ing Afghan civilians in two shifts qualifies Sgt. Robert Bales as a serial killer.
Sgt. Bales: Is Further Proof Needed That Multiple Tours Are a Recipe for Disaster?
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North America
Three Killings
The note left next to the bloodied body of Shaima Alawadi read “go back to your country, you terrorist.” Alawadi, who died on Saturday after being taken off life support, was an Iraqi-born mother of five living outside of San Diego. Someone had delivered a similar note to the family earlier in the month. It was likely the same person who returned with a tire iron and struck her repeatedly on the head. Alawadi had lived in the United States for 17 years. Several family members reportedly provided cultural training to U.S. soldiers deployed to the Middle East. In a very sad coda, Alawadi is indeed going back to her country – to be buried.
Trust in Nuclear Weapons Replaces Trust in God
The United States, as the world’s undisputed nuclear weapons superpower, should finally ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
The G20 Under the Mexican Presidency
Mexico took on the presidency of the G20 in December 2011 at a moment of multiple crises. The nation shares the presidency with a “three-member management Troika of past, present and future chairs”, this year, France and Russia.1 As chair, Mexico is responsible for establishing a temporary secretariat to coordinate work and prepare for and organize the June 2012 Summit. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is charged with this task, with the participation of other ministries in specific areas.
Tomgram: William Hartung, Republican Math and the Pentagon Budget
Math has never been my strong suit, but even I can see that the Pentagon — whose officials treat “weapons program” and “cost overrun” as synonyms — has a monster math problem. Not surprisingly, it’s also a place that has never successfully passed an audit. Its top officials have talked endlessly about the giant cuts they are making in future Pentagon planning to fit the changing financial mood of the country. And the media, which seems similarly weak on its math foundations, has been highlighting these claims with headlines featuring major Pentagon “cuts” and significant budget “slashing.”
Interview with Homero Aridjis
Homero Aridjis is the author of more than 40 books of poetry and prose and is one of Latin America’s leading environmental activists. In this interview, he discusses his involvement in environmental issues and his public life as a poet.
Albright and ISIS Still Believe Danilenko and Parchin Are Radioactive
Paul Brannan of the Institute for Science and International Security clings to belief that Vyacheslav Danilenko was assisting Iran with nuclear-weapons research at Parchin.
Kony Case Reveals Millennial Generation’s Evolving Sense of International Justice
How should justice be meted out to Joseph Kony, not to mention Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni, also accused of war crimes by the International Court of justice?
Bomb-Iran Week Turns Syrious
WASHINGTON, Mar 8, 2012 (IPS) – This week was supposed to be all about Iran – at least, that’s how Israel and its powerful U.S. lobby, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), had planned it – and why the U.S. should prepare to bomb it very, very soon if its leadership doesn’t cave into Western demands to abandon its nuclear programme.
Swift Boat to Bahrain
The real story out of Bahrain these days, though, is not the gift of some old PT boats, the vagaries of the dialogue between the pro-government camp and the predominantly Shia opposition groups.