There are twin moral and intellectual traps most commentators are falling into vis-a-vis the London bombings. The first is the terrifyingly myopic and widespread consensus which is emerging that the attack “wasn’t about Iraq.” The increasingly predictable Christopher Hitchens writes… Read moreThe London bombings: context vs. apologia
The offices of the Oaxaca daily Noticias continues to be under siege by loyalists of the state’s entrenched political machine—yet, amazingly, the paper continues to publish. This July 15 report from Dos Mundos, Kansas City’s bilingual newspaper: Journalists held hostage… Read moreNewspaper siege, political violence continue in Oaxaca
The Zapatista communities in Chiapas are beginning to return to normal, as the rebels’ “red alert” has been lifted. The rebels say they are about to commence work on the new political initiative—still somewhat vaguely defined—which they agreed upon in… Read moreZapatistas end “red alert,” begin work on political initiative
And, really, we could have done without this one. From the New York Times, July 15 via TruthOut: Chinese General Threatens Use of A-Bombs if US Intrudes Beijing – China should use nuclear weapons against the United States if the… Read moreChina rattles nuclear sabre
Jeez, will people please stop blowing other people up already? This is really getting old. Minibus Explosion in Turkey Leaves 5 Dead ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – A bomb tore apart a minibus in a popular Aegean beach resort town Saturday,… Read moreTerror in Turkey
We have noted before that the world-shaking London attacks took a toll equivalent to the average bad day in Iraq. Well, Iraq is having another bad day. From Reuters: Suicide bomber truck kills 55 in Iraq Sat. July 16 BAGHDAD… Read moreAnother bad day in Iraq
This July 14 commentary from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty provides some long-overdue real analysis on the Iraqi insurgency. While the anti-war movement either ignores or glorifies the blood-drenched and reactionary “resistance” in Iraq, RFE/RL, funded by the State Department (which,… Read moreIraq: terrorism or “honorable resistance”?
“Twenty years ago this summer,” the vile Otto Reich writes for the July 18 National Review, “Washington’s hottest debate centered on the Contras’ war against the Sandinistas in Nicaragua — and how to keep the nations of Central America from… Read moreNicaraguan president plugs CAFTA, faces impeachment
We recently noted the new rapprochement between India and Burma, traditional rivals, which has worked to the detriment of indigenous groups in the remote rainforest straddling the border, heretofore able to play the two powers off against each other to… Read morePipeline politics behind India-Burma rapprochement
This analysis from Lebanon’s Daily Star, July 12, online at Kurdish Media, makes clear the dilemma of the Syrian Kurds. The fact that they are disenfranchised by the Damascus regime makes them a convenient football for White House hawks. And… Read moreSyria’s Kurds: pawns or actors?
It’s starting to look like the truce is off following yesterday’s suicide blast in Israel. From DPA, July 14: Israel recaptured Tulkarm early Wednesday, after a suicide bomber from that West Bank town killed four Israelis and injured dozens when… Read moreTulkarm re-occupied
From the UK Guardian, July 14: At least 27 people, most of them children, were killed and up to 25 wounded when a car packed with explosives targeted a convoy of US soldiers on a community relations mission in a… Read moreIraq: slaughter of the innocents
