Analysis & Commentary
The Reachable Star
In the short history of this novel democratic experiment, the national election would easily be the single most critical development ever...if there actually could be an election worthy of the name. That was in grave doubt.
The Whole Region Is Watching
Richard Daley, the late mayor of Chicago and a master of ward politics, would have been proud. In a Baghdad suburb last week, activists for Prime Minister Allawi's "Iraqi List" were handing out the Middle Eastern equivalent of "walking around money" to Arab media covering the election--a...
Iraqi Democracy Debuts in Pre-Election Debate
Last Sunday, when Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi aired his infamous declaration of holy war against democracy, six main Iraqi leaders performed Iraq's first televised electoral debate on Al Hurra TV. The contrast between naked jihadism -- calling for the assassination of free choice -- and campaigning...
Iraq’s Historic Debate
On the same day that terrorist mastermind Abu Mus’ab al Zarqawi declared holy war on democracy, six principal Iraqi leaders appeared in their nation’s first televised electoral debate, broadcast live throughout Iraq by Alhurra Television. The contrast between naked jihadism – calling...
As Saddam Trial Resumes, FDD Reminds of Regime’s Horrors
As the trial of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein resumes, the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies has placed on its website videos from inside Iraq of torture and murder ordered by Saddam Hussein.
Another Trail to Follow; Did Saddam Hussein Loot a Fund to Compensate Victims of the 1990 Invasion?
Let's be honest. Along with United Nations secrecy, Saddam Hussein's perfidy, and the general coyness of the bribed, one of the big obstacles to getting to the bottom of the Oil for Food scandal is the sheer horror of actually having to read the reams of U.N. documents tied to the...
A Tale of Two Elections; Abbas and Allawi
The Palestinian election on January 9 was the first of two important national votes in the Middle East, the second being the Iraqi polls on January 30. Whether the two sets of votes mean that two new democracies will be born is uncertain. Upon these elections hang considerable expectations,...
Iraqis Living Abroad
Numbers reflect impressive turnout "One in four Iraq expats to vote," states the BBC, as registration for expatriates closed overseas. The insinuation is clear: not enough Iraqis have registered to vote therefore the show of votes will be less representatives. The BBC report adds: "Fewer...
Superpower No More? Iraq is a Critical Test
Is the United States a superpower? For years, we've assumed this was true. It was an easy assumption to make based on the amount of money we spend on our military and the high-tech weapons we've developed, from stealth bombers to precision missiles to satellites that can read license...
Iraq After Saddam’s Capture
Many asked the question last week: How is Iraq faring one year after the capture of Saddam Hussein? A Byzantine debate ensued immediately. To the natural answers praising the arrest by coalition forces in December 2003, many critics directed their fire at the current state of affairs in...
A Battle Between Democracy and Terror
When the Army of Ansar al Sunna – a group tied to al Qaeda – attacks an American base near Mosul it should be apparent that Iraq is the front line in the War on Terrorism.
Serious on Syria
In early October, just days after the Syrian leadership had reportedly promised a U.S. delegation to Damascus that it would cooperate with U.S. troops in controlling the Iraq-Syria border, President Bashar al-Assad delivered a confrontational speech criticizing U.S. efforts to force Syria...
‘Never Say Never’; The Ukrainian Revolution and the Renaissance of Democracy
Orange, rose, yellow. These are the colors not just of sunrise, but of a few of the many "people power" revolutions that over the past generation have been by increments changing the world. Yellow was the Philippines in 1986. Rose was the former Soviet republic of Georgia last year. Now we...
Contracts Chief Shown To Be Annan Son’s Main Cotecna Tie
UNITED NATIONS - The next chapter of the Kofi Annan saga will focus on whether there was any real substance to the job for which the secretary-general's son, Kojo Annan, received lucrative payments during a period of years in which he was ostensibly working in West Africa.
Defend Arab Dissidents
"It is outrageous and amazing," wrote Salama Ni'mat, a columnist for the London-based Arabic-language daily Al-Hayat, "that the first free and general elections in the history of the Arab nation are to take place in January: in Iraq, under the auspices of American occupation, and in...
Give Freedom a Chance
Readers of a certain age will recall the name Anatoli Sharansky. He was a Soviet dissident who in 1978 was tried by a kangaroo court, convicted of treason and shipped off to the Gulag.
Secretary and Son
"He is a grown man, and I don't get involved with his activities and he doesn't get involved with mine."
After Fallujah: What’s Next?
Now that U.S. and Iraqi forces control “Jihad City,” (a.k.a Fallujah), what should we expect next in the war with Iraq's jihadist insurgency? One certain result will be the continuation of U.S.-Iraqi efforts to stabilize the country ahead of January's national elections. Another...
Annan’s Son Took Payments Through 2004
One of the next big chapters in the United Nations oil-for-food scandal will involve the family of the secretary-general, Kofi Annan, whose son turns out to have been receiving payments as recently as early this year from a key contractor in the oil-for-food program.
The U.S. Repays its Debt to Iraq
Noah Feldman's "What We Owe Iraq: War and the Ethics of Nation Building" is a well-argued call for a long-term U.S. commitment to Iraq. The book is original and refreshingly free of ideology and partisanship.
