|
|
home / subscribe / donate / tower / books / archives / search / links / feedback / events / faq
|
PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS ON HOW THE 'FREE TRADE' CASE FOR OFFSHORING AMERICA'S JOBS HAS COME UNGLUED Roberts on the sensational exposure of the faked "gains" and phantom stats of the free traders. Who was America's most anti-imperialist president? Try Grover Cleveland! JoAnn Wypijewski on the unlikely hero of Hawai'i's restoration movement. Alexander Cockburn reports on evangelical Christians in crisis amid fresh onslaughts by forces of darkness. The Warbler's Parable: Rosa Miriam Elizalde on the black-masked visitors to Cuba defying the US economic blockade.
|
|
Today's Stories June 20, 2007 Omar
Barghouti June 19, 2007 Ralph
Nader Dr.
Shepherd Bliss Bill
and Kathleen Christison Jeff
Leys Dave
Zirin Chris
Floyd Ben
Terrall Anthony
Papa VIPS Linda Flores Website
of the Day
John
Ross Paul
Craig Roberts Martha
Rosenberg Norman
Solomon Don
Santina Isabella
Kenfield James
Brooks Eva
Liddell Sam
Husseini Akiva
Eldar Website
of the Day
Alexander
Cockburn John
Halle Robert
Fisk Andy
Worthington Uri
Avnery Fred
Gardner Saul
Landau P.
Sainath Missy
Comley Beattie Alan
Gregory Walter
Brasch Website
of the Weekend
June 15, 2007 Alan
Farago Andy
Worthington Michael
Simmons Franklin
Lamb Gary
Leupp John
Ross Website
of the Day
June 14, 2007 Michael
Donnelly
Faisal
Kutty Harry
Browne Charles
Jonkel Steven
Higgs Bruce
Dixon Bruce
K. Gagnon
Website
of the Day June 13, 2007 Glen Ford Marjorie Cohn Bill Christison Charles Jonkel Silvia Cattori Richard Gott Firmin DeBrabander William S. Lind Keith Rosenthal Website of the Day June 12, 2007 Jeffrey St.
Clair Paul Craig
Roberts P. Sainath Ralph Nader Omar Waraich Dave Lindorff Harvey Wasserman Malini Johar
Schueller Ramzy Baroud Website of
the Day
June 11, 2007 Patrick Cockburn Paul Craig
Roberts Uri Avnery Norman Solomon Eva Liddell Rannie Amiri Rachel Voss Christopher
Brauchli D. K. Wilson Website of
the Day
Alexander Cockburn George Ciccariello-Maher Saul Landau Robert Fisk Brian Cloughley Ron Jacobs Ward Boston Conn Hallinan Leonard Peltier Lawrence Davidson John Ross Kate Allan Fred Gardner Stephen Fleischman Monica Benderman Geoff Bailey Missy Beattie Patrick Dyer Tim Lengerich James Irani
Gary Leupp Michael Tillery Michael Simmons Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend
June 8, 2007 Serge Halimi Patrick Cockburn Jeffrey St. Clair
Paul Craig Roberts William Blum Joshua Frank Lance Selfa Dave Lindorff Lawrence Ferlinghetti Website of the Day
Marjorie Cohn Soldz, Reisner
and Olson: Soldz, Reisner
Paul Craig Roberts Bill Quigley Silvia Cattori Carl G. Estabrook Ellen Taylor Corporate Crime
Reporter Brenda Norrell D. K. Wilson Kevin Zeese Website of
the Day
Alain Gresh Gary Leupp Steven Sherman Bruce Dixon Corporate Crime Reporter Brian M. Downing Ron Jacobs George Bisharat Nicole Colson Bruce K. Gagnon Website of the Day
June 5, 2007 Michael Neumann Jonathan Cook David Vest Robert Fantina Hoffman, Parsneau and Chowdhury John V. Walsh Richard Cretan Adam Engel William S. Lind Myles Hoenig Jim Minick Website of
the Day
Nizar Latif Diana Johnstone Gregory Wilpert Paul Watson Susan Rosenthal,
MD Richard Ward Eva Liddell Zahi Khouri Evelyn Pringle China Hand Karyn Strickler Website of the Day
June 2 / 3, 2007 Alexander Cockburn Marc Levy Martin Smith Diana Johnstone John Ross Uri Avnery Sunsara Taylor Richard Neville P. Sainath Missy Comley
Beattie Nisrine Abiad Rannie Amiri Margot Pepper Eric Stewart Ralph Nader Dan Bacher Shaun Harkin Richard Rhames Frederick Hudson Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend
Dave Marsh Saul Landau David Phinney Robert Jensen Stanley Heller Yifat Susskind Robert Weissman Paul Buchheit William S.
Lind Sherwood Ross Stephen Lendman Website of the Day
Robert Bryce Patrick Cockburn Gary Leupp Kathy Kelly Marjorie Cohn Chris Kutalik
Corporate Crime Reporter Dave Lindorff Website of the Day
May 30, 2007 James Ridgeway Franklin Lamb Terrence E. Paupp Uri Avnery Alan Maass Rock and Rap
Confidential Ralph Nader Nirmal Ghosh Jean Daniels Tom Barry Website of the Day
Stephen Soldz Eliza Ernshire Ron Jacobs Dave Lindorff Evelyn Pringle Mike Whitney David Swanson John Holt Cynthia McKinney Martha Rosenberg Website of the Day
Bill Quigley Col. Dan Smith Cindy Sheehan Dr. Susan Block Jeeni Criscenzo Douglas Valentine Website of the Day
Subscribe Online
|
June 20, 2007 Where Nothing Happens By ChanceMideast AlightBy RANNIE AMIRI Nothing happens in the Middle East by chance. Especially when the United States maintains a 160,000-man presence in Iraq and downtown Baghdad is the scheduled home for its largest embassy-to-be in the world; specifically when three different events in three different countries all occur within the span of a few days. Such were the circumstances after the twin minarets of the holy Askariya Mosque in Samarra, Iraq were leveled, leaving nothing but a lonely clock tower standing after its golden dome had been previously destroyed sixteen months earlier; anti-Syrian Lebanese parliamentarian Walid Eido was killed in a car bomb in Beirut the same day, and Fatah was roundly expelled from Gaza by supporters of the (elected) Hamas government shortly thereafter. Each situation triggered fear of further exacerbating sectarian tensions in the region, or in Gaza's case, by proxy between the rival powers through their respective parties. For this reason, discussing these incidents in isolation may cause us to lose sight of the underlining issue: the role being played by the United States in dividing the Arab world. The destruction of the golden dome of the Askariya Mosque in February 2006 set off a wave of sectarian violence in Iraq, possibly even more than anticipated. This is the only important Shia holy site in Iraq located in an overwhelmingly Sunni city. Although the United States was quick to blame al-Qaeda for bringing down its minarets last week, it was probably the work of Ba'athists. As the mosque was "guarded" by Iraqi police, such a force would be much more easily infiltrated by fellow Iraqis than by the foreigners of al-Qaeda - and none better suited to do so than Saddam's old guard. Although nominally secular, Iraqi Ba'athists are vehemently anti-Shia and have not hesitated to desecrate their religious sites in the past. Nothing happens in the Middle East by chance. It was no coincidence that the United States recently admitted to equipping Iraq's Sunni tribes in its fight against al-Qaeda in Anbar province and elsewhere. To be sure, some weapons were likely given to friendly and peaceful elements within them. However it is these same tribes which were part and parcel of Saddam's power base in Iraq. Have they so easily accepted no longer being recipients of the state's largesse? Moreover, with the relatively good terms the members of the ruling United Iraqi Alliance are with Iran, would arming Iraq's Sunnis to curb their power and influence prior to an attack on Iran be such a bad idea? Thus the announced intention of fighting al-Qaeda in this manner is likely pretext. Knowing full well their sympathy toward the Ba'athists and other militant nationalist groups (who will be of great assistance in keeping the country's Shia "busy") the recent attack on Samarra should come as no surprise. In Gaza and Lebanon, a similar story unfolded. It has become increasingly clear that Palestinian President and Fatah head Mahmoud Abbas and security chief Mohammad Dahlan have sold their services to the United States and Israel. As reported by Ha'aretz, both countries have covertly and overtly sent weapons to Fatah in order to help them overpower Hamas in Gaza. The Guardian, through publication of a leaked memo, also disturbingly reported that United Nations Middle East envoy Alvaro de Soto revealed that Abbas himself was complicit in the US/EU aid boycott of the Palestinian territories. Despite the forces aligned against them, Hamas roundly expelled Fatah to the West Bank and gave the United States and Israel a good slap in the facebut not a very hard one. With Hamas now relegated to governing 1.4 million people in the 140 square miles that is the Gaza strip one of the most congested places on earth - and Fatah in firm control of the West Bank, talk of a unified Palestinian state seems distant. The United States and European Union have already pledged their support to Abbas and recognized the authority of his unelected government and new prime minister. Meanwhile the noose tightens around Hamas and the people of Gaza, who will suffer and go hungry this summer, while Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah, under the patronage of the United States and clients, will flourish. Call it another successful division. Nothing happens in the Middle East by chance. Finally, Lebanon. As Palestine has Abbas and Dahlan, Lebanon has Siniora and Hariri. Previously discussed was their role in bringing Fatah al-Islam into Lebanon in order to combat Hezbollah. The Lebanese government has also been on the receiving end of United States arms shipments, allegedly to help fight the invited guests of Tripoli. Although the overall situation in Lebanon fits well into the pattern described above, the latest killing of Walid Eido, a parliamentarian well-known for his anti-Syrian views, would seem to run counter to it. His death after all was attributed to Syria. It is believed (somewhat naively) that by "killing off" anti-Syrian MPs, Siniora will lose his parliamentary majority and the government will collapse, as if they are unable to be replaced. That notion aside, a clarifying question is: who benefits? Does Syria benefit from Eido's murder, with the subsequent funeral procession, turning as they always do, into political rallies headed by Saad Hariri? Who benefits when he proceeds, on cue, to raise the specter of increasing Iranian influence in Lebanon and incites the crowd into hurling insults at Hassan Nasrallah and Hezbollah? Who benefits when the Lebanese government finds friends in George Bush, Ehud Olmert and the Kings Abdullah? Syria? Hariri has blamed Fatah al-Islam as agents of Syria, despite the Hariri family paying their way out of Lebanese jails so they may act against Hezbollah. Can we really then consider him a reliable source in assessing blame for the crimes and assassination committed in Lebanon? As can be deduced from these three separate occurrences, Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, and Iraq's Shia, with help from Israel and a handful of Arab dictatorships, are being systematically hemmed-in by the United States prior to an attack on Iran. This is being accomplished through fomenting division and sectarianism among the people. An evil kindling has indeed been set - in Iraq, Palestine, and Lebanon. We may not be able to predict where the next fire will blaze, but we surely know who has been striking the matches. Rannie Amiri is an independent commentator on issues dealing with the Arab and Islamic worlds. He may be reached at rbamiri@yahoo.com.
 |
CounterPunch Books of the Crossroads: HOW THE IRISH INVENTED SLANG By Daniel Cassidy  Click Here to Buy! How the Press Failed The Gang's All Here: Judy Miller, Bob Woodward, Rupert Murdoch, Bill O'Reilly...End Times Leaves No Reputation Unstained!  Buy End Times Now! CounterPunch Books! Saul Landau's Bush and Botox World with a Foreword by Gore Vidal  Click Here to Order!  Michael Neumann's Devastating Rebuttal of Alan Dershowitz Grand Theft Pentagon: Tales of Greed and Profiteering in the War on Terror by Jeffrey St. Clair           The Occupation by Patrick Cockburn   Humanitarian Imperialism By Jean Bricmont               CITY BEAUTIFUL By Tennessee Reed        Bruce Springsteen On Tour By Dave Marsh                   |
