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Wednesday, September 7, 2011

As ties with Turkey collapse, Israeli politicians, media and intelligence push for more conflict

http://english.al-akhbar.com/blogs/max-blumenthal/ties-turkey-collapse-israeli-politicians-media-and-intelligence-push-more-confl

As ties with Turkey collapse, Israeli politicians, media and intelligence push for more conflict

Schumpeter The daughter also rises

Schumpeter

The daughter also rises

Women are storming emerging-world boardrooms

Robert Gates Says Israel Is an Ungrateful Ally: Jeffrey Goldberg

Robert Gates Says Israel Is an Ungrateful Ally: Jeffrey Goldberg

The Vengeance of Osama Bin Laden

The Vengeance of Osama Bin Laden

Canned Peaches, Heavy Syrup By Carl Prine

Canned Peaches, Heavy Syrup
By Carl Prine Sunday, September 4th, 2011

I confess that I listen to a great deal of National Public Radio.
Unlike boring public television, there’s been a something of a radio renaissance at NPR.  While the rest of the nation’s airwaves are increasingly homogenized into Clear Channel clones or shrill political agitprop ‚  NPR and satellite radio seem the only sane or interesting oases on the dial (or transponder box).
But just because I like This American Life doesn’t mean that I’m going to give NPR a pass.  Rachel Martin’s zippy follow on the retirement of Gen. David Petraeus – now bound for the CIA – traffics in the stale myths that were manufactured to ease his rise to four-star, legends  I doubt anyone seriously believes except Beltway reporters and think tank wonks of increasingly dubious credibility.
So let’s fisk her copy, shall we?

Using Obama’s Own Words, Palestinians Run New Ad Calling On Him To Support Their U.N. Statehood Recognition Bid

Using Obama’s Own Words, Palestinians Run New Ad Calling On Him To Support Their U.N. Statehood Recognition Bid

The Legacy of 9/11 by John Tirman

The Legacy of 9/11

by John Tirman on Sep 7, 2011

http://firebrandmag.com/?p=1733

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat on statehood moves at U.N.

latimes.com


Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat on statehood moves at U.N.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat discusses with The Times what Palestinians are planning and why he thinks the United Nations bid, if unsuccessful, could spell the end of the Palestinian Authority.

By Edmund Sanders, Los Angeles Times
September 7, 2011
Reporting from Jerusalem

Palestinians have everyone guessing about their next move.

Washington Post On Iran’s Nuclear Program: Inspections Not Enough

Washington Post On Iran’s Nuclear Program: Inspections Not Enough

Ten years after 9/11, Saudi Arabia slowly modernizing

September 6th, 2011

Ten years after 9/11, Saudi Arabia slowly modernizing

Editor's Note: The road to 9-11 began in Saudi Arabia. GlobalPost set out to understand how the kingdom has changed — and how it hasn't — on this 10th anniversary. In this six-part series, "Saudi Arabia: The road beyond 9-11," GlobalPost hit the streets of Riyadh.
By , GlobalPost

Our Own Worst Enemies


Syria Shrugs Off Sanctions, Eyes China Oil Sales By: Erika Solomon | Reuters

Syria Shrugs Off Sanctions, Eyes China Oil Sales

By: Erika Solomon | Reuters
Syria plans to sell the oil European customers cannot take under a new EU import ban to Russia or China and will be unharmed by western sanctions as long as its own energy needs are met, Syria's finance minister said on Wednesday.

Russia Opening Gas Pipeline to Europe By: Will Englund | The Washington Post

Russia Opening Gas Pipeline to Europe

By: Will Englund | The Washington Post
A new pipeline under the Baltic Sea allows Russia to avoid dealing with its immediate neighbors, but it may be too late to help its deteriorating export business.

Tenth Anniversary of 9/11 Attacks from the CFR

Tenth Anniversary of 9/11 Attacks
This CFR Issue Guide provides expert analysis and essential background on the central questions facing U.S. policymakers ten years after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Informative Reading for Tonight's Republican Showcase/Debate

Last Saturday, longtime Republican House and Senate staffer Mike Lofgren published an extraordinary piece at Truthout.org.  Below, it offers an insightful and intimately informed explanation for the behavior of Republicans (and Democrats) on Capitol Hill, in presidential politics and generally. 
 
While watching presidential campaign "debates" more than a year before any election may be the pastime of only true believers or chronic political junkies, tonight's Republican showcase at the Reagan Library offers an opportunity to test the explanation of contemporary American politics that Lofgren's exceptional piece offers.  Read his essay below; then watch the candidates tonight. I expect Lofgren's essay will provoke a profound understanding of what the candidates say and why they say it.  (The same would be true of a Democratic showcase; while Lofgren writes mostly of Republicans, his explanation for Democratic behaviors is also astute.)
 
Even if you care not to watch the Republicans tonight, I urge you to read this remarkable analysis.
 
(Some have commented to me that the Lofgren piece appears to be a kiss and tell piece, much like those from retired generals and former Pentagon officials who bemoan incompetence and waste but did nothing about either in office.  However, those who have worked with Mike during his career know that his outspokenness -- and his brilliant analyses -- did not start the day after he retired.)
 
The Lofgren piece follows; it is worth noting that at the Truth.org link (below), it has attracted over 1,200 written comments:
 
Goodbye to All That: Reflections of a GOP Operative Who Left the Cult

by: Mike Lofgren, Truthout, 3 September 2011

http://www.truth-out.org/goodbye-all-reflections-gop-operative-who-left-cult/1314907779#%5B3%5D

Israel Isolates Itself By ROGER COHEN

Israel Isolates Itself

The Worst-Case Euro Scenario

The Worst-Case Euro Scenario

Each day the currency remains on life-support in its current form, the consequences of its eventual death become graver.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

9/11: Can we count the real cost?

9/11: Can we count the real cost?

Putting a figure on the financial repercussions of the terrorist attack is an ongoing puzzle
By Stephen Foley in New York

Is Libya About to Fall Into an Each-Against-All Civil War?

Is Libya About to Fall Into an Each-Against-All Civil War?

NATO's triumph in Libya threatens to spin out of control and into an Iraq-style civil war.

Noam Chomsky on the Dangers of American Empire and Why the US Continues to be Bin Laden's Best Ally

The Martyr State Myth

The Martyr State Myth

CIA Has Become “One Hell of a Killing Machine,” Official Says



CIA Has Become “One Hell of a Killing Machine,” Official Says


Written by Alex Newman   
Monday, 5 September 2011 

The Central Intelligence Agency continues to rapidly expand its global extrajudicial assassination program under the Obama administration, secretly murdering people with drones from Pakistan and Afghanistan to Somalia and Yemen. Even American citizens are fair game, according to the President.

Mission Accomplished in Libya? by Ron Paul

Mission Accomplished in Libya?
Even as a major hurricane hit America's eastern seaboard, the administration is determined to expand the war in Libya while threatening the regime in Syria.  Is there any limit to government's appetite to create more problems for our nation and economy?
Americans may be tempted to celebrate the apparent victory of US and NATO backed rebels in Libya, since it seems the Gaddafi regime is overthrown. But I believe any enthusiasm for our Libyan misadventure is premature.
The Obama administration attacked Libya without a constitutional declaration of war, without congressional authorization, without meaningful consultation with Congress -- and without a dollar being authorized from the House or Senate.  It was a war started by a president who turned to the United Nations for its authority and ignored the authority of the US Congress.
Are we better off as a nation by ignoring and debasing our Constitution?  Are we better off having spent more than a billion dollars attacking a country thousands of miles away that had not threatened us?  Are we more financially sound having expanded the empire to include yet another protectorate and probable long-term military occupation?  Are we more admired throughout the world for getting involved in yet another war?
Still, many will claim that getting rid of Libyan ruler Gaddafi was worth it. They will say that the ends justify the means. As the civilian toll from NATO bombs adds up in a war started under the guise of protecting a civilian population, even the initial argument for intervention is ridiculous. We should not forget that there were no massacres taking place in Libya before the NATO attack. The attack was a dubbed a preventative humanitarian intervention.  But as soon as NATO planes started bombing, civilians started dying.
Gaddafi may well have been a tyrant, but as such he was no worse than many others that we support and count as allies. Disturbingly, we see a pattern of relatively secular leaders in the Arab world being targeted for regime change with the resulting power vacuum being filled by much more radical elements.  Iraq, post-Saddam, is certainly far closer to Iran than before the US invasion.  Will Libya be any different?
We already see grisly reprisals from the US-backed rebels against their political opponents.  There are disturbing scenes of looting and lawlessness on the part of the rebels.  We know that some rebel factions appear to be allied with Islamic extremists and others seem to have ties to the CIA.  They also appear to have a penchant for killing each other as well as supporters of the previous regime.  The tribal structure of Libyan society all but ensures that an ongoing civil war is on the agenda rather than the Swiss-style democracy that some intervention advocates suggest is around the corner.
What is next after such a victory?  With the big Western scramble to grab Libya's oil reserves amid domestic political chaos and violence, does anyone doubt that NATO ground troops are not being prepared for yet another occupation?
Neo-conservatives continue to dominate our foreign policy, regardless of the administration in power.  They do not care that we are bankrupt, as they are too blinded by their desire for empire and their affection for the entangling alliances we have been rightly counseled to avoid. They have set their sights next on Syria, where the US moves steadily toward intervention in another domestic conflict that has nothing to do with the US.  Already the US president has called for "regime change" in Syria, while adding new sanctions against the Syrian regime.  Are US bombers far behind?

US in New Bid to Broker Mideast Peace Talks

US in New Bid to Broker Mideast Peace Talks

from VOA News: Top Stories

White House considering covert operations against Iran

White House considering covert operations against Iran

Unemployment Will Remain High Because Obama Will Do All The Wrong Things

Unemployment Will Remain High Because Obama Will Do All The Wrong Things

This article was originally published on Labor Day by the Daily Capitalist.

A one-term president? from Stephen M. Walt by Stephen M. Walt

A one-term president?

from Stephen M. Walt

Guest Post: What Has Been the Cost of the Post-9/11 Wars? by Winslow Wheeler

This week, as the media runs its displays on America ten years after the 9/11 attacks, there will be references to the dollar costs.  A figure some will use is the one trillion dollars President Obama cited as for the war in Iraq.  That figure is a gross underestimate.
 
The war in Iraq and its costs are inseparable from the wars in Afghanistan, Yemen, Pakistan, the Philippines, Somalia and elsewhere.  Indeed, when the Defense Department seeks appropriations for them, it does not distinguish the costs by location; nor does Congress in appropriations bills.
 
Moreover, the DOD costs are hardly the whole story: add costs in the State Department budget for aid to the governments (such as they are) of Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and elsewhere. 
 
Add also the costs to care for the US veterans of these wars.  That would include the care already extended and the care now obligated for the duration of these men's and women's lives.
 
Add to that the expanded costs of domestic security against terrorism.
 
Add also the interest we annually pay for the deficit spending that has financed the wars.
 
In short, if all the wars were to end today without a single penny appropriated for military operations, etc. for the upcoming fiscal year (2012), the federal costs already incurred would be from $3.2 to $3.9 trillion.  If the wars were to run their course -- as currently (and optimistically) estimated by the Congressional Budget Office -- the costs (together with additional interest payments for the required deficit spending out to the year 2020) would come to an additional $1.45 trillion. 
 
All that would make a total cost from $4.7 to $5.4 trillion -- assuming everything in the future goes according to plan.
 
See a breakout of these  costs in the summary table of Brown University's Costs of War study.  Find that table at http://costsofwar.org/article/economic-cost-summary and find there links to the detailed analyses.
 
In sum, the costs to be incurred are very roughly five times the $1 trillion President Obama has articulated.
 
Breaking down some of these costs is also instructive. 
 
The Congressional Research Service has assiduously tracked appropriations for DOD (and State Department) expenses for the wars.  For the period up to the end of this month (after ten years of wars), CRS records the DOD appropriations for the wars to be $1.2 trillion.  (Find the latest CRS study on this at http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL33110.pdf.)  However, this amount does not include an additional $600+ billion that was added to DOD's "base" (non-war) budget as a result of the wars and the politics surrounding them.  In short, the direct and indirect DOD costs for the wars up to the end of this month are $1.9 trillion (in 2011 dollars), not $1.2 trillion.  I performed this analysis of the DOD budget for Brown's Costs of War study; find my analysis -- and an explanation of the $1.9 trillion total -- at http://costsofwar.org/article/pentagon-budget.  If you think that the DOD spending for the wars has been prudently spent, or even accurately calibrated, I urge you to read this paper.
 
Linda Bilmes of Harvard performed an analysis of the up to $1.4 trillion cost for veterans and their families; find her analysis at http://costsofwar.org/article/caring-us-veterans.
 
Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz was not one of Brown University's Costs of War analysts, but he has written incisively about both the federal and the broader economic costs of the wars.  Find a summary of his analysis (and links to other useful broader economic analysis of the wars) at http://www.slate.com/id/2302949/?wpisrc=obinsite.
 
There are, of course, other human and moral costs that the Costs of War Study addresses and that others have addressed as well. As the American media cranks it out for the 10th anniversary of 9/11, it will eagerly prompt the emotions of the original event.  Thinking and reacting that way is precisely how we ended up spending something in excess of $5 trillion and achieved a result that is the solid basis for only an argument -- and very little more.
 
_____________________________
Winslow T. Wheeler
Director
Straus Military Reform Project
Center for Defense Information
301 791-2397

Bill Gross - ‘Helicopter Ben’ risks destroying credit creation

 

Bill Gross - ‘Helicopter Ben’ risks destroying credit creation
The concept of showering money over national economies to combat deflation has been an accepted principle of monetarism for decades. But for “Helicopter Ben” Bernanke, a chopper is not your average aeroplane, and the usual laws of aerodynamics do not necessarily apply in all cases
http://link.ft.com/r/5F39HH/4CZ2BL/D45D0H/B577TM/7A78ZX/RF/h?a1=2011&a2=9&a3=6

Re Jobs, Pick the Big Low-Hanging Fruit - and Stop the Niggling from Leo Hindery, Jr. by Leo Hindery, Jr.

Re Jobs, Pick the Big Low-Hanging Fruit - and Stop the Niggling

from Leo Hindery, Jr.

The Pentagon Attack on 9/11: A Refutation of the Flyover Hypothesis Based on Analysis of the Flight Path

The Pentagon Attack on 9/11: A Refutation of the Flyover Hypothesis Based on Analysis of the Flight Path

by Frank Legge , (B.Sc., Ph.D., Chemistry) and David Chandler, (B.S. Physics, M.S., Mathematics)

September 6, 2011

http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2011/09/06/the-pentagon-attack-on-911/

White House Declines To Comment On Union Leader’s Anti-Tea Party Rhetoric At Labor Day Rally


White House Declines To Comment On Union Leader’s Anti-Tea Party Rhetoric At Labor Day Rally

Will Barack Obama condemn Joe Biden and Jimmy Hoffa for calling Republicans 'barbarians' and 'son of a bitches'

Will Barack Obama condemn Joe Biden and Jimmy Hoffa for calling Republicans 'barbarians' and 'son of a bitches'

Obama ratings sink to new lows as hope fades

Obama ratings sink to new lows as hope fades

Hoffa Threatens GOP At Obama Event: "Take These Son Of Bitches Out"

Hoffa Threatens GOP At Obama Event: "Take These Son Of Bitches Out"

Crude concerns weigh on green cause

Crude concerns weigh on green cause

President Zero Read his lips: No new jobs.

President Zero

Read his lips: No new jobs.

The Scary Cluelessness of the White House - Victor Davis Hanson, PJM

The Scary Cluelessness of the White House
- Victor Davis Hanson, PJM

Where the Jobs Aren't - David Brooks, New York Times

Where the Jobs Aren't - David Brooks, New York Times

9/11 and the Successful War - George Friedman, Stratfor

9/11 and the Successful War - George Friedman, Stratfor

What If 9/11 Never Happened? - Niall Ferguson, Newsweek

What If 9/11 Never Happened?
- Niall Ferguson, Newsweek

What Happens When Iran Uses a Nuke? - Louis Rene Beres, Jerusalem Post

What Happens When Iran Uses a Nuke?
- Louis Rene Beres, Jerusalem Post

The price of 9/11 Joe Stiglitz, Aljazeera

The price of 9/11 Joe Stiglitz, Aljazeera
Ten years after 9/11, al-Qaeda has been greatly weakened; but the price paid by the US was enormous, and unnecessary.

The Fallacy Behind Tax Holidays Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times

The Fallacy Behind Tax Holidays Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times

War damage to hit return of Libya crude

War damage to hit return of Libya crude Late 2012 or early 2013 before country again producing 1.6m barrels per day, says newly appointed chairman of National Oil Company
http://link.ft.com/r/H60H77/B5KWGV/8A25BP/62CC3C/VLHJNM/GX/h?a1=2011&a2=9&a3=6

The end of US hegemony: Legacy of 9/11

The end of US hegemony: Legacy of 9/11 Was Bush's response a costly and disproportionate diversion of attention and resources at a time when the world was being reshaped by the rise of powerful new actors, notably China? asks Lionel Barber
http://link.ft.com/r/S4XZQQ/ZG08Z8/S3NLI4/QNRRMW/4C2L0A/PJ/h?a1=2011&a2=9&a3=6

Robert Fisk: For 10 years, we've lied to ourselves to avoid asking the one real question

Robert Fisk: For 10 years, we've lied to ourselves to avoid asking the one real question

Monday, September 5, 2011

China's Making Everything in the US From Bridges to Civil Rights Memorials: That's a Huge Problem and China's Not to Blame

China's Making Everything in the US From Bridges to Civil Rights Memorials: That's a Huge Problem and China's Not to Blame

The Chinese invasion tells us the true problem is that America is no longer willing or able to invest in its own future.

Derek Lazzaro on Corrupt Leaders


Derek Lazzaro on Corrupt Leaders
"American Officials Enjoy Lives Without Shame" -- Three recent news headlines illustrate how shameless some American officials have become when it comes to breaking the rules or messing up and pretending that everything is still OK. They also prove that in modern America, it's possible for screwups to continue their lives and careers with hardly a blip.
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/american_officials_enjoy_lives_without_shame_20110902/

E.J. Dionne, Jr. on the Fading Message of Labor Day

E.J. Dionne, Jr. on the Fading Message of Labor Day
"The Last Labor Day?" -- We may still celebrate Labor Day, but our culture has given up on honoring workers as worthy of genuine respect.
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_last_labor_day_20110904/

Chris Hedges on Libya "Libya: Here We Go Again"


Chris Hedges on Libya
"Libya: Here We Go Again" -- I know enough of Libya, a country I covered for many years as the Middle East bureau chief for The New York Times, to assure you that the chaos and bloodletting have only begun.
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/libya_here_we_go_again_20110905/

Graham Bishop: Merkel/Sarkozy letter - historic steps for the eurozone… but could they spell the death knell of Britain in the EU?

Graham Bishop is described as a leading, and respected, British analyst of EU-Euro affairs with decades of experience and a high degree of objectivity about them.

http://www.grahambishop.com/StaticPage.aspx?SAID=239

Graham Bishop: Merkel/Sarkozy letter - historic steps for the eurozone… but could they spell the death knell of Britain in the EU?

A decade later by Haviland Smith


A decade later

Originally published in the Rutland Herald and the Barre Times Argus


We are now getting close to the 10th anniversary of the al-Qaida attacks of 9/11. Although a decade is an insufficient period for most historians to comfortably draw firm conclusions about anything, it is possible to look at our world today and see how it appears to have been affected by that disastrous event and the ensuing decade.

World Bank, China May Cooperate to Transfer Manufacturing Jobs to Africa

World Bank, China May Cooperate to Transfer Manufacturing Jobs to Africa

Struggling with a great contraction By Martin Wolf

Struggling with a great contraction

The Decline of Manufacturing in America: A Case Study

The Decline of Manufacturing in America: A Case Study

A Storm of Anxiety Over Fresh Oil Batters the Gulf

Posted: 04 Sep 2011 01:10 AM PDT
In the Gulf, another maelstrom has hit. But the tropical storm Mother Nature has brewed  is not the top concern on some resident’s minds. Instead they are worried about the threat of fresh oil sighted in the in the general vicinity of BP’s Macondo well. 

Brinkley: War costs more than admitted — and it's continuing to climb Price is 30% of our nation’s debt

Brinkley: War costs more than admitted — and it's continuing to climb

Price is 30% of our nation’s debt

The Limping Middle Class By ROBERT B. REICH Published: September 3, 2011

The Limping Middle Class

Wolfgang Schäuble - Why austerity is the only cure for the eurozone

Wolfgang Schäuble - Why austerity is the only cure for the eurozone
 
Whatever role the markets may have played in catalysing the sovereign debt crisis in the eurozone, it is an undisputable fact that excessive state spending has led to unsustainable levels of debt and deficits that now threaten our economic welfare. Piling on more debt now will stunt rather than stimulate growth in the long run. Governments in and beyond the eurozone need not just to commit to fiscal consolidation and improved competitiveness – they need to start delivering on these now.
http://link.ft.com/r/KC2844/08CG24/TP3TEW/GDXX8R/R3UY7N/N9/h?a1=2011&a2=9&a3=5
 

Top bank in Africa boosting business in yuan

Top bank in Africa boosting business in yuan

Is America a Force for Good in the World? No. by Justin Raimondo, September 02, 2011

Is America a Force for Good in the World?
No.
by , September 02, 2011

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Extreme Weather: Severe Flooding Hits Gulf Coast; Texas On Fire; Earthquakes Hit Alaska, Argentina; Vast Ice Island; BP Deepwater Horizon Site Leaking

McManus: The high cost of protecting America

McManus: The high cost of protecting America

There's no such thing as too much security. But there is such a thing as security that's too expensive.

A Spotlight on “Top Secret America” from Secrecy News by Steven Aftergood

A Spotlight on “Top Secret America”

from Secrecy News

Global Recession, Right Here, Right Now: Japan's Capital Spending Plummets; Eurozone PMI, UK PMI, US ISM ex-Inventory, China Exports in Contraction

Global Recession, Right Here, Right Now: Japan's Capital Spending Plummets; Eurozone PMI, UK PMI, US ISM ex-Inventory, China Exports in Contraction

Individuals Who Are Not Authorized to Work in the United States Were Paid $4.2 Billion in Refundable IRS Credits

Individuals Who Are Not Authorized to Work in the United States Were Paid $4.2 Billion in Refundable IRS Credits

According to a Treasury Inspector General audit, Individuals Who Are Not Authorized to Work in the United States Were Paid $4.2 Billion in Refundable Credits

Will Obama Sabotage His Jobs Plan With Job-Killing Free-Trade Agreements?

Will Obama Sabotage His Jobs Plan With Job-Killing Free-Trade Agreements?

The man who called NAFTA "devastating" and "a big mistake" on the campaign trail is promoting free-trade agreements.

World Bank's Zoellick: "World Economy Is Entering A New Danger Zone" from Clusterstock by Gus Lubin

World Bank's Zoellick: "World Economy Is Entering A New Danger Zone"

from Clusterstock

KRUGMAN: Obama's Wimp-Out On Ozone Will Actually Hurt The Economy

KRUGMAN: Obama's Wimp-Out On Ozone Will Actually Hurt The Economy

from Clusterstock

MAULDIN: It's All About The Jobs -- And Gold from Clusterstock by John Mauldin

MAULDIN: It's All About The Jobs -- And Gold

from Clusterstock

The Global Tax Dodgers: How Big Business Keeps Money Overseas Instead of Creating Jobs at Home

The Global Tax Dodgers: How Big Business Keeps Money Overseas Instead of Creating Jobs at Home

Economist William Lazonick explores why American business leaders have taken a hike on the nation.

How Strikes at Boeing Became the Center of a Major Political Fight Over Jobs, Unions

How Strikes at Boeing Became the Center of a Major Political Fight Over Jobs, Unions

When Boeing tried to move production to South Carolina from Washington to avoid union workers, the NLRB stepped in and called it union-busting--and the GOP got mad.

Are Wikileaks and Anonymous Hackers All There Is Left We Can Rely on, with Trust in Business and Government at Rock Bottom?

Are Wikileaks and Anonymous Hackers All There Is Left We Can Rely on, with Trust in Business and Government at Rock Bottom?

Their ability to bring powerful giants to heel is as compelling as the mythical Robin Hood's battle with a haughty medieval aristocracy.

As the U.S. Looks to Hand Over Responsibilities to Afghan Forces, Afghan Forces Run Away

As the U.S. Looks to Hand Over Responsibilities to Afghan Forces, Afghan Forces Run Away

Data shows nearly 25,000 Afghan troops deserted in last six months.

The Iraq Disaster Looms Big: But Don't Tell That to the Petraeus Worshippers

The Iraq Disaster Looms Big: But Don't Tell That to the Petraeus Worshippers

Iraq continues its drift toward a failed state, and the strategic winner from the invasion looks to be Iran. So why is Washington celebrating Gen. Petraeus?

Wall Street Banks: Too Big To Be Accountable For The Subprime Crisis?

Wall Street Banks: Too Big To Be Accountable For The Subprime Crisis?

Wall Street Banks: Too Big To Be Accountable For The Subprime Crisis?

Wall Street Banks: Too Big To Be Accountable For The Subprime Crisis?

Saudi Arabia: $500bn and counting

Saudi Arabia: $500bn and counting

Report: Turkey navy to escort aid ships to Palestinians in Gaza

Report: Turkey navy to escort aid ships to Palestinians in Gaza

Turkish officials tell Hurriyet Daily News that Turkish navy will strengthen presence in eastern Mediterranean Sea to stop Israeli 'bullying'.

By Barak Ravid

Diplomatic row with Turkey puts Israel on notice

Diplomatic row with Turkey puts Israel on notice

National Editorial  http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/editorial/diplomatic-row-with-turkey-puts-israel-on-notice

Goodbye to All That: Reflections of a GOP Operative Who Left the Cult

There are few bitterer than true believers who have been disillusioned.  Here is a conservative Republican speaking out.

Goodbye to All That: Reflections of a GOP Operative Who Left the Cult

by: Mike Lofgren, Truthout, 3 September 2011

 

Barbara Stanwyck: "We're both rotten!"
Fred MacMurray: "Yeah - only you're a little more rotten." 
- Double Indemnity (1944)

Fewer Newborns are Dying Worldwide than Ever Before, But USA Ranks Appalingly Low on Global Infant Survival

http://www.undispatch.com/fewer-newborns-are-dying-worldwide-than-ever-before-but-usa-ranks-appalingly-low-on-global-infant-survival-study

Fewer Newborns are Dying Worldwide than Ever Before, But USA Ranks Appalingly Low on Global Infant Survival Stu

August 31, 2011
Mark Leon Goldberg

Cheney’s Book Features Foreword by Satan ‘Couldn’t Put it Down,’ Says Prince of Darkness

Cheney’s Book Features Foreword by Satan

‘Couldn’t Put it Down,’ Says Prince of Darkness

World will likely support Turkey’s moves against Israel

World will likely support Turkey’s moves against Israel

Supporting legal actions against Israel by families of the raid victims in Turkish and international courts, and appealing to International Court of Justice against the blockade of Gaza could have far-reaching effects.

By Zvi Bar'el

Why America is hated: An alternate view of 9/11 and U.S. foreign policy


Why America is hated: An alternate view of 9/11 and U.S. foreign policy

GEORGE McLEAN | Posted: Saturday, September 3, 2011 7:00 pm
http://www.dailyinterlake.com/opinion/letters/article_8c65dbf6-d6a5-11e0-90d9-001cc4c03286.html

China's double-edged trade with Latin America


China's double-edged trade with Latin America

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Two decades after Russia's spring

Two decades after Russia's spring

An American diplomat on the ground in 1991 explains why pushing back the reactionary coup 20 years ago was the easy part.

Settlers Plan Attacks Against Palestinians In September

Settlers Plan Attacks Against Palestinians In September

Friday, September 2, 2011

Is the World Economy Headed for a “Double Dip”?



Is the World Economy Headed for a Double Dip?

Uri Dadush, Bennett Stancil

Tribunal Concealed Evidence Al-Qaeda Cell Killed Hariri Analysis by Gareth Porter*


http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=104943
 
Tribunal Concealed Evidence Al-Qaeda Cell Killed Hariri
Analysis by Gareth Porter*

WASHINGTON, Aug 31, 2011 (IPS) - In focusing entirely on the alleged links between four Hezbollah activists and the 2005 bombing that killed Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the indictment issued by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon earlier this month has continued the practice of the U.N investigation before it of refusing to acknowledge the much stronger evidence that an Al-Qaeda cell was responsible for the assassination.

Plan B on Palestine at the UN? Europeans mull alternative resolution


Plan B on Palestine at the UN? Europeans mull alternative resolution

By Laura Rozen | The Envoy\

Egypt’s Israel Problem Yasmine El Rashidi


Egypt’s Israel Problem

Yasmine El Rashidi

Chas W. Freeman Jr., Former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia-The Autograph-08-31-2011

Chas W. Freeman Jr., Former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia-The Autograph-08-31-2011

US employment market stalls

US employment market stalls The US economy did not add any jobs in August and added fewer jobs in July than initially reported in a major blow to economic recovery hopes, according to US labour department statistics released on Friday.

The unemployment rate remained steady at 9.1 per cent, with 14m Americans unemployed. Economists had hoped for a 68,000 boost to non-farm payrolls.
http://link.ft.com/r/QM42II/DWDZ3Y/OJS3XZ/XT1PXT/7A71CK/PJ/h?a1=2011&a2=9&a3=2

Cheney's Kettle Logic

Cheney's Kettle Logic
By David Swanson
http://www.democrats.com/cheneys-kettle-logic

Sigmund Freud once mentioned the defense offered by a man who was accused by his neighbor of having returned a kettle in a damaged condition. In the first place, he had returned the kettle undamaged; in the second place it already had holes in it when he borrowed it; and in the third place, he had never borrowed it at all.

Rebuilding the Arab state

Rebuilding the Arab state

Good governance is what the people seem to want, rather than democracy based on the western model

No, 9/11 did not change the world

No, 9/11 did not change the world Osama bin Laden grabbed a decade’s worth of headlines, but the future was being written in Beijing, Delhi and Rio, writes Philip Stephens
http://link.ft.com/r/0QSDPP/KQJ44J/FXWIVG/RNRQW6/5VANSE/28/h?a1=2011&a2=9&a3=1

Hopes for global recovery take a hit

Hopes for global recovery take a hit The global manufacturing recovery appears to have come to a grinding halt in August, according to a series of surveys across Asia and Europe
http://link.ft.com/r/0QSDPP/KQJ44J/FXWIVG/RNRQW6/62Z3JZ/28/h?a1=2011&a2=9&a3=1