In a piece entitled Basra: Echoes of Vietnam, Foreign Policy In Focus’ Conn Hallinan makes some important observations… “One battle rarely wins or loses a war, at least in the moment. Gettysburg crippled Lee’s army in 1863, but the Confederates fought on until 1865. Stalingrad broke the back of the German 6th Army, but it [...]

The US occupation of Iraq has been, from the beginning, an exercise in plugging holes, ones that continue to spring up in a variety of different areas only to be met with more corks, more excuses, and the ultimate reality that the United States is responsible for plunging a nation, and a region of the [...]

As expected, the testimony of both General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker today was predictable. First, Petraeus recommended that planned US troop withdrawals in July be postponed to ensure that ‘gains’ made are not jeopardized. He also claimed that security in Iraq is currently better than it was when he last testified before Congress in September [...]

Yesterday, the Iranian government conceded the fact that it played a role in mediating the ceasefire between Iraqi forces and Shi’ite militias, that has, given events yesterday, seemingly crumbled. Despite this, US General David Patraeus is expected to include in his upcoming testimony before Congress that Iranian forces were directly involved in the recent unrest [...]

Today the President of the United States defended, once again, the war that he, and others, engineered. He spouted the usual nonsense, that to not defeat al-Qaeda in Iraq, which is to say Salafi Jihadis, would result in “surrendering Iraq’s future to al-Qaeda”. Of course, as has been noted by a variety of scholars and [...]

No End In Sight is a new documentary by Magnolia Pictures that critically examines the Iraq war with one of the most impressive and knowledgeable casts ever assembled. Trailer… Cast… Faisal al-Istrabadi Iraqi Ambassador to the United Nations Chris Allbritton Journalist, Time Magazine Richard Armitage Deputy Secretary of State, 2001-2005 James Bamford Author, The Puzzle Palace and A [...]