A new Newsweek poll published this weekend, has exposed a shocking level of ignorance in the minds of the American people as to their knowledge of history and current events.
A staggering 41% of Americans believe that Saddam Hussein had some involvement in 9/11.
When asked:
"Do you think Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq was directly involved in planning, financing, or carrying out the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001?"
41% said yes.
Quite how that level of ignorance can exist in such a wealthy and, allegedly, "well educated" society is truly alarming. It bodes ill for the future.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Chemical Ali Sentenced to Death
Saddam Hussein's cousin known as "Chemical Ali", and two other former regime officials, have been sentenced to death by hanging today for their roles in a 1980's campaign that led to the deaths of 180,000 Kurds.
Ali Hassan al-Majid, Saddam's cousin and the former head of the Baath Party's Northern Bureau Command, stood silently as the judge read the verdict.
The judge, Mohammed Oreibi al-Khalifa, said that al-Majid was convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes for ordering army and security services to use chemical weapons in a large-scale offensive that killed or maimed thousands.
As he was led out of the court, al-Majid said:
"Thanks be to God."
The death sentence is subject to an appeal confirmation.
Ali Hassan al-Majid, Saddam's cousin and the former head of the Baath Party's Northern Bureau Command, stood silently as the judge read the verdict.
The judge, Mohammed Oreibi al-Khalifa, said that al-Majid was convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes for ordering army and security services to use chemical weapons in a large-scale offensive that killed or maimed thousands.
As he was led out of the court, al-Majid said:
"Thanks be to God."
The death sentence is subject to an appeal confirmation.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Crafty Clinton
Hillary Clinton, presidential hopeful for 2008, has been searching for a way to distance herself form the fact that she voted in favour of the Iraq war back in 2002.
Now, she may have found a way to lance this boil.
She is asking her fellow senators to support her, and Senator Robert Byrd's, plan for a new vote on the Iraq war.
Clinton has written a letter to all the 98 other senators, saying that Congress should request that there be a new war vote when the Senate debates the 2008 military spending bill in the next few weeks.
The letter argues that the 2002 vote for the war, which Clinton backed, is hopelessly out of date.
Quote:
"That authorisation, which references the government of Saddam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction, is no longer relevant.
Our troops have toppled the dictator. The Iraqis have voted in a new government.
The American public and our troops in the field are entitled to a new debate about this war."
Whilst many people may dislike Clinton, and her opportunism, one has to grudgingly respect her shrewd political skills. This letter, and possible vote, may well be an effective means of distancing herself from the vote in 2002.
Whether it helps the Iraqi people, is another matter!
Now, she may have found a way to lance this boil.
She is asking her fellow senators to support her, and Senator Robert Byrd's, plan for a new vote on the Iraq war.
Clinton has written a letter to all the 98 other senators, saying that Congress should request that there be a new war vote when the Senate debates the 2008 military spending bill in the next few weeks.
The letter argues that the 2002 vote for the war, which Clinton backed, is hopelessly out of date.
Quote:
"That authorisation, which references the government of Saddam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction, is no longer relevant.
Our troops have toppled the dictator. The Iraqis have voted in a new government.
The American public and our troops in the field are entitled to a new debate about this war."
Whilst many people may dislike Clinton, and her opportunism, one has to grudgingly respect her shrewd political skills. This letter, and possible vote, may well be an effective means of distancing herself from the vote in 2002.
Whether it helps the Iraqi people, is another matter!
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Mission Accomplished
Iraq is now the world's second most unstable country, behind Sudan, according to the 2007 Failed States Index. This despite the fact, or maybe because of the fact, that President George W. Bush ordered the U.S. invasion to topple Saddam Hussein.
The 2007 Failed States Index is produced by Foreign Policy magazine and the Fund for Peace. The index said that Iraq has suffered a third straight year of deterioration in 2006; with diminished results across a range of social, economic, political and military indicators.
Iraq ranked fourth last year.
Afghanistan, six years into a US invasion, was in eighth place.
The reports says:
"Iraq and Afghanistan, the two main fronts in the global war on terror, both suffered over the past year.
Their experiences show that billions of dollars in development and security aid may be futile unless accompanied by a functioning government, trustworthy leaders, and realistic plans to keep the peace and develop the economy."
Mission Accomplished!
The 2007 Failed States Index is produced by Foreign Policy magazine and the Fund for Peace. The index said that Iraq has suffered a third straight year of deterioration in 2006; with diminished results across a range of social, economic, political and military indicators.
Iraq ranked fourth last year.
Afghanistan, six years into a US invasion, was in eighth place.
The reports says:
"Iraq and Afghanistan, the two main fronts in the global war on terror, both suffered over the past year.
Their experiences show that billions of dollars in development and security aid may be futile unless accompanied by a functioning government, trustworthy leaders, and realistic plans to keep the peace and develop the economy."
Mission Accomplished!
It's Official - No WMD
The hunt for Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction is now reaching its final conclusion, having found nothing.
The US and Britain have proposed that members of the United Nations Security Council "terminate immediately the mandates" of UN weapons inspectors.
This means the end of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission.
The US and Britain have proposed that members of the United Nations Security Council "terminate immediately the mandates" of UN weapons inspectors.
This means the end of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Saddam's Golden Gun
Australia is to display Saddam Hussein's golden gun in its war museum.
Today, the Australian War Memorial accepted a golden Tabuk rifle (an Iraqi version of the AK-47) from the Australian military, which itself had received it from U.S. troops in thanks for taking part in the Iraq war.
The rifle was found by American soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) during the clearance of buildings around Kirkuk, in northern Iraq.
Today, the Australian War Memorial accepted a golden Tabuk rifle (an Iraqi version of the AK-47) from the Australian military, which itself had received it from U.S. troops in thanks for taking part in the Iraq war.
The rifle was found by American soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) during the clearance of buildings around Kirkuk, in northern Iraq.
Friday, June 15, 2007
British Oil Trader Arrested
John Irving, a British oil trader was arrested yesterday on U.S. charges of paying bribes to Saddam Hussein as part of the U.N. oil-for-food program for Iraq.
Irving was detained in London, by the Metropolitan Police, on a U.S. extradition warrant. He appeared at the city's Westminster Magistrates Court and was released on bail until his next hearing on July 20.
Irving was one of three men charged in New York in 2005 with defrauding the United Nations of at least $100M, money that should have gone to humanitarian aid for Iraqis.
The other two men, Texas oil executive David Chalmers and Bulgarian oil trader Ludmil Dionissiev, have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The extradition warrant accuses Irving of colluding with Chalmers and others to defraud the U.N., and pay "illegal and secret commissions and surcharges to officials of the government of Iraq" between January 2000 and March 2003.
Irving has previously denied any wrongdoing.
Irving was detained in London, by the Metropolitan Police, on a U.S. extradition warrant. He appeared at the city's Westminster Magistrates Court and was released on bail until his next hearing on July 20.
Irving was one of three men charged in New York in 2005 with defrauding the United Nations of at least $100M, money that should have gone to humanitarian aid for Iraqis.
The other two men, Texas oil executive David Chalmers and Bulgarian oil trader Ludmil Dionissiev, have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The extradition warrant accuses Irving of colluding with Chalmers and others to defraud the U.N., and pay "illegal and secret commissions and surcharges to officials of the government of Iraq" between January 2000 and March 2003.
Irving has previously denied any wrongdoing.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Pentagon Paints Grim Picture
A report issued by the Pentagon yesterday states that in the three months since sending in a "surge" of US troops, the overall levels of violence in Iraq have not decreased. All that has happened is that the violence has been displaced from Baghdad and Anbar, where U.S. forces are concentrated, to rise in most other provinces.
The report also notes that Iraq's government has proven "uneven" in delivering on its commitments under the strategy. Public pledges by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki have in many cases produced no concrete results.
The report notes that:
"some analysts see a growing fragmentation of Iraq....the Iraqi people would be better off if the country were divided into three or more separate countries."
A mess by anyone's standards.
The report also notes that Iraq's government has proven "uneven" in delivering on its commitments under the strategy. Public pledges by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki have in many cases produced no concrete results.
The report notes that:
"some analysts see a growing fragmentation of Iraq....the Iraqi people would be better off if the country were divided into three or more separate countries."
A mess by anyone's standards.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Powell Calls For Closure of Guantanamo Bay
Former United States Secretary of State Colin Powell said yesterday that the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay for foreign terrorism suspects should be immediately closed, and its inmates moved to the US.
Mr Powell, who in a 2003 speech to the UN Security Council made the case for war against Iraq for possessing weapons of mass destruction that were never found, described the prison in Cuba as a "major problem" for the US's image abroad and has done more harm than good.
Quote:
"Guantanamo has become a major, major problem ... in the way the world perceives America, and if it were up to me I would close Guantanamo, not tomorrow but this afternoon ... and I would not let any of those people go. I would simply move them to the United States and put them into our federal legal system.
Essentially, we have shaken the belief the world had in America's justice system by keeping a place like Guantanamo open and creating things like the military commission. We don't need it and it is causing us far more damage than any good we get for it."
That's all very well, but why did he not say this several years ago?
Mr Powell, who in a 2003 speech to the UN Security Council made the case for war against Iraq for possessing weapons of mass destruction that were never found, described the prison in Cuba as a "major problem" for the US's image abroad and has done more harm than good.
Quote:
"Guantanamo has become a major, major problem ... in the way the world perceives America, and if it were up to me I would close Guantanamo, not tomorrow but this afternoon ... and I would not let any of those people go. I would simply move them to the United States and put them into our federal legal system.
Essentially, we have shaken the belief the world had in America's justice system by keeping a place like Guantanamo open and creating things like the military commission. We don't need it and it is causing us far more damage than any good we get for it."
That's all very well, but why did he not say this several years ago?
Monday, June 11, 2007
Verdict Soon on Chemical Ali
The Iraqi court trying Saddam Hussein's cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, aka "Chemical Ali", and other former regime officials for their roles in a 1980s military campaign against the Kurds said Sunday that it would issue a verdict on 24 June.
They all face a possible death sentence, if convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
They all face a possible death sentence, if convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
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