Murder mayhem in Bagdad
The slaughter of 29 women and two men in an alleged house of prostitution shows the danger of the Iraqi government’s reliance on Shia militias for its defense. BAGHDAD, Iraq — If the gunmen who carried out a mass killing Saturday night escape punishment it will be not only because the victims were prostitutes,…
Licensed To Kill: Powerful and Secretive forces emerge from the U.S. military-industrial complex
WASHINGTON — Just weeks before Blackwater guards fatally shot 17 civilians at Baghdad’s Nisour Square in 2007, the State Department began investigating the security contractor’s operations in Iraq. But the inquiry was abandoned after Blackwater’s top manager there issued a threat: “that he could kill” the government’s chief investigator and “no one could or…
Al Qaeda franchise raises its head: Crisis in Iraq
Iraq crisis: Baiji oil refinery contested Iraqi government forces are battling Sunni Muslim militants for control of the country’s biggest oil refinery. Officials insisted security forces were “in full control” of the Baiji refinery, about 200km (130 miles) north of the capital Baghdad. However, trapped workers said militants were still inside the facility and…
Iraq can kill fanatics, but not the fanaticism of barbaric Jihadist threats
JUNE 18, 2014 A THIRD IRAQ WAR? POSTED BY ROBIN WRIGHT The United States now faces the possibility of its third intervention in Iraq. On paper, the two earlier wars quickly achieved their military goals. In 1991, a muscular alliance of thirty-four nations, led by the United States, forced Iraq to withdraw from…
A Face Off : Russia vs. USA
August 8th, 2013 10:54 AM ET Zakaria: We’re in a new world Fareed speaks with CNN about President Barack Obama’s decision to cancel a meeting next month with Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S.-Russia ties, and the biggest threats to U.S. national security. Do you think listening to members of his own party, concerned about weakness abroad,…
Whistleblowers: No More Secrets
Edward Snowden, the Washington Post & Whistleblowers By: Kevin Gosztola Monday June 10, 2013 Washington PostAfter Edward Snowden came forward and identified himself as the source of disclosures that had been published by The Guardian on top secret surveillance programs being operated by the National Security Agency, Washington Post reporter Barton Gellman posted…