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Archives: September 2009
Bombings at Qandahar kill over 30, wound 40; NATO convoy Attacked; ISI Backs Karzai
A suicide bomber rammed his vehicle into a NATO convoy in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday morning. There are reportedly casualties but early reports did not specify them.Roadside bombs set by anti-government guerrillas…IRGC Air Force Commander: Missile Tests Defensive; Pledges Iran to ‘No First Strike"
Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, reaffirmed Monday that a date would soon be set for the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect the planned nuclear enrichment facility…
Ram: "Israel and the Iranian Threat"
Haggai Ram writes in a guest editorial for IC:Before, during and after the recent UN General Assembly meeting, the Israeli government, much like Sisyphus, who was condemned to repeat forever a meaningless…The Most Dangerous Nuclear Facility in the Middle East
There is no good evidence that Iran has a nuclear weapons program. It has offered to allow regular International Atomic Energy Agency inspections of the newly announced facility near Qom, which would…Ismail Khan Survives Taliban attack; Withdraws from Cabinet; US Military’s fate in Afghanistan will be Worse than than of the Soviets
On Sunday morning, a Taliban suicide bombing attack struck at the entourage of Ismail Khan, the Afghan Minister of Energy and Water, in Herat, according to the Afghan Voice Agency writing in…Iraq Steps in to Protect Iran
American and Western discussions of what to do about Iran almost completely ignore Iraq. But no economic sanctions can effectively be placed on Iran without Iraqi support. A gasoline embargo would fail…7 Killed, 50 Wounded in Peshawar Blast, 17 Killed in NW Bombings
The news in the US is about several terrorist plots, some by Christians and some by Muslim expatriates, which have been averted by good police work, by the FBI and its local…Bin Laden Message to Europe: Withdraw from Afghanistan
Usama Bin Laden's latest screed on the Western evacutation from Afghanistan is the height of hypocrisy, since Bin Laden actively connived at getting Western troops to go there. Abdel Bar Atwan is…Qom Enrichment Facility Revealed; Moves to Sanction Iran gain Momentum
So I did this posting on Thursday night, below, on how I perceive President Obama to be maneuvering Iran into a box, wherein it faced increasing chances of the ratcheting up of…
Obama, the UN and Future Iran Sanctions
President Obama is slowly putting Iran in a box. His cancellation of the useless and expensive so-called "missile shield" program in eastern Europe, which had needlessly antagonized Russia, has been rewarded with…
Arguing with Ahmadinejad
Aljazeera English reports on Ahmadinejad's appearance at the United Nations:IRNA gives lengthy excerpts from Ahmadinejad's address at the United Nations.' President Ahmadinejad, who began his address thanking Almighty God for having granted…Oren and Solomon: Duelfer 5 Years Later: Words of Mass Distraction
Ido Oren and Ty Solomon write in a guest op-ed for IC: Five years ago, Charles Duelfer, Head of the Iraq Survey Group, presented to Congress the final report of his 1200…Obama said Wavering on Troop Escalation in Afghanistan
The NYT says that President Barack Obama is reconsidering his plan to greatly increase the number of US troops in Afghanistan, and to be suffering "buyer's remorse" for sending 21,000 more troops…Obama’s Major Challenges on this Week’s Global Stage; Is his own Senate the Roadblock?
Top challenges for Obama at the United Nations this week, including Tuesday's climate conference, and then the G20 on Thursday and Friday. In many instances, we can blame the difficult position he…Are Khamenei and Ahmadinejad Determined to Make Iran a Pariah?
My column is out in Salon.com, on the way in which Khamenei and Ahmadinejad are turning Iran into a pariah state. I warn that if they keep going down this path, they…McChrystal Warns of Failure in Afghanistan without More US Troops; Obama not ready to make Decision
There is a serious and growing rift between the Obama White House and the uniformed officers over Afghanistan policy, according to Rajiv Chandrasekaran and Karen DeYoung at WaPo. They have seen the…Khamenei: We Fundamentally Reject Nuclear Weapons
The USG Open Source Center translates Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's Eid al-Fitr Sermon, in which he categorically rejects the idea of Iran ever developing, possessing or using nuclear weapons.Iran's Supreme Leader Rejects…Ahmadinejad Congratulates Karzai on Presidential "Victory"
Iranian authorities maintained that they counted the ballots of a nationwide election in June in only about 10 hours and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad immediately claimed victory, despite widespread suspicions of fraud.Afghanistan held its…Newsweek: US Intelligence Finds no Evidence of Iranian N-Weapons Program
Newsweek is reporting that the US intelligence community continues to assess that Iran is not working on getting a nuclear weapon. Iran insists that its nuclear energy research program is for the…Ahmadinejad Spews Raving Lunatic Anti-Semitism on ‘Jerusalem Day’
Note: Revised 9/21/09 President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave a sermon on Friday for "Jerusalem Day" that is full of the most vile crackpot anti-Semitism that can be imagined. Anti-Semitism as a form of…
Truck Bomb in Shiite Village, Pakistan, Kills 33, wounds 80
A suicide bomber used a huge truck bomb to blow up the market in the Shiite village of Ustarzai, Kohat District, killing 33 and wounding 80. Many shops, buildings and vehicles were…6 Italian troops, 10 civilians killed in Kabul Blast; 50 Wounded
Guerrillas attacked an Italian convoy in Kabul on Thursday, killing 6 Italian troops and 10 Afghan civilians, and wounding over 50 others. Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi as a result called for foreign…Obama Scraps Land Missile Shield in E. Europe, says Iranian Missile attacks (?) can be Deterred by Sea
President Barack Obama has scrapped an expensive ($56 bn so far) and probably useless "missile shield" program in the Czech Republic and Poland to which Russia had vehemently objected, and which had…Is Afghanistan Vietnam or Iraq? Arguing with Obama and Rubin
President Barack Obama said Wednesday that he would wait for a while before deciding whether to send more US troops to Afghanistan. The administration is said to be deeply divided on the…Goldstone Report Finds Israeli Military Guilty of War Crimes in Gaza
The Independent reports that a United Nations fact-finding inquiry has found that Israel committed war crimes during its attack on Gaza last winter, as did the Palestinian Hamas. The lion's share of…Mullen Calls for More Troops for Afghanistan; UN Mission Split over Election Fraud, May Preserve Karzai
Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made a formal about-face when testifying before the Senate Armed Services committee, now speaking of the necessity of sending more American…Internal, External Crises Sharpen in Iran
Iran has agreed to meet with the six world powers in early October. While they want to discuss Iran's nuclear research program, Iran is insisting that its activities are legal under the…War as a Health Hazard; Over a Third of Iraq Vets have PTSD
Some 35% of Iraq War veterans returning to the US can be expected to suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, according to a new study, which argues that the Veterans Administration hospitals should…Bin Laden Message – US Gov. translation
The USG Open Source Center translates the recently released audio address attributed to Usamah Bin LadinBin Ladin Says US Should Stop Supporting Israel or Face 'War of Attrition'Jihadist Websites -- OSC SummaryMonday,…Abdullah Accuses Karzai of Fraud, Treason; US Dependence on Northern Supply Routes destabilizing North, Threatening Central Asia
Gen. Stanley McChrystal has admitted that there is no significant al-Qaeda presence in Afghanistan. He implies that al-Qaeda does maintain some links to the guerrillas fighting the Karzai government. But McChrystal's statement…5 US Troops, 100 Afghans Killed; Tensions rise over Murky Election Results
A wave of violence and bombings throughout Afghanistan left some 50 Afghan civilians and security forces and 5 US troops dead on Saturday, along with at least 50 Taliban dead.. The most…US, W. Europe will Talk to Iran; Russia Warns against Attack, Sanctions
The US and its European allies have agreed to hold talks with Iran. This step is a major change, since although the UK, France and Germany have been talking with Tehran, the…Swat Taliban Leader Arrested
Pakistan has announced the arrest of a major leader of the Swat Taliban, Muslim Khan, and four other local leaders. The arrest is important for the credibility of the Swat operation, which…
A Tale of Two Joe Wilsons, a Tale of Two Americas
This is the story of two Joe Wilsons, and two Americas. Both challenged a president, the most powerful man in the free world. One is a liar and the other is a…19 Kurds Killed in Ninevah Bombing; US Troops Still Dying in Iraq; Russia Seeks Oil Deals
A suicide truck bomber detonated his payload in a Kurdish village near Mosul early Thursday morning, killing 19 and wounding 25. The attack followed a pattern in northern Iraq of Sunni Arab…US Last in Forestalling Preventable Deaths among 19 Industrialized countries
Here is the ranking by health researchers of 19 industrialized nations by how well their health systems intervene to stop preventable deaths. The US is now dead last at number 19, below…4 US Troops Killed in Kunar Ambush; Karzai Ahead in Ballots, Amidst Charges of Fraud; Russia Fears Heroin
Jonathan Landay of McClatchy reports as an eye-witness on the guerrilla attack in Kunar Province on an Afghan Army expedition to Ganjgal village that killed 4 US marine trainers. AFP says that…
Krane: American Nuclear Reactors for Dubai, Iran’s Best Friend
Jim Krane writes in a guest op-ed for ICThe contrast is startling. Dubai is Iran’s window through the US embargo, one of its largest trading partners, and an offshore Mecca for Iranian…Iraqi Party Demonstrates Against Syria as Regional Tensions remain High
Al-Zaman reports in Arabic that the Islamic Mission Party [Da'wa] headed by Iraqi prime minister Nuri al-Maliki is holding public demonstrations against Syria over its alleged role in harboring Baathist terrorists that…
Where have All the broad Shoulders Gone? Or, Labor Day in a Kleptocracy
The unemployment rate as I write is inching toward 10 percent nationally, and that is only counting people who were still looking for a job recently. A vast bank robbery by the…
EU Foreign Ministers Condemn NATO; German Opposition Attacks Merkel on Afghanistan; Kunduz Residents Furious at West
A Taliban-set roadside bomb hit a German convoy in Kunduz province on Saturday, likely in vengeance for the NATO air strike on hijacked fuel trucks that killed so many locals. Four German…Guantanamo Reading List: Harry Potter, Don Quixote, and Obama’s Dreams from my Father
Journalist Besan Sheikh recently visited the Guantanamo Bay prison facility run by the US, where al-Qaeda and other prisoners from Bush's 'war on terror' are held. (Many of the prisoners appear to…Afghanistan Roiled by NATO Air Strikes that killed almost 100
Earlier this week, Taliban had hijacked NATO fuel trucks. On late Thursday or early Friday, NATO war planes located and struck at the trucks, after aerial surveillance seemed to show insurgent activity…The Great Withdrawer: George Will repudiates the Hawks
Conservative columnist George Will, having argued earlier this week for a US withdrawal from Afghanistan, today says we should get out of Iraq sooner rather than later.Will's main arguments are:1. The past…60 Said Killed in NATO Bombing; US Aid Monies May support Taliban Activities
Preliminary reports are saying that a NATO airstrike on an oil tanker earlier hijacked by guerrillas set off an enormous explosion as people had gathered around it. Some 60 are feared dead.…The Huthi Rebellion in Yemen
Philip McCrum writes in an guest Op-Ed for IC: The Huthi rebellion kicked off in 2004, when Hussein Badr al-Din al-Huthi proclaimed himself “Amir al-mu’minin” (Prince of the Believers), denounced the Yemeni…Taliban Assassinate Deputy Intelligence Director, Kill 21
A Taliban suicide bomber killed the deputy director of Afghanistan intelligence along with 21 other people in the eastern Laghman province. This sort of successful strike at a high government official suggests…Tohidi: Women and the Presidential Elections: Iran’s New Political Culture
Nayereh Tohidi writes in a guest op-ed for IC:Iranian Women figured prominently in the 10th presidential elections of June 2009, in which Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner by a wide margin.…Maher interviews Moyers: The Conscience of American Journalism
Bill Maher interviews Bill Moyerson Afghanistan: Maher interviews Moyers on health care:End/ (Not Continued)