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Week in Review
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Welcome to Issue 3 of "Week in Review". . . Hey, guess what? We can't keep these newsletters (FREE!) coming without generous donations from our readers. So please considering donating to Antiwar.com, and when you are done considering, Donate...then read the newsletter:)! For those readers who have not done so already, please go to our new "Join Us" form so that we can add you to our database. Monday All aboard the Empire train, next stop Iran! First, the US was probably inciting the recent riots in Tehran (yes, "probably" is not a precise term, but I approach the actions of the government with a bit of skepticism). Where do I get such a crazy idea?: "Bush Praises Iranian Protesters." Of course, that pissed off the Iranians. Hey, if you got a country, the US has got some meddling to do. Next door to Iran, US commanders in Iraq speculated that Saddam may still be alive. Gasp! It's not like the US military has captured the true villains in the War on Terror (read: Osama and Omar)...just some suspected 14-year old terrorists holed up at Guantanamo. Finally, Matt Barginer revealed the basic Israeli strategy in recent weeks: The series of airstrikes that began on Tuesday were vintage Israeli strategy. Ostensibly target terrorists, kill Palestinian civilians, sit back and watch the savages retaliate. Then blame the Palestinian Authority for promoting terrorism and let the American imagination do the rest. Americans are, of course, the only outsiders whose opinions count in Israeli politics. After all, that "blooming desert" we hear so much about would be several shades lighter minus U.S. greenbacks. Tuesday Ok, I am getting a little sick of talk about Iran, so if you want to see what was happening to the Hawks' next target, go here, here, here and here. Onto other news. . . . Sharon and the Israeli government "raised the bar" by demanding more from Hamas, while the occupying troops in Iraq pulled an Israeli-style raid on "hideouts." Unfortunately, their work yielded little and our troops are still facing a hostile population. Perhaps while US troops are searching Iraqi cities for Saddam loyalists, they could keep their eyes open for WMD. Oh yeah, forget about those? Ray McGovern suspected that it does not matter if anything turns up: Someone remembered the forged correspondence between Iraq and Niger, decided that it could be used to win the vote in Congress and then, after winning the war in Iraq and in the afterglow of victory, no one would care that the evidence was bogus. It worked. Wednesday Wow, another Iran story . . . Apparently US and UK troops are preparing for an attack. Such actions pleased the neocons, who were outwardly drooling over the prospects of another war. And while the U.S. is in the Middle East, let's see if it can fix the Israel/Palestine conflict. Some in Congress and the administrationconsidered sending American troops into that hornet's nest. Justin Raimondo would have none of that, wondering if the US hadn't already given Israel enough: It was laugh-out-loud hilarious watching Israeli ambassador Alon Pinkas on MSNBC piously agree with Pat Buchanan that U.S. troops in Gaza is not a good idea: "I object to it on the grounds that we have always prided ourselves on our self-sufficiency," he said, with a perfectly straight face. With U.S. military and economic aid to Israel at $6 billion-plus per year, Israel is less self-sufficient than a welfare mother on crack. In Iraq, a dose of liberation was best complemented with trigger-happy troops shooting at Iraq's new found freedom of assembly. Ever wonder where all these military interventions, empire-building and "liberartions" came from? Just ask Bette Stockbauer, who revealed it had a lot to do with a neocon think-tank PNAC. Thursday Let's hope they're wrong again, and again and again. . . .Here's a good one: Gov't funds project to X. Project X fails. Gov't claims success. This "logic" now applies to the "missile defense system." Unfortunately, the war in Iraq isn't over yet, for the Pentagon admitted there was still "guerilla warfare" to deal with. Jacob G. Hornberger dispelled the idea that Iraqis are now "free." Here are some examples of the freedoms American occupation can bring you: 2. Democratic elections are prohibited, and political rulers are being selected by military commanders. 6. Occupation troops are killing demonstrators and suspected criminals without a trial or due process of law. 8. The military authorities are continuing Saddam Hussein’s system of monetary central planning, even to the extent of inflating the currency by printing quantities of Iraqi money with Saddam’s photo on it. Wondering how you can reap the benefits of such liberation? Here are the requirements: 1.
Have a weak
army. Oh
yeah, can't go a day without talking
about Iran: last week's protests were apparently against
proposed privatization. Does this mean the US didn't
meddle? That would be a first! Friday Despite the threats, Iran told the world that it will continue with its nuclear plans. Whether or not "nuclear plans" meant energy production of weapon production was still unknown. "Liberated" Iraqis can rest a bit easier, for now that their dictator has been disposed (although he is still alive), American troops may kill you at will. Apparently, Iraq is just the first nation – on a list of seven – that should prepare for liberation. Finally, Seumas Milne wonders when the occupiers will become liberators: What freedoms have been allowed are now being reined in, with censorship of press and television. Bremer has even issued a decree outlawing any "gatherings, pronouncements or publications" that call for opposition to the US occupation. All of which is a clear sign that the US administration is far from confident it can control the direction of Iraqi politics. ::Previous
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