Author: Alejandro

As AG Mukasey appoints widely respected fed prosecutor John H. Durham to head the criminal investigation of the CIA torture tapes, a Washington Post editorial gives cautious approval to the investigation in spite of its somewhat limited scope and argues that Congress should focus its own inquiry on “the administration’s past and current detention and…

Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton, Chairman and Vice Chairmen of the 9/11 Commission, respectively, charge the CIA and Bush administration obstructed its lawful requests for information on the 9/11 attacks, including the destroyed torture tapes: Stonewalled by the C.I.A. (New York Times) Pakistan’s electoral commission delays the country’s vote for a month, citing violence and…

As information emerges that Bhutto was assassinated on the day she was due to go public with two reports detailing alleged Pakistani government and intelligence involvement in election rigging using US military aid money, rival opposition leader Nawaz Sharif flexes his political muscles by calling for Musharraf’s resignation and forming a coalition government with the…

Seeking to capitalize off of the outpouring of sympathy and anger over Bhutto’s death, the Pakistan People’s Party says it will participate in the upcoming January 8th parliamentary vote… Opposition Parties Vow to Proceed With Jan. 8 Election (New York Times) …meanwhile analysts find that the death of Bhutto and attempted assassinations of other top…

Efforts to keep the CIA’s image viewed non-negatively “by Congress, by prosecutors, by the American public and by Muslims worldwide” through destruction of torture tapes ends up backfiring horribly: Tapes by C.I.A. Lived and Died to Save Image (New York Times) Reza Aslan argues that it is foreign policy, not the “image” of the next…

Al-Qaeda takes responsibility for Bhutto’s death, and instability and rioting hit Pakistan: Al-Qaeda Claims Bhutto’s Death (Adnkronos International) Seventeen Dead in Bhutto Protests in Pakistan (Reuters/Washington Post) Algeria’s press feels the familiar squeeze being caught between religious militants and an authoritarian government: Familiar Threats Constrict Press Freedom in Algeria (New York Times) Palestinian and Israeli…

In a city with supposedly tight security, police stop one suicide bomber from attacking Bhutto’s rally in Rawalpindi, but let a second slip through the cracks, killing the former PM, and failing to prevent an attack on members of rival opposition leader Nawaz Sharif’s camp killing four… 15-year-old Bomber Stopped at Bhutto Rally (News.com.au) Four…

As Congress begins to probe the events and people behind the destruction of the CIA’s torture tape, some Congressional members and former Agency officials believe the orders came directly from the White House: CIA: Rogue or Victim in Tapes Flap? (Christian Science Monitor) CIA Chief to Drag White House Into Torture Cover-up Storm (The Times)…

Massive graft and increased instability in tribal areas cause US aid to Pakistan to come under increased scrutiny from Congress: Doubts Engulf an American Aid Plan for Pakistan (New York Times) 9/11 Commission chairman Thomas Kean says the CIA obstructed the Commission’s investigation in spite of the Agency’s denials: 9/11 Commission Chair: ‘No Question’ CIA…

The outsourcing of security missions to both private mercenaries and Sunni militants inthe US-led occupation in Iraq lead to dire consequences: Warnings Unheeded On Guards In Iraq (Washington Post) Sunni Fighters Need Political Role (Associated Press/Washington Post) Without accountability and controls, military aid to Pakistan intended to fight Al-Qaeda is siphoned off to prop up…