Middle East

Is the U.S. at War with Al-Qaeda?

"Imagine Ma Barker's gang or a gang of John Dillingers who unilaterally declare 'war' against the U.S. Would the U.S. in turn declare war against them? Metaphorically it might, in order to show a steely determination to capture and stop them. But does their declaration by itself entitle the U.S. to kill them without an attempt to capture them and place them on trial? Certainly not. Lynching is summary execution. No government can be trusted with the power of summarily killing someone, even if that person has 'declared war' on that government. Such a power is too easy to extend and expand and inflict upon the innocent." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIs the U.S. at War with Al-Qaeda?

Saudi rights activists given heavy jail terms

"A Saudi court on Saturday dissolved a human rights group and handed down heavy jail terms to two of its members. He also upheld a six-year prison term for one the group’s members, Abdullah al-Hamed, by a court of first instance, while also handing him a new five-year sentence and an 11-year travel ban to come into force when he leaves jail. Another rights activist with the ACPRA, Mohammed Gahtani, was jailed for 10 years and banned from travelling for 10 years. The defendants were convicted of violating a law on cybercriminality by using Twitter to denounce various aspects of political and social life in the ultra-conservative kingdom." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSaudi rights activists given heavy jail terms

Obama won’t push Middle East peace initiative in Israel trip

"President Barack Obama on Thursday signaled there would be no big Middle East peace initiative on the table when he arrives in Israel later this month for his first visit as US leader. Officials have styled the trip as an effort to reconnect with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with whom he had a delicate relationship during his first term and to coordinate on key issues like Iran and Syria. 'The President reiterated America’s unshakeable support for Israel and thanked the leaders for role they play in strengthening ties between the two nations,' the official said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama won’t push Middle East peace initiative in Israel trip

New sanctions on Iran introduced to Congress

"The bipartisan House bill would allow President Barack Obama to impose penalties on foreign entities that provide Iran with goods to help maintain its struggling economy. The Nuclear Iran Prevention Act of 2013 also would provide Obama with broader authority to target strategic imports, such as mining or power generating equipment that could help Iran with its nuclear program, which the West and Israel say is a front for weapons development. The bill would designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew sanctions on Iran introduced to Congress

New sanctions on Iran introduced to Congress

"The bipartisan House bill would allow President Barack Obama to impose penalties on foreign entities that provide Iran with goods to help maintain its struggling economy. The Nuclear Iran Prevention Act of 2013 also would provide Obama with broader authority to target strategic imports, such as mining or power generating equipment that could help Iran with its nuclear program, which the West and Israel say is a front for weapons development. The bill would designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew sanctions on Iran introduced to Congress

Pentagon linked to Iraqi torture centers by Central American ‘dirty war’ veteran

"The Pentagon sent a US veteran of the 'dirty wars' in Central America, Colonel James Steele, to oversee sectarian police commando units in Iraq, that set up secret detention and torture centres to get information from insurgents. These units conducted some of the worst acts of torture during the US occupation and accelerated the country’s descent into full-scale civil war. A second special advisor, retired Colonel James H Coffman (now 59) worked alongside Steele in detention centres that were set up with millions of dollars of US funding." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPentagon linked to Iraqi torture centers by Central American ‘dirty war’ veteran

Egyptian Austerity Seen as Inflation Goes Up Hard

"Egypt's policy, apparently, is to engineer a controlled devaluation and hope that the IMF will come to the rescue. In the meantime, Egypt's reserves are being depleted and a surge in oil or commodity prices would put the bank and the country as a whole deeper into insolvency. It is regularly taught that only enlightened central bank monetary control can lift nations out of financial crises but as the 21st century dawns, it increasingly seems that the reverse is true. Central banks fix the price of money and price-fixing inevitably fails. As a result, most central banks lurch from one crisis to another, participating first in sustained booms and then terrible busts." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEgyptian Austerity Seen as Inflation Goes Up Hard

Children ‘Traumatized and Re-Traumatized by Drones’ in Yemen

"A report from a clinical and forensic psychologist just back from Yemen offers a disturbing picture of the horror drones have inflicted on children, who are 'traumatized and re-traumatized' by the strikes whose use 'amounts to a form of psychological torture and collective punishment.' The findings come from clinical and forensic psychologist Dr. Peter Schaapveld, who presented his evidence of a 'psychological emergency' in the country as a result of drone strikes, and of the particularly heavy toll they have on the mental health of children, plagued with PTSD as the mental anguish from the deadly strikes last long after the sound of the unmanned aircraft above." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChildren ‘Traumatized and Re-Traumatized by Drones’ in Yemen

How to become a drone target

"The government apparently calls such attacks signature strikes because the targets are identified based on intelligence 'signatures' that suggest involvement in terror plots or militant activity. So what signatures does the U.S. look for and how much evidence is needed to justify a strike? The Obama administration has never spoken publicly about signature strikes. Instead, generally anonymous officials have offered often vague examples of signatures. The resulting fragmentary picture leaves many questions unanswered." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow to become a drone target