Month: June 2008

U.S. claims of concern for Iraqi sovereignty are overshadowed by the perpetual need to prop up Iraqi forces… U.S. Forces to Hand Over Hard-Won Anbar Province (Christian Science Monitor) …and government involvement in oil field development contracts… U.S. Advised Iraqi Ministry on Oil Deals (New York Times) …meanwhile cushy oil revenues in Iran have made…

Despite the emphasis on negotiations in its new counterterrorism strategy, Pakistan launches its first offensive since the new government took  power two months ago: Pakistan Launches Strike at Taliban Hideouts (AP/Wiredispatch) Anwar Ibrahim flees to the Turkish embassy as the Malaysian state resuscitates the politically motivated accusations used to justify the opposition leader’s previous detention…

Despite a spotless work record, Department of Energy revokes a Muslim American’s clearance, using the pretext of “national security”, for his antiwar views: Muslim Physicist Says Feds Retaliated Against Him (AP/Wiredispatch) Continuing its campaign of political persecution, DoJ officials slap Sami al-Arian with criminal contempt charges despite already completing one other post-plea bargain sentence: Former…

In a major political breakthrough, Bush seeks to end North Korea’s pariah status despite allegations that the country helped in the creation of a secret Syrian nuclear reactor. However, ongoing saber rattling with Iran could prompt Tehran to take “drastic steps”: Bush Administration Lifts North Korea Sanctions (AP/Wiredispatch) Time Running out for Nuclear Program Talks,…

Concerned about an American electoral regime change, Israel urges Washington to strike Iran now, while the U.S. continues to keep Syria in pariah status, despite its recent efforts to break out of international isolation: Israel Prodding U.S. to Attack Iran (CBS News) Can Syria Avoid Sanctions With A U.N. Nuclear Inspection? (Christian Science Monitor) U.S.…

Ruling that Uighur Muslim is not an enemy combatant could force reassessments of other detainees: In A First, Court Says Military Erred In A Guantanamo Case (McClatchy) National security courts in Tunisia and Sudan come under fire for unfair trials: Tunisia ‘State Torture’ Condemned (BBC News) Lawyers Want To Overturn Sudan Anti-Terror Courts (Reuters) Terrorists…

Nearly 100,000 Iraqis have charges dropped and/or are freed from jail under new sweeping amnesty law meant to promote reconciliation: Iraq Courts Order 20,000 Freed Under Amnesty (Reuters/Wiredispatch) Government-forced Arabization programs after years of French colonization leads to religious and social schizophrenia among Algeria’s youth: In Algeria, a Tug of War for Young Minds (New…

Denunciations by former militants and mainstream Islamists have Al-Qaeda on the defensive: Special Report: Is Al Qa’ida in Pieces? (The Independent) Writer Becky Akers decries the invasiveness of new scanning technology that subjects people to a virtual strip search and does nothing to add to security: Get Ready to Strip At Reagan National (Washington Post)…

Congress acts again as an enabler for Bush’s imperial foreign policies… House Approves $162 Billion War-Spending Bill (San Francisco Chronicle) …meanwhile, it also receives scorn from civil libertarians for capitulating on an invasive bill with telecom lobbyists’ fingerprints all over it: George Bush’s Latest Powers, Courtesy of the Democratic Congress (Salon.com) Feingold: Wiretap Deal ‘No…

Transparency International finds massive arrest campaign of Bangladesh’s military government increases graft: Bangladesh ‘Losing On Corruption’ (BBC News) Sunni Muslim religious board and political bloc condemn the recent Baghdad bombing while Mideast expert Juan Cole finds US evidence for blaming rogue Shi’a militias for the blast is scant: IAF, Muslim Scholars Association Condemn Baghdad Bombing…