Author: Alejandro

Religious Muslim charities and individuals come under increased scrutiny from Fatah due to alleged affiliations with Hamas: In West Bank, Hamas Is Silent but Never Ignored (New York Times) Although in control of key positions within the military, support for Musharraf is gradually slipping among soldiers due to civilian discontent and rising violence and instability…

Under a Freedom of Information Act request, the CIA partially discloses past misdeeds that similarly resonate today: CIA Release Files On Past Misdeeds (Washington Post) Comparing Today’s Tactics With Those Used in the Past (New York Times) Letters from human rights and civil liberties lawyers slam earlier op-ed by Air Force official attempting to whitewash…

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty report conducts survey of sophisticated Internet propaganda machine of militants, finds slick messaging that is “fast-paced and clearly aimed at the video game generation” but for Iraq’s children the country ongoing violence is no virtual fantasy, creating lasting psychological scars:    Insurgents Muster Their Forces Online (Washington Post)  Iraqi Youth Face…

Vice President Cheney uses his “thoroughgoing secrecy, persistence of focus, tactical flexibility in service of rigid aims and close knowledge of the power map of government” to consolidate more executive power and block intra-administration efforts to close down Guantanamo and end torture in interrogations: Pushing the Envelope on Presidential Power (Washington Post) Iraqi court sentences…

The man behind the curtain: A look into Vice President Cheney’s crucial role in crafting American policies: ‘A Different Understanding With the President’ (Washington Post) Iran moves closer to totalitarianism as state-imposed “cultural revolution” cracks down on “labor leaders, universities, the press, women’s rights advocates, a former nuclear negotiator and Iranian-Americans” out of fear of…

Citing recent GAO report, New York Times editorial slams Bush administration’s disregard for the rule of law as a “formula for autocracy” and calls on Congress to rein in its executive power abuses: Don’t Veto, Don’t Obey (New York Times) While VP Cheney suggested abolishing oversight unit of National Archives after it objected to VP’s persistent resistance…

Fatah arrests elected Hamas officials and destroys institutions affiliated with the party in the West Bank, Hamas responds that such actions “could lead to Fatah’s downfall”: A Leader of Hamas Warns of West Bank Peril for Fatah (New York Times) In wake of massive corruption and rising violence, Iraqi Shi’a VP hands in resignation, shows signs…

In the aftermath of the Gaza fighting, ordinary Palestinians and members of Hamas begin the task of removing debris and reconstruction:  Inside Gaza, a Landscape Marked by Violent Change (Washington Post)  Political advisor to former PM Ismail Haniyeh argues that external attempts to isolate Hamas have backfired and also calls for Palestinian political unity and…

As the US finally releases money withheld from the Palestinian government, an op-ed in the Washington Post argues that trying to isolate Hamas in the Gaza Strip while attempting to bolster economic, military and political support for Fatah in the West Bank is deeply flawed:  U.S. Unfreezes Millions in Aid to Palestinians (New York Times) …

While respected anti-war conservative academic challenges the emerging bi-partisan consensus that further American military adventurism will instigate reform in Muslim societies, and sees only reform only “coming from within” other experts find that occupation of Iraq and support for the authoritarian status quo is destabilizing the Middle East  More Troops, More Troubles (Los Angeles Times) …