Geography Archives: Iraq

Dear President Bush, As an American, I have always taken pride in the words “White House.”  Through decades of political strife, be it hurricanes, bra-burnings, race riots, or terrorist attack, the White House has stood as a beacon of hope, assuring us that somewhere inside is a white President, upholding American values.  Until today, Mr. […]

To anyone who understands the real history of the Arab-Israeli conflict, and has read the many meticulously well-documented books on this topic by scholars and activists,1 the mainstream media coverage of Israel’s war on Lebanon and Gaza is woefully inadequate and decidedly biased.  Again and again, over the last two weeks, the media in the […]

Is there any rational human being on the planet who doesn’t perceive Israel’s measures against Lebanon to be an irrational overreaction?  Seriously, if every pair of “kidnapped” soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan warranted the “reaction” being meted out by Israel at this moment, I suspect the United States as a whole would be little more […]

The View of the Lebanese Communist Party on the Latest Developments Friday, 21 July 2006 The Situation on the Ground The Israeli enemy has continued making intensive air strikes at the districts and villages in the south, turning southern villages into isolated islands.  Meanwhile the intensity of the bombardment on other parts of the country […]

The Roman historian Tacitus made the observation that the more corrupt the Roman Senate became, the more laws that it passed.  After 13 years observing the White House and United States Congress as the United Electrical Workers Union (UE) Washington Representative, I’ll update Tacitus.  The more corrupt Washington, D.C. becomes, the less and less it […]

20 July 2006 What next? This is a fearsome open Israeli war against Lebanon.  It has nothing to do with the matter of two Israeli prisoners. This is a war prepared ahead of time that had to wait for the right moment to be launched.  It is a war that had to wait for the […]

  Part 1 Wednesday, 19 July, Afternoon (The local time is six hours behind Japan Time.) After many detours, I arrived at Beirut. Planning to cover Samawa, I left Japan a week ago (on the 12th), and I was making preparations in Amman, but I couldn’t arrange for an entry into and security in Iraq, […]

At a time when the Iraq war continues to be a defining issue on the American scene, it is ironic that the most powerful and uncompromising documentary on the subject remains almost entirely unknown and unseen in this country.  It took Japanese filmmaker Takeharu Watai a year and a half to film more than 123 […]

At a press conference today, journalist Akbar Ganji had just finished vilifying the “intolerant culture” of non-Europeans when he failed to intervene against Western censorship happening right before his eyes.  He is touring the United States to, in his words, raise awareness about government abuses in Iran, including his six-year imprisonment that ended last March.  […]

  Israel’s military offensives in Gaza and Lebanon have reenergized the neoconservatives, who see an opportunity to regain influence lost as a result of setbacks in Iraq.  While insisting on unconditional U.S. support for Israel, the neoconservatives are also pushing for possible U.S. attacks on Tehran’s nuclear facilities in retaliation for its support of Hezbollah. […]

Since the commando assault on 25 June 2006 that led to the death of two Israeli soldiers and the abduction of Corporal Gilad Shalit, Israel has intensified the almost daily bombing of Gaza which it had started six months ago in response to the Qassam missiles launched towards the Israeli town of Sderot and the […]

Dear President Bush: You have been a weak president, despite your strutting and barking, when it comes to doing the right things for the American people within the Constitution and its rule of law.  This trait is now in bold relief over the Israeli government’s escalating war crimes pulverizing the defenseless people and country of […]

  When Fabio Grosso placed his penalty kick into the back of the French goal, Italians around the globe erupted into a state of euphoria.  I was one of those Italians, hungrily following every kicked ball throughout Italy’s run to winning its fourth World Cup, which ranks second only to Brazil’s five.  For my brother […]

  A significant sentence. On the Al Jazeera Web site, there was a report of Saudi Arabia’s condemnation of Hamas’ and  Hizbullah’s “adventurism.”  The Saudis claimed that “gains” made by Arab leaders were being put in danger.  The Al Jazeera report carried the pithy comment to the effect that the Saudi government did not say […]

Glory to the Heroic Palestinian Resistance! Shame and Humiliation on the Collaborators! To our steadfast people, The Palestinian people in the occupied territories are being subjected to a humanitarian disaster as a result of the Zionist criminal escalation that has led to the deaths of dozens, the destruction of the vital infrastructure of electric power […]

  Click on the image to watch the program at the Mosaic Archive. “Israel Mobilizes Towards Hezbollah Positions,” Abu Dhabi TV, UAE, Mosaic: News from the Middle East, 14 July 2006 It’s war again.  As in the past, it’s an Israeli war in terms of the men and materiel; a joint Israeli-American war in terms […]

On April 21, 2006, the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) broke with a tradition that extended over half a century and voted to leave the New Democratic Party (NDP).  A few CAW activists shrugged their shoulders: the impact of the NDP on their daily struggles had been minimal, so setting it aside did not seem to […]

  George Galloway MP is the controversial British politician who has proved a thorn in the side of advocates of the Iraq war.  He is a fierce advocate of the Palestinian state, and a redoubtable campaigner against oppression and injustice throughout the world.  In 2005 he made a memorable appearance before the US Senate, successfully […]

The priority of the Iranian people, according to the Zogby poll released on 13 July 2006,1 is economy: 41% say economy should be Iran’s top priority, a far larger proportion than those who regard nuclear capability (27%) or freedom (23%) as the most important.  The correct priority if you ask me, as the Supreme Leader […]

International intrigues and eventually war — with all its now daily horrors — flow partly from the highly unstable economics of global oil.  Not only has this been true for a long time, it promises to continue that way unless and until some mass movement ends it.  The report of US planning to bomb Iran […]