{"id":11891,"date":"2011-09-24T18:32:44","date_gmt":"2011-09-25T02:32:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/?p=11891"},"modified":"2011-09-24T18:32:44","modified_gmt":"2011-09-25T02:32:44","slug":"antiwar-coms-week-in-review-september-24-2011","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/24\/antiwar-coms-week-in-review-september-24-2011\/","title":{"rendered":"Antiwar.com&#8217;s Week in Review | September 24, 2011"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><i><b>Antiwar.com&#8217;s Week in Review <\/b><\/i><b> | September 23, 2011<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Help us meet our fundraising goal! Help keep the War Party at bay and <a href=\"http:\/\/antiwar.com\/donate\/\" target=\"_blank\">make a tax-deductible donation today<\/a>!<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t forget to sign the open letter to Obama and Congress to end the wars: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.comehomeamerica.us\/\" target=\"_blank\">ComeHomeAmerica.us<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>IN THIS ISSUE<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Empire of Drones<\/li>\n<li>Palestine\u2019s bid for statehood<\/li>\n<li>Accusing Pakistan of Terrorism<\/li>\n<li>Libyan War Extended, Again<\/li>\n<li>Iraq\u2019s Elusive SOFA<\/li>\n<li>The Afghan Quagmire<\/li>\n<li>Saleh Returns to Yemen<\/li>\n<li>What\u2019s New at the Blog?<\/li>\n<li>Originals<\/li>\n<li>Antiwar Radio<\/li>\n<li>Events<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><b>America\u2019s Mechanized Imperialism:<\/b><\/p>\n<p>&quot;The Obama administration has found a good way to avoid both the domestic political and international fallout that comes of waging constant warfare: let machines do the dirty work,&quot; wrote Justin Raimondo in <a href=\"http:\/\/original.antiwar.com\/justin\/2011\/09\/22\/mechanized-imperialism\/\" target=\"_blank\">this week\u2019s column<\/a>. The Obama administration has ramped up construction of military bases from which to launch an expanded drone program. &quot;From Ethiopia and Djibouti, to a \u2018reaper\u2019 base in the Seychelles, US officials say they are hoping to get broad coverage across Africa and the Middle East,&quot; <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/21\/us-secret-drone-bases-popping-up-across-africa-middle-east\/\" target=\"_blank\">wrote Jason Ditz<\/a>. Broad legal interpretations <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/20\/obama-team-split-over-use-of-lethal-force\/\" target=\"_blank\">are being employed<\/a> to apply the targeting standards used in Afghanistan and Pakistan \u2013 hot war zones &#8211; for use in Yemen, Somalia, and beyond. The administration has already tried to make a distinction between engaging in war and utilizing deadly drones, which have become so ubiquitous in foreign policy that it is even carrying over into the domestic. Now police departments in Miami, Utah, and elsewhere have sought licenses to operate surveillance drones, <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/22\/legality-of-drones-are-questionable-dangerous\/\" target=\"_blank\">making the legal questions ever more endemic<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/23\/justin-raimondo-on-freedom-watch-fox-business-channel-tonight\/\" target=\"_blank\">Justin Raimondo appeared<\/a> on the Fox Business show Freedom Watch with Judge Napolitano to discuss what he calls &quot;mechanized imperialism.&quot;<\/p>\n<p><b>Palestine\u2019s Bid Hasn\u2019t Changed US-Israel Aggression:<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas made his long-awaited speech to the United Nations and officially submitted a request for full statehood, <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/22\/palestinian-bid-at-un-could-mark-shift-in-peace-process\/\" target=\"_blank\">marking a potential shift<\/a> in responsibility for negotiating peace from US-Israeli-directed talks to international cooperation. Still, both <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/21\/at-un-obama-struggles-to-defend-opposition-to-palestinian-statehood\/\" target=\"_blank\">President Obama<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/23\/netanyahu-loudly-condemns-palestinian-statehood-bid\/\" target=\"_blank\">Isaeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a> made speeches condemning the move. As an illustration of the bias of the United States &#8211; the supposedly neutral arbiter \u2013 news surfaced this week of President Obama <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/23\/obama-secretly-sold-bunker-busting-bombs-to-israel\/\" target=\"_blank\">secretly sold 55 GBU-28 bunker-buster bombs to the Israeli military<\/a> in 2009 for a possible strike against Iran. <\/p>\n<p><b>Terrorism Versus Counter-Terrorism:<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The United States this week has <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/20\/public-warnings-private-talks-us-accuses-pakistan-of-ignoring-terrorism\/\" target=\"_blank\">repeatedly<\/a> accused the Pakistani government of <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/21\/us-pakistan-using-haqqani-network-for-proxy-war-against-us\/\" target=\"_blank\">protecting and having ties with the Haqqani<\/a> terrorist network based out of North Waziristan and executing insurgent attacks against US forces in Afghanistan. Pakistani officials <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/22\/pakistan-challenges-us-to-prove-allegations\/\" target=\"_blank\">denied the allegations<\/a> and even warned the <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/23\/as-white-house-keeps-up-condemnations-pakistan-warns-they-will-lose-an-ally\/\" target=\"_blank\">US could lose an ally<\/a> if condemnations kept up. Criticizing the Pakistanis for supporting the <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/23\/ticket-to-pakistan-who-are-the-haqqanis-anyway\/\" target=\"_blank\">Haqqanis<\/a> in a proxy war is <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/22\/us-hypocritically-accuses-pakistan-of-funding-terrorist-proxies\/\" target=\"_blank\">blatantly hypocritical<\/a>, as the US does the very same thing in Afghanistan. <\/p>\n<p>John Glaser <a href=\"http:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/23\/john-glaser-on-rt-on-us-pakistan-relations\/\" target=\"_blank\">appeared<\/a> on RT News to discuss how the US is criticizing the Pakistanis for supporting terrorism, while calling their own similar policies <i>counter<\/i>-terrorism. <\/p>\n<p><b>Libyan War Extended, Again:<\/b><\/p>\n<p>NATO officially <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/21\/another-90-days-nato-extends-libya-war-yet-again\/\" target=\"_blank\">extended direct involvement<\/a> in the Libyan war for another 90 days this week. As the joint NATO-rebel siege of the last remaining pro-Gadhafi cities continues, a Gadhafi spokesman claimed <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/22\/gadhafi-spokesman-nato-strikes-in-sirte-killed-151-civilians\/\" target=\"_blank\">that over 150 civilians were killed<\/a> in Sirte this week by NATO airstrikes, with overall conditions there deteriorating into a humanitarian crisis. Meanwhile, the rebel National Transitional Council tried to counter <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/23\/racism-general-mistrust-cloud-libyas-future\/\" target=\"_blank\">growing<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/19\/looting-of-weapons-stockpiles-in-libya-augurs-poorly-for-rebel-order\/\" target=\"_blank\">concerns<\/a> about their ability to govern by <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/23\/libya-ntc-promises-crisis-government\/\" target=\"_blank\">promising<\/a> to craft a compact crisis government as quickly as possible. <\/p>\n<p><b>Building a New Dictatorship:<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Admiral Mike Mullen said this week that <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/20\/mullen-iraq-troop-total-to-drop-to-30000-by-end-of-september\/\" target=\"_blank\">US troop levels in Iraq would be down to 30,000<\/a> by the end of September, although they are not expected to make the December deadline for a full withdrawal. The Maliki government has been actually keeping negotiations with the US over remaining troop levels <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/22\/iraqi-parliament-speaker-govt-not-telling-mps-about-us-troop-deal\/\" target=\"_blank\">secret from the Iraqi Parliament<\/a>. In fact, high profile Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/21\/sadr-maliki-building-a-new-dictatorship\/\" target=\"_blank\">angrily condemned<\/a> Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and accusing him of &quot;building a new dictatorship.&quot;<\/p>\n<p><b>Shot in the Foot in the Afghan Quagmire:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/23\/five-nato-soldiers-slain-across-afghanistan\/\" target=\"_blank\">Five NATO troops were killed<\/a> this Friday across Afghanistan, as violence levels maintain their record highs. Former Afghan president and peace negotiator for President Karzai was <a href=\"http:\/\/assassinated\" target=\"_blank\">assassinated<\/a> this week by a suicide bomber, in the latest of a series of high profile assassinations by the insurgency. An extensive report by the Open Society Foundation <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/19\/night-raids-in-afghanistan-fueling-resentment-undermining-us-mission\/\" target=\"_blank\">claimed<\/a> that the US kill\/capture policy of continuously raiding Afghan homes has fueled resentment and undermined the mission to quell the insurgency.<\/p>\n<p><b>Saleh Returns, Violence Increases:<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Violence is dramatically rising across Yemen as intense clashes occur between <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/19\/yemeni-protesters-defectors-seize-military-base-in-sanaa\/\" target=\"_blank\">anti-government protesters<\/a> and US-supported <a href=\"http:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/21\/yemen-roils-repression-continues-with-us-consent\/\" target=\"_blank\">Yemeni security forces<\/a>. Meanwhile, <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/21\/us-drones-kill-10-in-southern-yemen\/\" target=\"_blank\">US drones are bombing the country<\/a> allegedly killing al Qaeda affiliates. President Saleh made a <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/23\/violence-on-rise-as-yemeni-president-saleh-makes-shocking-return-to-sanaa\/\" target=\"_blank\">shocking return to his country<\/a> this week, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/23\/saleh-returns-with-all-his-power\/\" target=\"_blank\">reclaiming his leadership role and solidifying his power<\/a> despite calls to step down. An initial call for a ceasefire <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/22\/ceasefire-over-15-killed-in-new-yemen-violence\/\" target=\"_blank\">was quickly broken<\/a>, with dozens killed in more clashes. <\/p>\n<p><b>Assorted news from the empire:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Defense Secretary Leon Panetta again scolded lawmakers on defense spending, sternly <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/22\/panetta-warns-debt-committee-against-cutting-defense-budget\/\" target=\"_blank\">warning against any deep cuts<\/a>. <\/li>\n<li>US Energy Secretary Steven Chu <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/19\/us-condemns-iran-for-making-civilian-nuclear-sites-harder-to-bomb\/\" target=\"_blank\">condemned Iran<\/a> as deceitful for relocating some of its civilian uranium enrichment facilities into an underground bunker, thus making them harder to bomb.<\/li>\n<li>A Guatemalan General accused of committing over 600 massacres is <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/20\/us-supported-guatemalan-general-may-face-trial-for-over-600-massacres\/\" target=\"_blank\">set to face trial soon<\/a> for crimes he committed while receiving US support.<\/li>\n<li>Mexican drug cartels are <a href=\"http:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2011\/09\/21\/mexican-cartels-escalate-violence-as-us-insists-on-more-of-the-same\/\" target=\"_blank\">escalating violence in the region<\/a> as the US stubbornly insists on bolstering their power through the same old drug war policies. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What\u2019s new on the blog?<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Matt Barganier criticized the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/19\/gallows-humor\/\" target=\"_blank\">liberal establishment\u2019s twisted moral vision<\/a>, argued for a complete <a href=\"http:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/20\/if-that-aint-a-country-itll-harelip-the-pope\/\" target=\"_blank\">US withdrawal from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/21\/in-delusions-begin-responsibilities\/\" target=\"_blank\">exposed<\/a> Vice President Joe Biden\u2019s flip flop to war hawk. Brian Beyer explained <a href=\"http:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/24\/americas-quest-for-africa\/\" target=\"_blank\">America\u2019s new imperial adventures in Africa<\/a>. John Glaser blogged about the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/19\/inventing-palestinian-bigotry-for-political-gain\/\" target=\"_blank\">right\u2019s mischaractization of the Palestinian leadership<\/a>, the neoconservative effort to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/19\/imperial-hawks-urge-obama-to-keep-massive-troop-presence-in-iraq\/\" target=\"_blank\">occupy Iraq indefinitely<\/a>, the Obama administration\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/20\/reviving-gitmo-closure-as-campaign-issue\/\" target=\"_blank\">political play on Gitmo<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/21\/yemen-roils-repression-continues-with-us-consent\/\" target=\"_blank\">Yemen\u2019s unrest<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/23\/saleh-returns-with-all-his-power\/\" target=\"_blank\">Saleh\u2019s return<\/a>, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/21\/a-constellation-of-secret-drone-bases-and-the-american-license-to-kill\/\" target=\"_blank\">constellation of drone bases<\/a> in the Middle East and North Africa, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/22\/political-prisoners-ours-and-theirs\/\" target=\"_blank\">America\u2019s political prisoners<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/23\/americas-humiliating-grip-of-corruption-and-tyranny-in-bahrain\/\" target=\"_blank\">US support for the brutal Bahraini dictatorship<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p><b>Originals<\/b>:<\/p>\n<p>Justin Raimondo wrote on the <a href=\"http:\/\/original.antiwar.com\/justin\/2011\/09\/22\/mechanized-imperialism\/\" target=\"_blank\">stepped-up drone war<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/original.antiwar.com\/justin\/2011\/09\/20\/perrys-faith-based-foreign-policy-directive\/\" target=\"_blank\">Rick Perry\u2019s faith-based pro-Israel foreign policy<\/a>. Nebojsa Malic <a href=\"http:\/\/original.antiwar.com\/malic\/2011\/09\/23\/the-emperors-speech\/\" target=\"_blank\">deconstructed<\/a> Obama\u2019s speech at the United Nations. Philip Giraldi <a href=\"http:\/\/original.antiwar.com\/giraldi\/2011\/09\/21\/biggest-losers-in-palestine-veto-the-american-people\/\" target=\"_blank\">explained<\/a> how a US veto of a Palestinian state would be against the interests of the American people. Ivan Eland similarly <a href=\"http:\/\/original.antiwar.com\/eland\/2011\/09\/20\/unconditional-support-for-israel-encourages-bad-behavior\/\" target=\"_blank\">warned<\/a> that unconditional support for Israel encourages bad behavior. Kelley B. Vlahos <a href=\"http:\/\/original.antiwar.com\/vlahos\/2011\/09\/19\/when-afghan-militia-programs-go-bad\/\" target=\"_blank\">wrote<\/a> about the US\u2019s cruel proxy militia in Afghanistan. <\/p>\n<p><b>Antiwar Radio:<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Scott Horton interviewed <a href=\"http:\/\/antiwar.com\/radio\/2011\/09\/22\/pepe-escobar-12\/\" target=\"_blank\">Pepe Escobar<\/a> about western imperial games in Libya. <a href=\"http:\/\/antiwar.com\/radio\/2011\/09\/22\/charles-goyette-14\/\" target=\"_blank\">Charles Goyette<\/a> discussed the crumbling economy of Pax Americana. <a href=\"http:\/\/antiwar.com\/radio\/2011\/09\/22\/robert-a-pape-and-adam-lankford\/\" target=\"_blank\">Robert Pape and Adam Lankford<\/a> debated the root causes of suicide terrorism. <a href=\"http:\/\/antiwar.com\/radio\/2011\/09\/23\/jeremy-sapienza-8\/\" target=\"_blank\">Jeremy Sapienza<\/a> put forth the antiwar take on the repeal of Don\u2019t Ask Don\u2019t Tell. <a href=\"http:\/\/antiwar.com\/radio\/2011\/09\/23\/sheldon-richman-13\/\" target=\"_blank\">Sheldon Richman<\/a> offered his thoughts on the Palestinian statehood bid. And <a href=\"http:\/\/antiwar.com\/radio\/2011\/09\/23\/philip-giraldi-50\/\" target=\"_blank\">Philip Giraldi<\/a> explained how Israel is still pushing the US toward war with Iran. <\/p>\n<p><b>Events:<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Angela Keaton will discuss ComeHomeAmerica.us and the new peace movement in a breakout event at this year\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/libertopia.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Libertopia<\/a> in San Diego, Oct. 21-23. Libertopia is an annual festival of peace, freedom, music, community, and ideas that will change the world. Keaton will give a 30-minute speech and a 15-minute Q&amp;A at 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 21.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Antiwar.com&#8217;s Week in Review | September 23, 2011 Help us meet our fundraising goal! Help keep the War Party at bay and make a tax-deductible donation today! Don\u2019t forget to sign the open letter to Obama and Congress to end the wars: ComeHomeAmerica.us IN THIS ISSUE Empire of Drones Palestine\u2019s bid for statehood Accusing Pakistan [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[247],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-11891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-week-in-review"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"meta_box":{"disable_donate_message":"","custom_donate_message":"","subtitle":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11891","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11891"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11891\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11897,"href":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11891\/revisions\/11897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11891"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11891"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11891"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=11891"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}