Yesterday's reported incident between the USNS Impeccable and several ships in the Chinese Navy appears to have started a war of words, with National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair said that China "seems to be in a more military, aggressive" stance and declared...
Freeman Pulls Out of Candidacy for Top Intel Post
Charles "Chas" Freeman, the former US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, withdrew his acceptance of the position of chairman of the National Intelligence Council, citing the media furor around his alleged anti-Israel views. In a statement issued after he withdrew himself...
Sharif Tells Supporters to Get Ready for Revolution
Just hours after the Pakistani government threatened opposition leader and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif with "life imprisonment and a fine" for sedition, Sharif spoke at a rally in Jhelum. At the rally, he declared that "we cannot leave Pakistan at the mercy of...
Obama to Escalate Drone Attacks in Pakistan
Just days after President Obama spoke in an interview of reaching out to moderate Taliban in an effort to reconcile at least some aspects of the growing insurgency with the faltering Afghan government, reports are emerging that his administration is planning to...
Coalition Deaths From IED Soar in Afghanistan
In January and February of 2009, 32 coalition troops were killed in IED attacks, more than a threefold increase over the same period in 2008. The number wounded also rose to 96 from 39, reflecting the enormous increase in violence over the last year (which was itself...
Polish President Warns Obama Not to Abandon Missile Defense
Though Polish President Lech Kaczynski conceded that the planned US missile defense base was not vital "from the point of view of our security from so-called rogue states," he demanded that President Obama go through with the deal signed by President Bush. Citing the...
Pentagon: Chinese Ships Harassed Unarmed Navy Vessel
In a statement released today by the Defense Department describes an incident in the South China Sea in which several ships in the Chinese Navy hassled the unarmed USNS Impeccable, an Ocean Surveillance Ship operating in international waters. The Chinese are...
Pakistani Govt Accuses Opposition Leader of ‘Sedition’
Late last month the Pakistani Supreme Court declared opposition leader and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz (chief minister of the Punjab Province) ineligible to hold public offices for opposing the 1999 military coup of Pervez Musharraf,...
Israeli Govt Close: Say Hello to Foreign Minister Lieberman
When Yisrael Beiteinu chief Avigdor Lieberman issued his demands for joining a Netanyahu-led government, the enormity of what he was asking shocked a lot of experts: three major ministerships, including foreign affairs - an unprecedented amount for a 15 seat party....
Karzai: Obama’s Call to Reach Out to Moderate Taliban ‘Good News’
At a speech for International Women's Day, Afghan President Hamid Karzai declared an interview in which President Barack Obama spoke of "opportunities" to reach out to moderate Taliban "good news," saying this had been the position of the Afghan government for quite...