The USG Open Source Center reports on reactions in Iran to the possibility of the opening of a US interest section, i.e. a muted embassy, in Tehran. OSC Report: Iran — Reaction to Mottaki’s Comments on Possible US Interest SectionThursday, July 10, 2008 . . . ‘Iran — Muted Reaction to Foreign Minister’s Positive Comments […]
Bhasin: Maliki and the Timetable: It’s all about Blackwater
Madhavi Bhasin writes: On July 7th the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in an Address before the Arab Ambassadors stated that his Government was looking at the necessity of terminating foreign presence on Iraqi land and restoring full sovereignty. The U.S. public diplomacy machinery began operating in full swing after the statement was released and […]
Knight: Out — without ‘Bloodbath’ or ‘Regional Chaos’
Charles Knight writes In October of last year a Boston-area activist called me and reported that he’d recently visited an antiwar Massachusetts congressperson in order to urge that more be done to get the US out of Iraq quickly and completely. Representative Jim McGovern (MA-03-D) had replied that he was doing what he could, but […]
Cole in Salon: FBI Plan to Profile Muslims Unconstitutional
My column in Salon.com: ‘The FBI’s plan to “profile” Muslims’: It’s unconstitutional, un-American — and it might hurt, rather than help, the FBI’s effort to stop real acts of terror. Excerpt: ‘ The U.S. Justice Department is considering a change in the grounds on which the FBI can investigate citizens and legal residents of the […]
Saghir: Timetable Demand not a Tactic; 53 Dead, 76 Wounded;
Al-Hayat reports in Arabic that the chances that a Status of Forces Agreement will be concluded between Baghdad and Washington have declined substantially. The intention is now to sign a memorandum of understanding instead of a SOFA, according to Shaikh Jalal al-Din Saghir, an MP, a member of the Policy Council for National Security and […]
Attack on US Embassy in Istanbul
Six are dead in a terrorist attack on the US Embassy in Istanbul. The dead were 3 Turkish policemen and the three attackers, who appear to have been angry amateurs. The identity of the group behind the attack is not yet known. Aljazeera International’s Hoda Hamid reports from Istanbul: As Hamid notes, this attack comes […]
1 GI Killed, 5 Wounded in Iraq; Rubaie’s Comments Roil McCain Campaign
The statements of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and National Security Counsellor Muwaffaq Rubaie about the need for a timetable for US troop withdrawal may have an unexpected and significant impact on the US presidential campaign. On Tuesday, after consultations with Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani in Najaf, Rubaie held a news conference. His remarks suggested that […]
Genetically Modified Seeds not Used in Iraq
A US observer with experience on the ground in Iraq writes with regard my link on Sunday to a piece about Monsanto and hooking Iraqi farmers on genetically modified seeds: The small report about Bremer dictating that Iraqi farmers cannot use their seed from year to year is utter nonsense. It is not true. Iraqi […]
Maliki and Timetable for US Withdrawal
A White House spokesman emphasized that US-Iraqi talks on a Status of Forces Agreement do not include mention of a hard date for US withdrawal. The disclaimer came after Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki for the first time spoke of seeking a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops. Al-Maliki is under pressure from the […]
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