December 2009

Strategic Balochistan becomes a target in war against Taliban

by Paul Woodward 12.23.2009

Strategic Balochistan becomes a target in war against Taliban By Declan Walsh, The Guardian, December 21, 2009 Look around Balochistan, and you may not see much. Pakistan’s largest province is also its poorest and least inhabited – an expanse of rocky deserts and ramshackle villages where hardy tribesmen live by ancient laws. But to outside [...]

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The NYT’s view of “journalistic objectivity”

by Paul Woodward 12.23.2009

The NYT’s view of “journalistic objectivity” By Glenn Greenwald, Salon, December 23, 2009 I‘ve written many times before about Sami al-Hajj, the Al Jazeera cameraman who was abducted by the U.S. in late 2001, tortured at Bagram, sent to Guantanamo for seven years — where he was never charged with any crime and was interrogated [...]

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Cleric’s funeral becomes protest of Iran leaders

by Paul Woodward 12.22.2009

Cleric’s funeral becomes protest of Iran leaders By Robert F Worth, New York Times, December 22, 2009 The funeral of a prominent dissident cleric in the holy Iranian city of Qum turned into a huge and furious antigovernment rally on Monday, raising the possibility that the cleric’s death could serve as a catalyst for an [...]

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US forces mounted secret Pakistan raids in hunt for al-Qaida

by Paul Woodward 12.22.2009

US forces mounted secret Pakistan raids in hunt for al-Qaida By Declan Walsh, The Guardian, December 21, 2009 American special forces have conducted multiple clandestine raids into Pakistan’s tribal areas as part of a secret war in the border region where Washington is pressing to expand its drone assassination programme. A former Nato officer said [...]

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Gaza’s civilians still unable to rebuild one year after ‘Operation Cast Lead’

by Paul Woodward 12.22.2009

Gaza’s civilians still unable to rebuild one year after ‘Operation Cast Lead’ Amnesty International, December 22, 2009 The international community has betrayed the people of Gaza by failing to back their words with effective action to secure the ending of the Israeli blockade which is preventing reconstruction and recovery, say a group of 16 leading [...]

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Lebanon drama adds act with leader’s trip to Syria

by Paul Woodward 12.22.2009

Lebanon drama adds act with leader’s trip to Syria By Robert F Worth, New York Times, December 21, 2009 In any other part of the world, a new prime minister’s visit to a neighboring country would be a fairly routine event. But Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s trip to Syria over the weekend has been treated [...]

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The legacy of the people’s ayatollah: Montazeri

by Paul Woodward 12.21.2009

The ayatollah’s inspiration By Maziar Bahari, Newsweek, December 21, 2009 “If you’re going to ask me questions about my regrets, plan to spend the next month or so in my house!” Those were the words with which Ayatollah Hussein Ali Montazeri greeted me when I interviewed him at his home in the holy city of [...]

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Hamas using English law to demand arrest of Israeli leaders for war crimes

by Paul Woodward 12.21.2009

Hamas using English law to demand arrest of Israeli leaders for war crimes By James Hider, The Times, December 21, 2009 The Islamist group Hamas is masterminding efforts to have senior Israeli leaders arrested for alleged war crimes when they visit European countries including Britain, a top Hamas official involved in the effort has told [...]

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Settler activist: ‘We are preparing a series of surprises’ for the army

by Paul Woodward 12.21.2009

Settler activist: ‘We are preparing a series of surprises’ for the army By Chaim Levinson and Jonathan Lis, Haaretz, December 21, 2009 ight-wing activists began preparing on Sunday for a fight against the planned demolition of structures built in contravention of the 10-month freeze on construction in West Bank settlements. The demolition plans were described [...]

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Likud MK: Annex West Bank, consider citizenship for Palestinians

by Paul Woodward 12.21.2009

Likud MK: Annex West Bank, consider citizenship for Palestinians By Attila Somfalvi, Ynet, December 20, 2009 Knesset Member Tzipi Hotovely, one of the leading dissenting voices in the Likud faction opposing the policy adopted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Sunday that the territories should be annexed to Israel. “Israeli law should be applied on [...]

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Somalia is greatest victim of President Bush’s War on Terror

by Paul Woodward 12.21.2009

Somalia is greatest victim of President Bush’s War on Terror By Martin Fletcher, The Times, December 21, 2009 AQfghanistan and Iraq have monopolised the headlines but Somalia is arguably an even greater victim of George W. Bush’s ill-conceived and lamentably executed War on Terror. America’s interventions have proved so catastrophic that its best hope of [...]

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How ‘Iran’s stooge’ turned out to have a mind of his own

by Paul Woodward 12.21.2009

How ‘Iran’s stooge’ turned out to have a mind of his own By Hussain Abdul-Hussain, The National, December 20, 2009 Is it time for the Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia, to drop their caution towards the Iraqi prime minister Nouri al Maliki and his cabinet, and embrace a neighbour currently emerging from years of tyranny [...]

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Death of Iran’s top dissident cleric prompts protests

by Paul Woodward 12.20.2009

Death of Iran’s top dissident cleric prompts protests By Farnaz Fassihi, Wall Street Journal, December 20, 2009 Iran’s top dissident cleric, Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, 87 years old, died in his sleep on Saturday night, his family said, drawing supporters to the holy city of Qom on Sunday to pay their respects. The impromptu [...]

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Iran claims an oil field it seized

by Paul Woodward 12.20.2009

Iran claims an oil field it seized By Timothy Williams and Sa’ad al-Izzi, New York Times, December 20, 2009 The Iranian government said Saturday that an oil field that its troops occupied a day earlier was on its side of the border with Iraq, despite Iraqi claims to the contrary. A group of about 11 [...]

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U.S. companies shut out as Iraq auctions its oil fields

by Paul Woodward 12.20.2009

U.S. companies shut out as Iraq auctions its oil fields By Vivienne Walt, Time, December 19, 2009 Those who claim that the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003 to get control of the country’s giant oil reserves will be left scratching their heads by the results of last weekend’s auction of Iraqi oil contracts: Not a [...]

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Viva Palestina convoy arriving in Turkey

by Paul Woodward 12.20.2009

Viva Palestina convoy arriving in Turkey December 19, 2009 The Gaza I know By Nancy Murray, The Nation, December 18, 2009 For most Americans, the Gaza Strip is, at best, unknown territory. At worst, it is a hostile land whose “terrorist infrastructure” must be dismantled, no matter what the cost to its million and a [...]

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In Iran, nuclear issue is also a medical one

by Paul Woodward 12.20.2009

In Iran, nuclear issue is also a medical one By Thomas Erdbrink and William Branigin, Washington Post, December 20, 2009 Ruhollah Solook, a retired electrician living in Santa Monica, Calif., was in a desperate bind. He urgently needed a kidney transplant, as well as a series of radiation therapy diagnoses and treatments. The nuclear medicine [...]

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Stunning statistics about the war every American should know

by Paul Woodward 12.20.2009

Stunning statistics about the war every American should know By Jeremy Scahill, Antiwar.com, December 19, 2009 A hearing in Sen. Claire McCaskill’s Contract Oversight subcommittee on contracting in Afghanistan has highlighted some important statistics that provide a window into the extent to which the Obama administration has picked up the Bush-era war privatization baton and [...]

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Police expect Mumbai-style terror attack on City of London

by Paul Woodward 12.20.2009

Police expect Mumbai-style terror attack on City of London By David Leppard, The Sunday Times, December 20, 2009 Scotland Yard has warned businesses in London to expect a Mumbai-style attack on the capital. In a briefing in the City of London 12 days ago, a senior detective from SO15, the Metropolitan police counter-terrorism command, said: [...]

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U.S.-Israeli arms cooperation quietly growing

by Paul Woodward 12.18.2009

U.S.-Israeli arms cooperation quietly growing By Nathan Guttman, The Forward, December 16, 2009 Leaders in Washington and Jerusalem have publicly locked horns over the issue of West Bank settlements. And Israeli public opinion has largely viewed America’s new administration as unfriendly. But behind the scenes, strategic security relations between the two countries are flourishing. Israeli [...]

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EU: East Jerusalem is occupied territory

by Paul Woodward 12.18.2009

Statement by EU High Representative Ashton at the EU Parliament debate on the Middle East Peace Process European Parliament, Strasbourg, December 15, 2009 You have invited me here today to talk about our political work but also about the situation in East Jerusalem. This is an area of deep concern for us. East Jerusalem is [...]

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Being anti-Israel and anti-Zionist is the “new anti-Semitism”

by Paul Woodward 12.18.2009

Being anti-Israel and anti-Zionist is the “new anti-Semitism” By Sharmine Narwani, Huffington Post, December 16, 2009 A Jewish woman, deriding protesters at a UK rally on Sunday in support of charging former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni with war crimes, declared loudly into a TV camera that being anti-Israel and anti-Zionist is the “new anti-Semitism.” [...]

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Eikenberry assures Afghans U.S. will stay beyond 2011

by Paul Woodward 12.18.2009

Eikenberry assures Afghans U.S. will stay beyond 2011 By Thomas L. Day, McClatchy, December 17, 2009 U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry Thursday further signaled that a strong American military presence will remain in Afghanistan long after July 2011, when President Obama plans to end his troop surge. Speaking at the Afghan Ministry of Foreign [...]

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Onward, Christian Zionists

by Paul Woodward 12.18.2009

Onward, Christian Zionists Christian Zionists believe that in order to fulfill Biblical prophecy, Israel must conquer most of the Middle East. They are a growing force in American politics with ties to many powerful pro-Israel groups in Washington. Once considered a marginal doctrine among evangelicals, the dispensationalist theology of Christian Zionism includes a belief in [...]

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