Stories from 2002-06-27

"That Bush's interventionism and arrogance in addressing Palestinian and Arab concerns will further complicate American-Arab relations already strained by the administration's pro-Israel bias, is a concern raised by many commentators. The speech is also expected to fuel anti-American sentiments in the Arab and Muslim world. And despite a display of flexibility, the implied references to a number of Arab leaders will not pass unnoticed." [more]

"There is a strong, sometimes hubristic, sense that America has the opportunities, obligations and threats associated in the past with empires: that it can set the rules that govern international relations, while at times operating outside them itself; but also that ultimately it alone can enforce those rules, a role which makes it the prime target of anyone who dislikes them." [more]

"To A world that had been longing for an all-powerful America to rescue the Israelis and Palestinians from their self-inflicted purgatory, it was the dampest of damp squibs. Even Israelis admitted that the peace plan George Bush and his divided administration set forth this week could just as well have been written by their own prime minister, Ariel Sharon." [more]

"Many Palestinian intellectuals criticise what they view as the petition's 'decontextualisation' of the suicide bombings. The petition, these critics note, fails to mention specific instances of Israel's use of force against Palestinian civilians, such as the artillery shelling of a crowded market in Jenin on 22 June, which resulted in the killing of three children and a man, and the maiming of 20 civilians. It is such acts of terror, most Palestinians argue, that make the resort to suicide bombings almost inevitable, regardless of how one views them ethically." [more]

"We are excited to have someone with Captain Chenoweth's experience and expertise join our firm to lead our efforts in supporting the Navy's transformation initiatives," said Paul Branske, senior vice president of ITS. "His extensive background in directing high performance flight test, integrated product development and aviation depot-level repair teams is a key asset to ITS's growth." [more]

" 'Many of these men have been fighting all of their adult life in a particular movement. Their whole life and their whole identity is formed by associating with that movement. Now if we suddenly tell them to forget about their identity and their past life, it is not going to be easy. If you look at all the militia members in Afghanistan, you see that their attitudes, their age and their whole outlook is very dissimilar.' " [more]

"A call to Spinosa by the Secretary of Labor would not be surprising, given the stakes, but a call from the man in charge of coordinating the battle against terrorism on America's home turf confirms all the Left's deepest fears that, as so often throughout the twentieth century, national security is being used to justify strike-breaking, invocation of the Taft-Hartley Act and declarations of national emergency to shut down labor activism and if necessary throw labor organizers in jail." [more]

The ruling "preserves [a] government effort to secretly detain foreigners." [more]

"Karzai: We have offered all Afghans, warlords or no warlords, to be part of the nation-building in Afghanistan. And there is an opportunity for them to come and participate, and go down in Afghan history as good people. They also have the choice to go the other way around ó and go into the Afghan history as bad people." [more]

" 'No person should be immune from prosecution for genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes,' the head of the Coalition for the ICC, William Pace, said in the open letter to the security council. 'The US proposal would send a very dangerous signal that peacekeepers are above the law if they commit one of (these) grave crimes,' he said." [more]

"For all British and U.S. leaders' grand pronouncements of solidarity in the face of terrorism, the 'true friendship' between Bush and Blair seems to be in short supply — at least between U.S. forces and Royal Marines in the hills of east Afghanistan. Indeed, while politicians at home talk about standing 'shoulder to shoulder,' their forces on the ground can barely see eye to eye." [more]