Really: The number of private security contractors working for the Defense Department in Afghanistan has more than tripled to about 19,000 since June 2009, according to a new congressional study. The study found a steady increase in private security contractors — most of whom are Afghans — since the DOD started tracking the data in…
Showing all posts in June 2019
Who is protecting Wall Street criminals?
Rolling Stone reporter Matt Taibbi, whose new piece in Rolling Stone outlines the complete lack of accountability for Wall Street crooks, tells Democracy Now!, Every single former investigator or current investigator that I talked to said the same thing: Madoff went to jail because the wrong people suffered. You know, it was famous actors. It…
This is what’s changed everywhere; fear of dictators is decreasing
Robert Fisk has just left Tripoli: While dark humour has never been a strong quality in Libyans, there was one moment at Tripoli airport yesterday which proved it does exist. An incoming passenger from a Libyan Arab Airlines flight at the front of an immigration queue bellowed out: “And long life to our great leader…
Thank you Berlin for helping Gaddafi tighten his grip
Sigh: No sooner was the embargo lifted, than German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder landed in Tripoli with an entourage of 25 businessmen. In passing he… praised what he called the ‘political change’ in Libya. But his main reason for visiting was the promotion of German business. Openly so, and with the support of much of the German…
Al-Jazeera is more than just a news channel
Nir Rosen understands how the Middle East has changed: Its hard to imagine the revolutions sweeping the Middle East happening without al Jazeera. Yes Tunisians started their revolution, taking the first steps, and it took Jazeera a couple of weeks before it focused on Tunisia. But once its started and Jazeera was on its war…
Canberra has no desire to seriously pressure Israel over apartheid
God forbid the Australian government took a lead on an international issue rather than simply following the US: A Sydney council’s decision to boycott Israel has been raised in the upper echelons of Australian diplomacy. The Greens-controlled Marrickville Council voted in December to join a global boycott of all Israeli products and services in protest…
Saudi Arabia’s answer to internal dissent?
Throw money as its citizens. Washington has no problem at all with the brutal rule of King Abdullah. It’s all about oil, baby:
Moral bankruptcy of the American conservative
The good old days of America just invading, bombing and regime changing when she wanted. The days of empire are wonderful for armchair generals directing the carnage. And then you have neo-con hacks like Michael Ledeen (the great man detailed here) who simply want to use American weaponary to kill people. Here’s his latest advice…