Archives for November 2005

Terrorists Strike Hotels in Amman Suicide bombers struck three tourist hotels in Amman, Jordan on Thursday, killing at least 67 persons and wounding nearly 200. Among the innocent victims was a wedding party. A Syrian film producer and his daughter may be dead, according to Al-Sharq al-Awsat. This news hits me where I live. I […]

Baghdad Bombs kill 13, wound 34; Divisions among Jihadis AFP reports that “13 people, including seven Iraqi policemen and six civilians, were killed and 34 were injured in three car bombs in different parts of Baghdad on Wednesday, medical and military sources said.” Knight Ridder reports that the “Zarqawi” group has broken with other Sunni […]

Kashmir Victims: 80,000 May Die; 3 Million Homeless Disasters in South Asia are Himalayan compared to our own. Three million persons have been made homeless in Pakistan. Oxfam and other aid agencies are increasingly afraid that tens of thousands of survivors of the Kashmir earthquake are in danger of perishing, as winter comes. As many […]

Stevenson on Riots in France Roger Stevenson kindly writes: “Thanks so much for your thoughtful and enlightened piece on the riots that are currently besetting France. I, too, am extremely upset over the inflated, sensational and unfactual reporting from the US media outlets. Steyn’s comments make you wonder if he has even ever set foot […]

Judith Miller fired from New York Times Lynne Duke examines the issues around the departure of Judith Miller from the NYT. Toward the end, she raises the question of whether Miller is a Neoconservative (something she denies). I addressed this question in my article for Salon.com, “Judy Miller and the Neocons.”

The Problem with Frenchness Readers have asked me for comment about the riots in France that have now provoked emergency laws and a curfew. What I would rather comment on, however, is the myths that have governed many rightwing American comments on the tragic events. Actually, I can only think that the disturbances must produce […]

Saddam Attorney Assassinated Reuters reports that another attorney working for Saddam’s defense team was assassinated on Tuesday. It is obvious that Saddam cannot be properly tried in Iraq under these circumstances. It is not known who is behind the killings, but Saddam to put it lightly has a lot of enemies. It is also possible […]

Chalabi and Abdul Mahdi An informed reader writes: ‘ There appears to be some Bush Administration disarray in relation to the candidates for Iraqi Prime Minister, which the “Western press” deem to be Messrs. Allawi, Chalabi and Mahdi, although the incumbent should not be counted out. Obviously, much depends on the votes received by List […]

Conyers to Chalabi A press release from the office of Congressman John Conyers: Today, Congressman John Conyers, Jr., Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, Congressman Maurice Hinchey and other Members will send the attached letter to Mr. Ahmed Chalabi asking for a meeting to discuss his role in manipulating the intelligence that led to […]