“Approval Ratings: The Public v. McCain”
Archives for August 2008
Kahl: Iran Tamed Mahdi Army; Al-Maliki May attack Sunni Awakening Councils
Colin Kahl, just back from Iraq, gave a briefing that Gareth Porter attended. He reports that: 1. US officials in Baghdad are genuinely worried that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has become “over-confident” about his military capabilities and has therefore become unreasonably difficult to deal with over the proposed status of forces agreement on the rules […]
Musharraf said on Verge of Resigning
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf will likely resign before Monday. Musharraf could only have stayed in power in one of three ways. He would have had to be able to block a 2/3s impeachment vote against him in the senate, where his Muslim League (Q) still holds a plurality of seats. Or he would have had […]
Bombing Kills 26 Pilgrims; Iraq Seeks Regional Security Network with Iran, Turkey
A female suicide bomber targeted Shiite pilgrims south of Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least 26 and wounding 75. Pilgrims are streaming to the holy city of Najaf in honor of the anniversary of the birth of the hidden 12th Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, the Shiite messiah who many Iraqi Shiites believe will soon come to […]
McCain: Nations don’t invade other Nations
McCain says, “In the twenty-first century, nations don’t invade other nations:” And imagine him all sweetness and light now about wanting good relations with Moscow after his rants all the past week. An experienced diplomat pointed out to me that “McCain’s behavior on Georgia is a perfect example of putting personal political advantage over the […]
Polk: Bases in Iraq, Provocation of Iran
William R. Polk writes in a guest editorial for IC: Rushing toward War As the Bush Administration begins its final months in office, it has embarked upon two courses of action that will pre-empt the scope of the incoming Obama or McCain administration and will plague America for years to come. The first of these […]
US Deters Israel from Attacking Iran; Russian Cooperation seen Key to Dissuading Tehran’s Nuclear Program
The Haaretz article that made such a stir by reporting that the Pentagon had turned down Israeli requests for high-powered equipment to aid an attack on Iran’s nuclear research facilities has a coda that I looked at again this morning: ‘Russia, however, is considered key to efforts to isolate Iran, and Israeli officials have therefore […]
Cole in Salon: The Bush/Cheney Kettle Call the Putin Pot Black
My column, , “Putin’s War Enablers: Bush and Cheney (Russia’s escalating war on Georgia reveals the consequences of the Bush administration’s long assault on the international rule of law.) is now out in Salon.com. Excerpt: ‘ The run-up to the current chaos in the Caucasus should look quite familiar: Russia acted unilaterally rather than going […]
Iraq Refugee Crisis
There are approximately 2 million Iraqi refugees in the Middle East, mainly in Syria but with another big population in Amman. Their money is running out. NGOs have fewer resources for them over time, and visa restrictions are increasing in severity. Many are traumatized and were personally threatened by the militias that took over (and […]