. Pre-modern states that are too weak to enforce the rules of law.
. Modern states pursuing their national interests in the classic 19th century
way.
. Post-modern states rejecting power politics for integration and cooperation.
- The countries of the European Union -together with others- belong to the
"post-modern" world, while the USA is the typical "modern"
state, selfish and caring only about itself and its own interests. This has
been the case for many years, BUT it was not obvious. The only merit, if any,
of President Bush is to have put the American international policy in the
open, so that nobody can say that they did not know what it was.
- A Congress report said that Britain has a poor record on Human Rights in
British mainland and in Northern Ireland. For Northern Ireland they mention
the brutality of the police and the army; on the mainland they criticise the
number of people dying in police custody and the general bad state of the
prisons. They are blind to what happens in their own house: death penalty,
number of people killed by guns, racial discrimination (the last presidential
election in Florida, for instance). Their foreign behaviour is even worse:
high altitude bombing of Kosovo and Afghanistan that killed untold number
of civilians, the intervention in Venezuela to replace an unwanted (by the
US) freely elected president. We must also remember Chile, Haiti, Vietnam,
and many more similar cases.
- Lately three big financial scandals have hit the USA: first the Texan firm
ENRON, an energy trading company, went bankrupt; then the big telecommunication
firm WORLDCOM overstated its profit by a few billions of US dollars; and even
a well-known firm like Xerox did the same. This is what happens in the land
of freedom: free to steal is part of the game.
- Washington and Germany disagreed on the politic to follow towards Iraq.
During the election campaign the Chancellor, Schroeder declared that Germany
would not take part in a war with Iraq that he believes unnecessary. This
gave him the victory in the September national elections. At the end of October
2002, the German Foreign Minister, Joschka Fisher went to Washington; he only
met Colin Powell but was refused access to any senior White House aides.
- Some German newspapers reported that the Justice Minister, Mrs Herta Daeubler-Gmelim,
said that Bush behaved like Hitler in trying to distract his people from economic
problems with a foreign war. The minister denied saying the unfortunate words
but she was forced to renounce to enter he new government. Bush was so mad
that he did not send the usual telegram of congratulation after Schroeder's
victory.
- The USA and Britain do all they can to insult France, Germany and to some
extend, Belgium. These are only some examples:
. France is the "petulant prima donna of realpolitik leading the axis
of weasels.
. It is an unholy alliance of wimps and ingrates, which includes one country,
that is little more than a mini-me minion (Belgium).
. This is a league between Cuba and Libya with a bunch of cheese-eating surrender
monkeys at the helm (France).
. Some newspapers say, "Americans died for France but France has forgotten".
What the ordinary American does not know is that the Second World War started
in 1939 and the USA came into it in 1942/43 after Pearl harbour. Before that
Congress and the majority of Americans were opposed to war, and even their
great President, Roosevelt could not convince them to go in it before.
. Some newspapers say that the national bird of France is the ostrich with
its head in the sand!
- It is true that President Bush acts in a way very similar to Hitler: he
would like to impose his will on other countries, he invades them, he runs
them afterwards choosing as leaders only people ready to do what he says (see
Afghanistan), etc. The main difference is that Hitler attacked countries of
similar size to Germany while Bush prefers to attack third or forth world
countries. They are weaker, he is certain to win, less American soldiers will
be killed (better even if he can "buy" somebody else to do the dirty
work like in Afghanistan), and who care about the number of non-American victims
(they are described as "collateral" damages).
- Despite the US and Bush's pressures Canada ratified the Kyoto agreement
on December 14, 2002, recognising that something must be done to protect our
children against pollution in the future.
- On February 15, 2003, we are told that the USA will increase tax on the
importation of French cheese and mineral water. It also wants to punish the
Germans for their so-called treachery for leading the international opposition
to a war against Iraq. The USA is thinking of withdrawing all its troops and
military bases and ending military and industrial co-operation between the
two countries. They hope this would entice the other countries to behave "the
American way". If this is what the US wants from its allies, Europe should
unite against. It is childish to say the least!!
- On February 19, 2003, we are told that the land of Freedom is planning a
new nuclear arsenal. The only country that used an atomic bomb is preparing
itself to do it again! They are interested in the following weapons:
. Low-yield weapons, mini-bombs of less than 1 kiloton, which can be produced
by adjusting existing bombs.
.Earth-penetrating bombs designed to burrow before exploding.
.Enhanced radiation bombs or neutron bombs originally built to kill people
and leave infrastructure in place. They could be used to destroy chemical
or biological weapons.
. Agent-defeat bombs that can destroy chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.
- In his book "Paradise and Power" the former US State Department
official, Robert Kagan said, "America did not change on September 11,
it only became more itself. To expand its territory and influence is more
in line with American history". We should not forget that the USA supported
a series of ruthless dictators and bloody tyrants: Marcos in the Philippines,
Suharto in Indonesia, the Shah in Iran, Somoza in Nicaragua, Batista in Cuba,
Pinochet in Chile and Mobutu in the Congo/Zaire among others. George Bush
personally supports Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea, the government of
Uzbekistan, etc. Bribing the smaller countries on the UN Security Council
to make them vote for the US/British new resolution is not nice but the USA
does it. Accusing Saddam of genocide and ethnic cleaning could be true. Do
the Americans have forgotten what they did not so long ago to the Native Americans?
And putting US citizens of Japanese origin in concentration camps after Pearl
Harbour is not so nice either!
- The International Criminal Court came to life on March 10, 2003, and 18
judges were sworn in. The court is competent to deal with genocide, crimes
against humanity and war crimes in general. Of course, the USA refuses to
recognise its jurisdiction together with Russia, China and India but 89 countries
are backing it. After all, they are the good guys or, at least, they say and
think they are. The Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese, Chileans, San Salvadorians,
etc may have a different view altogether, and this explains why the USA wants
to stay out.
- In the middle of March 2003 the American people, patriotic and supporting
their president, whoever he is, have taken a very important decision. From
now on their French fries will be known as "Freedom fries"!! But
there is a funny side to this joke. Then they should also replace all "French
words". As a result France should from now on be known as "Freedom
Country"!! While in Europe, French president, Jacques Chirac, is walking
the moral high ground as the main head of state opposed to war.
- At least some sense in the US Senate. On March 20, 2003, the senators refused
to approve the Bush's plan to drill for oil in Artic National Wildlife Refuge
in Alaska. Is America waking up?
- The five American soldiers -including a black woman, Shoshana Johnson- taken
prisoners by the Iraqi on March 23, 2003, near the town of Nassiriya, were
paraded in the streets of the town and shown being interrogated on television.
Soon enough Washington, with President Bush in front, screamed that Iraq was
not treating these war prisoners according to the Geneva. What about the Iraqi
prisoners being shown on the world television being searched laying down of
the floor, sitting down with their hands bound in their back, etc? And, moreover,
what about those al-Qaida and Taliban held in Guantanamo Bay without access
to lawyers, refused visitors and held in cages without the protection of the
Geneva Conventions. According to these dump heads in Washington, international
laws and protection should apply only to Americans. This is what they call
democracy in the Land of Freedom.
- On March 31, 2003, the NBC national TV network sacked the veteran and well-known
American television reporter, Peter Arnett. The reason is very simple: he
told the Iraqi television that US military plans against Saddam Hussein were
failing. NBC at first defended Arnett who won a Pulitzer price for his reporting
of the Vietnam War, but the pressure of the public opinion was too strong,
and he was sacked. And believe it or not, this is happening in the self-proclaim
Land of Freedom, not in a third class dictatorial country. Or is it? Later
on Arnett was hired by the Belgian television station VTM to cover the war
in Iraq from Baghdad. Does this mean anything to, Americans!
- The USA is always talking about weapons of mass destruction, and of the
threat they represent to the world. On April 16, 2003, we were told that they
used much more dioxin on Vietnam that was previously admitted. Between 1961
and 1971, herbicides such as Agent Orange, were used to strip mangrove swamps
and forests of cover for the Vietcong soldiers and to deprive the enemy of
food by destroying the crops. After throwing atomic bombs on two Japanese
cities, now it is clear that they used chemical weapons on a large scale during
the war in Vietnam. They should look at themselves first.
- On May 2, 2003, the British newspapers reported a fact that illustrate well
the attitude of the Americans -soldiers and civilians alike- towards the value
of the life of non-US people. In Las Vegas, Nevada, an US Marine, Sergeant
Gus Covarrubias, told a local newspaper that "he had executed two Iraqi
soldiers" while on duty in Iraq. He shot one in the back of the head
and the other in the back. He described his actions as "meting out justice."
The problem is that even the Pentagon had to admit that "if his story
is true, then it is clearly against the laws of wars" and he could be
court marshalled. The same soldier served as a sniper during the first Gulf
war and was boasting since that he killed 30 Iraqi in 1991. Now he intend
to become a policeman and many local citizens approve of it.
- And now on May 20, 2003, the Americans are giving a more credible explanation
of their global strategy. Iraq invasion had nothing to do with finding weapons
of mass destruction, bringing democracy to the Iraqi or getting rid of a nasty
dictator. The invasion of Iraq was a "single campaign, a battle and nothing
more, in a much larger war" against the so-called "axis-of-evil".
Next victims of the American might could be Syria, Iran, North Korea or Libya.
Bush asked the IAEA to declare Iran in "material breach" of its
obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty. They believe that Iran is
building nuclear bombs.
- On May 21, 2003, the US Senate approved the start of research on a new generation
of low-yield and bunker-busting mini nuclear devices. This, of course, will
increase the risk of nuclear proliferation. Their yield would be about 5 kilotons,
about one third of the Hiroshima bomb of 1945. As Democrat senator Edward
Kennedy said:" If we build them, we will use them leading to a nuclear
war".
- On June 11, 2003, we were told that thousand of Muslims could be expelled
from the USA because they are illegal immigrants. From December 2002 to April
2003, the US Immigration Service had ordered all the men of 25 Arab and Muslim
countries living in the USA to register with them. Now 13,354 of the 82,000
that answered are threatened with expulsion, not because they are suspected
to be terrorists or linked to terrorist organisations, but because their visas
was not valid.
- And now on June 15, 2003, it looks like the very popular American president
-no, it is not Bush, but Clinton- could be running in 2005 to be the next
mayor of New York City. This shows that he is still liked by the American
people despites his shortcomings.
- On July 1, 2003, the USA threatened to stop aid to the countries that refused
to exempt American soldiers from prosecution by the new international criminal
court (ICC). The White House opposes the new UN institution. In fact the court
would only try any US soldiers if they were accused on war crimes. About 40
countries could have their aid cut-off. And this is from the land of freedom
and democracy!!
- On August 4, 2003, we were told that American scientists are working on
the development of a weapon that kills by delivering an enormous burst of
high-energy gamma rays. The big advantage of this weapon is that it produces
very little fallout. It only kills people. This is what the Americans mean
by bringing the "American way of life" to foreigners.
- American anti-war activists who visited Iraq before the invasion were told
on August 12, 2003, that they could be jailed for up to 12 years and given
a $1m fine for breaking a pre-war travel ban to Iraq.
- A British citizen of Indian origin has been arrested in Newark airport,
New Jersey on August 12, 2003. Together with two other men, he tried to sell
a Russian shoulder-launched Surface-to-air missile to a buyer thought to be
a terrorist. But he was an undercover FBI agent. The man, Hemant Lakhani,
is not suspected of being an al-Qaida or terrorist member, only a businessman
ready to sell arms to anybody who can pay. This weapon could be used to shot
down a commercial plane. On August 13 he was charged in a New Jersey. He was
also accused of selling arms without licence, and he was remanded to jail
for a week.
- On October 24, 2003, we were told that the USA is treating differently the
two woman soldiers who were wounded during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. While
the white Jessica Lynch is now a rich American superstar that everybody wants
to invite, Shoshana Johnson, a black woman, is already forgotten. Shoshana
is complaining saying that she is discriminated against because she is black.
Moreover Shoshana has been recognised 30% of invalidity against the 80% given
to Jessica, which means $600 to $700 less each month for Shoshana. And apparently
she has suffered more.
- On January 3, 2004, the US newspapers said that the US intelligence services
are convinced that some international flight routes -Heathrow to Washington
DC Dulles, Paris and Mexico City to Los Angeles- were al-Qaida's terrorist
targets. It seems that all this is based on the information of a single source
and the airlines interested are starting to complain that the US is targeting
them while the US airlines can go on as if there was nothing usual. The following
flights were disrupted:
. Wednesday December 31: BA 223 from London to Washington was detained, searched
and passengers interrogated on arrival for about four hours without result.
Air Mexico 490 from Mexico City to Los Angeles was cancelled.
. Thursday January 1: Air Mexico 490 from Mexico City to Los Angeles was cancelled.
BA 223 from Heathrow to Washington, cancelled.
BA 222 from Washington to Heathrow, cancelled.
Air France 3112 from Paris to New York had to land in Canada for baggage search
before proceeding to NY
BA 216 from Washington to Heathrow was delayed and passengers submitted to
further screening.
. Friday January 2: BA 223 from Heathrow to Washington, cancelled.
BA 217 from Heathrow to Washington was delayed and passengers submitted to
further screening.
. Saturday January 3: BA 223 from Heathrow to Washington delayed perhaps 3
hours but finally left. It arrived safely in New York.
BA 263 from Heathrow to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was cancelled.
. Sunday January 4: BA 262 from Riyadh to Heathrow was cancelled.
Some of the British Airways cancellations were due to the pilots' refusal
to flight with armed air marshals on board. However most cancellation were
requested by the US Home Security Department.
- On January 5, 2004, the US Immigration Service is starting to take photographs
and fingerprints of most foreigners entering and leaving the country. US citizens,
legal residents as well as the citizens of 27 countries who do not need visas
are exempt, but they can only stay 90 days. The citizens of these countries
who enter with a regular visa will be photographed and fingerprinted. An inventory
of visitors will be kept, the procedure being similar to what supermarkets
do to keep trace of their inventory of goods. Welcome to America!!
- A Brazilian judge obliged the local immigration authorities to do the same
to the visitors from the USA. It is not clear if the procedure will go on
much longer. It is a pity!
- On January 6, 2004, a woman was taken off the Delta flight 43 from Paris
to Cincinnati just before it left France because of suspicious wires poking
out of her leather jacket. As she presented no threat she was put on the next
flight. The motorcycle jacket was designed to heat up like an electric blanket.
All the same the flight was kept half a mile from the terminal when it arrived
in Cincinnati and US officials re-screened all passengers. The same day the
BA flight 223 from Heathrow to Washington DC was again delayed, this time
two hours.
- On January 19, 2004, we were given the following inventory of nuclear bombs
as of September 2002:
.USA: 10,656
.Russia: about 10,000
.China: 400
.France: 350
.Israel: more than 200
.UK: 185
.India: more than 60
.Pakistan: 24 to 48
- On January 30, 2004, the US intelligence services believe that British
Airways flights to Washington and Air France flights to Los Angeles could
be terrorist targets again! The flights are the same that those affected around
Christmas. Nothing abnormal was found.
- On March 15, 2004, we were told that the USA has been sending Special Forces
in some North African countries (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, Chad,
Mali and Niger) because the Pentagon feels that they are becoming an al-Qaida
recruiting ground.
- On March 30, 2004, a Marine Captain has been blamed for the worst US "friendly
fire" incident in Iraq. This unnamed officer, a ground-based air controller,
called some jets to bomb a suspected Iraqi position near Nassariya a year
ago. Many Marines were fighting in this area and ten of them were killed on
the fourth day of the war. An inquiry blamed the captain for the error. The
US said that it was the worse such incident because US soldiers were involved.
What about the many civilian Iraqis killed this way?
- On April 3, 2004, we were told that all the citizens of the 27 countries
who did not need a formal visa to enter into the USA would be fingerprinted
from around September 30. This, of course, includes America's best friends
such as Britain, Australia, Spain, Italy, Japan, … Will there be any
retaliation?
- The chad-problem in Florida that made a joke of the last presidential election
has been solved, we were told on April 18, 2004. However it is not certain
that Florida's elections will go smoothly in November. Millions of dollars
have been spent to replace the old voting machines with new touch-screen electronic
equipment. However, these new machines are users-unfriendly, not reliable,
and vulnerable to hackers. Moreover there are no paper confirmation slips
so that a recount is impossible. The Republicans who run the state, are not
very keen to add printers, they prefer to have no recount.
- On May 5, 2004, the Disney company blocked the distribution of Michael Moore's
next film, Fahrenheit 911, because it is showing links between the Bush family
and some important Saudis including some of the bin Laden family. Disney is
afraid to loose some tax breaks they receive from the state of Florida for
their parks, hotels and other activities. And this is the land of the free
speech, free expression, etc. On May 22 Michael Moore's documentary film,
Fahrenheit 9/11 received the fist price Palme d'Or- at the Cannes festival.
Bush influence is obviously zero in Europe!
- Former president Reagan died on June 5, 2004. He had been suffering from
Alzheimer disease for 10 years.
- On July 7, 2004, the US pilot, Major Harry Schidt, who bombed Canadian soldiers
in 2002, killing four of them was found guilty of dereliction of duty, reprimanded,
and one month without pay (worth about $5,700). What would the Americans said
if a Canadian plane had killed four US soldiers? The victims' families complained
asking if $5.700 was what their relatives' life was worth to the USA.
- On July 16, 2004, a majority of Americans, 51 percent, said the United States
should have stayed out of Iraq, while 45 percent said going to war was the
right decision. Last month, people were evenly split on that question.
- On July 21, 2004, the manager of the Aladdin Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas,
Nevada, fired an American singer, Linda Ronstadt, on the spot because she
dedicated a song to Michael Moore, the director of the film Fahrenheit 9/11.
And this happened in the land of freedom where the right to say what you think
is protected by the Constitution.
- On July 22, 2004, the US Army is asking some National Guard troops serving
in Iraq to volunteer to stay on active duty beyond a statutory two-year limit
for such service. This shows the strain imposed on the US military by the
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
- On July 29, 2004, Amazon.co.uk said they would not sell a book that analyse
the links between Bush and some rich Saudi families. "House of Bush,
House of Saudi" by Craig Unger is a bestseller in the USA but Amazon
will not sell it in Britain! Is Britain becoming more bigot than the USA?
- On August 12, 2004, the Washington Post admitted that it had underplayed
the doubts about the White House claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
Other newspapers -New York Times, New Republic magazine- apologised before.
They admitted that they put the White House statements on their front page
and the sceptical news at the back. This, they now admit, was a mistake.
- On August 19, 2004, many Americans believe that the United States is depleting
its military strength, diplomatic leverage, and treasury to pursue unrealistic
aims in Iraq. Democracy seems to interest few Iraqis, given the widespread
Shiite proclivity to follow un-elected clerics, the Sunni rejection of the
principle of majority rule, and the preference of many Kurds for tribe and
clan over elected governments. Yet few Americans are prepared to simply abandon
Iraq. For one, they are concerned that this would be a mortal blow to America's
global credibility, and would encourage violent Islamists everywhere.
- Around August 20, 2004, more than half of all Americans -54%- continue to
believe Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, or a programme to develop them
before the US invaded last year. Evidence of such weapons has not been found,
and a growing number of arms inspectors have criticised pre-war intelligence
claims. On 9 July this year, the Senate Intelligence Committee issued a report
stating that the intelligence used to justify the war was inaccurate, unsubstantiated,
unwarranted, out-of-date, negligently analysed and misrepresented, thereby
exhibiting "a broken corporate culture and poor management". Despite
the report, the poll indicated that 35% of respondents believed Iraq was either
closely linked with al-Qaida before the war and 15% thought it was directly
involved in the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US.
- President George Bush equates the "war on terrorism" with the
war in Iraq, but has now replaced his claims that Iraq had weapons of mass
destruction with claims that Iraq had the "capability" of building
such weapons. Seven in 10 in the poll said they believed the US went to war
in Iraq based on false assumptions. A similar number said the war in Iraq
had worsened America's image in the world. A majority, 55%, said they did
not think the war in Iraq would result in greater peace and stability in the
Middle East.
- On September 3, 2004, former president Bill Clinton had heart bypass surgery
after tests revealed significant blockage. His five-hour operation to relieve
clogged arteries was successful and Mr Clinton was recovering normally. Mr
Clinton, 58, was admitted to hospital suffering chest pains and shortness
of breath. More than 26,000 people from all over the world have sent messages
wishing him a speedy recovery.
- Former US President Bill Clinton has been released from hospital in New
York on September 11, 2004, five days after undergoing quadruple heart bypass
surgery. Mr Clinton was in good spirits and was recovering at his home in
the city's Chappaqua suburb. His wife, Senator Hillary Clinton, and their
daughter Chelsea, issued a statement of thanks for more than 85,000 get-well
messages they had received.
- After more than a year in Iraq, in mid-September 2004, the United States
is reviewing key aspects of its strategy for rebuilding Iraqi society, while
the US intelligence is pessimistic about that effort's ultimate success. The
shift of billions in US aid from infrastructure to security projects is only
part of the story. Increasingly American efforts focus on short-term projects
at the expense of longer-term efforts. The aim: hold scheduled January elections
if at all possible, and then try to build upward from there.
- We were told on February 9, 2005 that American female soldiers stripped
to their underwear at a mud wrestling party, and sergeants lent their rooms
to GIs for sex last year at the largest US military prison in Iraq, Camp Bucca.
Photos of the wild party were sent to camp commanders. The New York Daily
News received about 30 pictures and published several of them. The photos
showed at least three female soldiers baring their breasts to male soldiers,
and other women GIs in bras and panties wrestling in a plastic pool full of
mud. One US female soldier, identified as Deanna Allen, 19, of Black Mountain,
N.C., was found guilty of indecent exposure and was demoted, but she is still
a guard at the camp. Other soldiers who appeared in the photos taken at the
party have been reprimanded. No Iraqis was involved according to the Army.
- Americans have conflicting views about the costs and benefits of the US-led
war on Iraq nearly two years after its launch, according to a poll released
on Tuesday March 15, 2005. Iraq benefits more from the war than the United
States, according to the poll, many of whom believed the benefits were not
enough to justify the costs.
-
. Seventy per cent of those polled said the level of US casualties in Iraq
was "unacceptable."
. Fifty-three per cent believe the war was not worth fighting, compared to
45 per cent who believe the war was justified.
. Support for the war ran at 70 per cent while US troops were engaged in active
combat, according to earlier polls.
. Americans who believe the war placed the US in a strong position fell from
52 per cent during the war to 28 per cent now.
. But 44 per cent said they believed the Iraq war had improved chances of
democracy in the Middle East, compared with 9 per cent who said it had lessened
the odds.
. Approval for President George W Bush personally was down to 50 per cent
overall compared with his approval high of 77 per cent. On Iraq, he has a
39 per cent on Iraq in particular, down from a high of 75 per cent.
. Nearly three-quarters of those polled both opposed a military confrontation
with North Korea to force it from using nuclear weapons and also saw the Stalinist
state as a threat to the US.
. Two-thirds oppose military action against Iran, which is not yet believed
to possess nuclear arms.
- On June 20, 2005, nearly six in 10 Americans oppose the war in Iraq and
a growing number of them are dissatisfied with the war on terrorism, according
to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll. Only 39 percent of those polled said they
favoured the war in Iraq -down from 47 percent in March- and 59 percent were
opposed. In a Gallup poll earlier this month that asked, "All in all,
do you think it was worth going to war in Iraq, or not," 56 percent said
it was not worth it and 42 percent said it was. A poll taken in December 2003,
shortly after the capture of Saddam Hussein, found that 62 percent of Americans
believed the war was worthwhile.
- At the end of July 2005 a growing number of Americans fear the war in Iraq
is undermining the fight against terrorism and raising the risk of terrorist
attacks in this country, a poll found. Almost half, 47%, say the war in Iraq
has hurt the fight against terrorism. And about the same number, 45%, said
soon after the first round of subway bombings in London that the war in Iraq
was raising the risk of terrorism in this country. That's up from 36 percent
last fall. But increased doubts about the effects of the Iraq war have not
had much of an effect on overall support for the continuing effort to establish
Iraq's attempts at democracy. About half the public, 52%, favours staying
in Iraq until the country is stabilized and about the same number, 49%, support
the decision to go to war. Hopes remain high that the United States can eventually
establish a stable government in Iraq, with six in 10 saying they think a
stable government will be established and just a third said the US will fail.
Only a fourth of those polled, 27%, said President Bush has a clear plan for
bringing the situation in Iraq to a successful conclusion. That's the lowest
number on that measure since the start of the war.
- On July 25, 2005, Hollywood star and activist Jane Fonda is to take a bus
tour across America to call for an end to US military operations in Iraq.
The move has already drawn sharp reactions from both the pro- and anti-war
camps. Ms Fonda, who earned the nickname Hanoi Jane after she was photographed
sitting on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun at the height of the Vietnam
War, said she would be joined by families of Iraq war veterans and her daughter
on the tour. "I've decided I'm coming out," she told a cheering
audience, explaining that Iraq veterans had encouraged her to break her silence.
- A new survey published on August 16, 2005, shows the US public is unhappy
with US handling of Iraq and with how the Bush administration deals with the
Muslim world in general. The poll found nearly six in 10 Americans were worried
about the outcome of the war in Iraq. Asked whether the United States was
meeting its objectives in Iraq, 56 percent in the poll said the United States
was not, while 39 percent said it was.
- On November 16, 2005, Cindy Sheehan, the well-known war protester, pleaded
non guilty together with other protesters, to charges of demonstrating without
permit outside the White House. If found guilty she will be fined.
- About twelve war protesters who tried to establish a camp in front of President
Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, have been arrested on November 23, 2005.
Bush will spend Thanksgiving Day with his family there. War activist Cindy
Sheehan had not yet arrived for family reasons.
- Cindy Sheeman resumed her protest against the war in front of President
Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, on November 25, 2005. Many people will join
her but many pro-Bush supporters will be there too.
- Only about 200 people joined Cindy Sheehan to protest against the war in
Iraq in front of President Bush's ranch on November 26, 2005. On the other
side there were only about 12 pro-Bush supporters.
- On December 2, 2005, we were told that a US lieutenant colonel of the reserve,
Michael Brian Wheeler, has been arrested on charge that he stole $100,000
from the Iraqi occupation authority and accepted money and gift in exchange
for placing reconstruction contracts with the firms that were paying him.
This follows the arrest last month of Robert J.Stein and Philip H.Bloom for
being part of the conspiracy.
- An official report on December 2, 2005, states that the US Intelligence
Agencies believe that there is little sign of al-Qaida presence in the US.
Caution is still necessary.
- On Wednesday December 7, 2005, air marshals killed a US passenger behaving
strangely on an American Airlines plane in Miami. Apparently the man ran out
of the plane minutes before it was to take off shouting that he had a bomb.
This was later on found to be wrong. His wife said that he had a mental illness.
More information is needed.
- Eight in 10 Americans believe that recent sectarian violence in Iraq has
made civil war likely, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll released
on Monday March 6, 2006. More than seven in 10 Republicans and eight in 10
Democrats and political independents believe civil war is coming. One third
of Americans polled thought such a conflict was "very likely" to
occur.
- The US may be the world's only true superpower but global domination does
not equal global knowledge. A new survey (May 3, 2006) shows young Americans
have what can only be described as shoddy geography skills, with six out of
10 unable to locate Iraq on a map and almost half incapable of pointing to
the state of Mississippi. Ignoramus, they are!
-On May 13, 2006, only a few Americans believe their president can successfully end the war in Iraq, according to a poll by CBS News and the New York Times: 30 per cent of respondents have a lot or some confidence in George W. Bush to deal with the issue.
- Top White House aide Karl Rove has been told by prosecutors he won't be charged with any crimes in the investigation into leak of a CIA officer's identity, his lawyer said Tuesday June13, 2006.
- A naturalized US citizen from Iran found in Iraq was indicted Friday September 29, 2006 on charges of providing support to a terrorist organization that seeks to overthrow the current Iranian regime. Zeinab Taleb-Jedi, 51, then a resident of Herndon, Va., went to Iraq in 1999 to attend a training camp run by the Mujahedin-e Khalq, or MEK. Taleb-Jedi was indicted by a federal grand jury in Brooklyn, N.Y., on one count of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization. She faces up to 15 years in federal prison if convicted.
- The US and the European Union struck a new deal on October 5, 2006, for
sharing airline passenger data, after lengthy talks. The interim agreement
will replace a deal struck down by the European Court of Justice in May, which
allowed the US its own access to passenger data. Under the deal, the EU will
"push" the data -34 pieces of information per passenger- to the
US, replacing the current "pull" system.
- A senior US state department official, Alberto Fernandez, told the Arabic
television station al-Jazeera on October 21, 2006, that the US has shown "arrogance
and stupidity" in Iraq. The state department says Mr Fernandez was quoted
incorrectly - but BBC Arabic language experts say Mr Fernandez did indeed
use the words. Mr Fernandez, an Arabic speaker who is director of public diplomacy
in the state department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, told Qatar-based
al-Jazeera that the world was "witnessing failure in Iraq". The
following day Mr Fernandez said he "seriously misspoke" in the interview.
Two days later he apologised for his comments.
- US military deaths in Iraq in October have reached 83, making it the most
deadly month for Americans this year and adding to pressure on Bush before
Congressional elections next month in which Republicans could lose majorities
in both houses.
- THOUSANDS of people took to the streets of New York on Sunday March 18,
2007, to call for an end to the Iraq war. The protest was held ahead of the
fourth anniversary of the US-led invasion, which falls tomorrow. Massive anti-war
rallies were also being organised in San Francisco, Portland and Seattle.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of demonstrators marched to the Pentagon's doorstep
Saturday demanding "US out of Iraq Now".
- Once transported across the US in the baggage holds of commercial planes, the bodies of American soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan are from now on, April 9, 2007, to be given full military honours after an outcry from grieving families. How nice!
- A civil liberties group obtained on April 13, 2007, files from the US Army on compensation claims to Iraqi and Afghan civilians killed and hurt by coalition forces. Of the 496 claims, 164 resulted in cash payments to families. Many files relate to civilian deaths at checkpoints or near US convoys. The military only pays compensation in cases not involving combat activity. If it does not accept responsibility for the civilian's death, the military can make a discretionary "condolence" payment, which is offered without admission of fault and is capped at $2,500. In the 164 claims resulting in payments, about half were for compensation and the remainder condolence payments. The New York-based ACLU believes the files it has received are a very small proportion of those held by the defence department, and is pressing it to disclose them all.
- Democrats in Congress said Tuesday April 17, 2007, they plan to have an emergency Iraq spending bill on President George W. Bush's desk next week, setting up a likely showdown over a threatened presidential veto. Democratic leaders were to sit down with Bush Wednesday in hopes of averting a clash over legislation linking the 120-billion-dollar-plus spending bills approved in both houses of Congress to a timeline for withdrawing US troops.
- On April 20, 2007, we were told that Paul D. Wolfowitz, while serving as
deputy secretary of defence, personally recommended that his companion, Shaha
Ali Riza, be awarded a contract for travel to Iraq in 2003 to advise on setting
up a new government, according to a previously undisclosed inquiry by the
Pentagon's inspector general. The inquiry concluded that there was no wrongdoing
in Mr. Wolfowitz's role in the hiring of Ms. Riza by the Science Applications
International Corporation, a Pentagon contractor, because Ms. Riza had the
expertise required to advise on the role of women in Islamic countries. The
investigators also found that Mr. Wolfowitz, now president of the World Bank,
had not exerted improper influence in Ms. Riza's hiring. Earlier this week,
Science Applications International said an unnamed Defence Department official
had directed that she be hired. She had been a World Bank employee for five
years at the time.
- US intelligence agencies warned senior members of the Bush administration in early 2003 that invading Iraq could create instability that would give Iran and al-Qaida new opportunities to expand their influence we were told on May 24, 2007. Officials familiar with the Senate Intelligence Committee investigation also say analysts warned against a sustained United States presence, which could increase extremist recruiting. The committee also found that the warnings predicting what would happen after the US-led invasion were circulated widely in Government, including to the Pentagon and Vice-President Dick Cheney's office. It was not clear if US President George W. Bush had been briefed.
- US media reporting of the war in Iraq fell sharply in the second quarter
of 2007. Taken together, the war's three major story lines -the U.S. policy
debate, events in Iraq and their impact on the US home front- slipped roughly
a third, to 15 percent of an index of total news coverage, down from 22 percent
in the first three months of the year. The study by the Project for Excellence
in Journalism examined 18,010 stories that appeared between April 1 and June
29. Its "News Coverage Index" encompasses 48 outlets, including
newspapers, radio, online, cable and network television.
- Thousands of angry protestors including the families of dead US soldiers
marched in Washington Saturday September 15, 2007, demanding an end to the
war in Iraq, the return of US troops, and the impeachment of President George
W. Bush. A crowd of protesters some 4,000 to 6,000 strong gathered outside
the White House before marching under a clear sky to the US Capitol building.
Many waved placards that read "Support our troops, stop the war,"
and "Impeach Bush." One hundred ninety-seven people, including dozens
of veterans and activists, were arrested as they crossed police lines. Police
also used pepper-spray to disperse the crowd, according to the Act Now to
Stop War & End Racism (ANSWER) coalition, the group that organized the
march.
- Romney's trip abroad has demonstrated that his foreign policy operation
is "bush league" in more ways than one. By now the entire world
has gotten a chance to see that Mitt Romney is no foreign policy or diplomatic
genius.
- He went to Britain and insulted his host's preparation for the Olympic Games
-leading major British papers to run banner headlines like: "Mitt the
Twitt", "Nowhere Man", Mitt "A buffoon, Daily Mirror".
- He massively damaged whatever ability he might have had to broker Middle
East peace were he elected president by theorizing that the economic difficulties
of Palestinians stemmed from their inferior "culture."
- On his visit to Poland, Romney received the endorsement of former Polish
President and Solidarity leader Lech Walesa. The Polish Solidarity union itself
-with which Walesa is no longer associated- responded by issuing a statement
attacking Romney as an enemy of working people.
- Romney's debut on the foreign policy stage opened to horrible reviews. He
seems to insult people wherever he travels. He has demonstrated that he is
completely tone-deaf -that he has no ability to understand what other people
hear when he speaks. That's bad enough in domestic politics- but it disqualifies
a leader from effectively representing the interests of the United States
in dealings with other countries. America simply can't afford to have a president
who is a bull in a china closest careening around the world insulting people
and making enemies. As Obama campaign spokesperson Jennifer Psaki put it,
"he's been fumbling the foreign policy football from country to country."
And he has fumbled not just in failing to show diplomatic skill -but also
when he has tried to demonstrate policy expertise. In explaining his theory
that Palestinian economic difficulties resulted from their "culture,"
Romney cited the difference between the per capital Gross Domestic Product
of Israel and the Palestinian territories. "....for instance," he
said, " in Israel, which is about $21,000, and compare that with the
GDP per capital just across the areas managed by the Palestinian Authority,
which is more like $10,000." But he didn't even get that right. Not even
close. In fact, according to the World Bank, Israeli per capita GDP is $31,282
compared to only $1,600 for the Palestinian areas.
- In conclusion, Romney has distinguished himself from Obama, but perhaps
in ways he did not intend.
The last four U.S. generals to run the Afghan war were either forced to resign or saw their careers tainted by allegations of wrongdoing. The first, Gen. David McKiernan, was ousted on May 11, 2009, a year before his term as commander was set to end. Then-Defence Secretary Robert Gates wanted McKiernan's resignation as newly elected President Barack Obama launched a counterinsurgency strategy of working to undermine the Taliban's pull on the population. It was the first presidential dismissal of a wartime general since President Harry Truman ousted Gen. Douglas MacArthur during the Korean War. Obama replaced McKiernan with Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, who had a background in special operations and came in with a mandate to remake the war effort with the help of "surge" troops. But he lasted only 13 months. In June 2010, Rolling Stone published an article that quoted scathing remarks McChrystal and his aides made about their civilian bosses, including Vice President Joseph Biden, as fools who were ignorant of the complexities of war. Obama called McChrystal back to Washington to explain and forced him to resign. Gen. David Petraeus took over the Afghan command in July 2010 to fill the void left by McChrystal's abrupt departure and agreed to serve for one year. He completed that term and then retired from the military to become CIA director in September 2011. Petraeus resigned as CIA director on November 9 after he had an extramarital affair with his biographer. The affair came out as part of an FBI investigation into suspicious emails between the biographer and another woman. The current chief, Gen. John Allen, was appointed by Obama to oversee the drawdown of U.S. and international forces ahead of the planned transfer of security responsibility to the Afghan government in 2014. Pentagon officials said Tuesday November 13, 2012, that Allen, 58, is under investigation for thousands of alleged "inappropriate communications" with the second woman involved in the Petraeus case, a Florida socialite. Allen's nomination to become the next commander of U.S. European Command and the commander of NATO forces in Europe has now been put on hold. Expecting Allen to be confirmed for his new post, Obama had already chosen Gen. Joseph Dunford succeed him. If confirmed, Dunford would be the 15th top commander there since 2002, a revolving door of generals that some analysts say is detrimental to the war effort.
When the administration of President George W. Bush planned the invasion of Iraq, hopes ran high that the massive deployment of troops and money wouldn’t just result in the toppling of Saddam Hussein: The United States would help create a country that stood as an example to others. Ten years ago, Bush announced military operations "to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger." He warned that the coalition campaign "could be longer and more difficult than some predict," but vowed to give the Iraqis a "united, stable and free country." He also stressed that "a liberated Iraq can show the power of freedom to transform that vital region, by bringing hope and progress into the lives of millions." An estimated $61 billion in U.S. reconstruction funds later, reality has fallen short of these expectations. An estimated 189,000 people --including Iraqi civilians, U.S. troops and journalists- were killed in the war in Iraq since 2003. The country is considered one of the most corrupt in the world, and many of the improvements promised have not materialized. Sectarian tensions regularly explode into open violence. And yet Iraq is now OPEC’s second-largest oil producer after Saudi Arabia. It is headed toward becoming the world’s second-largest oil exporter after Russia in 20 years. The civil war that raged after the invasion is over, and elections have been held in which Iraqis vote at relatively high rates. On the 10th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, Tuesday Match 19 2013, There is little doubt that invading Iraq was a costly mistake that did not help the Iraqis.
A U.C. Berkeley student who fled Iraq after his diplomat father was killed by Saddam Hussein's regime alleges he was booted off a flight for speaking Arabic. Khairuldeen Makhzoomi, 26, was flying back to continue his studies in Oakland last Wednesday April 13, 2016, after attending a dinner at the Los Angeles World Affairs Council with Secretary-General of the United Nations Bank Ki-moon. Before the plane left the gate, he was kicked off the Southwest Airlines flight. The student was on the phone with his uncle in Baghdad when another passenger was frightened by his language. The word 'inshallah,' which means 'God willing,' caused his co-passenger to point him out to a crew member, who then threw him off the plane. He believes the other passenger mistook the word 'inshallah' with the Arabic word for martyr, 'shahid.'