Akiva Eldar in Haaretz: If there is any truth in the reports that came out of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trip to Europe – that the United States agreed Israel can go on building in East Jerusalem – the headlines should have read “Obama has pulled out of the Middle East peace process.” Paraphrasing the…
Showing all posts tagged Bush administration
Torture sure makes America feel good
America is a torturing nation that threatens peoples families will be raped. Not to worry, says Dick Cheney, such methods keep the country safe: How to engender hatred of the US in a few easy steps (even John McCain seems to agree).
Uncover, reveal, embarrass and discuss
This New York Times article inadvertently acknowledges the profound failures of the media class since 9/11 to uncover the key decisions made by the Bush administration and now Barack Obama; NGOs, lawyers and activists are now generally far more pro-active and curious than the average corporate journalist: In the spring of 2003, long before Abu…
The addictive war on terrorism
George W. Bush must be so proud of his protege, Barack Hussein Obama: The Obama administration will largely preserve Bush-era procedures allowing the government to search — without suspicion of wrongdoing — the contents of a traveler’s laptop computer, cellphone or other electronic device, although officials said new policies would expand oversight of such inspections.…
At what point does one take a stand on apartheid?
When film-maker Ken Loach recently called for the Melbourne International Film Festival to refuse Israeli government funding, the response was electric. Now, the director of the festival has fully responded (and I’m informed Loach has responded to this response by Richard Moore): To allow the personal politics of one filmmaker to proscribe a festival position…
At what point will America be seen as the country it really is?
Atlantic blogger Andrew Sullivan powerfully opines on American torture and slams the media and political elites for looking the other way. Welcome to US exceptionalism: The descent of the United States – and of Americans in general – to lower standards of morality and justice than those demanded by Iranians of their regime is a…
Bloody ungrateful Iraqis
Conservative, Republican blog Powerline offers this nuanced analysis of America’s wars: But the future of Iraq doesn’t look at all bright now that the Americans are fading from the scene. It’s unfortunate, but there’s nothing to be done. The Iraqi government wants us out, the American government wants to get out, and the Iraqi and…
Our closest ally supports the threat of rape
Salon’s Glenn Greenwald offers the best explanation of the kind of country America was during the Bush years (and Barack Obama is seemingly happy to keep the rendition program going to torture-friendly nations): The fact that we are not really bothered any more by taking helpless detainees in our custody and (a)… threatening to blow their…
Iran (may not be the) centre of terror
Here’s what the global media has reported over the last days: Argentina expressed outrage Friday over Iran’s nomination of a man wanted in connection to a 1994 Buenos Aires bombing that killed 85 people as the next defense minister. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tapping Ahmad Vahidi for the post is “an affront to Argentine justice…
US aims to convince Muslims that killing them is for their own good
Barack Obama films a Ramadan message and tells the Muslim world that he cares deeply about Pakistan, Afghanistan and a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. Yet again, this is effective PR dressed up as policy. Muslims across the globel aren’t going to be seduced by pretty words from the US President when Israel…