August 2009

Behind Hamas’ own war on terror

by Paul Woodward 08.21.2009

Behind Hamas’ own war on terror By Tony Karon, Time, August 21, 2009 Eyebrows were raised around the world Aug. 14 when Hamas security forces in Rafah swiftly, and brutally, destroyed an al-Qaeda-inspired group that had proclaimed the southern Gaza town an “Islamic emirate.” After all, Hamas is listed by the U.S. and the European [...]

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Saigon 2009

by Paul Woodward 08.21.2009

Saigon 2009 By Thomas H Johnson and M Chris Mason, Foreign Policy, August 20, 2009 For those who say that comparing the current war in Afghanistan to the Vietnam War is taking things too far, here’s a reality check: It’s not taking things far enough. From the origins of these North-South conflicts to the role [...]

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Iran is self-destructing

by Paul Woodward 08.21.2009

Iran is self-destructing By Hamid Dabashi, Al-Ahram Weekly, August 13, 2009 Ma bi-shomarim / We are countless – Slogan of the Green Movement in Iran Within minutes of the picture of a frail and fragile Mohammad Ali Abtahi appearing on the Internet, the blogosphere was flooded with split images of him before and after his [...]

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CIA said to use outsiders to put bombs on drones

by Paul Woodward 08.21.2009

CIA said to use outsiders to put bombs on drones By James Risen and Mark Mazzetti, New York Times, August 21, 2009 From a secret division at its North Carolina headquarters, the company formerly known as Blackwater has assumed a role in Washington’s most important counterterrorism program: the use of remotely piloted drones to kill [...]

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Iraq bombs are a warning to Maliki

by Paul Woodward 08.21.2009

Iraq bombs are a warning to Maliki By Jonathan Steele, The Guardian, August 20, 2009 No one has taken responsibility for the horrendous bombs that shattered the foreign and finance ministries in Baghdad and took more than a hundred lives yesterday but the finger must point to Sunni Arab radicals. The foreign ministry is run [...]

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Tom Ridge, in book, tells of pressure on ’04 vote

by Paul Woodward 08.21.2009

Bush official, in book, tells of pressure on ’04 vote By Peter Baker, New York Times, August 21, 2009 Tom Ridge, the first secretary of homeland security, asserts in a new book that he was pressured by top advisers to President George W. Bush to raise the national threat level just before the 2004 election [...]

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Public opinion in U.S. turns against Afghan war

by Paul Woodward 08.20.2009

Public opinion in U.S. turns against Afghan war By Jennifer Agiesta and Jon Cohen, Washington Post, August 20, 2009 Among all adults, 51 percent now say the war is not worth fighting, up six percentage points since last month and 10 since March. Less than half, 47 percent, say the war is worth its costs. [...]

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An Israeli comes to the painful conclusion that a boycott is the only way to save his country

by Paul Woodward 08.20.2009

Boycott Israel By Neve Gordon, Los Angeles Times, August 20, 2009 Israeli newspapers this summer are filled with angry articles about the push for an international boycott of Israel. Films have been withdrawn from Israeli film festivals, Leonard Cohen is under fire around the world for his decision to perform in Tel Aviv, and Oxfam [...]

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CIA sought Blackwater’s help in plan to kill jihadists

by Paul Woodward 08.20.2009

CIA sought Blackwater’s help in plan to kill jihadists By Mark Mazzetti, New York Times, August 20, 2009 The Central Intelligence Agency in 2004 hired outside contractors from the private security contractor Blackwater USA as part of a secret program to locate and assassinate top operatives of Al Qaeda, according to current and former government [...]

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Judge faults freezing of assets in terror case

by Paul Woodward 08.20.2009

Judge faults freezing of assets in terror case By Eric Lichtblau, New York Times, August 20, 2009 In a ruling that threw into doubt one of the government’s main counterterrorism tools, a federal judge said the Treasury Department acted unconstitutionally three years ago when it froze the assets of an Ohio charity suspected of aiding [...]

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Ahmadinejad submits a cabinet of acolytes

by Paul Woodward 08.20.2009

Ahmadinejad submits a cabinet of acolytes By Robert F Worth, New York Times, August 20, 2009 President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, facing a persistent opposition movement and rivals in his own conservative camp, submitted a list of proposed cabinet members Wednesday that would shore up his inner circle of loyalists and remove all the ministers [...]

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One-third of Israeli soldiers might refuse to evacuate outposts

by Paul Woodward 08.19.2009

One-third of Israeli soldiers might refuse to evacuate outposts By Amir Oren, Haaretz, August 19, 2009 Using Israel Defense Forces soldiers to enforce law among the Jewish population in the territories, especially during the evacuation of illegal outposts, might lead soldiers and even commanders to refuse orders, the commander of the Judea and Samaria division, [...]

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Netanyahu’s defiance of US resonates at home

by Paul Woodward 08.19.2009

Netanyahu’s defiance of US resonates at home By Howard Schneider, Washington Post, August 19, 2009 For five months, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has been fending off U.S. pressure to halt the expansion of West Bank settlements. Now he is reaping dividends for his defiance. Although Israeli leaders have historically been reluctant to publicly break [...]

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Empty slogans of change in Afghanistan

by Paul Woodward 08.19.2009

Empty slogans of change in Afghanistan By Nushin Arbabzadah, The Guardian, August 19, 2009 The 2009 presidential election is only a day away and Afghans are basking in the global media spotlight. The Taliban are staging spectacular attacks, aware that the violence will make international headlines and provide them with free publicity. Campaigners are driving [...]

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Iranian cleric predicts opposition will topple Ahmadinejad

by Paul Woodward 08.19.2009

Iranian cleric predicts opposition will topple Ahmadinejad By Thomas Erdbrink, Washington Post, August 19, 2009 His newspaper was shut down Monday, and generals and hard-line clerics have called for him to be put on trial. Yet defeated Iranian presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi says opposition to the government is growing by the day. The white-turbaned Shiite [...]

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U.S. envoy has ‘useful dialogue’ with anti-American Pakistani leader

by Paul Woodward 08.19.2009

U.S. envoy has ‘useful dialogue’ with anti-American Pakistani leader By Paul Richter, Los Angeles Times, August 19, 2009 Obama administration officials have pledged to talk to world leaders no matter their views. On Tuesday, they showed that the offer extends to Islamists who spend the day denouncing America from the street corners. U.S. envoy Richard [...]

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Damascus agrees to help monitor Iraqi border

by Paul Woodward 08.19.2009

Damascus agrees to help monitor Iraqi border By Jay Solomon and Julien Barnes-Dacey, Wall Street Journal, August 19, 2009 The Obama administration and Damascus tentatively agreed to establish a tripartite committee, with Baghdad, to better monitor the Syrian-Iraqi border as the Pentagon draws down American troops from Iraq in coming months, said senior U.S. officials. [...]

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American teens gathering in Middle East pose terrorist threat

by Paul Woodward 08.18.2009

American teens are fighting back in Israel By Matt McAllester, Men.Style.com, September, 2009 Later this year, 21-year-old Ephraim Khantsis will pack a couple of suitcases, say good-bye to his mother, leave his home in Brooklyn, and move to Israel. On arrival in Jerusalem he will enroll in a yeshiva, or religious school, that is popular [...]

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Huckabee says 2 states in Holy Land ‘unrealistic’

by Paul Woodward 08.18.2009

Huckabee says 2 states in Holy Land ‘unrealistic’ By Steve Gutkin, AP, August 18, 2009 US presidential contender Mike Huckabee said Tuesday there should be no Palestinian state in the West Bank and endorsed Israeli settlements there, sharply disagreeing with Washington and much of the world. A three-day tour of Israel, hosted by a far-right [...]

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Israeli officials: New West Bank projects frozen (briefly)

by Paul Woodward 08.18.2009

Israeli officials: New West Bank projects frozen By Matti Friedman, AP, August 18, 2009 Israel has quietly stopped approving new building projects in the West Bank while publicly still refusing U.S. demands for a formal settlement freeze, officials, peace activists and settlers said Tuesday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office denied there was any agreement among [...]

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Quiet slicing of the West Bank makes abstract prayers for peace obscene

by Paul Woodward 08.18.2009

Quiet slicing of the West Bank makes abstract prayers for peace obscene By Slavoj Zizek, The Guardian, August 18, 2009 When peace-loving Israeli liberals present their conflict with Palestinians in neutral, symmetrical terms – admitting that there are extremists on both sides who reject peace – one should ask a simple question: what goes on [...]

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Big challenges ahead for Mahmoud Abbas

by Paul Woodward 08.18.2009

Big challenges ahead for Mahmoud Abbas By Helena Cobban, IPS, August 14, 2009 Mahmoud Abbas, the 74-year-old leader of the Palestinian Fatah movement, registered a significant achievement in holding the movement’s Sixth General Conference, which has been wrapping up its business in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank this week. But veteran Palestinian analysts say [...]

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Iran official denies he made nuclear talks statement

by Paul Woodward 08.18.2009

Iran official denies he made nuclear talks statement By Zahra Hosseinian, Reuters, August 18, 2009 A senior Iranian official denied on Tuesday he had made any statement saying Tehran was ready for talks with the West on its disputed nuclear program, state television reported. The same television network earlier said the official — Iran’s envoy [...]

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Taliban hardliners spread out to undermine Afghanistan election

by Paul Woodward 08.18.2009

Taliban hardliners spread out to undermine Afghanistan election By Jon Boone, The Guardian, August 17, 2009 The Taliban leadership has redeployed some of its most hardline foot soldiers into areas of Afghanistan where local insurgents are reluctant to disrupt the country’s elections on Thursday. Details of the move emerged as a statement, said to carry [...]

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