Oh John McCain. As the inimitable “Don’t Know” category passes you in the polls, perhaps you will find a career as a crooner more to your liking.
Archive for the ‘The United States in the Middle East’ Category
Bomb bomb, Iran
Posted in Iran, The United States in the Middle East on June 12, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
An Oversimplified List
Posted in Iraq, The United States in the Middle East on June 8, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Of Options In Iraq
Cut and run.
Run, without cutting first.
Cut. Just cut. No running.
Stand very still, then run suddenly—without cutting.
Stay the course.
Alter the course—but only slightly. Without cutting and running.
Stay the course—for a while. Then cut and run.
(hat tip to Wittkower.)
“Can you understand now why we HATE U.S. politicians?” – H Con Resolution 152
Posted in Human Rights, Israel, Palestine, The Big Picture, The United States in the Middle East on June 7, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Hundreds of pieces of legislation pass through Congress on a daily basis.
But, as Palestinian blogger Sabbah writes, H. Con Resolution 152 really has a special place in Arab hearts: “Can you understand now why we HATE U.S. politicians?”
Passed by a voice vote on the anniversary of Israeli’s victory in the Six-Day War, HRes. 152 [...]
Staffing crisis at U.S. foreign service
Posted in The Big Picture, The United States, The United States in the Middle East on June 7, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
It’s not just the army that is hurting for recruits.
Moral is low, deployments are to high-risk areas (Kabul, Baghdad, Khartoum, anyone?), and not enough foreign service staff or auxiliary positions (language instruction, etc.) are being hired to fill spots created by a shift in diplomats from Europe (largely) to the Middle East (generally).
The situation in [...]
Iraqi parliament wants say in future of U.S. troops
Posted in Iraq, The United Nations, The United States in the Middle East on June 6, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
The Iraqi congress O.K.’d a resolution yesterday to force Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to consort with them before asking the United Nations to extend the mandate for American-led forces in their country.
The resolution, drafted by lawmakers within the coalition of vitriolic Shi’i cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s, doesn’t ring as true as some might think: Of the [...]
Like going to the gym every day for six years…
Posted in Iran, The United States in the Middle East on June 5, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
As three Western intellectuals sit in Iranian jails and the “countdown to Israel’s destruction” begins, the specter of the boogey-nation of Iran has never been scarier.
Karim Sadjadpour, in this Council on Foreign Relations interview, describes contemporary civil society in Iran and gives credence to OWGA’s most heartfelt notion: that Iran will, Turkey notwithstanding, be the [...]
W.W.G.W.B.D?
Posted in Iraq, The United States in the Middle East on April 15, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
From fellow blogger Indian Inheritance:
Your Iraqi Claims Pocket Card
Posted in Human Rights, Iraq, The United States in the Middle East on April 13, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
The American Civil Liberties Union has built an online database of 500 “claims” by Iraqi citizens on the American armed forces due to death or injury caused by U.S. troops. The database is extremely extensive, attaching the PDF-ed claim files to each of the cases.
OWGA came by this database via this excellent article in the [...]
“You only going to get so many chances”
Posted in Iraq, The United States in the Middle East on April 13, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
This NYT piece discusses how Company B, First Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment of the First Infantry Division found out their combat stays would be three months longer. That is to say by accident.
“Shortly after midnight, First Sgt. Jody Heikkinen spotted an article about it on the Internet, and the company officers were caught off guard. [...]
Worse Than Apartheid?
Posted in Human Rights, Israel, Palestine, The United States in the Middle East on April 10, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Robert Novak details his visit to Jerusalem and the surrounding towns, writing that the Palestinians feel their situation is worse than the apartheid imposed upon Black citizens of South Africa. As evidence, he points to the hardship imposed by the Israeli security wall, the rough treatment of Palestinian youth by the Israeli government and the [...]
