Iraq Archives - Page 39 of 136 - Foreign Policy In Focus

Changing the Discourse: First Step toward Changing the Policy?

by Phyllis Bennis, Emily Schwartz Greco | Jun 4, 2009

President Barack Obama’s much-anticipated Cairo speech reflected a significant shift away from the ideological framework of militarism and unilateralism that shaped the Bush administration’s war-based policy toward the Arab and Muslim worlds. His "not Bush" focus was perhaps most sharply evident in his public denunciation of the Iraq War as a "war of choice." Obama’s call for a "new beginning" based on "the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition" was followed by a move to shift the official U.S. discourse toward something closer to internationalism — particularly by pointing to parallels between historical (and some contemporary) grievances and treating them as equivalent. This included his reference to the U.S. "role in the overthrow of a democratically elected Iranian government," along with Iran’s "role in acts of hostage-taking and violence against U.S. troops and civilians."

Martyrdom’s Strategy: Suicide Bombers Target Obama’s Withdrawal Plan

by Erik Leaver, Steve Niva | May 5, 2009

Suicide bombings are back in Iraq, signaling that the Iraq War is far from over. After a significant downturn, with only six suicide attacks between December 2008 and March 2009, there have been 25 suicide bombings in Iraq in the last two months, contributing to the worst spate of violence in Iraq in nearly a year. The bombers have revealed a new audacity and sophistication, striking in all parts of the country and against many seemingly highly secured targets.

Haiku to the President

by Split This Rock, Melissa Tuckey | Apr 17, 2009

Dear President Obama, You ask for patience we ask you “how much longer?” Iraq is still burning. Rosalie Yelen

Iraq in Fragments

by Dahr Jamail, Erik Leaver | Apr 10, 2009

“[W]hat lengths men will go in order to carry out, to their extreme limit, the rites of a collective self-worship which fills them with a sense of righteousness and complacent satisfaction in the midst of the most shocking injustices and crimes.” -Love and Living, by Thomas Merton

Neocons 1, Obama 0

by John Feffer, Stephen Zunes | Mar 16, 2009

The Obama administration’s choice to head the National Intelligence Council (NIC) recently withdrew in face of a concerted right-wing attack. Veteran diplomat Chas Freeman would not have had to face Senate confirmation. Instead, he had to face attacks in the right-wing press and blogosphere. His withdrawal was a victory for Bush-era neoconservatives and their allies regarding intelligence and broader Middle East Policy.

They Voted for One Iraq

by Bonnie Bricker, Adil E. Shamoo | Feb 12, 2009

(Editor’s Note: This op-ed was originally published in the Baltimore Sun on February 10, 2009.)

Obama: Listen to Iraqi Opinion

by Erik Leaver, Eric Stoner | Jan 5, 2009

In discussing his plans for the Iraq War during the presidential campaign, one group that Barack Obama seldom, if ever, mentioned as supporting his proposed policy was the Iraqi people.

Feinstein: Bad Choice for Intelligence

by John Feffer, Stephen Zunes | Dec 23, 2008

Ignoring the pleas of those calling for a more credible figure, Senate Democrats have instead chosen Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) to lead the Senate Committee on Intelligence. Feinstein was among those who falsely claimed in 2002 — despite the lack of any apparent credible evidence — that Saddam Hussein had somehow reconstituted Iraq’s arsenal of chemical and biological weapons, as well as its nuclear weapons program.

Excerpt: ‘The War Comes Home’

by Aaron Glantz, Emily Schwartz Greco | Dec 16, 2008

Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from Aaron Glantz’s The War Comes Home: Washington’s Battle against America’s Veterans (University of California Press). Tragically, the death described here occurred nearly six months after the Walter Reed Scandal broke.

Winter Soldier: Domingo Rosas

by Domingo Rosas, Emily Schwartz Greco | Nov 6, 2008

(Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from the book Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan, Eyewitness Accounts of the Occupations, by Iraq Veterans Against the War and Aaron Glantz. For more about the Winter Soldier hearings, read this FPIF commentary by Glantz, an FPIF contributor. You can also watch Rosas’ testimony.)