Posts Tagged ‘Jason Ditz’
September 10, 2009
Analysts See Obama’s First Eight Months Rife With Failure
Eight months into his administration, analysts and advocates of President Obama’s foreign policy platform are quickly losing faith with a series of failures and what they see is an increasing backpeddling toward the bellicose policies of his predecessor.
A dramatic escalation in Afghanistan, the centerpiece of his foreign policy, has led to abject failure, rising violence, and calls from military brass for yet another new policy, coupled with yet another escalation. Even looking past the disastrous results on the ground, many officials are growing disillusioned with the president’s unwillingness to define any of his goals in the war, even as he throws ever increasing numbers of troops at it.
His promise of an Iraq pullout was abandoned almost immediately, and his new plan for a drawdown is forever being pushed back by rising violence, and far from withdrawing the administration is actually increasing its overall force size.
On Iran the promise to seek a diplomatic solution has given way to public rejections of calls for talks and the same speculation, hostile rhetoric, and calls for international action that the Bush Administration was forever falling back on.
The most notable change the administration tried was to press Israel harder on peace talks, and while this provided for plenty of interesting opportunities to watch anti-Obama protests in Israel, a few months of rejections on Israel’s part led to the administration publicly and embarrassingly backing off on all of its demands.
Tags:escalation in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq pullout promise, Israel, Jason Ditz, President Obama, US foreign policy
Posted in President Barack Obama, Uncategorized, US policy, USA | Leave a Comment »
September 9, 2009
Three More Killed in Second Strike of the Past Two Days
Three more people were killed today in Pakistan’s North Waziristan Agency when a US drone attacked their house just outside the major town of Miramshah. The attack was the second in as many days and brought the overall toll of the two attacks to at least 10 killed and an unknown number of others wounded.
Yesterday a drone attacked a car outside another house in the region, destroying the car and damaging the house and a nearby religious school. At least seven people were killed in the strike, and at least five of them had been identified as suspected militants by local security officials.
Today’s attack targeted the home of a local named Ismail Khan. There was no immediate comment from anyone linking him to militant activity nor was there any indication why his house was a target. The US seldom even confirms its attacks into Pakistan, except when they believe that they killed someone important.
Such attacks are considered a sensitive subject for the Pakistani government, which publicly denounces but privately supports them. The recent spate of attacks will likely further add to the growing unrest across the country over US interference.
Tags:Jason Ditz, North Waziristan, Pakistan, Pakistani government, people killed and injured, United States, US drone attack
Posted in Pakistan, Uncategorized, US policy, USA, war | Leave a Comment »
September 4, 2009
Biden Has ‘Deep Reservations’ About Expanding Afghan Presence
Despite public comments being almost universally in favor of the continued escalation of the Afghan War, behind the scenes several key Obama Administration advisers are starting to express serious doubts about the wisdom of throwing more and more troops at the ever worsening conflict.
“There is a unanimity of opinion about what our objective is, and the objective is to disable and destroy al-Qaeda,” David Axelrod insisted. But as General Stanley McChrystal seeks another major escalation as part of his “new” strategy, several officials have reservations.
Vice President Joe Biden is among the skeptics, insisting that expanding the presence into Afghanistan may distract from what he sees as the real fight: Pakistan. National Security Adviser James Jones is also reportedly in opposition and had previous told McChrystal not to ask for more troops.
The vast majority of officials, including Secretary of Defense Robert Gates who had previously cautioned against sending too many troops, seem firmly in the corner of escalation. Still, the growing unpopularity of the war with the American public appears to be spawning at least a limited discussion in an administration that seems bent on escalating the war as much as possible as quickly as possible.
Tags:Afghan war, General Stanley McChrystal, Jason Ditz, more troops, Obama administration, Robert Gates, vice-president Joe Biden, war escalatioin
Posted in Afghanistan, imperialism, President Barack Obama, Uncategorized, US policy, USA, war, warmongers | 1 Comment »
August 8, 2009
Incoming Chief of Staff Says “Absolutely No Chance” NATO Will Leave
In an interview with The Times, Britain’s incoming military Chief of Staff General Sir David Richards has cautioned that the ongoing military operation in Afghanistan could last for 40 years. The news comes after the deadliest month the British military has experienced since the 1980’s, and as three more British troops were killed in an IED attack Friday.
General Sir David Richards
With the British government’s attempt earlier this week to sell the public on the increasingly unpopular war with an official defense ministry policy statement, officials have been remarkably candid about just how long the conflict is going to take, and last week Ambassador to the US Sir Nigel Sheinwald likewise said the war would take “decades.”
Sir David’s comments today however reveal a surprising confidence about the prospect of continuing the war that long, declaring that there was “absolutely no chance” NATO would leave the country, adding “we made this mistake once. Our opponents are banking on us doing it again, and we must prove them wrong.”
This confidence is perhaps warranted in Britain, where the ruling Labor Party is looking at decades of war without blinking and the opposition is running on a platform of escalation. Despite comments from the hawkish new NATO Secretary General, however, many other NATO nations are looking to either end their commitments or shift to non-combat roles. It seems unlikely they’re going to be staying the course in 2050, even if Britain is.
Tags:Afghanistan war, Britain, Jason Ditz, NATO nations, Sir David Richards
Posted in Afghanistan, Commentary, imperialism, Uncategorized, war | Leave a Comment »
May 4, 2009
Report of 3,800 km Drills Undermine FM’s Denial of Attack Plans
French-language news magazine L’Express reports that the Israeli Air Force recently held air refueling drills between Israel and the small British held territory of Gibraltar, a 3,800 km flight which is leading some to speculate the the nation is making “concrete preparations” for a potential attack against rival Iran.
The report comes just days after Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told Austria’s Kleine Zeitung that Israel would not attack Iran, even if the US-led sanctions against the nation failed to get them to abandon their civilian nuclear program.
Speculation about a potential Israeli attack against Iran has been fueled for years by repeated threats by Israeli officials to do exactly that. The revelation of the preparatory drills, coupled with comments by Israel’s incoming Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren, are resurrecting concern about the attack despite Lieberman’s attempt to quell concern, inconveniently enough as the controversial Israeli FM heads to Europe.
Tags:Gibraltar, Iran, Israel, Israeli Air Force, Jason Ditz
Posted in Iran, Uncategorized, warmongers, Zionist Israel | Leave a Comment »
April 13, 2009
Israeli President Calls to Unify Sunnis, Europe Against Iran
In an interview today, Israeli President Shimon Peres once again raised the prospect of attacking Iran, saying that if the talks proposed by President Obama did not get Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to “soften” its stance on its civilian nuclear program “we’ll strike him.”
The threat is the latest in a long line of bellicose statements by Israeli officials about the prospect of attacking the Shi’ite nation, but the first since Israel’s new rightist government took power. Israel’s previous government, of which Peres’ Labor Party was also a part, repeatedly threatened to attack Iran over the program.
Peres seemed optimistic about the recent falling out between Egypt and Iran would enable them to “unify all his opponents – the Sunnis and the Europeans, as well as those afraid of nuclear weapons and terror.”
The Israeli government has repeatedly accused Iran of developing nuclear weapons, though the most recent US National Intelligence Estimate says Iran has not had such a program in many years and the IAEA has repeatedly certified that Iran is not diverting any of its uranium to any use other than its nuclear energy program.
Tags:Egypt and Iran, IAEA, Iran, Israel, Jason Ditz, nuclear weapons, President Shimon Peres, threat
Posted in Iran, Uncategorized, warmongers, Zionist Israel | Leave a Comment »
April 11, 2009
The Khost Province killings yesterday have sparked a growing level of outrage at the behavior of US forces across Afghanistan, and have led Afghan President Hamid Karzai to demand once again that foreign forces adhere to their previous agreement to coordinate planned raids with the national government, and base them on accurate information.
When the killings were reported yesterday morning, US forces claimed that they had killed “four militants” and wounded another one. It was only later that they were forced to acknowledge that the house they attacked belonged to a Afghan Army officer, and that the people killed were his wife, a brother, and two of his children. Afghan health officials revealed today that the wounded woman reported in the initial report was actually nine-months pregnant, and the attacking US forces shot the unborn baby in her womb. The troops now say they don’t believe the people they killed were involved in militant activities.
The Afghan officer, Awal Khan, was flown home after the killing and said he wants “the coalition leaders to expose those behind this and punish them.” US military spokesman Col. Julian says it was “an unfortunate set of circumstances” and that there will be financial assistance to the surviving relatives of those killed.
On the other had Afghan Ambassador to the United States Said Jawad, remarkably, defended the killings, saying it was “a price that we have to pay if we want security and stability in Afghanistan, the region and the world.” Despite the envoy’s support, the killing of an unborn baby seems to have netted Afghanistan little in the way of security.
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Tags:Afghanistan, civilians killed and wounded, Hamid Karzai, Jason Ditz, Khost Province, killings, US forces
Posted in Afghanistan, US policy, warmongers | Leave a Comment »
Peace and Justice Post 
Britain Looks at 40-Year Afghan War
August 8, 2009Incoming Chief of Staff Says “Absolutely No Chance” NATO Will Leave
In an interview with The Times, Britain’s incoming military Chief of Staff General Sir David Richards has cautioned that the ongoing military operation in Afghanistan could last for 40 years. The news comes after the deadliest month the British military has experienced since the 1980’s, and as three more British troops were killed in an IED attack Friday.
With the British government’s attempt earlier this week to sell the public on the increasingly unpopular war with an official defense ministry policy statement, officials have been remarkably candid about just how long the conflict is going to take, and last week Ambassador to the US Sir Nigel Sheinwald likewise said the war would take “decades.”
Sir David’s comments today however reveal a surprising confidence about the prospect of continuing the war that long, declaring that there was “absolutely no chance” NATO would leave the country, adding “we made this mistake once. Our opponents are banking on us doing it again, and we must prove them wrong.”
This confidence is perhaps warranted in Britain, where the ruling Labor Party is looking at decades of war without blinking and the opposition is running on a platform of escalation. Despite comments from the hawkish new NATO Secretary General, however, many other NATO nations are looking to either end their commitments or shift to non-combat roles. It seems unlikely they’re going to be staying the course in 2050, even if Britain is.
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Tags:Afghanistan war, Britain, Jason Ditz, NATO nations, Sir David Richards
Posted in Afghanistan, Commentary, imperialism, Uncategorized, war | Leave a Comment »