Iraq War
News and perspectives on the armed conflict in Iraq.
Lesson for Iraq in the Asian Soccer Cup
by Caesar Chelala
NEW YORK, New York - Two very dissimilar events with contradictory results took place recently in Iraq, practically simultaneously: the withdrawal of five Sunni ministers from the so-called unity government of Nouri al-Maliki and the victory of the Iraqi national soccer team over Saudi Arabia for the Asian Soccer Cup. The first is indicative of the battle for power being waged among the factions present in that troubled country, while the second succeeded precisely because those factions were able to overcome th eir deep-seated differences and work towards a common goal. The politicians could learn a valuable lesson from the latter.
Bush won't get much help in Iraq unless he earns it in Palestine
 Daily Star Editorial | date: 2007-01-25BEIRUT - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's emphasis on the "road map" as a route to Middle East peace and the Quartet as a vehicle to get there betray a fundamental misunderstanding of how Palestinian-Israeli negotiations broke down and why they have remained in stasis. The "road map" envisions a series of preparatory steps and delays a final status agreement until the final stage. But all of the foundations for a workable peace pact have already been laid through decades of negotiations, including those that took place during the administration of her boss's predecessor, Bill Clinton, who sought a deal until the very last weeks of his presidency. While Clinton's effort established that an American president could summon the stamina for an exhaustive peace process, he too fell short of securing ironclad commitments from the Israelis and Palestinians. |
Bush's last chance
 Commenting on the Baker-Hamilton Report, Shlomo Ben-Ami writes, "The report's recommendation for an international conference in the style of the Madrid peace conference is not only a timely indication of the linkage between the Israeli-Arab conflict and the region's other troubles; it is also a long overdue reminder that bilateral negotiations between the parties cannot produce an agreement. That realisation prompted the all-Arab Peace Initiative of 2002, which established the conditions for an Israeli-Arab comprehensive settlement." |
Emphatically stating the obvious on Iraq
 David Ignatius, a regular Washington, D.C.-based contributor to the Daily Star, analyses the findings and recommendations in the bipartisan Iraq Study Group's report. Acknowledging that the real national security threat to America is the "sense in the rest of the world that Iraq symbolises America's fatal new combination of arrogance and incompetence", he highlights how this report can help to turn this around. |
An Islamic-Western alliance against sectarianism in Iraq
 Freelance writer, Mehlaqa Samdani, considers the role that the Muslim world and the West can play jointly when it comes to mitigating sectarian conflict in Iraq. Highlighting some of the major players in Iraq and those who have the ability to sway public opinion, the writer outlines a list of actions that they can take to encourage inter-sectarian cooperation and explains how the West can support these efforts. |
Damascus is Ready to Talk. Are We?
 In a recent interview with John Simpson of the BBC, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad indicated again that he was open to a negotiated peace settlement with Israel, though he expressed skepticism that either Israel or the U.S. was ready to renew talks. "You say in English 'it take two to tango,'" President Assad told the reporter. Whatever one ultimately feels about the regime in Damascus, ignoring any opportunity for negotiations would be an enormous mistake. Israel, the United States and Syria all have a great deal to gain from renewed talks. So what's stopping us? by Peter Ryan |
U.S. War Resister Cases Work Their Way Through Canadian Courts
 Canada's Federal Court of Appeal prepares to hear appeals from resisters Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey. Both are appealing April 2006 Federal Court decisions which upheld findings by the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) that the Americans did not qualify as refugees under the 1951 Geneva Convention. Hinzman and Huey both face court martial and up to five years in jail as deserters if they are ordered returned to the U.S. Nevertheless, the IRB rejected their arguments that they did not want to participate in an illegal war and that they would be punished for acting on their conscience. |
