Heise: Outfoxed
Dokumentarfilm über die Machenschaften von Fox News stürmt die amerikanischen DVD-Charts; Internet als Vertriebskanal für Filmemacher gewinnt an Bedeutung
Während Michal Moores "Fahrenheit 9/11" längst die US-Kinocharts gestürmt hat und damit zum erfolgreichsten Dokumentarfilm der US-Filmgeschichte wurde, sorgt nun eine neue Dokumentation für Furore: "Outfoxed - Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism" von Regisseur Robert Greenwald – eine Abrechnung mit Fox News, Amerikas einflussreichstem Nachrichtenkanal.
Friday, July 23, 2004
IRAQ: RESISTANCE
Free Arab Voice: Iraqi Resistance Kills 33
American Soldiers In Ramadi
Free Arab Voice Editors Note: We remind our viewers that Mafkarat al-Islam has reporters on the ground with the Iraqi resistance. these reports are first hand accounts of the events. Translated from their original Arabic, they are published uncut and uncensored.
Resistance Ambush Sparks Day-Long Confrontation With Invader Troops
At least 14 Americans were killed in ar-Ramadi yesterday as a day of fierce and heavy fighting that raged from about 11:00am local time until sunset got under way.
The correspondent of Mafkarat al-Islam in the city reported that the clashes began when a group of Resistance fighters ambushed an American patrol consisting of four Humvees and a number of foot soldiers. Resistance fighters pounded the Humvees with rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) destroying all of them and sparking a battle on al-Ishrin (1920) Street that lasted until sunset as US reinforcements poured into the area.
American Soldiers In Ramadi
Free Arab Voice Editors Note: We remind our viewers that Mafkarat al-Islam has reporters on the ground with the Iraqi resistance. these reports are first hand accounts of the events. Translated from their original Arabic, they are published uncut and uncensored.
Resistance Ambush Sparks Day-Long Confrontation With Invader Troops
At least 14 Americans were killed in ar-Ramadi yesterday as a day of fierce and heavy fighting that raged from about 11:00am local time until sunset got under way.
The correspondent of Mafkarat al-Islam in the city reported that the clashes began when a group of Resistance fighters ambushed an American patrol consisting of four Humvees and a number of foot soldiers. Resistance fighters pounded the Humvees with rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) destroying all of them and sparking a battle on al-Ishrin (1920) Street that lasted until sunset as US reinforcements poured into the area.
OSAMA BIN LADEN: IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Information Clearinhouse: Full text: bin Laden's 'letter to America'
While seeking Allah's help, we form our reply based on two questions directed at the Americans:
(Q1) Why are we fighting and opposing you?
Q2)What are we calling you to, and what do we want from you?
While seeking Allah's help, we form our reply based on two questions directed at the Americans:
(Q1) Why are we fighting and opposing you?
Q2)What are we calling you to, and what do we want from you?
9/11
Guardian: The Pakistan connection
There is evidence of foreign intelligence backing for the 9/11 hijackers. Why is the US government so keen to cover it up?
There is evidence of foreign intelligence backing for the 9/11 hijackers. Why is the US government so keen to cover it up?
SITE OF THE DAY
This Land
One is a liberal wiener. The other's a right-wing nut job. See John Kerry and George Bush square off and trade insults in this can't-miss campaign parody of "This Land is Your Land."
One is a liberal wiener. The other's a right-wing nut job. See John Kerry and George Bush square off and trade insults in this can't-miss campaign parody of "This Land is Your Land."
TERROR: PROPAGANDA WATCH
Washington Times: Scouting jetliners for new attacks
Flight crews and air marshals say Middle Eastern men are staking out airports, probing security measures and conducting test runs aboard airplanes for a terrorist attack.
At least two midflight incidents have involved numerous men of Middle Eastern descent behaving in what one pilot called "stereotypical" behavior of an organized attempt to attack a plane.
"No doubt these are dry runs for a terrorist attack," an air marshal said.
Pilots and air marshals who asked to remain anonymous told The Washington Times that surveillance by terrorists is rampant, using different probing methods.
"It's happening, and it's a sad state of affairs," a pilot said.
Flight crews and air marshals say Middle Eastern men are staking out airports, probing security measures and conducting test runs aboard airplanes for a terrorist attack.
At least two midflight incidents have involved numerous men of Middle Eastern descent behaving in what one pilot called "stereotypical" behavior of an organized attempt to attack a plane.
"No doubt these are dry runs for a terrorist attack," an air marshal said.
Pilots and air marshals who asked to remain anonymous told The Washington Times that surveillance by terrorists is rampant, using different probing methods.
"It's happening, and it's a sad state of affairs," a pilot said.
Thursday, July 22, 2004
IRAQ: 1984
Propaganda Matrix: In The New 'Free Iraq': Listening Devices Installed Around Baghdad
Attention Iraqi cell-phone users: Your calls soon will be forwarded to Big Brother.
A unit of Engineered Support Systems Inc. said Tuesday that it has landed a $31 million contract to help install a big listening post in and around Baghdad to help Iraqi police and U.S. intelligence agents monitor cell-phone traffic. The surveillance network will be able to track 360 cell-phone calls at once, said David R. Gust, president of Tamsco of Calverton, Md., a subsidiary of Cool Valley-based Engineered Support.
The project has taken on a sense of urgency as U.S. intelligence agencies work to foil the coordinated bombing attacks by Iraqi insurgents. In a region torn by war, cell phones are becoming a primary source of telecommunication for Iraqis because there is a dearth of reliable land-based fiber-optic cable and copper-wire systems.
Attention Iraqi cell-phone users: Your calls soon will be forwarded to Big Brother.
A unit of Engineered Support Systems Inc. said Tuesday that it has landed a $31 million contract to help install a big listening post in and around Baghdad to help Iraqi police and U.S. intelligence agents monitor cell-phone traffic. The surveillance network will be able to track 360 cell-phone calls at once, said David R. Gust, president of Tamsco of Calverton, Md., a subsidiary of Cool Valley-based Engineered Support.
The project has taken on a sense of urgency as U.S. intelligence agencies work to foil the coordinated bombing attacks by Iraqi insurgents. In a region torn by war, cell phones are becoming a primary source of telecommunication for Iraqis because there is a dearth of reliable land-based fiber-optic cable and copper-wire systems.
IRAQ: ABU GHRAIB
Islam Online: Abu Ghraib: One Iraqi Woman’s Story
Nagem Salam interviewed a former Abu Ghraib female detainee who was arrested by US forces on September 14, 2003 and detained in Ba'qouba, Tikrit, Abu Ghraib and the Tesfirat transfer station.
Information Clearinghouse: Abu Ghraib: Male Rape Witness statement from Taguba Report:
Warning this report contains graphic descriptions of torture and rape. .pdf Format
Nagem Salam interviewed a former Abu Ghraib female detainee who was arrested by US forces on September 14, 2003 and detained in Ba'qouba, Tikrit, Abu Ghraib and the Tesfirat transfer station.
Information Clearinghouse: Abu Ghraib: Male Rape Witness statement from Taguba Report:
Warning this report contains graphic descriptions of torture and rape. .pdf Format
IRAQ: RESISTANCE
Sidney Morning Herald: Share power or lose control, Iraq warned
Guiding the waiters as they spread an Arab feast before us, Mudher Al-Kharbit looks just like the multi-millionaire businessman he is - from the swatch of silk in the breast pocket of his well-cut suit, to shoes of fine crocodile skin.
But, listen carefully, tonight there is no talk of business. Al-Kharbit is speaking as the paramount sheik of the 2 million-strong Dulame tribe, which dominates western Iraq.
His expectations are huge. This is a man who is seriously bidding for control of the military and of national security in the new Iraq. His confidence is unnerving - he admits to having the power to end the insurgency, but refuses to do so. Then he passed the kebabs.
Guiding the waiters as they spread an Arab feast before us, Mudher Al-Kharbit looks just like the multi-millionaire businessman he is - from the swatch of silk in the breast pocket of his well-cut suit, to shoes of fine crocodile skin.
But, listen carefully, tonight there is no talk of business. Al-Kharbit is speaking as the paramount sheik of the 2 million-strong Dulame tribe, which dominates western Iraq.
His expectations are huge. This is a man who is seriously bidding for control of the military and of national security in the new Iraq. His confidence is unnerving - he admits to having the power to end the insurgency, but refuses to do so. Then he passed the kebabs.
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
PROPAGANDA WATCH
Seattle Post: Power of presidency resides in language as well as law
George W. Bush is generally regarded as a mangler of the English language.
What is overlooked is his mastery of emotional language -- especially negatively charged emotional language -- as a political tool. Take a closer look at his speeches and public utterances and his political success turns out to be no surprise. It is the predictable result of the intentional use of language to dominate others.
Bush, like many dominant personality types, uses dependency-creating language. He employs language of contempt and intimidation to shame others into submission and desperate admiration.
While we tend to think of the dominator as using physical force, in fact most dominators use verbal abuse to control others. Abusive language has been a major theme of psychological researchers on marital problems, such as John Gottman, and of philosophers and theologians, such as Josef Pieper.
But little has been said about the key role it has come to play in political discourse and in such "hot media" as talk radio and television.
Bush uses several dominating linguistic techniques to induce surrender to his will. The first is empty language. This term refers to broad statements that are so abstract and mean so little that they are virtually impossible to oppose. Empty language is the emotional equivalent of empty calories.
George W. Bush is generally regarded as a mangler of the English language.
What is overlooked is his mastery of emotional language -- especially negatively charged emotional language -- as a political tool. Take a closer look at his speeches and public utterances and his political success turns out to be no surprise. It is the predictable result of the intentional use of language to dominate others.
Bush, like many dominant personality types, uses dependency-creating language. He employs language of contempt and intimidation to shame others into submission and desperate admiration.
While we tend to think of the dominator as using physical force, in fact most dominators use verbal abuse to control others. Abusive language has been a major theme of psychological researchers on marital problems, such as John Gottman, and of philosophers and theologians, such as Josef Pieper.
But little has been said about the key role it has come to play in political discourse and in such "hot media" as talk radio and television.
Bush uses several dominating linguistic techniques to induce surrender to his will. The first is empty language. This term refers to broad statements that are so abstract and mean so little that they are virtually impossible to oppose. Empty language is the emotional equivalent of empty calories.
US ARMY: BIGGER BREAST FOR FREE
New Yorker: ALL THAT YOU CAN BE
For years, the military has offered its recruits free tuition, specialized training, and a host of other benefits to compensate for the tremendous sacrifices they are called upon to make. Lately, many of them have been taking advantage of another perk: free cosmetic surgery.
“Anyone wearing a uniform is eligible,” Dr. Bob Lyons, the chief of plastic surgery at Brooke Army Medical Center, said recently, in his office in San Antonio. It is true: personnel in all four branches of the military and members of their immediate families can get face-lifts, nose jobs, breast enlargements, liposuction, or any other kind of elective cosmetic alteration, at taxpayer expense. (For breast enlargements, patients must supply their own implants.)
For years, the military has offered its recruits free tuition, specialized training, and a host of other benefits to compensate for the tremendous sacrifices they are called upon to make. Lately, many of them have been taking advantage of another perk: free cosmetic surgery.
“Anyone wearing a uniform is eligible,” Dr. Bob Lyons, the chief of plastic surgery at Brooke Army Medical Center, said recently, in his office in San Antonio. It is true: personnel in all four branches of the military and members of their immediate families can get face-lifts, nose jobs, breast enlargements, liposuction, or any other kind of elective cosmetic alteration, at taxpayer expense. (For breast enlargements, patients must supply their own implants.)
PR WATCH
Steve Rubel: Paul Holmes: PR People, Take Blogs Seriously
PR industry writer Paul Holmes has written a lengthy essay arguing
that PR people need to take blogging seriously. "The people who
read blogs are the opinion leaders and the early adopters,” says PR
pro Steve Rubel. iThey are people who pass on what they learn to
other people. And these sites are being read every day by the
journalists who cover your industry. It's amazing how many stories
start on the Internet and then make into the mainstream media.
PR industry writer Paul Holmes has written a lengthy essay arguing
that PR people need to take blogging seriously. "The people who
read blogs are the opinion leaders and the early adopters,” says PR
pro Steve Rubel. iThey are people who pass on what they learn to
other people. And these sites are being read every day by the
journalists who cover your industry. It's amazing how many stories
start on the Internet and then make into the mainstream media.
USA: PROPAGANDA WATCH
Washington Post: The Present Danger
Declaring that "the world war against Islamic terrorism is the test
of our time" and warning, "in this war, our enemies do not
distinguish between Democrats and Republicans," Senators Joe
Lieberman and Jon Kyl announced the launch of the third incarnation
of the Committee on the Present Danger. In the 1950s and 1970s, the
CPD pushed for massive Cold War military spending. "The Committee
intends to remain active until the present danger is no longer a
threat, however long that takes," said CPD Chair and former CIA
director James Woolsey. Other CPD 2004 members include American
Enterprise Institute, Heritage Foundation and Boeing Company
associates.
Declaring that "the world war against Islamic terrorism is the test
of our time" and warning, "in this war, our enemies do not
distinguish between Democrats and Republicans," Senators Joe
Lieberman and Jon Kyl announced the launch of the third incarnation
of the Committee on the Present Danger. In the 1950s and 1970s, the
CPD pushed for massive Cold War military spending. "The Committee
intends to remain active until the present danger is no longer a
threat, however long that takes," said CPD Chair and former CIA
director James Woolsey. Other CPD 2004 members include American
Enterprise Institute, Heritage Foundation and Boeing Company
associates.
Tuesday, July 20, 2004
IRAQ: ROBERT FISK
Independent: 'A better and safer place'
Tony Blair justifying the Iraq war in his response to the Butler report
For mile after mile south of Baghdad yesterday, the story was the same: empty police posts, abandoned Iraqi army and police checkpoints and a litter of burnt-out American fuel tankers and rocket-smashed police vehicles down the main highway to Hillah and Najaf. It was Afghanistan Mk2.
Iraqi government officials and Western diplomats tell journalists to avoid driving out of Baghdad; now I understand why. It is dangerous. But my own fearful journey far down Highway 8 - scene of the murder of at least 15 Westerners - proved that the US-appointed Iraqi government controls little of the land south of the capital. Only in the Sunni Muslim town of Mahmoudiya - where a car bomb exploded outside an Iraqi military recruiting centre last week - did I see Iraqi policemen.
They were in a convoy of 11 battered white pick-ups, pointing Kalashnikovs at the crowds around them, driving on to the wrong side of the road when they became tangled in a traffic jam, screaming at motorists to clear their path at rifle point. This was not a frightened American column - this was Iraq's own new blue-uniformed police force, rifles also directed at the windows of homes and shops and at the crowd of Iraqis which surged around them. In Iskanderia, I saw two gunmen near the road. I don't know why they bothered to stand there. The police had already left their post a few metres away.
Tony Blair justifying the Iraq war in his response to the Butler report
For mile after mile south of Baghdad yesterday, the story was the same: empty police posts, abandoned Iraqi army and police checkpoints and a litter of burnt-out American fuel tankers and rocket-smashed police vehicles down the main highway to Hillah and Najaf. It was Afghanistan Mk2.
Iraqi government officials and Western diplomats tell journalists to avoid driving out of Baghdad; now I understand why. It is dangerous. But my own fearful journey far down Highway 8 - scene of the murder of at least 15 Westerners - proved that the US-appointed Iraqi government controls little of the land south of the capital. Only in the Sunni Muslim town of Mahmoudiya - where a car bomb exploded outside an Iraqi military recruiting centre last week - did I see Iraqi policemen.
They were in a convoy of 11 battered white pick-ups, pointing Kalashnikovs at the crowds around them, driving on to the wrong side of the road when they became tangled in a traffic jam, screaming at motorists to clear their path at rifle point. This was not a frightened American column - this was Iraq's own new blue-uniformed police force, rifles also directed at the windows of homes and shops and at the crowd of Iraqis which surged around them. In Iskanderia, I saw two gunmen near the road. I don't know why they bothered to stand there. The police had already left their post a few metres away.
IRAQ: ALLAWI
Daily Times: US media kills story that Iraqi PM executed 6 prisoners
WASHINGTON: The US media has surprisingly failed to pick up the shocking disclosure by Sydney Morning Herald, Australia’s leading newspaper, that the Irqai Prime Minister Iyad Allawi personally executed six suspected insurgents in a Baghdad police station.
The story by award-winning Australian journalist Paul McGeough said that the prisoners were handcuffed and blindfolded, lined up against a courtyard wall and shot by the Iraqi PM. Dr Allawi is alleged to have told those around him that he wanted to send a clear message to the police on how to deal with insurgents. Two people allege they witnessed the killings and there are also claims the Iraqi interior minister and four American men were present.
Counterpunch: Allawi, Our Puppet with a Pistol: Iraq's New Terrorist Prime Minister
"Counterpunch" -- In a long line of American puppets, the name Ayad Allawi figures to loom large. In just a matter of weeks the new Prime Minister of Iraq has accommodated his US paymasters with a zeal that must leave the dapper Hamid Karzai wondering if his job is safe.
In his first days after taking office, Allawi was called on to endorse the bombing of an alleged "safe house" in Falluja; an incident that took the lives of 26 Iraqis including women and children. None of the dead were identified as "foreign fighters", although every major newspaper in America reiterated the Pentagon's view that the occupants were colleagues of Abu Musab al Zarqawi.
The bombing of Falluja occurred just three days after the UN was cajoled into signing the Iraqi Sovereignty Resolution. During negotiations at the UN, the Bush Administration made it look as though they were taking a more "reasoned approach" to security issues.
WASHINGTON: The US media has surprisingly failed to pick up the shocking disclosure by Sydney Morning Herald, Australia’s leading newspaper, that the Irqai Prime Minister Iyad Allawi personally executed six suspected insurgents in a Baghdad police station.
The story by award-winning Australian journalist Paul McGeough said that the prisoners were handcuffed and blindfolded, lined up against a courtyard wall and shot by the Iraqi PM. Dr Allawi is alleged to have told those around him that he wanted to send a clear message to the police on how to deal with insurgents. Two people allege they witnessed the killings and there are also claims the Iraqi interior minister and four American men were present.
Counterpunch: Allawi, Our Puppet with a Pistol: Iraq's New Terrorist Prime Minister
"Counterpunch" -- In a long line of American puppets, the name Ayad Allawi figures to loom large. In just a matter of weeks the new Prime Minister of Iraq has accommodated his US paymasters with a zeal that must leave the dapper Hamid Karzai wondering if his job is safe.
In his first days after taking office, Allawi was called on to endorse the bombing of an alleged "safe house" in Falluja; an incident that took the lives of 26 Iraqis including women and children. None of the dead were identified as "foreign fighters", although every major newspaper in America reiterated the Pentagon's view that the occupants were colleagues of Abu Musab al Zarqawi.
The bombing of Falluja occurred just three days after the UN was cajoled into signing the Iraqi Sovereignty Resolution. During negotiations at the UN, the Bush Administration made it look as though they were taking a more "reasoned approach" to security issues.
IRAQ: ROBERT FISK
The Independent: Four missiles, 14 deaths and the crisis of information in Baghdad
This is how they like it. An American helicopter fires four missiles at a house in Fallujah. Fourteen people are killed, including women and children. Or so say the hospital authorities.
But no Western journalist dares to go to Fallujah. Video footage taken by local civilians shows only a hole in the ground, body parts under a grey blanket and an unnamed man shouting that young children were killed.
The US authorities say they know nothing about the air strike; indeed, they tell journalists to talk to the Iraqi Ministry of Defence--whose spokesman admits that he has "no clue what is going on".
And by the time, in early afternoon yesterday, that the American-appointed Iraqi Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, said that he had given permission for the attack--even though US rules of engagement give him no such right--there had been car bombs in Tikrit in which two policemen died, one of Saddam's former generals was captured, and Fallujah became just another statistic, albeit a deeply disturbing one: this is the sixth air strike on the insurgent-held city in less than five weeks.
This is how they like it. An American helicopter fires four missiles at a house in Fallujah. Fourteen people are killed, including women and children. Or so say the hospital authorities.
But no Western journalist dares to go to Fallujah. Video footage taken by local civilians shows only a hole in the ground, body parts under a grey blanket and an unnamed man shouting that young children were killed.
The US authorities say they know nothing about the air strike; indeed, they tell journalists to talk to the Iraqi Ministry of Defence--whose spokesman admits that he has "no clue what is going on".
And by the time, in early afternoon yesterday, that the American-appointed Iraqi Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, said that he had given permission for the attack--even though US rules of engagement give him no such right--there had been car bombs in Tikrit in which two policemen died, one of Saddam's former generals was captured, and Fallujah became just another statistic, albeit a deeply disturbing one: this is the sixth air strike on the insurgent-held city in less than five weeks.
AFGHANISTAN
International Herald Tribune: Afghanistan presses prison case
The three Americans who were arrested by the Afghan police on July 5 on suspicion of operating an illegal jail in Kabul appeared in court here and, at a preliminary hearing, were also charged with robbing, beating and torturing their detainees.
The three men, wearing plain clothes and U.S. Army combat boots, said on Sunday they were Jack Idema, a former member of the U.S. special forces; Edward Caraballo, a journalist; and Brent Bennett, who gave no profession.
Idema said he intended to call high-level Afghan officials, generals, corps commanders and ambassadors in his defense.
He said he had been working with Afghan and U.S. forces, contentions that Afghan and U.S. officials have denied.
The three Americans who were arrested by the Afghan police on July 5 on suspicion of operating an illegal jail in Kabul appeared in court here and, at a preliminary hearing, were also charged with robbing, beating and torturing their detainees.
The three men, wearing plain clothes and U.S. Army combat boots, said on Sunday they were Jack Idema, a former member of the U.S. special forces; Edward Caraballo, a journalist; and Brent Bennett, who gave no profession.
Idema said he intended to call high-level Afghan officials, generals, corps commanders and ambassadors in his defense.
He said he had been working with Afghan and U.S. forces, contentions that Afghan and U.S. officials have denied.
IRAQ
Guardian: Iraq is not improving, it's a disaster
The only sensible objective now is orderly disengagement, and soon
The Commons debate on Iraq today is a historic opportunity for parliament. British policy in Iraq is at a turning point, and we can exercise a vital degree of influence on US policy as well.
Earlier in the summer, there were some welcome international developments. One was the security council resolution of June 8 endorsing the formation of a sovereign interim government, which did something to heal the rifts created in 2003. Another was the successful low-key handover of authority. But the impression that the situation in Iraq itself is much improved is down to Iraq fatigue in the media.
The security situation is calamitous. Two recent attacks killed nine US marines; an attack on the Iraqi minister of justice killed five bodyguards; bombings and attacks on Iraqi security forces have caused multiple deaths; targets in Falluja have been bombed by the US air force; foreigners have been kidnapped or executed with the aim of driving foreign troops and foreign companies out of Iraq.
The only sensible objective now is orderly disengagement, and soon
The Commons debate on Iraq today is a historic opportunity for parliament. British policy in Iraq is at a turning point, and we can exercise a vital degree of influence on US policy as well.
Earlier in the summer, there were some welcome international developments. One was the security council resolution of June 8 endorsing the formation of a sovereign interim government, which did something to heal the rifts created in 2003. Another was the successful low-key handover of authority. But the impression that the situation in Iraq itself is much improved is down to Iraq fatigue in the media.
The security situation is calamitous. Two recent attacks killed nine US marines; an attack on the Iraqi minister of justice killed five bodyguards; bombings and attacks on Iraqi security forces have caused multiple deaths; targets in Falluja have been bombed by the US air force; foreigners have been kidnapped or executed with the aim of driving foreign troops and foreign companies out of Iraq.
Monday, July 19, 2004
USA VS. IRAN: PROPAGANDA WATCH
Sunday Herald: Regime change in Iran now in Bush’s sights
PRESIDENT George Bush has promised that if re-elected in November he will make regime change in Iran his new target.
Bush named Iran as part of the Axis of Evil along with North Korea and Iraq almost three years ago. A US government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that military action would not be overt in changing Iran, but rather that the US would work to stir revolts in the country and hope to topple the current conservative religious leadership.
The official said: “If George Bush is re-elected there will be much more intervention in the internal affairs of Iran.”
Telegraph: Now America accuses Iran of complicity in World Trade Center attack
Iran gave free passage to up to 10 of the September 11 hijackers just months before the 2001 attacks and offered to co-operate with al-Qa'eda against the US, an American report will say this week.
The all-party report by the 9/11 Commission, set up by Congress in 2002, will state that Iran, not Iraq, fostered relations with the al-Qa'eda network in the years leading up to the world's most devastating terrorist attack.
PRESIDENT George Bush has promised that if re-elected in November he will make regime change in Iran his new target.
Bush named Iran as part of the Axis of Evil along with North Korea and Iraq almost three years ago. A US government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that military action would not be overt in changing Iran, but rather that the US would work to stir revolts in the country and hope to topple the current conservative religious leadership.
The official said: “If George Bush is re-elected there will be much more intervention in the internal affairs of Iran.”
Telegraph: Now America accuses Iran of complicity in World Trade Center attack
Iran gave free passage to up to 10 of the September 11 hijackers just months before the 2001 attacks and offered to co-operate with al-Qa'eda against the US, an American report will say this week.
The all-party report by the 9/11 Commission, set up by Congress in 2002, will state that Iran, not Iraq, fostered relations with the al-Qa'eda network in the years leading up to the world's most devastating terrorist attack.
IRAQ: ALLAWI
ABC: Iraq's interim PM executed six insurgents: witnesses
MAXINE MCKEW: Let's go straight to the allegations that Iyad Allawi executed as many as six suspected insurgents at a Baghdad police station at the end of June.
The explosive claims in tomorrow's Sydney Morning Herald and Age newspapers allege that the prisoners were handcuffed and blindfolded, lined up against a courtyard wall and shot by the Iraqi Prime Minister.
Dr Allawi is alleged to have told those around him that he wanted to send a clear message to the police on how to deal with insurgents.
Two people allege they witnessed the killings and there are also claims the Iraqi Interior Minister was present as well as four American security men in civilian dress.
MAXINE MCKEW: Let's go straight to the allegations that Iyad Allawi executed as many as six suspected insurgents at a Baghdad police station at the end of June.
The explosive claims in tomorrow's Sydney Morning Herald and Age newspapers allege that the prisoners were handcuffed and blindfolded, lined up against a courtyard wall and shot by the Iraqi Prime Minister.
Dr Allawi is alleged to have told those around him that he wanted to send a clear message to the police on how to deal with insurgents.
Two people allege they witnessed the killings and there are also claims the Iraqi Interior Minister was present as well as four American security men in civilian dress.
IRAQ: ALLAWI
IMC: The interim Prime Minister of Iraq
A bigraphical timeline of Mr. Allawi, former Baathist, former agent for MI6 and CIA, former terrorist. This is an improvement?
Allawi's rocky road to the top
July 17, 2004
1945: Born to a wealthy Shiite merchant family. His grandfather helped to negotiate Iraq's independence from Britain, and his father was a doctor and a MP.
1960s: Studies at medical school in Baghdad, where he first meets Saddam Hussein. Joins Baath party.
1963: According to the memoirs of a former Iraqi ambassador, Talib Shabib, Allawi was an assassin.
1971: Leaves Baghdad for London to continue his medical education. Trains to be a neurologist and obtains a master of science in medicine and a doctorate in medicine from London University. (Allawi has lived about half of his life in Britain and retains British citizenship.) Some claim he continued to serve the Baath party, and the Iraqi secret police, searching out enemies of the regime.
1975: Falls out of favour with the Baath party.
1978: Enters a relationship with the British security services. Word reaches Saddam's secret police. He is attacked while in his bed in Kingston-upon-Thames. Intruder hits him over the head with an axe, a second blow nearly severs his right leg, and a third plunges into his chest. The would-be assassins flee. Allawi spends a year in hospital recovering from his injuries.
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A bigraphical timeline of Mr. Allawi, former Baathist, former agent for MI6 and CIA, former terrorist. This is an improvement?
Allawi's rocky road to the top
July 17, 2004
1945: Born to a wealthy Shiite merchant family. His grandfather helped to negotiate Iraq's independence from Britain, and his father was a doctor and a MP.
1960s: Studies at medical school in Baghdad, where he first meets Saddam Hussein. Joins Baath party.
1963: According to the memoirs of a former Iraqi ambassador, Talib Shabib, Allawi was an assassin.
1971: Leaves Baghdad for London to continue his medical education. Trains to be a neurologist and obtains a master of science in medicine and a doctorate in medicine from London University. (Allawi has lived about half of his life in Britain and retains British citizenship.) Some claim he continued to serve the Baath party, and the Iraqi secret police, searching out enemies of the regime.
1975: Falls out of favour with the Baath party.
1978: Enters a relationship with the British security services. Word reaches Saddam's secret police. He is attacked while in his bed in Kingston-upon-Thames. Intruder hits him over the head with an axe, a second blow nearly severs his right leg, and a third plunges into his chest. The would-be assassins flee. Allawi spends a year in hospital recovering from his injuries.
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IRAQ: ROBERT FISK
Counterpunch: Iraq, According to Edgar Allen Poe By ROBERT FISK
A few hours before Lord Butler of Brockwell was attesting to the "good faith" of Tony Blair over the invasion of Iraq, Sabr Karim paid the price for working for "new Iraq".
The father of seven and a senior auditor in Iraq's new Industry Ministry--his job was to scrutinise the lucrative contracts given to businessmen to rebuild the country--arrived home in the Saadiyeh suburb of Baghdad with his family's breakfast of milk, cream and bread from a local grocery store. That's when two men in a pick-up coolly fired two bullets into his stomach and two into his head. His children found him lying on the pavement, one leg still in his car.
In Iraq, the funeral tent is traditionally pitched in the street outside the victim's home, but when I went to pay my respects yesterday it was blocked in by cars to prevent suicide bombers driving a vehicle into the tent--and not without reason. For when Sabr Karim's brother and son-in-law went to the family's mosque to collect a coffin for the dead man, someone had left a bomb inside. Another day in the life --and death--of "new Iraq".
A few hours before Lord Butler of Brockwell was attesting to the "good faith" of Tony Blair over the invasion of Iraq, Sabr Karim paid the price for working for "new Iraq".
The father of seven and a senior auditor in Iraq's new Industry Ministry--his job was to scrutinise the lucrative contracts given to businessmen to rebuild the country--arrived home in the Saadiyeh suburb of Baghdad with his family's breakfast of milk, cream and bread from a local grocery store. That's when two men in a pick-up coolly fired two bullets into his stomach and two into his head. His children found him lying on the pavement, one leg still in his car.
In Iraq, the funeral tent is traditionally pitched in the street outside the victim's home, but when I went to pay my respects yesterday it was blocked in by cars to prevent suicide bombers driving a vehicle into the tent--and not without reason. For when Sabr Karim's brother and son-in-law went to the family's mosque to collect a coffin for the dead man, someone had left a bomb inside. Another day in the life --and death--of "new Iraq".
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