AntiWar.com

Learning from John McCain's Mistakes: Supporting Aggression in the Caucasus

Doug Bandow — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Excerpt: John McCain's defeat has set off a scramble to control the Republican Party's ideological soul. The GOP should learn from Sen. McCain's mistakes. Despite his reputation as a foreign policy guru, his neoconservative instincts invariably led him astray. His embarrassing embrace of Georgia's unstable Mikheil Saakashvili highlighted McCain's poor judgment, though the Republican Party's problem runs far deeper than policy toward any particular country.

Stuff Happens: The Pentagon's Argument of Last Resort on Iraq

Tom Engelhardt — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Excerpt: It's the ultimate argument, the final bastion against withdrawal, and over these last years, the Bush administration has made sure it would have plenty of heft. Ironically, its strength lies in the fact that it has nothing to do with the vicissitudes of Iraqi politics, the relative power of Shiites or Sunnis, the influence of Iran, or even the riptides of war. It really doesn't matter what Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki or oppositional cleric Muqtada al-Sadr think about it. In fact, it's an argument that has nothing to do with Iraq and everything to do with us, with the American way of war (and life), which makes it almost unassailable.

How Guantanamo Can Be Closed: More Advice for Barack Obama

Andy Worthington — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Excerpt: In a previous article, Andy Worthington, author of The Guantanamo Files, examined the reasons why Barack Obama must stick to his election promise to close the "War on Terror" prison at Guantanamo Bay, focusing on the Bush administration's callous disregard for domestic and international laws, its pursuit of unfettered executive power, the disturbing effects of its policy of offering bounty payments for al-Qaeda and Taliban suspects, the equally disturbing ramifications of its refusal to screen prisoners according to the Geneva Conventions, and the corrupt tribunals established at Guantanamo to rubber-stamp the prisoners' designation as "enemy combatants." This second article examines how Barack Obama's promise to close the prison can be fulfilled.

Greybeards Urge Overhaul of Global Governance

Jim Lobe — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Excerpt: Capping a nearly two-year consultation involving dozens of US and international leaders, a new report by three US think tanks is calling on President-elect Barack Obama and other leaders to implement sweeping reforms in global governance to more effectively tackle shared regional and global threats over the next half century.

Intelligence Analysts See Multi-Polar, Risky World By 2025

Jim Lobe — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Excerpt: While the United States will remain the world's single most powerful country in 2025, it will be less dominant and more constrained in its freedom of action -- even in the military sphere -- than it is now, according to a major new report released here Thursday by the government's National Intelligence council (NIC).

Stop Hillary!

Justin Raimondo — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Excerpt: We had a breather during the final stretch of the presidential election campaign, but the way is now cleared for a renewal of the propaganda campaign urging war with Iran. The latest salvo: a UN report claiming Iran plans on building 3,000 new centrifuges, and headlines are screaming -- in the West, at any rate -- that Iran will have enough uranium to build a nuclear bomb by sometime next year. Is this true?

Robert Gates: As Bad As Rumsfeld?

Ray McGovern — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Excerpt: "As Bad As Rumsfeld?" The title jars, doesn't it. The more so, since Defense Secretary Robert Gates found his predecessor, Donald Rumsfeld, such an easy act to follow. But the jarring part reflects how malnourished most of us are on the thin gruel served up by the Fawning Corporate Media (FCM).

Who Will Stop the Settlers?

Jonathan Cook — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Excerpt: The middle-of-the-night eviction last week of an elderly Palestinian couple from their home in East Jerusalem to make way for Jewish settlers is a demonstration of Israeli intent towards a future peace deal with the Palestinians.

Obama Urged to Strengthen Ties with UN

Jim Lobe — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Excerpt: A bipartisan group of some three dozen senior foreign policy figures has released a statement calling for President-elect Barack Obama to make strengthening long-troubled US relations with the United Nations a major priority in his new administration.

Thursday: 14 Iraqis Killed, 39 Wounded

update — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Excerpt: Updated at 6:45 p.m. EST, Nov. 20, 2008 At least 14 Iraqis were killed and 39 more were wounded as a second day of chaos temporarily halted parliamentary debates over a U.S.-Iraqi security pact. No Coalition deaths were reported, but U.S. forces killed an al-Qaeda leader after receiving a tip to his whereabouts.

What the Clinton Appointment Means

Justin Raimondo — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Excerpt: The American people are sick and tired of the Bush era, and they are counting the days until Barack Obama is inaugurated.

Pact Will End Iraqi Dependence on US Military

Gareth Porter — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Excerpt: The text of the U.S.-Iraq status of forces agreement (SOFA) signed by U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari Monday closes the door to a further U.S. military presence beyond 2011 even more tightly than the previous draft and locks in a swift end to Iraqi dependence on the U.S. military that appears to be irreversible.

Missile Defense and the American Empire

Charles Pena — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Excerpt: Less than a week after the U.S. presidential election, the Iranians claimed to have tested a new, more accurate missile with sufficient range to reach Israel and southeastern Europe.

Wednesday: 11 Iraqis Killed, 18 Wounded

update — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Excerpt: Updated at 7:10 p.m. EST, Nov. 19, 2008 At least 11 Iraqis were killed and another 18 were wounded in today's attacks. Also, the Iraqi governent reported that they had discovered a mass grave three months ago near Najaf. The grave contained 150 bodies killed during the Saddam era. Meanwhile, debate in parliament over a U.S.-Iraqi security agreement turned hostile and was postponed until tomorrow. Elsewhere in Baghdad, U.S. and Turkish officials joined the Iraqis for talks on the situation with Kurdistan Workers Party rebels.