Tag "surge"
By Jonathan S. Landay and John Walcott, McClatchy Newspapers WASHINGTON — The war in Iraq has become “a major debacle” and the outcome “is in doubt” despite improvements in security from the buildup in U.S. forces, according to a highly critical study published Thursday by the Pentagon’s premier military educational institute. The report released by the National Defense University raises fresh doubts about President Bush ‘s projections of a U.S.
The Agenda Behind The Anti-Sadr Agenda by Muriel Mirak-Weissbach for GlobalResearch.ca When Gen. David Petraeus along with U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker gave their testimony to the Senate on April 9, they did nothing more than to confirm in spades what had been being mooted and duly leaked by the Washington-based press: that the Bush-Cheney Administration had officially endorsed the line that Iran should be set up for attack,
As my readers have already noticed, I am rather angry at Rep. Ron Paul for throwing in the towel in the 2008 election instead of doing what this SOB Lieberman (successfully) did and run as an independent. Still, when I heard Ron Paul’s remarks to Petraeus and Crocker I found myself daydreaming about what a Paul Presidency could have meant to the rest of the world (I am not supportive
Mahdi Army Stands Firm in its Basra NeighborhoodsDemonstrations in Baghdad against al-Maliki By Juan Cole “Information Clearinghouse” — – People are asking me the significance of the fighting going on in Basra and elsewhere. My reading is that the US faced a dilemma in Iraq. It needed to have new provincial elections in an attempt to mollify the Sunni Arabs, especially in Sunni-majority provinces like Diyala, which has nevertheless been
CHALLENGES 2007-2008: Iraq Progresses To Some Of Its Worst Inter Press ServiceAnalysis by Dahr Jamail Despite all the claims of improvements, 2007 has been the worst year yet in Iraq. One of the first big moves this year was the launch of a troop “surge” by the U.S. government in mid-February. The goal was to improve security in Baghdad and the western al-Anbar province, the two most violent areas. By
The always excellent blog Lenin’s Tomb has posted a very good commentary on the latest statistics out of Iraq. I urge everybody interested in the Iraq war to go to Lenin’s Tomb and read this analysis and see why ‘the Surge is working’.
by Binh, author of the blog “Prisoner of Starvation“, originally published on his blog and reprinted here with Binh’s kind permission.——- Every so often, you pick up a newspaper and read something that boggles your mind. The Washington Post has a story with a big headline that says: “All Iraqi Groups Blame U.S. Invasion for Discord, Study Shows.” The second paragraph starts with the following sentence: “That is good news,
The so-called ‘Surge’, and its alleged success, are based on two fundamental tactics: the first one is the so-called ‘Redirection‘ which consists of buying off the Sunni resistance, including all those groups who only yesterday were called ‘terrorists’; the second new tactic is massive increasing in the use of airpower. The blog Lenin’s Tomb has just published an excellent analysis which proves that the occupation forces are now truly engaged
Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh has consistently led the way in telling the story of what’s really going on in Iraq and Iran. SPIEGEL ONLINE spoke to him about America’s Hitler, Bush’s Vietnam, and how the US press failed the First Amendment. SPIEGEL ONLINE: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was just in New York for the United Nations General Assembly. Once again, he said that he is only interested in civilian nuclear
A special investigative report from inside Iraq By Greg Palast Monday, September 17, 2007- Did you see George all choked up? In his surreal TV talk on Thursday, he got all emotional over the killing by Al Qaeda of Sheik Abu Risha, the leader of the new Sunni alliance with the US against the insurgents in Anbar Province, Iraq. Bush shook Abu Risha’s hand two weeks ago for the cameras.
by Patrick Cockburn Ten days after President George Bush clasped his hand as a symbol of America’s hopes in Iraq, the man who led the US-supported revolt of Sunni sheikhs against al-Qa’ida in Iraq was assassinated. Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha and two of his bodyguards were killed either by a roadside bomb or by explosives placed in his car by a guard, near to his home in Ramadi, the capital of
by Gareth Porter In sharp contrast to the lionization of Gen. David Petraeus by members of the US Congress during his testimony this week, Petraeus’ superior, Admiral William Fallon, chief of the Central Command (CENTCOM), derided Petraeus as a sycophant during their first meeting in Baghdad last March, according to Pentagon sources familiar with reports of the meeting. Fallon told Petraeus that he considered him to be “an ass-kissing little
by Patrick Cockburn It was supposed to mark a decisive new phase in America’s military campaign, but six months after George Bush sent in 20,000 extra troops, Iraq is more chaotic and dangerous than ever. In a special despatch, Patrick Cockburn reports on the bloody failure of ‘the surge’ The war in Iraq passed a significant but little remarked anniversary this summer. The conflict that President George Bush announced was
Tuesday: 572 Iraqis Killed, 6 GIs; 412 Iraqis Wounded Updated at 5:21 p.m. EDT, Aug. 15, 2007 At least 572 Iraqis were killed and 412 more wounded in the latest round of attacks, which included a major triple bombing in northern Iraq. Also, six GIs were killed and three more were wounded in separate events. One American servicemember was killed and three others were wounded during combat operations in western
Surging Past the Gates of Hell By Tom Engelhardt Sometimes, numbers can strip human beings of just about everything that makes us what we are. Numbers can silence pain, erase love, obliterate emotion, and blur individuality. But sometimes numbers can also tell a necessary story in ways nothing else can. This January, President Bush announced his “surge” plan for Iraq, which he called his “new way forward.” It was, when
US Military Riding the Perfect (Sine) Waveby William S. Lind Looking idly at the front page of last Wednesday’s Washington Post Express as I rode the Metro to work, I received a shock. It showed a railroad station in Iraq, recently destroyed by an American air strike. So now we are bombing the railroad stations in a country we occupy? What comes next, bombing Iraq’s power plants and oil refineries?
