AltWeeklies Wire
John McCain, the U.S. and the Latest Russian Crisisnew
If Randy Scheunemann's Georgian connections provide even a scintilla of influence over a potential President McCain's decision on whether we go to war on that country's behalf, that is the very antithesis of democracy. But how many Americans are aware of any of this, as the news gulls continue regurgitating the myth of McCain as the strong and forthright policy expert?
INDY Week |
Derek Jennings |
08-21-2008 |
Commentary
The Georgian Debacle Could Break NATOnew
If the U.S. pursues its goal of bringing Georgia and Ukraine into NATO, there are only three options. If "old Europe" digs in its heels and refuses, then either the U.S. drops its demand, or NATO breaks up. The third alternative is that "old Europe" agrees to let the two former Soviet republics join -- but with the unspoken reservation that they will never actually go to war with Russia to protect them.
The Georgia Straight |
Gwynne Dyer |
08-20-2008 |
International
Retired Russian Army Colonel Criticizes U.S. Actions in Iraq Even as Tanks Roll in Georgianew
Yuri Yuryevich, also a former journalist, says the idea of Russian censorship was concocted by the West -- investigative journalism no problem as long as president isn't criticized.
L.A. Weekly |
Steven Leigh Morris |
08-18-2008 |
International
When it Comes to Foreign Affairs, the Criminally Insane is the New Normalnew
Even a salamander should be able to see that the Iraq War hasn't done a damn thing for us, except terribly damage our prestige. Yet, remarkably, millions of people seem ready to vote to install a President John McCain, who is promising even more war.
Metro Times |
Jack Lessenberry |
08-12-2008 |
Commentary
South Ossetia Was a Monumental Miscalculation by Georgianew
This was Georgia's second attempt in 18 years to conquer the breakaway territory by force, and now that option is gone for good. So are the country's hopes of joining NATO. Yet sections of the Western media are carrying on as if the Russians started it, and are now threatening to invade Georgia itself.
The Georgia Straight |
Gwynne Dyer |
08-11-2008 |
International
Jazz Trumpeter Amir ElSaffar Builds a Bridge to Iraqnew
ElSaffar's suite Two Rivers forges a singular fusion of jazz and Iraqi classical music -- and reconciles his roots in the process.
Chicago Reader |
Peter Margasak |
08-11-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Can the Boston Globe Really be to Blame for Rakan Hassan's Death?new
Two years ago, the Boston Globe profiled an orphaned Iraqi boy spirited to Boston for medical care. Earlier this summer, he was killed -- apparently targeted by insurgents. Could local coverage really be to blame?
Boston Phoenix |
Adam Reilly |
08-07-2008 |
Media
Texas Air National Guard Boots Sick Soldiernew
Just what is any soldier or sailor entitled to if he goes to war for the United States and comes back maimed or sick? Did Jason Franco get any better or worse treatment than if he'd been shot by a sniper instead of enveloped in a haze of carcinogenic fumes? Well yes, no and maybe so.
Houston Press |
Margaret Downing |
08-05-2008 |
War
Are We at a Turning Point, or Another Stalemate, on Iraq?new
Five-plus years after the invasion of Iraq and two years after Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold first called for a troop-withdrawal timetable, the U.S. may be shifting its military and diplomatic strategy in the Middle East -- maybe. "We could have been out of there a long time ago," Feingold told the Shepherd Express last week. "And in a much better position as a nation, both in terms of our economy and national security, if we had done this earlier."
Shepherd Express |
Lisa Kaiser |
08-01-2008 |
War
Valerie Plame Wilson Discusses Her Memoir, FISA and Her Move to New Mexiconew
Valerie Plame Wilson's identity is no longer a secret. Five years and two lawsuits later, neither is her story. In her October 2007 memoir, Fair Game: How a Top CIA Agent Was Betrayed by Her Own Government, former agent Wilson chronicles how her life shifted from serving her country to suing her country.
Weekly Alibi |
Aeriel Emig |
07-29-2008 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Contract Killers: A Public/Private Partnership Goes Horribly Wrong in Iraqnew
Staff Sgt. Ryan D. Maseth was electrocuted while taking a shower in Iraq. His death, along with at least a dozen other soldiers who have met the same fate, is a tragic, and chillingly literal, symbol of what writer Naomi Klein calls "the Shock Doctrine." In her book of the same title, Klein argues that for modern corporations, wars and other disasters are just part of the business model.
Pittsburgh City Paper |
Chris Potter |
07-29-2008 |
War
Tags: Iraq, KBR, Naomi Klein, death, privitization, corporate power, war & peace, The Shock Doctrine
Obama's Afghan Shufflenew
Pushing "right war" is Dem's counterpunch to "success" of Bush's troop surge.
NOW Magazine |
Gwynne Dyer |
07-28-2008 |
Commentary
Activists Want Portland to be a Sanctuary for AWOL Soldiersnew
A coalition of activists called PDX Peace is gathering signatures to make Portland America's third "Sanctuary City" for military deserters, along with San Francisco and Berkeley. And they want the City Council to adopt an ordinance that would protect war resisters by blocking Portland police from acting on federal orders to arrest AWOL soldiers.
Willamette Week |
Beth Slovic |
07-23-2008 |
War
Tags: Iraq, AWOL, Afghanistan, soldiers, Portland, deportation, war & peace, Sanctuary City, PDX Peace
Saving L.A. From Nuclear Terrornew
These days, working as a policy wonk on nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament, I am sometimes asked whether the danger of nuclear terror is "real" – or whether, instead, certain modern-day Machiavellis are manipulating our most nightmarish fears, to promote their own cynical political agendas. What if it's both?
Los Angeles CityBeat |
Tad Daley |
07-18-2008 |
War
Wounds of War Come Out of Hidingnew
A bill sponsored by Rep. Anthony Verga, D-Gloucester, passed in April authorized a "Hidden Wounds of War Commission," to examine the effects of combat and how the state can better serve its veterans.
Dig Boston |
Jessica Hollier |
07-16-2008 |
War
