Archives for February 2007

Khalilzad Apologizes for Arrest of Ammar al-Hakim Maliki Government stalls Changes in Debaathification The US has released Ammar al-Hakim and US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad apologized profusely for his arrest. The US military is giving three reasons for his arrest: He entered Iraq at a closed border station, his passport was expired, and his party was […]

Breaking News: US Arrests Ammar al-Hakim US troops arrested Ammar al-Hakim, the son of Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, on his return from Iran. There are conflicting reports on whether he has been released. Abdul Aziz al-Hakim is the leader of the United Iraqi Alliance, the major bloc in parliament, and is enormously powerful and influential in […]

Cole in Salon on British Troop Withdrawal My article,The British retreat from Iraq brings peril for U.S. Troops: Vice President Cheney says the British are leaving southern Iraq because things are going so well. In the real world, Basra is a mess is out in Salon.com Excerpt: ‘ In reality, southern Iraq is a quagmire […]

Bombing in Tal Afar, Clashes in Ramadi Dems Plan to bring Troops Home in spring, O8 Senate Democrats are crafting legislation that would bring US troops home by spring of 2008. Reuters rounds up political violence on Thursday. Bombings in Kirkuk, clashes in al-Anbar province, bodies found in Baghdad. 2 US GIs killed. Saeed Shah […]

British Withdrawal May bring Militia, Iranian Influence Najaf Bomb Kills 18 Rick Jervis of USA Today–reporting from Baghdad– suggests that the British drawdown from Basra could allow greater Iranian and militia influence in the Shiite deep south of Iraq. LA Times says that the British are drawing down in Iraq because they cannot fight both […]

The US, Petroleum, and Nigerian Democracy For those interested in the issue of US foreign policy and petroleum, the paper “Convergent Interests: U.S. energy security and the “securing” of Nigerian democracy,” by Paul Lubeck, Michael Watts and Ronnie Lipschutz at The Center for International Policy de rigeur. Scroll down at the executive summary for the […]

Rape Case Political Football in Iraq Iraq War has Caused Spike in Global terrorism Iraqi security forces, Shiites, raided a house looking for a possible Sunni Arab insurgent named al-Janabi. They found only his wife at home. They took her into custody (probably as a hostage). They accused her of cooking for insurgents. Then the […]

Attack on US military Base Kills 2 wounds 17; Running Battles leave Capital’s Streets Deserted; Pentagon Thinks Big concerning attack on Iran In making continency plans for war against Iran, the Pentagon is thinking big. Not just surgical strikes on the civilian nuclear energy program, but hitting virtually everything of importance in the country. The […]