IN THIS ISSUE
- Top News
- Opinion and analysis
This week’s top news:
Pakistan High Court: US Drone Strikes Illegal: Pakistani High Court Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan has issued a ruling today declaring the ongoing US drone strikes against the tribal areas illegal under international law, adding that they amount to a “war crime” when they kill innocents.
Inspector General: Officials Trying to Silence Me on Afghanistan: In a speech at the New American Foundation, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko revealed that he has been under pressure from officials across several departments for publicizing his audits on waste and fraud in the Afghan War.
Obama May Back FBI Push for Total Internet Surveillance Law: President Obama is reportedly considering endorsing an FBI plan for a new series of laws requiring all Internet companies to build-in to all online systems a “capacity to comply with wiretap orders.”
Senators Discuss Revising 2001 AUMF: Top senators in both parties have begun talks on revising, or updating, the congressional resolution authorizing the use of military force following the Sept. 11, 2001, but signs are that any “revision” will simply expand the purview of the already expansive law.
Israel Announces More West Bank Settlement Construction: Just days after reports of a partial settlement freeze, Israel’s Defense Ministry has announced a significant new expansion of the Beit El settlement, north of Jerusalem.
Karzai: US Can Keep Nine Bases in Afghanistan: While officials have tried to mostly keep last year’s agreement to keep US troops in the nation through 2024 out of headlines, Afghan President Hamid Karzai brought considerable attention to the long-term US occupation by announcing that they will be keeping nine bases across Afghanistan.
Opinion and Analysis:
- Justin Raimondo wrote about the Israeli-Jihadist alliance in Syria, Carla Del Ponte’s Faux Pas, and the collective punishment inherent in boycott Israel movements.
- Kelley Vlahos delved into the suffering of Iraq’s children in the aftermath of America’s war there. At the blog, she wrote about the military’s sex assault epidemic.
- Ivan Eland explained how political decentralization can help in conflict-ridden countries, so long as it’s not imposed by foreign intervention.
- Phil Giraldi argued that in order to stop the next Middle East war, we need to confront the Israel lobby.
- John Glaser argued that US interventionism in Asia antagonizes China and about the Obama administration’s plan to have Syrian rebels fight among themselves, instead of against the Assad regime.
- Lucy Steigerwald wrote about the McCain-Graham-Levin plan to revise the AUMF and criticized arguments for conscription.
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