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Muqtada al-Sadr: The British are retreating from Basra - Independent Online Edition > Middle East : "'The British have realised this is not a war they should be fighting or one they can win,' Mr Sadr said. 'The Mehdi army has played an important role in that.' He also warned that Britain's involvement in the invasion of Iraq had made the UK a less safe place to live. 'The British put their soldiers in a dangerous position by sending them here but they also put the people in their own country in danger,' he said. 'They have made enemies among all Muslims and they now face attacks at home because of their war. That was their mistake.' His comments came during two separate meetings with The Independent at the Sadr movement's headquarters in Kufa, a holy Shia city, 100 miles south of Baghdad, and site of the Grand Mosque where Mr Sadr often preaches fiery Friday sermons. The streets were eerily devoid of cars, which are, in effect, banned in ...

Muqtada al-Sadr: The British are retreating from Basra - Independent Online Edition > Middle East : "'The British have realised this is not a war they should be fighting or one they can win,' Mr Sadr said. 'The Mehdi army has played an important role in that.' He also warned that Britain's involvement in the invasion of Iraq had made the UK a less safe place to live. 'The British put their soldiers in a dangerous position by sending them here but they also put the people in their own country in danger,' he said. 'They have made enemies among all Muslims and they now face attacks at home because of their war. That was their mistake.' His comments came during two separate meetings with The Independent at the Sadr movement's headquarters in Kufa, a holy Shia city, 100 miles south of Baghdad, and site of the Grand Mosque where Mr Sadr often preaches fiery Friday sermons. The streets were eerily devoid of cars, which are, in effect, banned in ...

Gulf Daily News : "LONDON: Britons view Muslims with more suspicion than their American or European counterparts, according to a poll published in the Financial Times yesterday. According to the Harris Interactive survey, only about 59 per cent of Britons believed that it was possible to be both a Muslim and a British citizen, compared to more than 70 percent of Spanish and French voters."

The Meles regime is sprinting toward total collapse » Ethiopian Review : "From the oil fields of Somali Region, to the diamond and copper fields of Gambelas, to the rich mineral deposits of the Great Awash lake region of Afar, to the mountain ranges, plains and tourist havens of Oromo land, the country of Ethiopia is undoubtedly blessed. However, Meles Zenawi and his ethnic group are in control and looting by force. The recent killing of nine Chinese oil drillers illustrated how the Tigreans exploiting the resources of the country without involving the native people frustrated Ethiopian Somalis. The heart of the problem is leadership crisis emanated from Federal Government and the Regional state. "

Sherwood Ross: Military Interrogators are Posing as Lawyers at Gitmo : "Military interrogators posing as 'lawyers' are attempting to trick Guantanamo prisoners into providing them with information, The Catholic Worker (TCW) reports. This incredible and illegal practice contributes 'to the prisoners' suspicions that the (real) lawyers are not to be trusted and could be aiding the government,' TCW says in its July issue. This subterfuge is only one of the many treacherous tactics the government is employing to sabotage the efforts of lawyers to represent their clients."

Tomgram: Dilip Hiro, America on the Downward Slope : "When viewed globally and in the great stretch of history, the notion of American exceptionalism that drove the neoconservatives to proclaim the Project for the New American Century in the late 20th century -- adopted so wholeheartedly by the Bush administration in this one -- is nothing new. Other superpowers have been there before and they, too, have witnessed the loss of their prime position to rising powers. "

Stumbling Toward Another War - by Uri Avnery : "Introducing Miss Calculatsia, that fashionable foreigner, the new star in Israeli discourse. To a Hebrew ear, she sounds like a young beauty, like 'Miss Israel.' But Miss-Calculatsia, the Hebrew version of 'miscalculation,' is neither young nor beautiful, nor even female: just another pretentious foreign word taking the place of a perfectly good Hebrew one. (In Latin, 'calculus' is a small stone. These were built into the abacus, which was used by the Romans long before they ever dreamed of computers.) The miscalculation spoken of is not a beauty queen, but a queen of ugliness: a war between Israel and Syria that may break out any minute – not because Israel wants it, nor the Syrians, but because one side misjudges a provocative act that will push the other into war."

Militarism's Transmission Belt - by Werther In a previous article, we analyzed the function of supposedly nonpartisan think tanks as propaganda mills for government policies, particularly those that aggrandize the warmaking state. It is worth elaborating with a fresh example. In the Aug. 16, 2007, edition of the New York Times, Anthony Cordesman of Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) tells us why it is a terrific idea for the United States to variously sell and give away more than $50 billion in weaponry to several Middle Eastern states.[1] His argument boils down to this: the Middle East is a rough neighborhood, and the only way to buy influence is with authentic coin of the realm in the form of arms. If we don't, others, like the Rugged Russian Bear, the Heathen Chinee, or even the effete Europeans, would be more than happy to peddle their wares. There is some merit in his argument – unlike President Bush and his neoconservative ventriloquis...