Iraq invasion justification again called into question
McClatchy Newspapers Mar 11, 08 5:48 AM CDT
(Newser)
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A Pentagon-sponsored study of captured Iraqi intelligence archives has been unable to find a single operational link between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden or his al-Qaeda network, reports the McClatchy newspapers. The study will be released this week and is expected to refuel debate over the US justification for invading Iraq. Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld once described evidence for links between the two as "bulletproof."
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Ex-defense official says his advice was ignored
Washington Post Mar 9, 08 3:28 PM CDT
(Newser)
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A top Iraq war architect slams the CIA and State Department for flawed handling of the build-up and eventual invasion in a new book, the Washington Post reports. Douglas Feith, former undersecretary of defense, takes shots at Colin Powell, Tommy Franks, and ex-occupation chief Paul Bremer, among others, for brushing off Feith’s and the Bush administration’s plans.
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'No one likes them,' Iranian prez says of coalition forces
CNN Mar 3, 08 5:10 PM CST
(Newser)
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As he headed home after his historic visit to Iraq, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad criticized the American occupation, CNN reports. “No one likes them," the provocative Iranian president said of the US-led coalition. "We believe that the forces which crossed oceans and thousands of kilometers to come to this region should leave this region and hand over the affairs to the peoples and government of this region."
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Independence stokes tensions between Russia and West
Associated Press Feb 23, 08 7:29 AM CST
(Newser)
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Mobs of Serb nationalists chanting "Kosovo is ours!" threw stones, bottles, and firecrackers at UN police yesterday as a bridge in northern Kosovo separating Serbs from ethnic Albanians became a flashpoint for conflict over the fledgling independent state. The State Dept. meanwhile ordered non-essential diplomats and all dependents of US personnel to leave Serbia after rioters torched the US Embassy in Belgrade Thursday.
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Speeds up glacial pace of resettlement
CNN Feb 5, 08 3:47 AM CST
(Newser)
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The State Department plans to admit 12,000 Iraqi refugees into the US by September, despite resettling only 375 so far this year, CNN reports. Ambassador James Foley, charged with the task of accelerating resettlement, vowed to reporters that the pace will pick up in the coming months. The US promised to resettle 7,000 Iraqis in America last year but only moved in 1,600.
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Agreement would not need ratification
New York Times Jan 25, 08 7:10 AM CST
(Newser)
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The White House is negotiating with Iraq what critics say is a treaty in all but name and could tie the hands of a future administration, reports the New York Times . The US is insisting on being granted continued authority to conduct the war and calling for legal protection for private contractors from the Baghdad government in a deal that administration officials expect will skirt requirements for Senate ratification .
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DOJ runs up against immunity deal, possible gaps in US law
New York Times Jan 16, 08 11:33 AM CST
(Newser)
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The Justice Department warned Congress last month that major legal obstacles stand in the way of any prosecution of private security firm Blackwater for a September shooting in Iraq, the New York Times reports. Immunity granted by the State Department to Blackwater employees represents a possible roadblock; Justice also has not resolved questions about whether federal law applies to Blackwater contractors.
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Stream of Iraqi reports went unheeded
over two years
Washington Post Dec 24, 07 9:21 PM CST
(Newser)
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The Bush administration ignored repeated warnings about using private security contractors such as Blackwater in Iraq, the Washington Post reports. Despite the warnings from legal experts and military officials over the past two years, the US did not acknowledge the need for oversight—and, in fact, expanded the presence of such firms—until the killing 17 Iraqi civilians in September, the Post notes.
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Pooch attacked bomb-sniffing K-9, says security firm
Reuters Dec 19, 07 4:35 AM CST
(Newser)
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Another fatal shooting by a Blackwater guard in Baghdad is under investigation by the US embassy. The victim this time is a dog kept by the staff of the New York Times, reports Reuters. The guard shot the dog, Hentish, last week before a visit by a diplomat to the Times compound. The private security company claims the pet attacked a bomb-sniffing dog.
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Calls for reconciliation on surprise visit
Reuters Dec 18, 07 4:49 AM CST
(Newser)
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Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Iraq for a surprise visit today to plead for increased efforts at reconciliation, Reuters reports. She flew into the ethnically mixed northern city of Kirkuk—which some expect to be the next flashpoint for violence. The city's Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen are deeply divided, and fears of fighting have delayed a planned vote on the city's future status.
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Embattled Krongard
falls victim to fallout
over Blackwater
Washington Post Dec 7, 07 5:40 PM CST
(Newser)
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The State Department’s inspector general will step down next month, ending a tenure marked by controversy and allegations of conflicts of interest, the Washington Post reports. Critics accused Howard Krongard of impeding the Blackwater investigation, a charge he vigorously denied. He recused himself from the probe when it became public his brother sat on the company's advisory board.
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Ex-ambassador quits: 'More benefits for pets'
Washington Post Dec 5, 07 6:11 AM CST
(Newser)
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The former US ambassador to Romania has quit the Foreign Service to protest its treatment of gays, the Washington Post reports. Michael E. Guest had some parting shots for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the system that he said gives same-sex partners of members of the Foreign Service fewer benefits than family pets. Guest said he has been trying to persuade Rice to make changes for years.
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