depth among British or, in general, Western politicians, or among Western media, a phenomenon rather similar to the deaf silence that followed the attacks of September 11, 2001, that left the question "Why do they hate us?" unanswered. Thus far, political officials have distanced themselves from the statements of such politicians as Respect MP George Galloway, who says that this recent attack is a direct consequence of Britain's collusion with the Bush Administration's Middle East policy:

The loss of innocent lives, whether in this country or Iraq, is precisely the result of a world that has become a less safe and peaceful place in recent years.
We have worked without rest to remove the causes of such violence from our world. We argued, as did the security services in this country, that the attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq would increase the threat of terrorist attack in Britain. Tragically Londoners have now paid the price of the government ignoring such warnings.
We urge the government to remove people in this country from harms way, as the Spanish government acted to remove its people from harm, by ending the occupation of Iraq and by turning its full attention to the development of a real solution to the wider conflicts in the Middle East.
Only then will the innocents here and abroad be able to enjoy a life free of the threat of needless violence.

Indeed, this is a rather inescapable fact: Western interventionism begets terrorism. Such honesty has not been matched by other representatives and leaders. Prime Minister Tony Blair echoes US President Bush's pretense that "they attack us because of our freedom and civilization." A sample of genuine malarkey:

It's important that those engaged in terrorism realise that our determination to defend our values and our way of life is greater than their determination to cause death and destruction to innocent people in a desire to impose extremism on the world.

Similarly, Liberal Democratic MP Charles Kennedy, an anti-war MP who bases his opposition to the war in Iraq on UN legal grounds (and who is somewhat unpopular among certain party members), has failed to point to the clear connections between Middle East policy and terrorism, saying he "wouldn't link what's happened in London to Iraq."

Assuming that an Islamic terrorist group committed the acts on that Thursday morning, the motives are clear: revenge for British involvement in Bush's "War on Terror". It was at first America on September 11, 2001, for the reasons of undue support for Israel and a large military presence on the Arabian Peninsula. Afterwards, it was Bali, in which over one-hundred Australians were killed, then Madrid, in which nearly two-hundred Spaniards were killed, and now Britain. See a pattern? For the unengaged, all the nations attacked after September 11, 2001, participated in Bush's war against Iraq.

Further more, the ever-present Israeli connection. The story has been changing since it first escaped to the public, as Matt Hutaff of The Simon writes:

[...]Before today's attack, the Israeli Embassy in London was notified an attack was forthcoming. As a result, former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu remained in his hotel room rather than head towards a nearby hotel where he was to address an economic summit.
The embassy denies it had any prior knowledge, of course, but the story has changed dramatically in the process. If, as they say, Netanyahu was not warned, how did he know to stay in his room? How did he know the danger was so severe that he dare not venture out of the hotel?

Oops! The story's changed again – here Netanyahu says that British police had warned the Israelis (but not the rest of the city?) of a pending attack. Scotland Yard denies this; Israel's reply was to say Netanyahu received his warning after the first blast. How? It was initially reported as a power surge for hours. What is being hidden here? And why isn't there an investigation into these obvious discrepancies?
It's enough to make your head spin and your eyes cross with rage.

Needless to say, this connection has not been investigated thoroughly, and is hardly mentioned in the American mass media. This leaves one to recall the allegations of Israeli monitoring of hijackers and subsequent foreknowledge of the September 11, 2001, attacks. Again for the unengaged, the Sunday Herald writes:

There was ruin and terror in Manhattan, but, over the Hudson River in New Jersey, a handful of men were dancing. As the World Trade Centre burned and crumpled, the five men celebrated and filmed the worst atrocity ever committed on American soil as it played out before their eyes.

Who do you think they were? Palestinians? Saudis? Iraqis, even? Al-Qaeda, surely? Wrong on all counts. They were Israelis – and at least two of them were Israeli intelligence agents, working for Mossad, the equivalent of MI6 or the CIA.

Their discovery and arrest that morning is a matter of indisputable fact. To those who have investigated just what the Israelis were up to that day, the case raises one dreadful possibility: that Israeli intelligence had been shadowing the al-Qaeda hijackers as they moved from the Middle East through Europe and into America where they trained as pilots and prepared to suicide-bomb the symbolic heart of the United States. And the motive? To bind America in blood and mutual suffering to the Israeli cause.

See also Antiwar.com's special section on the matter.