Candidates not doing Israel any favors with unconditional support
Once again, as the presidential campaign season gets underway, the leading candidates are going to enormous lengths to demonstrate their devotion to the state of Israel and their steadfast commitment to its "special relationship" with the United States. Each of the main contenders emphatically favors giving Israel extraordinary material...The Camelot of Benazir Bhutto
The 1970s were beginning, and the unrivaled star of my Introduction to the Middle East class was "Pinkie" Bhutto. I asked her once about her given name, Benazir, and she giggled in embarrassment at its literal meaning: "Incomparable." No one at Radcliffe or Harvard called her anything but "Pinkie" back then. But it was already apparent...U.S. illusions die with Bhutto
The shortsighted, ad hoc nature of U.S. policy toward Pakistan is on display once again. Benazir Bhutto has been murdered, most likely by religious fanatics. In the West, pundits and diplomats now wring their hands and lament: "Oh no. All our eggs in one basket."But let's step back for a second to look at how thoroughly bankrupt U.S....Turkey: Another ally lost
Over the past six years the Bush administration, aided and abetted by Congress, has trashed what used to be described as American foreign policy. Foreign policy once was shaped around the U.S. national interest, but no longer. Vulnerable key allies such as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt are now struggling to deal with the consequences...‘Save Darfur’ is a PR scam
The star-studded hue and cry to "Save Darfur" and "stop the genocide" has gained enormous traction in U.S. media along with bipartisan support in Congress and the White House. But the Congo, with ten to twenty times as many African dead over the same period, is not called a "genocide" and passes almost unnoticed. Sudan sits atop lakes of...Can religion improve peace prospects in the Middle East?
A council of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian leaders devised a six-point plan to help bring about reconciliation. For some 60 years, attempts to craft a lasting peace for the Holy Land have fallen woefully short. As a new round of Israeli-Palestinian talks gets under way, some leaders from the region are insisting that it's time to...Heard at Mecca: ‘Are you single?’
Matchmakers ply their trade at Islam's holiest site Mecca — In the midst of overlapping murmurs of prayers in a sea of white-cloaked worshippers, a woman's voice interrupts the collective trance as she asks: "Are you single?" For hundreds of years, Mecca has been the sacred meeting point of millions of Muslims from across the world....Jewish Voice for Peace speaks out
Those around the world who expected little more than cursory speeches from the Annapolis meeting this past week were not disappointed. Annapolis delivered those speeches, a few photo-ops and, something that was not as sure a result, a re-starting of discussions between Israel and the Palestinians. But the outcomes were also deeply...Bush in a zero-sum Iranian game of his own making
Bush's woefully misguided invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003, carried out under false pretences, has not only drained the United States treasury, but reduced Washington's standing in the Middle East in a way not yet fully grasped by most commentators. Whereas Washington once played off Tehran against Baghdad, while involved in a...Political split deepens over nuclear spying
TEHRAN (IPS) — Charges of spying for Britain persisting against former nuclear negotiator Hossein Mousavian appear to have intensified rifts within the alliance of conservatives and hardliners that made Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Iran's president more than two years ago. Mousavian, who was a deputy of the Supreme National Security Council and a...
Iran leader claims win in nuke faceoff
December 9th, 20070 President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday called the dramatic U.S. turnaround in a new intelligence review a victory for Iran's nuclear program, suggesting it shows the success of his hard-line stance rejecting compromise. But his more moderate opponents at home are hoping the assessment's conclusion that Tehran shelved its effort...Israeli avoids UK arrest threat
LONDON — An Israeli minister has canceled a visit to the U.K. over concerns he could be arrested on war crimes charges. The foreign ministry said an "extreme leftist" organization was likely to file a legal complaint against Public Security Minister Avi Dichter. He was the domestic intelligence agency chief in 2002 when Israel bombed a...Israel’s Syrian air strike was aimed at Iran
Until late October, the accepted explanation for the Sept. 6 Israeli air strike in Syria, constructed in a series of press leaks from U.S. officials, was that it was prompted by dramatic satellite intelligence that Syria was building a nuclear facility with help from North Korea. But new satellite evidence has discredited that narrative,...IAEA report on Iran gets mixed reception
VIENNA (AFP) — Iran has made some progress in revealing the extent of its nuclear program but is still defying U.N. demands that it suspend uranium enrichment, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said in a key report Thursday. The United States said it would renew efforts to secure extra U.N. sanctions against Iran. Tehran, which denies seeking an...Cheney tried to stifle dissent in Iran intelligence report
WASHINGTON (IPS) — A National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran has been held up for more than a year in an effort to force the intelligence community to remove dissenting judgments on the Iranian nuclear program, and thus make the document more supportive of U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's militarily aggressive policy toward......
Israel escalates campaign against IAEA , ElBaradei
Israel escalated its campaign Thursday against the winner of the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize, Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), by describing him as a "danger to world peace" and calling for his dismissal for what it says are his policies towards Iran's nuclear program. The call by Israel's Deputy...Canadian Conservatives bow to Islamophobia
There are problems with Canada's electoral laws. As currently written, in order to vote a person has to have a street address. The authors of the law did not stop to think that, as written, the law would disenfranchise large numbers of rural voters who have only a post office box number. It would also take the right to...1980 bomber pursued
Back in 1980, an organization called the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine — Special Operations, detonated a bomb near a Paris synagogue, killing four people and injuring 20 others. Just recently, German authorities uncovered a membership list for that organization, which appears to be distinct from the Popular Front...Canadians politicians speak up for minority rights
Socialist New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton spoke briefly at the recent Canadian Islamic Congress gala, reminding those present of his party's opposition to security certificates and to injustice and discrimination experienced by Muslims since 9/11. Also present was Marcel Lussier, Member of Parliament for the Bloc Québécois,......
Bush risks falling off Turkish-Kurd tightrope
WASHINGTON (IPS) —- Spurred by the deployment of at least 100,000 troops along Turkey's border with Iraq, the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush is pressing its closest clients in Iraqi Kurdistan to crack down hard against the Kurdish Turkish Workers' Party (PKK), which Washington considers a terrorist organization. Given...Canadian Conservatives introduce anti-terror bill
Currently, there are five Muslim men in Canada subject to strict controls under anti-terrorism legislation which the Supreme Court has declared unconstitutional. One, Hassan Almrei, is still held in prison. All are resisting deportation, claiming serious mistreatment if returned to their countries. The court gave the government till......
On the eve of destruction, Bush owes world an explanation
Don't worry, the White House is telling us. The world's most powerful leader was simply making a rhetorical point. At a White House press conference last week, just in case you haven't heard, President Bush informed the American people that he had told world leaders "if you're interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought...Canadian Conservatives seek minority votes
The Conservatives are reaching out to increase their support among various ethnic and religious groups. An internal party document makes this effort clear. The document also suggests that there is no hope in making inroads with some. Where do Muslims stand in this strategy? Prime Minister Stephen Harper sent out Rosh Hashanah greeting......