Iraq, Iran, and September 11: A Chronology by Jacob G. Hornberger December 19, 2002 1951 — Iranian people democratically elect Dr. Mohammed Mossadegh as Iranian premier. 1953 — U.S. government, operating through the CIA, ousts Mossadegh in favor of shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, a cruel and tyrannical dictator who, with U.S. government support, brutalizes his own people for the next 25 years. See:
Don’t Look for Sense Where There Is None by Sheldon Richman December 18, 2002 Presidents, their cabinet officials, and their press secretaries show how much they respect the American people by how they use the English language. To be more precise, they indicate how much they disrespect the American people by how they abuse the language. All presidents lie. We know that. But when ...
In Our Name by Sheldon Richman December 1, 2002 Are we justified in feeling a raging contempt for the people who call themselves our “leaders”? I believe so. For more than 10 years, these people have bombed Iraq and kept food, medicine, and sundry vital supplies from children and other innocent Iraqis in our name, yours and mine. If that isn’t worthy of contempt, what is? And now, if ...
The Embarrassment and Illegality of the No-Fly Zones by Jacob G. Hornberger November 21, 2002 President Bush's "zero tolerance" for Iraqi violations of UN resolutions has apparently dropped to "two percent tolerance." According to administration officials, Iraqi forces have once again fired on U.S. planes patrolling the no-fly zones in Iraq, which U.S. officials had previously claimed would constitute an immediate justification for invading Iraq, not ...
The Glass Houses of Dictators by Jacob G. Hornberger November 18, 2002 President Bush’s reaction to the Iraqi parliament’s rejection of the newly enacted UN resolution authorizing renewed inspections in Iraq provides a fascinating insight into the direction in which our own nation is headed. According to the New York Times, President Bush said, “The Iraqi Parliament is nothing but a rubber stamp ...
I Need Provocation Now by Sheldon Richman November 9, 2002 It’s shocking how the quality of America’s leaders has declined over the decades. Do you believe that the U.S. government is actually contemplating an unprovoked war against Iraq? Think about that: Iraq has staged no attack on the United States. You can’t count the firing on American military aircraft. That’s ...
Pawn Takes Knight by Sheldon Richman November 9, 2002 Yeah, right. Even though Saddam Hussein has now agreed to unconditional weapons inspection, the world is going to support a U.S. war against Iraq because he hasn’t released his political prisoners or returned Kuwaiti property. Those acts of omission aren’t exactly the stuff of a global threat. It’s turning out that ...
Delayed Blowback in Indonesia by Jacob G. Hornberger November 9, 2002 Indonesian reaction to the recent bomb blast in Bali that killed 180 people is another example of the consequences of U.S. interventionist policies. According to an article in the Nov. 7 issue of the New York Times, a common perception among educated Indonesians is that the CIA, not Islamic terrorists, set off ...
Some Nagging Questions by Sheldon Richman October 29, 2002 Some things have been bugging me about President Bush’s efforts to plunge us into full-scale war against Iraq: If Saddam Hussein’s program to develop weapons of mass destruction is so secret, how did Mr. Bush get aerial photos of all those large above-ground buildings that allegedly house Iraq’s nuclear program? ...
Who’s Deterring Whom? by Sheldon Richman October 7, 2002 The key word in analyzing the confrontation between the U.S. government and Saddam Hussein is “deterrence.” When we think of that word, we typically attach it to U.S. policies versus other governments. But I do not mean deterrence by the United States of Iraq. That would be nothing new. The ...
No Reason to Go to War by Sheldon Richman October 7, 2002 The signals coming out of Washington about the impending war against Iraq are ominous. This is not only because it would be an unprovoked and undeclared war against a nation that has not attacked us, but also because of the new reasons being offered. The Bush administration tried its best ...
Listen to the Administration by Sheldon Richman October 7, 2002 The United States will go to war against Iraq. But anyone who thinks the war will be motivated by evidence of Saddam Hussein’s attempt to procure and wish to use evil weapons will be mistaken. Despite the general claims that President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair have as-yet ...