By July-August 2001, it was clear that something dramatic was about to happen. Pepe Escobar, our "Roving Eye", was
traveling in Afghanistan and the tribal areas of Pakistan. The rumor was that US forces were about to use Pakistan to launch a raid into Afghanistan. Escobar's article, published by Asia Times Online on August 30, 2001, was headlined  Get Osama! Now! Or else ... Our Karachi correspondent, Syed Saleem Shazad, was meanwhile filing articles like Osama bin Laden: The thorn in Pakistan's flesh (August 22, 2001) ...

Afghanistan: Launchpad for terror
United States claims to the contrary, the fighting in Afghanistan is not yet over, and militants from hotspots around the world, including Palestine and Kashmir, are regrouping in the country for a new wave of terror against US targets worldwide. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (May 2, '03)

IRAQ NOTEBOOK
Reds under the ruins
They've no need for guns, they want to give democracy a go, and some perceive them as too pro-United States. Hardly the stuff of good communists, but that doesn't deter the leader of the Iraqi Communist Party, who reckons he can paint the new Iraq red. - Paul Belden (May 1, '03)

COMMENTARY
What if real democracy rears its head?
If fully fair and free elections are held in Iraq, there is always the possibility that the results will call for the formation of an Islamist government strongly critical of the US. The temptation in some Washington circles might be to prevent this from happening. It would be a mistake. - Ian Urbina (May 1, '03)

Afghanistan once more the melting pot
The security situation in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate, with deadly clashes between guerrilla forces and foreign troops increasingly frequent. This is not simply a matter of local unrest, though, and the country is at a point where it could once again become the breeding ground, and playground, of Muslim radicals. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Apr 30, '03)

Iran fights to loosen America's noose
Recent developments in Iraq have prompted Iran's foreign minister to pay a visit to the Caucasus, in an effort to improve political and economic relations among surrounding states. The growth of American ties with Georgia and Azerbaijan has left Iran feeling nervous about possible long-term implications. - Hooman Peimani (Apr 30, '03)

Cleaning up the mess in Iraq
The consequences of the Iraq war will linger for a long time to come as the use of controversial weapons by the United States is expected not only to leave the Bush administration with a hefty bill, but also to cause a number of environmental and health implications. (Apr 30, '03)

The anatomy of a looting
Looting is still a problem in many Iraqi cities following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime three weeks ago, as is witnessed in the house of Saddam's sister in a wealthy section of Baghdad where some residents are putting the blame on the Americans. (Apr 30, '03)

Americans think multilaterally
Despite victory in Iraq, a recent poll shows that Americans appear to be more in tune with "Old Europe", with strong majorities rejecting either a more unilateralist or military-oriented role for the US in the future - much to the chagrin of hawks in the administration. - Jim Lobe (Apr 30, '03)

COMMENTARY
Battling for the soul of the American republic
While everyone talks about the possible next target on the US list of regime change, here's a thought: instead of expanding the empire, the US should contract it, for even a nation as uniquely powerful as the US cannot remake the political systems at the heart of the Islamic world. - Ahmad Faruqui (Apr 29, '03)

IRAQ NOTEBOOK
Lessons of crass destruction
Weapons are one of the most prized items for sale in any of Baghdad's many outdoor markets for stolen goods, and thieves will go to any lengths to track down their booty, even if it means putting their lives - and Paul Belden's - on the line. (Apr 29, '03)

US takes up the mayor's gauntlet
Mohammed Mohsen al-Zubaidi made the decision to become the new mayor of Baghdad, and he was doing a reasonable job, by some accounts, until the United States decided that they didn't want him, so they arrested him. Who knows, though, how many more al-Zubaidis are waiting for their chance to put into practice the theory of unilateralism. - Ian Urbina (Apr 29, '03)

    It's (political) party time

North Korea: Hand in the cookie jar
The interception of a US$48 million heroin shipment in Australia may shed light on Pyongyang's complicity in the drug and arms trade as well as give Washington an unexpected  lever as it acts to neutralize North Korea's weapons of mass destruction. - Alan Boyd (Apr 28, '03)

US-Korea talks: Prelude to peace treaty?
Although the shooting was halted by an armistice half a century ago, there still does not exist a formal peace treaty ending the Korean War. That is the main bone of contention among all the players, including Pyongyang. And it may have been at the crux of the nuclear admission and "bold proposals" made by the North to the US at last week's truncated talks in Beijing. - Jaewoo Choo (Apr 28, '03)

Power play in northern Iraq
Saddam Hussein deliberately upset the population balance between Arabs, Turkmens and Kurds in oil-rich northern Iraq through forced removals. Now these groups are trying to redress the imbalance and reclaim land that they believe is rightfully theirs, even if it means taking up arms. - Hooman Peimani (Apr 28, '03)

   Ethnic re-cleansing begins

Puppets and puppeteers in Iraq
Suggestions by the Iran-based Supreme Assembly of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq that a leadership council of the Iraqi opposition groups will be set up in Baghdad provide yet another clear indication that the Shi'ite organization has its own plans for a post-Saddam Hussein administration, US wishes notwithstanding. - Hooman Peimani (Apr 25, '03)

    Shi'ite shrines as a counter force

ANALYSIS
Disconnect in Beijing
President George W Bush immediately pooh-poohed North Korea's claim that it possesses nuclear weapons. Astonishingly, however, the best hope for a peaceful solution now may rest with the veracity of Pyongyang's declaration. - Marc Erikson (Apr 25, '03)

THE ROVING EYE
The lions of Babylon
Babylon is about as rich in history as anywhere in the world, with roots going back to the dawn of civilization. Sadly, like the Iraqi Museum in Baghdad, Babylon's museum was pillaged, although not on the scale of the capital's. Significantly, the ancient statue of the Lion of Babylon was untouched, as another lion of the city explains. - Pepe Escobar (Apr 25, '03)

Islamic challenge in Yemen
Riding a wave of anti-American sentiment, Islamic parties in Yemen are staging a vigorous campaign to wrest power from the ruling party in national elections scheduled for Sunday, amid sharp tensions in the country over the Iraq war. (Apr 25, '03)

SPEAKING FREELY
Time up for US troops in Saudi Arabia
Given that the US bases in Saudi Arabia were completely superfluous in the Iraq war, and that the cost of maintaining them is high, both in an economic and a political sense, the time has come to question whether they serve any useful purpose. (Apr 25, '03)

Drugs and thugs: An Afghan tragedy
The Taliban, despite their small number and lack of coordinated leadership, are waging a guerrilla campaign which in part is financed by the resurgent drug trade in the country. If they are to be beaten, this source of funding needs to be cut off, argues Ramtanu Maitra. And now, with the fields of Afghanistan again ablaze with poppies, the country's warlords and the world's drug cartels are rubbing their hands in glee, reports Syed Saleem Shahzad. (Apr 25, '03)

   Taliban refine guerrilla tactics 
   Afghanistan reclaims its drug crown

THE ROVING EYE
The Baghdad deal
The relative ease with which US forces took Baghdad raises a host of interesting questions, especially, what happened to the much-vaunted Republican and Special Republican Guard? An investigation by Asia Times Online provides some answers, which can be summed up by the Arabic word safqua, meaning secret deal. - Pepe Escobar (Apr 24, '03)

Chalabi: With friends like the US ...
The stumping has already begun in Iraq, and no one is pressing the flesh more than Ahmed Chalabi, head of the Iraqi National Congress and the candidate most preferred by the US to lead a postwar administration. Which is exactly where his problem lies. - David Isenberg (Apr 24, '03)

   The Iran factor looms large

THE WAR NOBODY WON
Part 2: The new Agincourt
In the conclusion of a two-part analysis of the Bush Grand Strategy for national security and imposed democracy that was first played out in Afghanistan and has moved on into Iraq, Henry C K Liu recalls another ruler, King Henry V of England, who at Agincourt subdued would-be foes by his crushing victory over the French. But the French never became English. And the war went on for 100 years. (Apr 24, '03)

THE ROVING EYE
The Mukhabarat's shopping list
A document obtained by Asia Times Online details the extensive dealings of Iraq's secret service apparatus, the Mukhabarat, with both Arab and Western companies - notably from France and the Netherlands - to obtain the tools necessary to perpetuate their brutal reign, including pinhole cameras and laser tools. Also on the list were night vision goggles, but not from Syria, as the US has accused. - Pepe Escobar (Apr 23, '03) 

All shades of opinion (Apr 23, '03) THE WAR NOBODY WON Part 1: Chaos, crime and incredulity Very few serious observers in the Middle East, if any, expect the United States to achieve its declared aims of establishing a democratic government in Iraq. In a two-part analysis, Henry C K Liu looks beyond the smoldering ruins of Baghdad to the new world order - or disorder - envisaged by George W Bush and Co. The making of America's Iraqi quagmire Unlike Vietnam, where the US became bogged down in a military quagmire, in Iraq a quagmire is likely to develop after the military victory if Washington insists on imposing its will, and not the will of the Iraqi people. - Ehsan Ahrari Charades at 42nd Street Recent shenanigans in the United Nations - notably by France, Russia and China - over Iraqi sanctions and North Korea's nuclear threat provide an excellent justification for Washington's refusal to let the UN play the leading role in Iraq's reconstruction. - Stephen Blank

Gloves come off on the US home front
The State Department has tried to play down the scathing attack launched on it by Newt Gingrich, a member of the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board, but the nature and place of delivery of the broadside confirm the deep divisions within President George W Bush's administration over the next steps to be taken in the Middle East. - Jim Lobe (Apr 23, '03)

IRAQ NOTEBOOK
Freedom unbound, and out of control
A US Marine patrol that strayed into the fired-up congregation of a major mosque in Baghdad saw first-hand Iraq's new brand of freedom of expression. Miraculously, no blood was spilled, reports Paul Belden, who witnessed the highly-charged incident. (Apr 21, '03)

THE ROVING EYE
Shi'ites on the march to Karbala
The annual pilgrimage to the central Iraqi city of Karbala traces its roots to the birth of the Shi'ite religion nearly 14 centuries ago, and as such is an apolitical event. But this week's celebration, which is expected to attract upwards of 7 million people, has taken on a significance that could have a crucial bearing on the future of the country. - Pepe Escobar (Apr 21, '03)

Baghdad's 'mayor' - a sign of things to come
As the post-Saddam Hussein era releases long-suppressed political forces with agendas different from those of Washington, the establishment of a stable pro-American Iraqi regime is likely to prove increasingly troublesome, as illustrated by the new "mayor" of Baghdad. - Hooman Peimani (Apr 21, '03)

Syria in the crosshairs
If the United States case justifying the invasion of Iraq was flimsy, it is less so in regard to Syria, which is increasingly feeling the sting of US rhetoric. David Isenberg assesses the extent of Syria's weapons of mass destruction, while B Raman outlines the deep involvement of Damascus with terrorist organizations around the world. (Apr 18, '03)

   Chemical weapons program well advanced
   A welcoming friend to many a terrorist

THE ROVING EYE
Direct democracy in action
In just a matter of days, the Iraqi city of Hilla, better known in recent times for a massacre that took place there, has formed a new, broad-based local government. Its primary task is to rebuild the city's shattered infrastructure. But first it has to find the money to do so. - Pepe Escobar (Apr 18, '03)

IRAQ NOTEBOOK
All according to the notebook
After the traumatic events of the past days, many people in Baghdad have a story to tell, and they are only too keen to collar any journalist who will listen, as Paul Belden finds out on a criss-cross journey through the battered Iraqi capital. (Apr 18, '03)

COMMENTARY
Double standards in reporting casualties
Through their self-censored coverage of the war in Iraq, the US media are undercutting their standing as an objective source of news and are undermining the basis for American democracy, with implications for years to come. (Apr 18, '03)

THE ROVING EYE
A (mis)guided tour of Baghdad
Given the mauling that it has received, Baghdad is right up there as a leading "holiday in hell" destination - smashed palaces and buildings, thief-riddled no-go areas, edgy soldiers, bereaved families, barely functioning infrastructure and a general air of destruction and despair. - Pepe Escobar (Apr 17, '03)

IRAQ NOTEBOOK
Where before Iraqi border guards had made Paul Belden wait for six hours, this time round there was not a guard to be seen - they had all fled, leaving the way open for a free ride all the way to Baghdad. There, Belden caught up with one tough lady who has become a byword among US soldiers for her vigor and vitriol. (Apr 17, '03)

   Suddenly, a war without a border  
   A lady with real attitude

The ever-threatening Shi'ite factor ...
All powers, regional and non-regional alike, with long-term stakes in Iraq will have to have the Shi'ites on their side to secure an influence in the country. But first, the Shi'ites themselves will have to settle their bloody differences. - Hooman Peimani (Apr 17, '03)

... and black-bereted Baghdad police too
The Shi'ites in the south of Iraq are proving ominously obstructionist to the United States' post-war plans, with protests and boycotts the order of the day rather than reconciliation and amity. But it is not just the Shi'ites who are looking with fast growing frustration at the US presence in the country. - Ian Urbina (Apr 17, '03)

Adieu Saddam: Bring out the next target
International opposition and a tenuous case at best did not stop the United States from bringing about regime change in Iraq. Now the US is building a similar case against Syria, and that's reason enough for Damascus to worry. - Ehsan Ahrari (Apr 16, '03)

   Familiar hawks take aim 
   Reasons for the war of words

PYONGYANG WATCH
When the statues are toppled
The fact is that, unlike the case of that other dictator who once ruled in Baghdad, there are few if any actual statues in North Korea of the Dear Leader, Kim Jong-il. But despite the unlikelihood of an Iraq-style regime change in Pyongyang, there are reasons to suspect and hope that the regime's days are numbered. - Aidan Foster-Carter (Apr 16, '03)

UN or US? Japan walks a tightrope
In the wake of the collapse of the Iraqi regime, Japan finds itself trying to find middle ground between openly supporting US plans for running post-Saddam Iraq and pushing for a strong United Nations role in that task. Complicating the equation, once again, is Japan's bellicose neighbor North Korea. (Apr 16, '03)

COMMENTARY
A world without the UN? Nah
It has been an ever-present danger for several decades that the United States would one day seriously question, whether by word or deed, the relevance of the United Nations. That day has come, and it is a danger signal to the entire world. - Sreeram Chaulia (Apr 16, '03)

The US, anti-jihadis and the Pakistan myth
There's a strong lobby within the Indian government that, grounded in a one-dimensional anti-Pakistan policy, believes that, given the lesson handed out to Saddam Hussein, Pakistan will be next in line for US wrath. They couldn't be further from the truth. - Ramtanu Maitra (Apr 16, '03)

    Delhi, Islamabad try to shift blame

Jakarta toughens anti-terror stance
Since the Bali bombing last October 12, Indonesia has been trying to regain its appeal as a tourism destination while working to stem terrorism and religious extremism. The outcome of the trials of alleged Jemaah Islamiyah leader Abu Bakar Ba'asyir and the accused Bali bombers will go a long way toward revealing just how seriously Jakarta is to be taken. - Gary LaMoshi (Apr 16, '03)

The dangers in Saddam's 'black files'
United States intelligence officials are particularly keen on tracking down Saddam Hussein's "black files", which they hope will shed light on a number of important issues, such as weapons of mass destruction and illegal trading. But there is also the danger that they might unearth something they would rather remain hidden. - Ian Urbina (Apr 11, '03)

   Russia's little secrets

Roadmap for peace with a Damascus detour
A plan for getting the Israeli-Palestinian peace process back on track, drawn up last year by the United Nations, the European Union, Russia and the United States, is ready to be dusted off now that victory in Iraq appears certain. The landscape has changed, though, with a detour via Syria becoming ever more likely. - Jim Lobe (Apr 11, '03)

Divided Shi'ites in power play
The killing of a pro-US Shi'ite leader soon after his return from exile to Iraq has dealt a blow to Washington's attempt to create an alternative force to the Iranian-backed Shi'ites who are also planning a return to their homeland to stake a claim for power. - Hooman Peimani (Apr 11, '03)

PYONGYANG WATCH
How 'shock and awe' plays in Pyongyang
The image of a toppled statue of Saddam Hussein is a historic moment - and one pregnant with significance for a peninsula at the other end of Asia. But "who's next?" may be too pat a question. Aidan Foster-Carter examines how the war in Iraq impacts North Korea. (Apr 11, '03)

Real change requires regionwide change
The question of whether the US-led invasion of Iraq will result in democracy for Iraqis or the same repression under a different leader has yet to be answered. What is certain, Phar Kim Beng argues, is that if the US is serious about bringing real change to Iraq, it will have to change the entire Middle East as well. (Apr 11, '03)

Berlin, 1989; Baghdad, 2003. What next?
After the Berlin Wall came tumbling down in 1989, it took just under a year for the former East Germany to be formally integrated into West Germany. Similarly now in Iraq, speed is of the essence in setting up an even-handed new civilian authority to forestall internecine civilian conflict. - Marc Erikson (Apr 10, '03)

Putting the pieces together again
Now that Saddam Hussein's regime has fallen, it's time to pick up the pieces in Iraq and put them together again. But this will be easier said than done, not only because of the divisions that exist within Iraq itself, but because of the differences that exist within the Bush administration over how to go about fixing things. - Jim Lobe (Apr 10, '03)  

   The general waits in the wings

Alarm bells for India, Pakistan
The Pentagon has a group of people, some close to Israel, who are determined to put an end to jihadi terrorism, without worrying about the diplomatic niceties nor the likely damage to the US image in the eyes of the international community. This group is likely to emerge stronger after the Iraq operation. India and Pakistan take note. - B Raman (Apr 10, '03)

   Syria puts its foot down

India: Don't fight with the crocodile
Twenty days into the war in Iraq, the Indian parliament finally managed came up with a resolution on the United States-led action. And even then, the result was a compromise, reflecting the deep divisions within a country split between those who see wonderful opportunities in a new world order sans the United Nations, and those who prefer the way things are. - Sultan Shahin (Apr 10, '03)

The forgotten first stop in the 'war on terror'
While the US prepares to finish its war in Iraq and shift to a mode of occupation and reconstruction, it is crucial that it does not do so at the cost of its ongoing operations in Afghanistan. Recent rocket attacks and rumors of a new coalition of rebel groups including the deposed Taliban require a shift in thinking before this new alliance takes advantage of widespread Pashtun discontent for its own ends. (Apr 10, '03)

Pardon my French, Russians anti-American?
The Russia media, with Kremlin consent and direction, have capitalized on public distaste for the war in Iraq to turn anti-Americanism into a popular cottage industry. But, as the Russians might tell you while munching a hamburger under the Golden Arches, to be anti-American is really to be pro-Russian - whatever that means. - Peter Lavelle (Apr 10, '03)

OPEC interests a possible war casualty
Although Iraq's oil wells will take some time to fully come on stream again, in the short term there will likely be a substantial increase in production, which potentially could seriously weaken the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. But this will come as no surprise to the United States. (Apr 10, '03)

Silenced in the name of freedom
He looked ridiculous in a military hardhat. Too bad, because Tariq Ayyoub, killed Tuesday in a US missile attack on his al-Jazeera office in Baghdad, was a fighter who embodied the principles of free speech. He was also Paul Belden's friend. (Apr 9, '03)

US-Russia: A little chat, in secret
On Monday US National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice suddenly appeared in Moscow for an almost top-secret visit. No press conferences. No statements. This is the atmosphere in which Washington and Moscow have started mending fences badly damaged by the war in Iraq. - Pavel Ivanov (Apr 9, '03)

Post-Saddam politicians square off
The Pentagon has acted swiftly in sending an advance guard of its favored Iraqi National Congress to southern Iraq as a first step toward giving an Iraqi face to the post-Saddam Hussein occupation authorities, writes Jim Lobe . They will be followed soon by another group of opposition Iraq leaders seeking a say, but their only common ground is to beg to disagree, reports Sanjay Suri. (Apr 9, '03)

    Pentagon favorites get foot in the door 
    A divided opposition heads back

A Muslim evolution, not revolution
A widespread Muslim uprising against the US-led war on Iraq has not materialized, despite the predictions of many. However, a noted Muslim tells Syed Saleem Shahzad that this should not be interpreted to mean that things can ever be the same again for the US in the Arab world. (Apr 9, '03)

A street fight called Jeningrad
Exactly one year ago, during the Israeli offensive in the Palestinian city of Jenin, something unexpected happened: a booby-trapped house exploded and 13 soldiers were killed, forcing the Israelis to radically change their tactics. In similar circumstances in Baghdad, US-led forces could react much the same. But it should be pointed out, the Israelis were not trying to win anybody's hearts or minds. - Paul Belden (Apr 8, '03)

Iraq's WMD revisited
As a pretext for war, the question of whether or not Iraq has weapons of mass destruction is of course irrelevant now. But this does not mean the search for them will end. Indeed, there is every reason to step up the hunt. - David Isenberg (Apr 8, '03)

Syria expects the worst
The flurry of angry accusations and counter-charges between the United States and Syria is a clear indication that all is not well between the two countries, with Damascus particularly concerned that it will be the next US target. The big question is, when? - Hooman Peimani (Apr 8, '03)

COMMENTARY
Spoils of war and the Iraq campaign
History is about to repeat itself in Iraq. But while there is no old-style imperialism anymore, its altered face emerges in the form of "liberation". Either way, though, to the victor belong the spoils. - Ehsan Ahrari (Apr 7, '03)

THE ROVING EYE
Suicide at the walls of Baghdad
Saddam Hussein's unexpected stroll through the streets of Baghdad at the weekend could well be the last time that he is seen in public as the US ring inextricably closes around the capital. But one can be sure that he will be heard of again. - Pepe Escobar (Apr 7, '03)

ANALYSIS
Watch Woolsey
R James Woolsey, the man tipped to play a key role in post-Saddam Hussein Iraq, is one of the most outspoken champions of radical change throughout the Arab Middle East, and he believes that "only fear will re-establish respect for the US". Strange then that he believes that he will find empathy with voices of reason in the Middle East. - Jim Lobe (Apr 7, '03)

THE ROVING EYE
The Baghdad intifada
Iraq's Shi'ites, long excluded by Saddam Hussein's Sunni administration from the corridors of power, may yet hold the key to how the battle for Baghdad pans out, and whether Saddam will go down in the blaze of glory that he so desperately craves. - Pepe Escobar (Apr 4, '03)

COMMENTARY
End of the age of superpower?
The Iraq war will not have a happy ending. The US has no discernible exit strategy, and after this war, the world will have no superpower, although the US will remain strong both economically and militarily. But Washington will be forced to learn to be much more cautious, and more realistic, about its ability to impose its will on other nations. - Henry C K Liu (Apr 4, '03)

The place where the walls are shooting
The current Iraq war and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 bear some resemblances - in each case Washington and Moscow are/were trying to impose their values and their vision of the world on peoples who did not ask them to do so and, moreover, were not ready to accept those values and visions. And we know what happened in Afghanistan. - Pavel Ivanov (Apr 4, '03)

Good winners, good losers: Postwar Iraq
The neo-conservatives driving the war in Iraq point to US-occupied post-World War II Japan as a model of nation-building that can be applied to post-Saddam Iraq. But there are many differences between the two cases, and the international community will ignore these differences at its - and the Iraqis' - peril. (Apr 4, '03)

Singing out against the war
In Amman, despite the war raging in next-door Iraq, sappy love songs still rule the charts. But more and more tastes are turning to the offerings of an illiterate Egyptian named Shaaban Abdel Rahim, who has put his fellow Arabs' feelings of horror and rage over the war to music. - Paul Belden (Apr 4, '03)

Another front opens
Beyond the human tragedy of the war, the media are having a hard time of it too, with correspondents falling foul of their own networks and the Iraqi regime. Qatar-based al-Jazeera television station has been hit particularly hard. - Ian Urbina (Apr 4, '03)

Putin's new correlation of forces
Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to confront George W Bush's America because he believes that Russia's true economic and political interests lie elsewhere. Ultimately, both sides can benefit from this, as meaningful international relationships are built on common interests and not on heartfelt sympathy. - Peter Lavelle (Apr 4, '03)

ANALYSIS
Baghdad: Outside in and inside out
After being written off by many as a failure when the US advance on Baghdad paused, General Tommy Franks, the University of Texas drop-out and "muddy boots" soldier who never made it to West Point, appears to have carried out a maneuver to outflank the Republican Guard on the outskirts of Baghdad that military historians will write about for years to come. - Marc Erikson (Apr 3, '03)

In the pipeline: More regime change
Israel, with apparent US support, wants to revive a pipeline that once carried oil from the Iraqi city of Mosul to Israel's northern port of Haifa. Such a link would not only secure Israel's oil supplies, it would also go a long way to easing the United States' as well. For it to work, though, there would have to be compliant administrations in both Iraq and currently hostile Syria, through which the oil would pass. - Hooman Peimani (Apr 3, '03)

Changing gears
After a short period in low gear, brought about by unexpected ground realities rather than by any change in strategy, the US has moved into a higher gear as the march on Baghdad proceeds. Given the nature of war, though, one should not expect the campaign to remain in top gear at all times. - B Raman (Apr 3, '03)

THE ROVING EYE
Cluster bombs liberate Iraqi children
Reports from the Hilla region of Iraq, 80 kilometers south of Baghdad, say that scores of civilians, many of them children, have been killed and hundreds more injured by cluster bombs. Gruesome images of mutilated bodies are being shown on Arab television stations. But for Western viewers, this ugly side to the war has been sanitized. - Pepe Escobar (Apr 3, '03)

Kirkuk: A disaster waiting to happen
Turkey and the United States have taken a step toward patching up their relationship, with Ankara agreeing to the transit through Turkey of fuel and other supplies to US armed forces stationed in northern Iraq. But it is in this sensitive region that urgent issues need to be tackled if catastrophe is to be averted. - K Gajendra Singh (Apr 3, '03)

Iranian reformists fall in line with hardliners
As a part of its "active neutrality" policy, Iran has encouraged its people to demonstrate against the US-led war in Iraq. And the rallies have thrown up a surprise - the strong participation of reformists, who are taking the same position as many of the country's hardline Islamists. (Apr 3, '03)

ANALYSIS
Rumsfeld under three-pronged attack
US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is under fire on the home front over three issues: the military conduct of the war; his plans for the postwar occupation of the country; and his resistance to any meaningful role for the United Nations, with the latter being potentially the most dangerous. - Jim Lobe (Apr 3, '03)

For France, Dr Strangelove comes to life
Freedom fries and toast. Cheese-eating surrender monkeys. Comparisons of President George W Bush's administration to fictitious figures in Stanley Kubrick's Dr Strangelove. What has happened to the trans-Atlantic alliance? (Apr 3, '03)

Detecting disinformation, without radar
How does one tell genuine reporting from an article manufactured to produce the desired propaganda effect? Take a recent item claiming that Shi'ites in Basra were staging a revolt against the Saddam regime ... - Gregory Sinaisky (Apr 2, '03)


Iran stakes its Iraq claim
Officially, Iran and Iraq are in a state of no-peace, no-war, and there is certainly little love lost between the neighbors. But since the conclusion of the eight-year war between them in 1988, Tehran has desisted from advocating a regime change in Baghdad. This week that changed - and the United States had better take note. - Hooman Peimani (Apr 2, '03)

    Tehran tests the military waters

Pentagon squares off against Powell, Europe
The issue of who will be in charge of the post-Saddam Hussein occupation of Iraq pits the Pentagon against Secretary of State Colin Powell and the State Department and its allies in Europe, notably British Prime Minister Tony Blair. And like the fighting in Iraq, the battle promises to be a protracted one. - Jim Lobe (Apr 2, '03)

THE ROVING EYE
Shifting sands, shifting alliances
The shifting sands of the Middle East's deserts are being matched by shifting alliances in the Arab world, where neutrality can mean intervention (as per Iran), and where loyalties can change overnight - witness the Iraq opposition in exile. One constant remains, though. Every day, more and more Arabs are committing to fight for Iraq. - Pepe Escobar (Apr 2, '03)

SPEAKING FREELY
An occasional column in which guest writers have their say. 
The myth of the 'bogged down' war
Much is being made of tactical errors, the Iraq war grinding to a halt, and US-led forces meeting "fierce resistance". It's nonsense. General Douglas MacArthur's miscalculation that the Chinese would not enter the Korean War was a tactical error. Four million soldiers dying over three years in that war was fierce fighting. Snappy soundbites and clever cliches don't necessarily reflect the reality in Iraq. - Geoffrey Sherwood (Apr 2, '03)

West vs East, daggers drawn
Conflict between West and East in the Mesopotamia heartland is nearly as old as the land itself, and in these age-old battles there are lessons to be learned - for anyone who cares to take the time to study them. - K Gajendra Singh (Apr 2, '03)

The new Iraq-bin Laden connection
Al-Jazeera's broadcast last month of a speech made by Osama bin Laden was immediately used by the Bush administration in its attempt to link Iraq and al-Qaeda. Now, Iraqis are using the very same speech as motivation for resisting US-led forces in their country. - B Raman (Apr 1, '03)

Next up: 'Non-lethal' chemicals that kill
As the likelihood of street fighting in Baghdad grows, reports have emerged that the US is considering the use of "non-lethal chemical weapons", similar to those used in civilian riot control, and similar to those used in last year's Russian hostage drama, where the weapons proved anything but non-lethal. - David Isenberg (Apr 1, '03)

Iran feels the squeeze
Rumblings that Iran will not receive reparations that it is due under a United Nations Security Council resolution are a further indication that the country, as a member of the "axis of evil", is due for some special "treatment" from the United States - an action that would severely test Tehran's neutrality on the war in Iraq. - Hooman Peimani (Apr 1, '03)

March 2003