Matthew Hoh, who resigned his diplomatic post in Afghanistan to protest US policies there, explains why US occupation is doomed to fail. He appeared on Fareed Zakaria’s CNN show Sunday:
Bergen’s Albright Moment
It was a very hard choice, but Peter Bergen has given our killing by remote control a grudging thumbs up (Pakistan drone war takes a toll on militants — and civilians, CNN, Oct. 29, 2009).Â
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Not only do the drone attacks “consistently” kill civilians, they also prompt blowback, but as that blowback has yet to reach U.S. shores, well, the price in Pakistani blood–he thinks the price is worth it.
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Under Obama, we tried to get Baitullah Mehsud fifteen times “but he still didn’t see it coming.” Yep, killing the Pakistani Taliban’s leader (and “one of his wives and her father”) in August was the landmark success, ding dong, the witch is dead, never mind the concerns expressed when the new leader surfaced that he was “far more dangerous and unpredictable” (Hakimullah behind current wave of terror, The News, Oct. 17, 2009).       Â
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It’s not logical I realize, but I expected better from Bergen given that he had recognized the 9/11 attacks as blowback (Prophet of Evil, Washington Post, Nov. 11, 2001).
Andy Worthington in NYC, DC, SF for Gitmo Movie
Tireless Guantánamo chronicler Andy Worthington will be on our side of the Pond over the next couple of weeks promoting his new movie, Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo, based on his research. Here in New York, I’ll be attending his talk at (surprisingly bourgeois-looking) Revolution Books on Wednesday November 4th at 7 pm, 146 W. 26th. Check here for the schedule in your area.
Ron Paul Says Iran Sanctions Will Backfire
Wednesday, in the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas explained to his colleagues the reasons for his opposition to the Iranian sanctions legislation and wondered why Congress would try to undermine the president when he’s in the middle of trying to reach a deal with them (Via DailyPaul.com):
Malalai Joya and the Tale of 2 CNNs
“The Bravest Woman in Afghanistan,” Malalai Joya did two CNN interviews on Thursday. Joya is an elected member of the Afghanistan parliament who has been suspended for “insulting fellow members of parliament” in a television interview. She is articulate and firm in her position that the Western occupation is feeding the violence.
The first interview was broadcast on CNN (US). In the middle of the interview, as Joya made clear she opposed US occupation, interviewer Heidi Collins said “occupation would certainly be your word, a lot of people would take great issue with you calling the US presence in your country an ‘occupation’.” Joya went on to defend her position as Collins’ interrupted snidely. As Joya tried to respond to Collins, she was cut off.
The second interview took place on CNN International. Joya’s anti-occupation position was highlighted up front and the interviewer was polite and respectful.
Ellsberg “Most Dangerous Man” film in DC on Thursday (10/29)
The new film, THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS, will be shown in Washington at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center this Thursday (10/29) at 7 pm. Details here. Ellsberg will take part in panel discussion after the film is shown.
The film, which is getting great reviews, tells how Ellsberg risked spending a life in prison to bring the truth about the Vietnam War to Americans. He had hoped truth would set Americans free from the spell of official lies. (I discussed Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers in an article earlier this year.)