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 War
and Terror
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June 2008
Smoke and mirrors in the Khyber
Valley
Pakistan is trumpeting the success of military operations at the weekend in the
Khyber Agency against the Taliban, and Washington will be pleased that
Islamabad is finally taking action. The trouble is, the offensive was launched
in the wrong area and against the wrong people, leaving the "real" Taliban well
alone. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Jun 30, '08)
Islamabad blinks at Taliban threat
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization's response to the consolidation of the
Taliban in Kandahar and Khost provinces in Afghanistan is to squeeze the supply
lines of the militants across the border in Pakistan. Islamabad, in the face of
a startling show of strength by the Taliban this week, is reluctant to play
along. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Jun 27, '08)
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
Uncle Sam's cyber force wants you
In the latest plan of the the United States military to garrison cyberspace,
the air force has set up a Cyber Command and launched its own George W
Bush-style US$30-billion pre-emptive strike that will, theoretically, provide
the air force with the ability to fry any computer in the world. - William J
Astore (Jun 27, '08)
Israeli threats stiffen Iran's
resolve
Israel, by escalating threats against Iran precisely at a time when major
nations are pushing the arch of diplomacy toward Tehran, has made it nearly
impossible for Iran to show a great deal of flexibility in negotiations over
its nuclear program. As for an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, it
would likely spur, not deter, any Iranian notions of proliferation. - Kaveh L
Afrasiabi (Jun 26, '08)
Training to attack Iran
The leaked news that the Israeli air force recently conducted what appeared to
be a rehearsal for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities caused something of a
sensation in capitals around the world. Not in Israel, though, where the
thinking is, if all options against Iran are on the table, then it's best to
prepare to execute them. (Jun 26, '08)
China toys with India's border
China's incursions into India's Sikkim state are becoming more frequent and
more penetrating, the most recent one this month going a kilometer into Indian
territory. Delhi fears it is all about Tibet: Beijing is laying claim to Indian
territories in the name of their vital role to Tibetan Buddhist culture. - Sudha
Ramachandran (Jun 26, '08)
Firing blanks in Afghanistan
The saga of the youthful United States entrepreneur whose company won millions
of dollars in contracts from the Pentagon to supply ammunition to the Afghan
security forces has caught the eye of prosecutors as well as the US Congress.
Most of the ordinance - from old communist bloc stockpiles - was substandard,
if not plain useless, highlighting the "dysfunctional" procurement process at
the Department of Defense. - David Isenberg
(Jun 26, '08)
A blueprint for US withdrawal
It's become routine: when the topic of US withdrawal from Iraq is broached, the
George W Bush administration screams "bloodbath" and raises the specter of the
country's descent into chaos and regional war. A new report says a responsible
way to pull out troops while pursuing diplomatic and political solutions to
Iraq's civil conflict is out there. (Jun 26, '08)
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
The Pentagon's merchants of war
Forget about the United States Department of Defense's Stealth bombers and its
"black budget" which swallows billions of dollars without accountability,
there's another stealth side to the Pentagon - the corporate side where
little-known companies gobble up US tax dollars at phenomenal rates. Most of
the time, large or small, they fly under the radar and are seldom even
identified as defense contractors. Nick Turse pins down five of the
billion-dollar babies that profit from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.(Jun
25, '08)
US pushes Iraqi Shi'ites closer to
Iran
Beyond the issue of permanent United States bases in Iraq, the Shi'ite
government of Nuri al-Maliki objects to a new security agreement with
Washington on the grounds that it does not guarantee Iraq against foreign
aggression. The Shi'ites fear possible US collaboration with Sunni Arab regimes
to try to overthrow their administration, a fear that pushes them closer to
Iran. - Gareth Porter (Jun 25, '08)
Russia joins the war in
Afghanistan
With its profound hindsight into its former performance in Afghanistan, it is
strange that Russia is again wading into its southern neighbor by agreeing to
supply weapons to the Afghan army in the fight against the Taliban. Moscow is
looking at the bigger picture, though. It has put the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization on the defensive and sidestepped United States-led (and Chinese)
efforts to undercut its influence in Central Asia. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Jun 24, '08)
SPEAKING FREELY
Are they really oil wars?
A widely cited factor behind recent United States wars of choice is oil,
opponents of the conflicts citing, conflictingly, both Washington's desire for
cheap fuel and Big Oil's wish for high prices and profits. Even as speculators
and the Peak Oil theory are thrown into the mix of explanations behind recent
record prices, it is evident such views fall short of reality. - Ismael
Hossein-zadeh (Jun 24, '08)
Pakistan calls the shots
Washington's grand plan for a compliant Pakistani government and military is in
tatters, and its carrot of economic aid may no longer be enough to secure
Islamabad's cooperation in the "war on terror" against the Taliban, with dire
consequences. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Jun 24,
'08)
 SPENGLER
Worst of times for Iran
Despite a surge in oil revenues, Iran's kleptocracy has pushed conditions in
the country to the point of Dickensian poverty. The prices of ordinary goods
are soaring out of people's reach, property values in Tehran are equal to those
of Paris, and prostitutes and profiteers are everywhere. And the
disappearance of half the country's oil revenues from the
books makes President Mahmud Adhmadinejad's tenure the worst of times for
Iran. (Jun 23, '08)
The myth of 'weapons-grade'
enrichment
Amid disclosures of an Israeli dummy run for an air offensive against Iran's
nuclear installations, much of the Western media recycle the lines that Tehran
is actively pursuing nuclear weapons and that it has amassed "weapons-grade"
enriched uranium. The United Nations' nuclear watchdog, the International
Atomic Energy Agency, has never said this, and this after thousands of hours
inspecting Iran's facilities since 2003. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi
(Jun 23, '08)
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
No blood for ... er ... um ...
Finally, after all the blood, American and Iraqi, that has been spilled, here
comes the oil. ExxonMobil, Shell, Total and BP are expected to win no-bid
contracts to service Iraq's oil fields. It's the sort of thing that could make
suspicious Arabs even more so and give a new life to some really dumb slogans
in the United States. But sometimes, if you're an oil giant, you just have to
bite the bullet. - Tom Engelhardt (Jun 23,
'08)
India tiptoes to the new Middle East
Israel is in peace negotiations with the Syrians and the Palestinians and is
also hinting at peace with Hezbollah in Lebanon. In this "changed
constellation", a new Middle East is struggling to be born, which is,
paradoxically, a legacy of the George W Bush era, except it is far different
from what the US president had in mind. India, with China on its mind, is in
the midst of a flurry of Middle East activity to better place itself in what it
considers its extended neighborhood. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Jun 20, '08)
THE ROVING EYE
Why Iraq won't be South Korea
President George W Bush's last call in Iraq is an agreement that would create a
US-style consumer society in the Mesopotamian sands, a demilitarized client
state under benign US protection. Better yet, it could be like a 21st century
version of the South Korean "tiger" miracle. The problem is, Iraqis aren't
buying into it. And without an agreement, and a new US-friendly Iraqi oil law,
Bush's US$3 trillion Iraq adventure will have been for nothing. - Pepe Escobar
(Jun 19, '08)
Taliban raise a storm in Kandahar
As the United States admits, the Taliban "can raise a lot of dust at any given
moment", as they are doing now in Afghanistan's southern province of
Kandahar, drawing a massed response from North Atlantic Treaty Organization and
Afghan army forces. More than dust is being raised, though. Kandahar is
just one aspect of the Taliban's military and political plan, which
they hope will bring on a sandstorm. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Jun 19, '08)
 AUDIO:
The fight for Kandahar
A Taliban spokesman talks to Syed Saleem Shahzad.
(Jun 19, '08)
MP3
Podcast
Middle East serves US some humble
pie
A series of regionally negotiated settlements - most recently the Hamas and
Israel ceasefire - has cast doubt on the United States' cherished role as the
grandmaster of the Middle East chessboard. It may be too early to call the
Middle East the graveyard of Pax Americana, but it will be up to the possible
Barack Obama administration to ensure the American voice is heard again in the
region, not due to fear of attack but respect for its wisdom. - Sreeram Chaulia
(Jun 19, '08)
Attacking Iran: The last resort
The wrong questions are being asked in the debate over whether to undertake
"preventive" military action against Iran's nuclear program, according to a new
report by a Washington think-tank. And should the correct questions be asked,
the United States would then need to get the international community firmly on
board, the report says. - David Isenberg (Jun
18, '08)
Mixed US messages to Iran
Even as the six nations (including the United States) dealing with Iran on its
nuclear program are locked in negotiations that might yet produce results, the
George W Bush administration acts counter to this initiative. Call it bad-faith
diplomacy or apprehensions about the outsourcing of Iran policy, it does not
bode well for the unity of "Iran Six" diplomacy. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi
(Jun 18, '08)
Nuclear find raises the ante
against Iran
There is no evidence that Iran has got hold of electronic blueprints for an
advanced nuclear weapon recently found on computers belonging to the
proliferation network once run by the father of Pakistan's nuclear weapons
program, Abdul Qadeer Khan. All the same, the discovery of the blueprints comes
at a bad time for Iran as it gives the United States cause to intensify its
brinkmanship against the country. - Ehsan Ahrari
(Jun 17, '08)
India goes to war in space
Concerned over "the growing threat" to its space assets - especially its
lucrative satellite program - India has established an Integrated Space Cell
jointly run by military and civilian officials. The cell will attempt to more
effectively utilize space-based assets for military purposes and look to
protect these assets, such as against China's anti-satellite weaponry. - Sudha
Ramachandran (Jun 17, '08)
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
The great land grab
At the core of the George W Bush administration's negotiations with Baghdad
over the US's long-term presence in Iraq is the issue of bases. Over the past
few years they have surged to over 100 in number at the cost of many billions
of dollars. Whatever the outcome of the talks, the bases will still be there
when the next administration hits Washington, whether the Iraqis like it or
not. - Tom Engelhardt (Jun 17, '08)
Iraq takes a turn towards Tehran
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has suddenly started to play hard ball with
Washington over the United States' long-term presence in Iraq. Torn between
appeasing the US, which brought him to power, and pleasing his patrons and
fellow Shi'ites in Tehran, Maliki is bowing to the latter, with ominous
consequences. - Sami Moubayed (Jun
16, '08)
US runs out of patience with
Pakistan
Patience is running out in Kabul and Washington over the inability, or
unwillingness, of Pakistan to prevent the Taliban from launching raids from
Pakistani territory into Afghanistan. Afghan President Hamid Karzai warns of
taking matters into his own hands, but he's really speaking for the United
States. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Jun 16, '08)
AUDIO
Plans afoot to kill Bush and Karzai
A Taliban commander comments on Afghan President Hamid
Karzai's threat to attack the Taliban leadership in Pakistan and, in this
short telephone interview with Syed Saleem Shahzad, tells of
plans to assassinate both US President George W Bush and Karzai.
(Jun 16, '08)
Click
here for audio (mp3)
Click
here for podcast
Deal, deal, deal with Iran
Washington cannot afford to ignore Iran, nor can the United States overrun it,
so the answer is to "deal with it", argues veteran US diplomat James Dobbins.
He has also "rejected the theory that the threat of force is a necessary
prerequisite to successful diplomacy" - the first high-profile challenge to
this central tenet of US national security in place since the end of the Cold
War. - Gareth Porter (Jun 16, '08)
Rattled Pakistan looks to Musharraf
The United States air strikes that killed 11 Pakistani paramilitary troops this
week have shaken the country to the core, so much so that President Pervez
Musharraf, who was about to be consigned to the bin of history, could make a
remarkable comeback. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Jun 13,
'08)
Bush pledges on Iraq bases a ruse
Washington has taken great pains to stress that it does not seek the right to
"permanent bases" in Iraq in the deal it is negotiating with Baghdad on the
legal conditions under which US troops will remain in Iraq after their United
Nations mandate expires at the end this year. This is just a legal smokescreen
to obscure the US's intention to have both long-term access to Iraqi bases and
complete freedom to use them to launch operations against Iran and Syria. - Gareth
Porter (Jun 13, '08)
US garrisons and global gas
stations
The protection of overseas oil supplies as essential to "national security",
sometimes through the use of military force, is now an unquestioned part of
American foreign policy. But with the costs of such operations - in both blood
and dollars - rising precipitously, their practicality is under scrutiny. - Michael
T Klare (Jun 13, '08)
COMMENT
War on Iran: Law the first casualty
The decision by the United States and Israel to escalate the threat levels
against Iran, as reflected in President George W Bush's statement in Europe
that all options remain on the table, has been matched by an equally resolute
defiance by Iran. Another unjustified, illegal war in the Middle East is being
plotted. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi (Jun 12, '08)
US strike hits Pakistan's raw nerve
Tuesday's raid by United States warplanes into Pakistani territory in which 11
Pakistani paramilitary soldiers were killed will further strain the US's
relations with one of its key allies in the "war on terror", which it accuses
of aiding the Taliban. But Islamabad has to weave an intricate web with
militants to protect its own back. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Jun 12, '08)
VIDEO
Taliban: A new breed of leader
 Qari
Ziaur Rahman, commander of the Taliban in Afghanistan's Nooristan and Kunar
provinces, which border Pakistan, represents the new generation of anti-US
resistance leaders and is tipped to become one of the most important Taliban
commanders in the region. He spoke to Syed Saleem Shahzad in the Kunar
Valley.
See also
AT WAR WITH THE TALIBAN, Part 2:
A fighter and a
financier (May 23, '08)
Al-Qaeda laid to rest? Not just yet
In days, al-Qaeda went from being "a major threat" to the United States to
being "essentially defeated", if the US Central Intelligence Agency and leading
analysts are to be believed. Certainly there is fierce debate among al-Qaeda's
leaders and theoreticians, but as long as US and Western military forces remain
in the Arab region, al-Qaeda will continue fighting. The sudden switch may be
intended to assure Americans that al-Qaeda is beaten if, in the next few
months, it becomes necessary for US forces to attack Iran. - Michael Scheuer
(Jun 11, '08)
SPEAKING FREELY
Will it be 'Obama's war'?
The next United States president, regardless of party, will face powerful
foreign pressures, notably from Saudi Arabia, and pro-Israel groups to keep a
major US commitment in Iraq, despite strong public support in the US for
withdrawal. Stay too long in Iraq, though, and the president risks going down
in history with his name attached to the war, just as Vietnam became "Nixon's
war". (Jun 10, '08)
Marching lawyers hold Pakistan
hostage
Thousands of black-suited lawyers marching across Pakistan for a confrontation
in the capital Islamabad are only a part of the story. The military has gone
into a funk of inactivity, the new liberal, secular government is unable, given
the pressure from the streets, to protect United States interests, while
America's poser-boy, President Pervez Musharraf, is under siege. The situation
is ripe for exploitation by al-Qaeda, and augers well for the Taliban in
Afghanistan. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Jun 10,
'08)
Pentagon blocked Cheney's attack on
Iran
United States Vice President Dick Cheney's plan in August 2007 to launch
airstrikes against the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps was blocked by the
Pentagon over concerns about Iran's retaliation capabilities. But Cheney's
close alliance with Centcom chief General David Petraeus gives him the option
of ignoring his opponents in Washington during the final months of the George W
Bush administration. - Gareth Porter (Jun 9, '08)
... but the hawks are still
circling
Vice President Dick Cheney and his daughter Elizabeth, who has been
particularly vocal ("We do not have the luxury of time"), appear to have gained
ground over realists in the Bush administration in pushing the line that
confrontation with Iran is inevitable. The Cheneys could be playing
psychological warfare. Then again, the vice president has clear views on
bombing Iran. - Jim Lobe (Jun 9,
'08)
Iran shadow over US-Iraq security
pact
Ideally, the United States wants a long-term security agreement with Iraq that
would allow US soldiers to remain indefinitely in the country and without
restrictions. The Baghdad government's reluctance to sign onto such an accord
reflects opposition at home as well as in Iran. But Tehran is prepared to deal,
provided it gets a slice of the Iraqi security pie. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi
(Jun 9, '08)
Fighting dirty in Sri Lanka
The spike in violence in Sri Lanka indicates increasing desperation for both
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the government forces trying to
eradicate them. Colombo, unable to steer the outcome of events on the
battlefield in its favor, is opting for the next best thing: silencing the
messenger. - Sudha Ramachandran (Jun 9, '08)
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
What it means when the US goes to
war
American soldiers in Iraq daily face "atrocity producing situations", from
patrols, convoys (which race along like freight trains of death), home raids,
detentions and military checkpoints: the essence of war, after all, is death.
Using the experiences of soldiers on the ground, Chris Hedges strips
away the myths of glory and honor and discovers the uncommon "moral courage"
that the veterans he quotes have exhibited by telling the truth about their
war. (Jun 6, '08)
Claims on Iraq come back to haunt
A long-awaited but hardly surprising US Senate report reiterates the claim that
President George W Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney made assertions in the
run-up to the invasion of Iraq that simply contradicted findings of the US
intelligence community. What is surprising is that the report has now become a
part of the presidential election "political theater". - Jim Lobe
(Jun 6, '08)
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
When the nukes start dropping ...
A new 77-page report lays out in shocking detail the damage that would be done
should a nuclear exchange break out in the Middle East between 2010 and 2020.
Assuming Iran has weapons, and it engages Israel, the result would be Iran
completely wiped off the map. This "thinking the unthinkable" serves an
important purpose. By actually showing what devastation can be done, the world
can be turned away from the frightful momentum now building for a strike
against Iran. - Julian Delasantellis (Jun 4,
'08)
FORKED TONGUES ON IRAN
Cheney builds an explosive case
The view is still widely propagated by the George W Bush administration that
explosively formed projectiles that can penetrate United States armored
vehicles in Iraq come straight from Iran. The US State and Defense departments
never signed onto this line, but smart maneuvering by Vice President Dick
Cheney and the US's top man in Iraq, General David Petraeus, blindsided them. - Gareth
Porter (Jun 3, '08)
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
Kill, kill,
kill: Presidential bloodlust
On the eve of the first battle of Fallujah in Iraq in 2004, President George W
Bush exhorted his closest top civilian and military advisors, "Stay strong!
Stay the course! Kill them! We are going to wipe them out! We are not
blinking!" Even today, Bush is still urging his top officials not to "blink",
but Americans should: there is still time for Bush to make another war. - Tom
Engelhardt (Jun 3, '08)
'An earful of anti-Semitic rants'
John McCain, the presumptive Republican candidate for US president, has clearly
spelled out he has no intention of submitting to an "an earful of anti-Semitic
rants" by engaging in talks with Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad. This
despite a new poll that shows that six in 10 US voters, including nearly half
of all Republican respondents, believe a US-Iranian summit would be a good
idea. - Jim Lobe (Jun 3, '08)
THE ROVING EYE
And the winner is ... the Israel
lobby
For many decades, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee has helped shape
the United States' ties with Israel, to the extent it maintains a virtual
stranglehold over the US Congress and powerful think-tanks. This week,
Washington's political elite, including all three presidential hopefuls, will
address the committee's annual meeting. Beyond the US-Israel relationship,
expect pointers to "the Iran problem". - Pepe Escobar
(Jun 2, '08)
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ATol Specials
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Syed Saleem Shahzad reports on
the Afghan war from the Taliban side
(Dec '06)
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How
Hezbollah defeated Israel
By
Mark Perry and
Alastair Crooke
(Oct '06)
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Mark Perry and
Alastair Crooke
talk to the 'terrorists'
(Mar, '06)
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The evidence for and against Iran's alleged
nuclear weapons program
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Nir Rosen goes inside the Iraqi
resistance
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Nir Rosen rides with the 3rd
armored cavalry in western Iraq
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Islamism, fascism and
terrorism
by Marc Erikson
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For earlier articles go to:
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