Jun. 29, 2004 | Knight Ridder Newspapers By Seth Borenstein WASHINGTON – In a few key areas – electricity, the judicial system and overall security – the Iraq that America handed back to its residents Monday is worse off than before the war began last year, according to calculations in a new General Accounting Office report released Tuesday. The 105-page report by Congress’ investigative arm offers a bleak assessment of Iraq after 14 months of U.S. military occupation. Among its findings: -In 13 of Iraq’s 18 provinces, electricity was available fewer hours per day on average last month than before […]
Daily Archives: June 30, 2004
8 posts
June 8, 2004 | New York Times by MARK LACEY NAIROBI, Kenya, June 7 – Isnino Shuriye still remembers the pride she felt years ago when she leaned over each of her three daughters, knife in hand, and sliced into their genitals. Each time, as the blood started to flow, she quickly dropped the knife and picked up a needle and thread. Quickly, expertly, she sewed her daughters’ vaginas almost shut. “I was full of pride,” she recalled recently. “I felt like I was doing the right thing in the eyes of God. I was preparing them for marriage by […]
Attack Iran, US chief ordered British 30 June 2004 | Telegraph by Michael Smith, Defence Correspondent America’s military commander in Iraq ordered British troops to prepare a full-scale ground offensive against Iranian forces that had crossed the border and grabbed disputed territory, a senior officer has disclosed. An attack would almost certainly have provoked open conflict with Iran. But the British chose instead to resolve the matter through diplomatic channels. “If we had attacked the Iranian positions, all hell would have broken loose,” a defence source said yesterday.
29 June 2004 | DemocracyNow! A new study by the British charity Christian Aid has found the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority can not account for $20 billion of Iraq’s money over the past 15 months. In addition the CPA recently handed out a series of contracts with little oversight. The report states, “In the run-up to the handover, billions more dollars have been hastily allocated to projects that do not appear to have been properly planned. This lack of accountability creates an environment ripe for corruption and theft at every level.” The CPA officially dissolved itself on Monday after the […]
[ Terrorism experts like Pollack, Gunaratna, and Cannistraro agree that Bush’s Iraq War has helped create bin Ladenism. –BL ] The Wrong War | Backdraft: How the war in Iraq has fueled Al Qaeda and ignited its dream of global jihad July/August 2004 | Mother Jones by Peter Bergen
[ From the column: By making Iraq a playground for right-wing economic theorists, an employment agency for friends and family, and a source of lucrative contracts for corporate donors, the administration did terrorist recruiters a very big favor. –BL ] Who Lost Iraq? June 29, 2004 | New York Times by PAUL KRUGMAN The formal occupation of Iraq came to an ignominious end yesterday with a furtive ceremony, held two days early to foil insurgent attacks, and a swift airborne exit for the chief administrator. In reality, the occupation will continue under another name, most likely until a hostile Iraqi populace […]
[ In a related story from the July 1 issue of the Guardian by Rory McCarthy, entitled, “US will override Baghdad in war on terrorism”: American commanders will risk launching high-profile military actions at targets in Iraq even if they go directly against the wishes of the new Iraqi government, a senior US general said yesterday. Lieutenant General Thomas Metz, the second most senior American officer in Iraq and the force’s tactical operations commander, said the US military was prepared to risk provoking “friction” with the new government in strikes against “professional terrorists.” His frank admission, just two days after […]
[ From the article: Keeping the public in the dark until after the November election is the immediate benefit of the decision for Bush. It is believed that the task force records, if released, would confirm that the Bush energy policy was authored by industry officials and lobbyists. This could only further inflame an electorate already angry over rising fuel prices. Additionally, there is evidence that the task force reviewed maps of Iraqi oilfields, pipelines and refineries, as well as contracts of foreign companies for Iraqi oilfield development. The publication of such evidence would underscore the fact that the Bush […]