Clipmarks | arifsali's 'bush administration' clips

The dilemma of anti-extremist Pakistanis

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:03:00 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: The whole piece is worth reading.

Yesterday the New York Times ran a front-page article on the growth of al-Qaida in Pakistan and the failure of the Bush administration to devise any strategy to confront it.

(Instead they are apparently thinking again about attacking Iran.

As usual, the Times article presented the alternatives as do nothing, Predator missile strikes, or invasion by U.S. Special Forces, without any discussion of competing Pakistani and Pashtun political agendas for the tribal agencies.

American hypocrisy has played into the hands of Islamic militants. They have been vigorously promoting the notion that this is a bipolar conflict of Islam, which they claim to represent, versus imperialism. Many Pakistanis, who desperately want someone to stand up to the Americans, buy into this.

According to Khattak, one part of the "government of Pakistan" is at war with groups created by another part of the "government of Pakistan." A policy toward "Pakistan" cannot address this problem.

Tags: terrorism, united states, pakistan

The Untold Story of Corruption in Iraq

Sat, 17 May 2008 01:13:07 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.chicagopublicradio.org

The Bush Administration says its makes strong efforts to fight corruption in Iraq — but according to my next guest — they’re making a strong effort to cover up corruption in Iraq.

Arthur Brennan is a retired Superior Court Judge from New Hampshire. He has experience helping Cambodia establish its court system. Judge Brennan is also a veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division and served in the Reserves for 20 years.

Justice Brennan testified at a Senate hearing this week and said the work of these organizations was ignored and demeaned by the State Department, the Justice Department and the Iraqi government.

Justice Brennan only spent a few weeks in Iraq before his wife was diagnosed with cancer and he had to resign — but what he saw amazed him.

In his Senate testimony, Judge Brennan testified that the State Department had “negligently, recklessly and sometimes intentionally misled Congress, the American people and the people of Iraq.”

Tags: iraq, corruption, united states

Muslim true/false

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:54:00 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: What you think you know about them is likely wrong -- and that's dangerous.
By John L. Esposito and Dalia Mogahed

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

Winning hearts and minds -- the Bush administration, foreign policy wonks, even the U.S. military agree that this is the key to any victory over global terrorism. Yet our public diplomacy program has made little progress on improving America's image. Few seem to recognize that American ignorance of Islam and Muslims has been the fatal flaw.

How much do Americans know about the views and beliefs of Muslims around the world? According to polls, not much. Perhaps not surprising, the majority of Americans (66%) admit to having at least some prejudice against Muslims; one in five say they have "a great deal" of prejudice. Almost half do not believe American Muslims are "loyal" to this country, and one in four do not want a Muslim as a neighbor.

Why should such anti-Muslim bias concern us? First, it undermines the war on terrorism: Situations are misdiagnosed, root causes are misidentified and bad prescriptions do more harm than good

Second, it makes our public diplomacy sound like double-talk.

Tags: muslims

Not in the name of democracy

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:09:03 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: english.aljazeera.net

On the eve of the invasion of Iraq, Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera's senior Middle East analyst, warned of the dangers of imposing democracy on sovereign nations in the region.

Citing the bitter memories of western colonialism and imperialism on Arab lands in the first few decades of the 20th century, Bishara predicted that invading Iraq would lead to untenable chaos.

His predictions and calls at the time remain poignant today.

The Bush administration should be careful when it talks about democracy in the Middle East. The idea is too valuable, and too vital, to be used as cynical camouflage for other agendas, whether those are based on oil interests, or Israel's, or the desire to have a solid military beachhead in a volatile region.

America

does not seem to realise what bitter memories we Arabs have of foreign democracies trying to shape and dominate our region.

Tags: iraq, united states

Bush takes arms deal to Saudis

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:32:56 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: english.aljazeera.net

The US administration is expected to formally tell Congress of a planned $20bn arms deal with Saudi Arabia, after George Bush, the US president, arrived in the Arab state as he nears the end of his Middle East tour.

The official announcement, expected on Monday, will start a 30-day review period during which Congress could try to block the deal.

The deal, which includes satellite-guided weaponry and high-tech munitions, has alarmed Israel and some US Congressmen since it was unveiled last July, especially as Saudi Arabia refuses to recognise the Jewish state.

"Arms packages are on the agenda as are the issues involving Iran and Middle East peace," said Rob Reynolds, reporting for Al Jazeera from Riyadh.

Tags: politics

U.S. Resisting Ban on Cluster Bombs

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 17:32:23 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: They come in handy to bomb empty caves!

Clip Source: www.ipsnews.net

BRUSSELS, Oct 29 (IPS) - The U.S. is leading efforts to resist a complete ban on cluster bombs, human rights activists have complained.

Although an accord appears likely to be reached during 2008, activists are concerned over diplomatic manoeuvres by Washington to ensure that it will not be too stringent.

Representatives of the U.S., the world's number one user of cluster munitions, have been holding bilateral discussions with some European governments recently in a bid to water down any potential accord. The Bush administration has observer status at the Brussels conference, though it is a Europe-led initiative.

"Almost 90 countries have joined the Oslo process," said Stan Brabant from Handicap International, one of the groups most vociferous in opposing cluster bombs.

Tags: united states, bomb, politics

Congressmen extend first U.S. apology to Arar

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 04:26:12 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.canada.com

Republican and Democratic members of a U.S. congressional panel issued personal apologies to Maher Arar Thursday, and denounced the Bush administration for refusing to admit it erred in sending the Canadian software engineer to Syria on suspicion he had ties to terrorist groups.

But even as lawmakers called on the U.S. government to compensate Arar, a pair of prominent Republican congressmen laid the blame for his ordeal at the doorstep of the Canadian government and the RCMP.

"Let me personally give you what our government has not - an apology," Representative Bill Delahunt, a Massachusetts Democrat, told Arar during an emotional Capitol Hill hearing into the U.S. policy of extraordinary rendition.

"We should be ashamed," said Representative Dana Rohrabacher, a California Republican.

Tags: politics, canada, united states, congress

Bush wants permanent spying powers

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 21:04:10 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: english.aljazeera.net

The US president has pressed congress to expand the government's domestic spying powers permanently to prevent attacks by "enemies".

But critics say George Bush is riding rough-shod over civil liberties.

The Democratic-led congress in August temporarily expanded the Bush administration's authority to monitor phone calls, emails and other electronic communications between individuals in the

and overseas terror suspects without obtaining a traditional court's approval.

Tags: bush administration, civil rights, democrats, politics, united states

Bush wishes Cuba's Castro would disappear

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 20:17:40 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: I feel for the atheists in America, their leader is governed more by the faith then anything else. Sad.

Clip Source: www.canada.com

NEWPORT, R.I. (Reuters) - U.S. President Bush made plain his feelings about Fidel Castro Thursday - wishing the Cuban leader would disappear.

"One day the good Lord will take Fidel Castro away," Bush said in answer to a question after a speech at the Naval War College.

Asked whether Bush was wishing Castro dead, White House National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said: "The president was commenting on an inevitable event."

Tags: bush, bush administration, cuba, castro, politics, faith, religion

Bush subpoenaed over wiretapping

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 22:13:53 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: This is a Holy Cow news of the day.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Bush faces eavesdropping subpoena

The US Senate has issued a subpoena ordering the White House to give up documents related to its surveillance of domestic terror suspects.

The Senate Judiciary Committee asked the Bush administration to give up the papers as part of its inquiry into the controversial spying programme.

The administration has refused a series of requests to release the documents.

The Senate Judiciary Committee's subpoenas target the White House, Vice-President Dick Cheney, the National Security Council and the Department of Justice.

"Our attempts to obtain information through testimony of administration witnesses have been met with a consistent pattern of evasion and misdirection," the Senate Committee's chairman, Patrick Leahy, says.

Tags: bush, united states, bush administration, politics

Bush to name Muslim nations envoy

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 18:42:50 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: This is a welcome move, but too late I believe.
BTW, OIC is an inept organization to begin with but regardless, I'm only glad that United States have made such a move.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

US President George W Bush has said he will name an envoy to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), a coalition of Muslim countries.

The role of the envoy will be to bolster relations between the Muslim world and the US.

The OIC represents some 57 Islamic states and promotes Muslim solidarity.

Mr Bush said the envoy to the OIC would "listen to and learn from representatives from Muslim states" and "share with them America's views and values".

It is the first time such an envoy has been appointed by a US president.

"This is an opportunity for Americans to demonstrate to Muslim communities our interest in respectful dialogue and continued friendship," Mr Bush said.

Tags: bush, bush administration, muslism, islam, oic

Pinky and the Brain

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 02:10:26 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: I loved that cartoon when it was around

Clip Source: i.thefairest.info

Tags: cartoon, bush administration

Bush hires Halliburton/KBR to build detention camps in USA

Wed, 30 May 2007 22:37:08 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: The word "extraordinary" is scary at best under the circumstances.

Clip Source: www.worldnetdaily.com

Directive from Bush allows president extraordinary powers in national crisis

Halliburton's former engineering and construction subsidiary has a contingency contract with the Department of Homeland Security to construct detention facilities in the event of a national emergency, according to WND columnist Jerome Corsi.

As Corsi reported last week, President Bush recently signed a little-reported National Security and Homeland Security Directive granting extraordinary powers to the president in the event of a declared national emergency, apparently without congressional approval or oversight.

Tags: bush administration, united states, politics

Prisoner of Her Desires

Sun, 27 May 2007 02:27:25 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

IN the United States and in Europe, there is a widespread belief that the Bush administration has failed to engage Iran diplomatically. Among the advisers to the Iraq Study Group, of which I was one, most believed that the Bush administration, not the mullahs’ regime, was the most culpable party in foreclosing dialogue between Washington and Tehran after 9/11.

Iran’s American-educated longtime ambassador to the United Nations, Javad Zarif, has tirelessly suggested that the administration missed opportunities for improving relations and is tone-deaf to his country’s peaceful intentions.

Yet it ought to be clear that just the opposite is the case. The clerical regime today is no more interested in reaching a peaceful modus vivendi with the United States than it was in the 1990s, when President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright all but begged President Mohammad Khatami of Iran to just talk to them.

Tags: iran, united states, politics

Can We End the American Empire Before It Ends Us?

Fri, 18 May 2007 05:30:45 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: alternet.org

Brilliant historian and essayist Chalmers Johnson argues that unless we face up to the tremendous strain our empire is having on America, we will lose our democracy, and then it will not matter much what else we lose.

In politics, as in medicine, a cure based on a false diagnosis is almost always worthless, often worsening the condition that is supposed to be healed. The United States, today, suffers from a plethora of public ills. Most of them can be traced to the militarism and imperialism that have led to the near-collapse of our Constitutional system of checks and balances. Unfortunately, none of the remedies proposed so far by American politicians or analysts addresses the root causes of the problem.

According to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, released on April 26, 2007, some 78% of Americans believe their country to be headed in the wrong direction. Only 22% think the Bush administration's policies make sense

Tags: america, empire, democracy, politics