Author: Alejandro

Series of FBI oversight reports find that Gonzales was aware of civil liberties violations, including abuses of national security letters, raising questions of whether or not he intentionally misled during Congressional debates about Patriot Act: Gonzales Was Told of FBI Violations (Washington Post) While squeezing the life out of Gaza and refusing to deal with…

Washington Post editorial sees US policy towards Musharraf as “dangerously shortsighted” and paradoxical by continuing to support an autocratic but ineffective ruler who tolerates religious extremism more than the development of civil society: The General Under Siege (Washington Post) “…probably the only way forward in the Middle East is for Israel and Hamas to start…

As Musharraf vows to kill any militants at Red Mosque who don’t surrender, analysts see the standoff as the worst manifestation of Pakistan’s broken religious education system: Mosque Siege in Pakistan Enters Sixth Day (Washington Post) Behind a Siege in Pakistan, Rumblings of Wider Dissent (New York Times) “In the Ottoman times, an imam’s job…

BBC commissioned study finds that less than 8% of Imams in British mosques are homegrown, massive cultural disconnect between religious leadership and congregations: Few UK Imams ‘Come From Britain’ (BBC News) Musharraf’s military action against the Red Mosque radicals helps him regain domestic and international support: Mosque Raid Boosts Musharraf Image (BBC News) According to…

A benchmark of failure: number of corpses found in Baghdad up 41% in June Body Count In Baghdad Up in June (Washington Post) Majority of residents in Cologne support the construction of a mosque “in plainsight” in spite of loud Islamophobic grumblings from extreme right parties and prominent Jewish intellectual: Germans Split Over a Mosque and…

After its takeover of the Gaza strip, Hamas attempts to flex its law enforcement muscles by arresting a prominent member of the organization claiming to be holding BBC reporter Alan Johnston: Hamas Arrests Over BBC Reporter (BBC News) “Some are more equal than others.” Scooter Libby gets prison sentence commuted by Bush, but will be…

“This is either extraordinary self-confidence or out of touch with reality. I can’t tell you which.” – Irwin M. Stelzer, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute A President Besieged and Isolated, Yet at Ease (Washington Post) “Democracy is like a gate that is opened to let people say what they want… Having the door open…

NY Times editorial slams Bush administration for abusing executive privilege to stonewall investigations into the NSA spy program and firing of attorneys: Abuse of Executive Privilege In spite of analogies used by White House hawks, Bush’s foreign policy is closer to Neville Chamberlain than Winston Churchill: Why Winston Wouldn’t Stand For W (Washington Post) Newsweek…

Ethiopian opposition slams Prime Minister for Iraq-like military intervention and internationally respected Somali civil society leader’s office raided by transitional government: Ethiopian Premier Admits Errors on Somalia (Washington Post) Habeas corpus and the rule of law score small victory as Gitmo detainees will have hearings in civilian appeals courts, not kangaroo military commissions: US Court…