Month: November 2009

Will the US exasperation over Israel illegal acts prompt substantive action? US ‘Dismay’ at Israel Over Gilo Plan (Guardian) Signs of a fragile government or a democracy at work? Iraqi Vice President Vetoes Election Law (NY Times) Kurdish Legislators Threaten Boycott of Iraq Election (NY Times) Analysts fear the attack is not an isolated incident…

“If this office had the responsibility to gather information, do investigation, and do prosecutions, probably we would be in a much better position in terms of fighting corruption” – Osmani: The Man Leading Afghanistan’s Anti-Corruption Fight (Christian Science Monitor) Iran continues to punish those who wished to engage in political activism: Iran Poll Protest Trials…

Detainees will still be denied access to lawyers but will be assigned a U.S. military “personal representative” and informed within 14 days in detention why they are being held: U.S. Gives Tour of New Afghan Detention Center (Washington Post) For Netanyahu, Palestinian move is yet another excuse to renege on the peace process: Israel Rejects…

While there is no way to implement a “clean break” from Bush-era policies, Obama’s “harder path [of] democratic justice … is imperfect, but it is always better”… A Trial That Should Restore Faith in US Justice (Guardian) … Yet, questions loom as we approach Obama’s self imposed one year deadline to close Guantanamo: Remaining Detainees…

“For two decades, the Alavi Foundation’s affairs have been directed by various Iranian officials, including Iranian ambassadors to the United Nations, in violation of a series of American laws” -  U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara: Feds Move to Seize 4 Mosques, Tower Linked to Iran (AP / Washington Post) Obama finally takes the first step towards…

As Israel forcibly deports a bound and blindfolded 21-yr.-old Gazan girl for the “crime” of going to school in the West Bank … Fragmenting Palestinian Land (Guardian) Abbas calls “on Hamas to join forces in the Palestinian national endeavor and to accept an Egyptian-brokered reconciliation deal with Fatah”: At Arafat Memorial, Abbas Pushes Independence Fight…

Threats of torture, disappearance, and execution to extort false confessions of wrongdoing and associations are among the charges against US officials in the lawsuit: U.S. Citizen Sues Over Treatment in ‘Rendition’ (Washington Post) Top executives authorized a $1 million payoff to Iraqi officials, an act that would have been illegal under American law: Blackwater Said…

As the prospects of successful negotiations with Israeli politicians looks bleak… As Netanyahu Meets Obama, Israel Ex-General Offers Hamas Talks (Christian Science Monitor) … Palestinians take matter into their own hands: Palestinians Break Israel’s Wall (Al Jazeera) Some analysts believe that Abbas abrupt resignation could quickly lead to the end of the Palestinian Authority: Future…

Compromising over Kirkuk, the state is set for the second national elections since the fall of Saddam Hussein: Iraq Passes Crucial Election Law (NY Times) As the investigation dwells on weak links to Al-Qaeda … Authorities Scrutinize Links Between Fort Hood Suspect, Imam Said to Back Al-Qaeda (Washington Post) … American Muslims struggle to place…

Touting literal interpretations of the Qur’an can be dangerous; natural selection may simply be the means by which al-Bari (the Evolver, one of the 99 names of God) created the diversity of life on earth: In Turkey, Fertile Ground for Creationism (Washington Post) “Though we weren’t directly threatened by the Taliban, all of the hardship…