As Obama's aides continue to try to stifle hopes for the radical policy changes that were a cornerstone of his sweeping electoral victory, the surest sign thus far that little is going to change after the January 20 inauguration is swirling reports that he may ask...
Israel to Resume Limited Fuel Supplies Amid Gaza Blackouts
With more than half of the Gaza Strip's 1,500,000 residents without power, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has decided to allow "limited" amounts of industrial diesel into the strip. The Israelis sealed off the strip last week after a series of clashes tested the...
Not So Fast: Aides Warn Obama’s Quick Closure of Gitmo Will Be Anything But
Though newspapers have been reporting all day that President-elect Barack Obama intends to move swiftly to close the military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay as soon as he takes office, sending detainees to face criminal trials in the US, his aides are suggesting...
Pakistan to Force Bajaur Tribesmen to Fight Militants
With Pakistan's several month long offensive in Bajaur still causing a humanitarian nightmare in the tiny agency and no real end in sight as the government continues to reject offers from the militants for a ceasefire, the government is taking its efforts to secure...
Security Guards or Suspected Militants: US Kills 14 in Afghanistan
The US military stopped vehicles carrying "suspected militants," sparking a clash which left 14 of them dead. The US used helicopters in the fight and seized numerous ammunition belts and small arms from the vehicles... another major victory over the Taliban...
As Spending Spirals Out of Control Pentagon Board Advises Cuts
US defense spending rose 72% over the course of the Bush Administration, from $381 billion in 2000 to $671 billion in 2008. President-elect Obama is expected to continue that trend, as he has vowed to increase the size of the military's ground forces. But the Defense...
Latest Draft of Iraq Deal Changes Some Terms, Not Others
The Associated Press has obtained a copy of the latest draft of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the United States and Iraq, complete with all the changes requested by Iraq and agreed upon by the United States. Though the AP did not submit the entire...
Secret US Order Governs Raids Anywhere on Earth
The New York Times is reporting tonight that a secret military order signed by former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in spring of 2004 gave the military formal authority to conduct attacks against al-Qaeda anywhere in the world, including nations not current at...
Obama Camp to US: Curb Your Enthusiasm
Less than a week after Tuesday's election much of the US is still in the throes of Obamamania, and the widespread hope and the prospect of change are almost palpable. But before America goes off the deep end with expectations of a radically different world starting on...
Pakistan’s Protests Against US Strikes Fall on Deaf Ears
As the US strikes continue, so do Pakistan's complaints about them. At a meeting last week with General David Petraeus, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari cautioned that the US strikes were causing a credibility gap, as the Pakistani government struggled to explain...