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Patrick Seale
What can USA President Bush possibly mean by saying that “the United States has adopted a new policy, a forward strategy of freedom in the Middle East”? Is the USA preparing to administer a dose of its Iraqi medicine to other states in the area? Has the neo-con agenda of softening up the area to make it comply with USA and Israeli demands been given a new lease of life? Should Damascus and Tehran, the butt of Bush’s particular insults, now fear attack?
Rupert Cornwell
Monarchs and their Prime Ministers enjoy many privileges not granted to their subjects. Clairvoyance, however, is not among them. For how were the Queen and Tony Blair to know in 2001, when they extended the invitation for President Bush to make his state visit next week, that two years later it would be shaping up as the most fraught and ill-timed exercise of its kind in living memory?
Rami G. Khouri
President George W. Bush’s sudden call last week to make democratic freedoms the goal of USA policy in the Middle East is a good idea in principle, but it should be studied more carefully: this is like a used car that has been offered to us for purchase before. We need to kick these tires a few times, look closely under the hood, and buy only when we’re sure the product on offer is the real thing.
Jim Lobe
In what the White House billed as a major address, USA President Bush has announced that he has adopted a new policy called “a forward strategy of freedom in the Middle East”. The speech, which comes amid growing unease about the costs and duration of the USA occupation of Iraq, appeared designed to rally support by casting the occupation as part of an historic mission by Washington to spread liberty and democracy around the world.
Lawyer Alleges USA Military Extracted Confessions Under Torture
The USA military has tortured terrorist suspects held without charge at the Guantanamo Bay military prison, an Australian lawyer representing some of the suspects has claimed.
Randa Takieddine
Amidst the discussion on the margin of a recent UN Assembly General, someone asked Condoleezza Rice about the settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. She answered: “it is not the Democrats’ priority in the region because settling the conflict would not guarantee the spread of democracy in the Arab lands.”
Andy Rooney
Years ago, I was asked to write a speech for President Nixon. I didn’t do that, but I wish President Bush would ask me to write a speech for him now. Here’s what I’d write if he asked me to - which is unlikely…
John Liechty
Once upon a time there was a place known as The Greatest Country In The World. This place had forgotten its true name. Grandparents had told children had told grandchildren had told great-grandchildren for so long now: “You live in The Greatest Country In The World (and incidentally that makes you The Greatest People In The World),” that the true name of the land had been lost.
Syed Saleem Shahzad
After two years of guerrilla warfare with almost dry supply lines, the Taliban are now in a position around the important cities of south and south-eastern Afghanistan to begin the next phase of their campaign to oust foreign troops from the country. At present, they are poised to close in on Qandahar, Khost, Jalalabad, Asadabad and Gardez.
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