HEADLINES Find Elected Officials Enter ZIP Code: or Search by State See Issues & Action Select An Issue Area: Contact The Media Enter ZIP Code: or Search by State EVENTS Friday Noon Women in Black We invite local women to join us every Friday in downtown Traverse City (Front and Union) NOTABLE Letters from inside Palestine Eyewitness views of the war in the middle east—and the real impact on the people who live there. REFERENCE Legislation related to 9.11.01 Attack & Terrorism Don't Click Here Ten Things to Know About Terrorism Ten Things You Can Do to Prevent War Ten Things You Should Know about U.S. Policy in the Middle East 100 Questions & Answers about Arab-Americans : A Journalist's Guide Advice to Arab-American Parents : Helping Children Cope Advice to Educators : from the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee Break the Cycle : a Short Film — Please take a moment to watch a short but very powerful new animated film that advocates for justice, not blind revenge, in response to the 9-11 attacks Warning ... The US government has been warned for over ten years that if it did not stop bombing and killing Iraqis by the tens of thousands, that the US would suffer. The US government has been warned for over ten years that it would suffer if it did not stop supporting the Israeli aggression against the Palestinians. The US has been warned if it did not remove troops from the soil of Saudi Arabia, it would suffer. And the US has been warned that if it did not allow the Arabs to keep and control their own oil, without interference, the US would suffer. Bin Laden warned that the US would be attacked, over a month ago. Both sides warn the other, over and over. That does not change anything. They both warn, and then they strike. Eye for an eye. (We don't know how many of the thousands of Afghans we have killed have had anything to do with the destruction of the WTC, or the damage to the Pentagon. Nor do Bush and his cronies seem to care. ) The only question before us is, will the bombing of innocent Afghans be beneficial, either to the US or Afghanistan itself. It seems unlikely. Will the bombing of Afghanistan help the US adminstration increase its power and control over the Middle East, Central Asia, and over the American people? Will the bombing of Afghanistan increase the profits of US arms manufacturers? Will it give the military industrial complex a chance to test out new weapons system, to replenish their stocks, and come with plans for news means of killing large numbers of people? The answer to these questions is probably, yes. Will the bombing increase the security of most Americans? Highly dubious. Perhaps the adminstration wants to DECREASE OUR SECURITY, to enable them to INCREASE their power. From a purely Machiavellian point of view, they are doing what is necessary to gain power. And for the moment, they appear to be succeeding. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (UCCR) has established a hotline for reports of hate crimes against Arab American, Muslim and South Asian American victims of violent incidents following the hijacking attacks on September 11. The hotline number is 800-552-6843 Leading world religions • Christianity: 1.97 billion • Islam: 1.18 billion • Hinduism: 799 million • Buddhism: 355 million Leading U.S. religions • Christianity: 158 million • Islam: 6.1 million • Judaism: 6.1 million • Buddhism: 4 million • Hinduism: 1.3 million More Detailed Information "Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience. Our problem is that numbers of people all over the world have obeyed the dictates of the leaders of their government and have gone to war, and millions have been killed because of this obedience. . . Our problem is that people are obedient all over the world in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war, and cruelty. Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves, and all the while the grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem." Howard Zinn, "Failure to Quit", p. 45

Murder of Dorothy Stang places Brazil, and Lula, At crossroads
An American nun Dorothy Stang who had lived in Brazil for 30 years and was a naturalized Brazilian citizen was gunned down on a remote dirt road in the Amazon Jungle in the region where she lived and worked for 23 years.

Halliburton Questioned on $1.8 Billion Iraq Work - WSJ
Pentagon auditors have concluded that Halliburton Co. failed to adequately account for more than $1.8 billion of work in Iraq and Kuwait, the Wall Street Journal said on Wednesday, citing a Pentagon report. Vice President Dick Cheney was Halliburton's chief executive from 1995 to 2000.

Senior Sunni Cleric Calls for Holy War against U.S. Forces in Iraq
A senior Sunni cleric called on his followers to launch a holy war against the US forces in Iraq and threatened to turn the hotspot city of Ramadi into a "graveyard" for American troops.

Saddam to Be Charged by Iraqi Judge on Thursday
We find it incomprehensible that control over the ultimate fate of Saddam Hussein has been handed by the Bush administration to Salem Chalabi. Salem Chalabi, is, of course, the nephew of Ahmad Chalabi, who has been accused of being a spy for the nation of Iran. Ahmad Chalabi's ability to give damaging American intelligence secrets to Iran was empowered by many of the same Bush administration officials who would likely appear on the aforementioned witness list. The conflict of interest is appalling.

Bush's Kiss of Death
We're constantly finding instances of programs that Bush, the candidate, proudly claims to support, while he prepares to cut them drastically.

US guards 'filmed beatings' at terror camp
Dozens of videotapes of American guards allegedly engaged in brutal attacks on Guantanamo Bay detainees have been stored and catalogued at the camp. They say that if the contents are shocking. They will provide final proof that brutality against detainees has become an institutionalised feature of America's war on terror.

The Logic of Withdrawal
I believe we are at a point in the history of our country where we have a serious decision to make. That decision will deeply affect not only our lives, but also the lives of our children and grandchildren. At this moment in our nation's history, we are on a very dangerous course. We can remain on that course, or we can turn onto a bold new path to fulfill the promise of the Declaration of Independence, which guarantees everyone an equal right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Protests greet Bush in Australia
US President George W Bush has arrived in Canberra, where he is to deliver a thank-you address to the Australian parliament for sending troops to take part in the war in Iraq. Thousands of people protested at the central town hall in Sydney ahead of his arrival, calling for Australian soldiers to be withdrawn from Iraq. More demonstrations are also planned in Canberra.

Armed aircraft patrol Australian skies for Bush visit
Armed fighter jets with a licence to kill have begun patrols in the skies over Australia's capital as the city yesterday began an unprecedented security operation for a visit by United States President George W Bush. It is only the second time armed air force jets have flown operationally over Australia's mainland since World War II.

U.S. general sees war in space
"In my view it will not be long before space becomes a battleground," Lt. Gen. Edward Anderson, deputy commander of U.S. Northern Command, said in response to a question at a geospatial intelligence conference on Wednesday. "Our military forces ... depend very, very heavily on space capabilities, and so that is a statement of the obvious to our potential threat, whoever that may be," he said.

MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY
Seventy days without a peep. The United States of America, reputably the wealthiest nation in the world, no longer has credit. Its credit card was cancelled seventy days ago, we've got a horrendous and increasing trade deficit, and the Euro is replacing the dollar as the world standard.

Enron, MCI seek tax refunds despite accounting scandals
Enron, and MCI -- recently known as WorldCom Inc, are seeking huge tax refunds from the government despite having concealed massive debts for years

Transatlantic Battle Over the New World Order
The widening rift within the Security Council and NATO is not about Iraq but the U.S. plan for global dominance.

Nukespeak Redux
Nuclear-safety experts are outraged at a recent NRC ruling that puts secrecy over protecting public safety.

Memory of the World Social Forum 2003
The executive secretary of the WSF is starting to build a memory of the World Social Forum 2003. All documents, proposals, synthesis and final declarations will be available soon. Please check here here for an overview of the whole programme.

NAFTA Equals Death, Say Peasant Farmers
More than 2,000 farmers from throughout Mexico staged a protest Tuesday in the capital to demand a freeze on the agricultural provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which they blame for most of their economic and social woes.

We Have Played Straight Into Bin Laden's Hands
Terrified of being blamed for not having acted on warnings, politicians on both sides of the Atlantic have resorted to generalized warnings that do nothing to tell the public what to do but everything to enable ministers to cover their backs come the next terrorist outrage.

Osama is Back, and No One Gives a Damn?
Osama bin Laden is back, and suddenly no one gives a damn? What is this??!! The White House spokesman announced, "This is about more than one man." The president now says it "really doesn't matter much" if bin Laden is dead or alive. This is the same president who promised to bring him back "dead or alive," isn't it?

Good Will Towards Who?
It is strange that we, the American people speak of being thankful and of such noble thoughts as peace on earth and good will towards men while at the same time, we speak of a war against the Iraqi people. Also, in the Holy Land, the Palestinian people suffer horrendously and every day, the toll on the civilian population grows heavier.

Half-A-Million March in Anti-War Rally in Italy
More than half a million anti-war protesters from across Europe marched through this Italian Renaissance city on Saturday in a loud and colorful demonstration denouncing any possible U.S. attack on Iraq.

Anti-War Rallies Change Italy on Iraq?
More than 1.5 million Italians took to the streets of dozens of cities Saturday afternoon and evening to protest possible U.S. military action against Iraq -- a surprise show of discord that could be fervent enough for the Italian government to re-think its support of Washington.

Bombs will deepen Iraq's nightmare
I am an Iraqi British woman (half-Kurdish, half-Arab). I have lived in Britain since 1976. I can't go back to Iraq because, like many Iraqis, I was imprisoned and tortured.

Ex-Marine Wages Loud Fight Against War
The 41-year-old former United Nations weapons inspector has said his duty is to be one of the most vocal and visible critics of President Bush's Iraq policy. He accuses the administration of offering no more than a trumped-up case for a pre-emptive strike against Iraq. He has likened the administration's tactics to those of a police officer who plants "evidence" on a suspect to help win a conviction.

Carter Criticizes Bush for Policy Against Iraq
Carter, who spoke after taped remarks from four other presidents, said that presidential legacy includes "the tradition that our country has had from the time of George Washington to avoid unnecessary military conflicts, and to deal with troubling issues in a peaceful manner, and when necessary to engage in military conflict to make sure we have harnessed the cooperation of allies and a global commitment to address a challenge to peace."

The Murder of Arafat
While I am writing this, Yasser Arafat is still alive. But his life is hanging on a thread. Now Sharon believes that he can achieve his aim. He needs only Bush’s approval. Not necessarily a formal confirmation. A subtle hint will suffice. Half a word. A wink.

The Troubling New Face of America By Jimmy Carter
Fundamental changes are taking place in the historical policies of the United States with regard to human rights, our role in the community of nations and the Middle East peace process -- largely without definitive debates (except, at times, within the administration). Some new approaches have understandably evolved from quick and well-advised reactions by President Bush to the tragedy of Sept. 11, but others seem to be developing from a core group of conservatives who are trying to realize long-pent-up ambitions under the cover of the proclaimed war against terrorism.

Countdown to a Collision
President Bush's promise to seek Congressional approval for action against Iraq was heartening but does not substitute for a comprehensible policy.

German Leader's Warning: War Plan Is a Huge Mistake
Gerhard Schröder, the German chancellor, believes that a new war in the Middle East would put at risk all that has been gained in the battle against Al Qaeda.

Jackals of War
As high level delegations from the U.S. and Britain flew in and out of New Delhi and Karachi, lobbying for peace. It turns out that is not all they were lobbying for. With the scent of blood in the air, the arms jackals have poured into South Asia, sometimes in the suits of leading government officials hawking weapon sales.

The View From Tehran
Iran is in flux and worth a new look from Washington — not just branded evil and ignored.

What Are They Doing to Argentina?
Imagine that someone is drowning, and a passerby does nothing to save him. This would be morally reprehensible. But what if the drowning man is trying to claw his way onto the shore, and the passerby kicks him and pushes him back into the river? Very simply, the IMF is practicing a form of extortion, and a fairly brutal one at that.

Behind 'Plot' on Hussein, a Secret Agenda
It is high time that Congress start questioning the hype and rhetoric emanating from the White House regarding Baghdad, because the leaked CIA plan is well timed to undermine the efforts underway in the United Nations to get weapons inspectors back to work in Iraq. In early July, the U.N. secretary-general will meet with Iraq's foreign minister for a third round of talks on the return of the weapons monitors. A major sticking point is Iraqi concern over the use--or abuse--of such inspections by the U.S. for intelligence collection.

Bush gives CIA green light on Iraq
US special forces can use 'lethal force' to capture or kill Saddam Hussein.

Bewildered in the Holy Land
White House Mideast policy is now so purely driven by public relations as to render it of little benefit to anyone but Mr. Bush Himself. One wonders, if not for the photo-ops, would they bother at all? If the most recent round of visits by Mideast heads of state are any gauge, swaying the Administration's policy is no more complicated than allowing oneself to be photographed shaking hands with Mr. Bush. Provided it is done in a manner that will convince American television audiences that Mr. Bush has even the slightest clue what to do next.

The World Food Summit: What Went Wrong?
The root cause of persistent hunger is not a lack of resources but the destructive trade and agricultural policies of governments.

The Secret History of World War II
This series sheds new light on key events of World War II, from Pearl Harbor to the Holocaust. The stories are based on some of the more than 3 million files released under a 1999 executive order requiring the US intelligence establishment to declassify a half-century's worth of secrets about the war.

West Hawks Arms As It Preaches Peace
The United States, Britain, France and Russia are either supplying India or Pakistan or both varied military goods, or negotiating desperately for access to the world's largest arms market.

The Price Of Failure In Kashmir
With both governments exploiting military fervor for political gain, an all-out war between India and Pakistan will break out sooner or later.

Do you have blacks too?
It is said, that, before September 11, George W. Bush thought the Taliban were a Bavarian brass band. Now, thanks to his comprehensive knowledge, the most powerful man in the world has got into hot water again. During a conversation between George W. Bush, 55, (USA) and Fernando Henrique Cardoso, 71, ( President of Brazil), Bush bewildered his colleague with the question "Do you have blacks, too?" Condoleezza Rice, 47, noticing how astonished the Brazilian was, saved the day by telling Bush: "Mr. President, Brazil probably has more blacks than the USA. Some say it's the country with the most blacks outside Africa."

Vietnam: Kerrey Committed War Crime
Vietnam accused former Sen. Bob Kerrey of crimes during the Vietnam War, saying Friday that families of villagers killed by his Navy team experienced ``incomparable suffering and losses.''

Wake-Up Call
For the First Time Since the Cuban Missile Crisis, Nuclear War is Not a Distant Threat But a Real Possibility

We Must All Prevent War
If We Human Beings Leave This Problem to Governments, We Are Doomed...

Weapons Salesmen Turn Peacemongers
World powers trying to defuse the stand-off between India and Pakistan stood accused yesterday of fueling the conflict by selling billions of pounds of sophisticated weaponry to both sides.

Tens of thousands march against Bush in Berlin
“We do not want your wars, Mr. President”. Large numbers of school youth and students were also in evidence, bearing banners condemning the war activities of the Bush government and, in particular, its preparations for war against Iraq. One banner carried by demonstrators read: “The axis of evil runs right through the middle of the Pentagon”.

In Defense of the Rights of Political Prisoners
I am saddened to say that in Peru the government's propaganda against those who stand up for their rights and seek social change continues. It seems that the only law enforcement that exists in Peru is that which represses.

Aiding Colombia
History is repeating itself in Latin America, where an American administration is once again becoming involved in a decades-old civil war. The conflict this time is Colombia’s; and if the U.S. government’s recent performance during the Venezuelan coup is any indication, its policy is certainly a farce.

Saudi officials silent as anti-U.S. boycott spreads
A boycott against U.S. products is spreading in the Gulf states.Saudi activists said members of the royal family have pledged their support for the boycott in protest of Washington's support for Israel. The boycott has so far led to a drop of sales of up to 30 percent.

President Bush's Wag-the-Dog Policy on Iraq
With its admission that an alleged link between Saddam Hussein and the Sept. 11 attacks doesn't exist, the Bush administration has lost its most compelling argument for invading Iraq.

The Road of Death remembered
Abdul Maaunaim Abdul Wahab, a former Iraqi commando sergeant, still has nightmares about the Road of Death, the route from Kuwait to the Iraqi port of Basra along which Saddam Hussein's army retreated during the Gulf war 11 years ago...

Iraq now expects war with US
Iraq's deputy prime minister, Tariq Aziz, provided a bleak assessment yesterday of the country's chances of averting war with the US.

Profiles of courage: US lawmakers stand up for moral justice in Middle East
It is easy, in a broad sweep, to believe that all of America’s elected Congressmen and Senators are pro-Israeli extremists. And, reading the mainstream media here, it would be difficult to assume otherwise.

US finds a palatable word for military aid to Colombia
Members of Congress and top Bush administration officials, seeking to broaden US aid to the Colombian military, are increasingly painting that country's battle against leftist insurgents and drug traffickers as part of the larger struggle against terrorism.

The settlements / A point for pressure on Sharon
If the United States and Saudi Arabia are serious about pressing Yasser Arafat and Ariel Sharon to stop the cycle of Palestinian-Israeli violence, a good starting point for the United States would be the volatile issue of Jewish settlements.

What About the War Powers Act?
The White House wasted no time the other day shooting down a front-page story in The New York Times saying the Bush administration is focusing on "a major air and ground invasion" of Iraq, probably "early next year," using from 70,000 to 250,000 American troops to drive Saddam Hussein from power.

Israel/Occupied Territories: Jenin War Crimes Investigation Needed
Evidence suggests that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) committed war crimes in the military operation in the Jenin refugee camp, Human Rights Watch charged in a report issued today after a week-long investigation.

Anti-Semitism Is Deepening Among Muslims
Stay in a five-star hotel anywhere from Jordan to Iran, and you can buy the infamous forgery "Protocols of the Elders of Zion." Pick up a newspaper in any part of the Arab world and you regularly see a swastika superimposed on the Israeil flag.

Behind the Rage
The Arab world is outraged in large part because it is Israel that is killing Arabs this time, but the outrage is sincere....

Protesters Arrested During Sit-In
New York student Felicia Lin, others protesting American policy in Colombia

Israel: 4,185 Palestinians Detained
Israel pulled out of two dozen small West Bank towns and villages Thursday, but swept into others and rounded up more Palestinian men despite international pressure to end the 2-week-old campaign to root out militants.

America Can Persuade Israel to Make a Just Peace
In January 1996, with full support from Israel and responding to the invitation of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, the Carter Center helped to monitor a democratic election in the West Bank and Gaza, which was well organized, open and fair. In that election, 88 members were elected to the Palestinian National Authority, with Yasir Arafat as president. Legally and practically, the Palestinian people were encouraged to form their own government, with the expectation that they would soon have full sovereignty as a state. (by former President Jimmy Carter)

The moral simplifier
Bush is ill-suited for a peacekeeping role in the Middle East. The Israelis and the Palestinians are not condemned to some eternal hell where they have to kill each other forever. There is no military solution, but there is a political solution -- and they will get there. The United States is obliged to broker the deal because there's no one else to do it.

Israel, Palestine and Justice
When Israelis and Palestinians demonize each other, it is the people who suffer. Both sides need to accept responsibility and find a non-violent path to a just peace.

This will be the week when we see who runs the US-Israeli alliance
Suddenly Israel doesn't want to take our advice. Ex-general Ariel Sharon prefers to go on wrecking the Palestinian Authority, tearing up the Oslo agreement in the name of his Holy War on terror. Why should he worry about the scandalous number of civilian casualties among the Palestinians? After all, didn't America wreak its own revenge – killing thousands of innocent civilians in one of the poorest countries on Earth

34 years of israeli policy have laid the groundwork for its unholy war in the west bank and gaza
I witnessed on the ground the rapid growth of Israel's settlements and the seizure of Palestinian land and water for them: today over half the West Bank's resources now are in Israel's hands. About a third of Gaza's resources have suffered the same fate.

Annan takes Israel to task over human rights violations
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in his harshest condemnation of Israel to date, said Wednesday he was "appalled" by the dire humanitarian situation caused by the Israeli offensive against Palestinians.

Sharon's War: How the News Gets Through
Here we are, twenty years on , and many of the reports of what's been happening as the Israeli army smashes its way through Ramallah and Bethlehem and the other Palestinian towns remind me of what came out of Lebanon in 1982 as Sharon and his invading army raced north: Israeli troops beating, looting, destroying; Palestinian families huddling in refugee camps, waiting for the killers to come.

The Bloody Battle of Bethlehem
If the Church of the Nativity is now a battleground, what is sacred any longer? The details are as indistinct as the smoke that still rises close to Manger Square, but Christian officials speak of at least 100 Palestinian civilians seeking the sanctuary of the church that marks the spot where Jesus is believed to have been born in a stable.

Violence And Excuses In The Mideast
Many Americans have been cowed into silence about Israeli aggression. But they should say aloud what they really feel: that Israel is behaving immorally and even savagely.

The Madness Of Ariel Sharon
The bloody campaign against the Palestinians is in keeping with the Israeli Prime Minister's violent history. But why is the White House participating in his vendetta?

A Rightwing Blueprint For The Middle East
A highly influential cabal of rightwingers have a radical vision for the Middle East -- and they include some of Bush's closest advisers.

Deadly and destructive invasion of Ramallah continues
The Israeli army is currently attacking the site of the Preventive Security Forces in Ramallah with tanks and helicopter gunships, in what has been a continuous bombardment and shelling since last night. There are children inside the building which is now on fire, and the Israeli soldiers are preventing ambulances and the fire brigade from reaching the scene.

Violence Erupts as 2,000 Peace Activists Try to Bring Food, Medicine to Ramallah
Police yesterday used tear gas and batons to prevent a peace march of some 2,000 protesting Israeli Jews and Arabs from delivering truckloads of food and medicine to besieged Ramallah.

Why Suicide Terrorism Takes Root
Suicide bombings are immensely empowering to many people in the Middle East who no longer believe that their governments can do anything to relieve their humiliation and improve their conditions.

Deadly Crisis in the Middle East
Tragically, as the Middle East boils over into a cruel war, we are stuck with leaders -- Ariel Sharon and George W. Bush -- who see brute force as the only solution to rebellion and historical disagreement. Suicide bombers and brutal occupation cannot breed peace, only future horrors. It's the time to be informed, make our voices heard and fight for a peaceful solution.

U.S. warns of threat against Americans in Italy
U.S. citizens could be the targets of terrorist attacks in four Italian cities this weekend, the U.S. Embassy in Rome warned Wednesday.

Israel Plans Big Assault If Truce Talks Fail
As the United States tries to mediate a truce in the Middle East, Israeli military planners are preparing for a major assault

The money war
More aid to poverty-stricken countries will help to stop terrorism before it begins

One, Two, Many Afghanistans
As the United States waded ever deeper into Indochina in the 1960s, the Argentine revolutionary, Che Guevara, called for ''one, two, many Vietnams'' to bog down the superpower in hopeless conflicts all over the Third World.

Plan Colombia
'I Can Tell Them That This Will Be Worse Than Vietnam'. Rebels Keep Eye Out for U.S. as Colombian Conflict Flares

U.S. Broadens Terror Fight, Readying Troops for Yemen
President Bush has approved plans to send as many as 100 troops to Yemen to help train that nation's military to fight terrorists, senior administration officials said today.

Stop this brutality in our name, Mister Blair
This is what is being done in the name of humanity, civilisation and the British people. These prisoners are trapped in open cages, manacled hand and foot, brutalised, tortured and humiliated. Even if these men had been found guilty, they should not be treated like this. It is not doing anything to help the war on terrorism. These pictures will do the opposite - inflame the belief among some young Muslims that America is their enemy.

Al-Qaida, the sect
Al-Qaida has been thought of as a global or national political movement, or representative of an entire religion. It isn't. It's just another of the many death-obsessed sectarian movements to emerge in the past 20 years.

How Neo-liberalism too, over the World
Radical conservatism was proclaimed dead in the early 1960s. It wasn't even sleeping. It was planning, successfully, to become the orthodoxy of the next 40 years. Now we have to nerve ourselves to challenge it.

Caught in the vortex of the 'cycle of violence'
How many times have we seen the escalation in Belfast or the Middle East, where each episode in the "cycle of violence" is defended as a "cycle of protection"? In the war on terrorism too, a justified retaliation against an enemy produces unplanned "collateral damage" against civilians. You don't have to be a pacifist to be sobered as you watch the unpredictable directions of war.

Israel vs. the Palestinians: blaming the victim
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's decision to keep Chairman Yasser Arafat under siege in Ramallah shows an utter disrespect for the Palestinian leader and for the Palestinians.

We will not tolerate the abuse of war prisoners
Guantanamo could be where America and Europe part company

The Long and Hidden History of the U.S in Somalia
Somalia may be the next target in the war on terrorism. It's history -- including huge military support from the U.S. to fight communism -- is strikingly similar to Afghanistan's.

Rumsfeld confirms deployment of hundreds of US troops to Philippines
US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld confirmed that hundreds of US troops will participate in military maneuvers in the southern Philippines

U.S. Eyes Shift in Colombia Policy
Greater Aid for War Against Leftist Guerrillas Sought

War on terror 'curbing human rights'
Governments around the world of using the US-led war on terrorism as an excuse to carry out repressive policies and crush on internal dissent.

U.S. Eyes Shift in Colombia Policy
The Bush administration is considering expanding U.S. counternarcotics assistance to Colombia to give more aid to that country's counterinsurgency war against leftist guerrillas, according to administration officials.

Colombia, Rebels Set New Talks
The government and rebel leaders reached a last-minute accord Monday to restart peace talks, pulling Colombia back from the brink of a full-blown war.

Argentina sends IMF back to the drawing board
If there is one clear conclusion from the implosion of the Argentinian economy, it is that the International Monetary Fund rule book for dealing with financial crises should have been torn up years ago.

Argentine Government Calls IMF Advice 'Offensive'
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (Reuters) - Argentina's already icy relations with the IMF took a turn for the worse on Saturday, with a top government official calling the lender's advice ''offensive'' and saying more time was needed to end a long recession.

CIA: China Expected to Target U.S.
China is expected to have between 75 and 100 long-range nuclear missiles pointed at the United States by 2015. Many of those intercontinental ballistic missiles will be on mobile launchers, helping China maintain a nuclear deterrent against theU.S.

Indonesians wary of U.S. motives
Afghan war viewed by many as assault on Muslim world

Why Do They Hate Us?
One of the things that we Americans are finally waking up to since Sept. 11 is the degree to which we are disliked and resented around the world.

After Afghanistan, US likely to focus on Indonesia, Philippines
After Afghanistan, the United States will likely focus on denying terrorist groups sanctuary in places like Somalia, Yemen, Indonesia and the Philippines, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz told The New York Times.

Threat of U.S. Attack Could Rupture Somalia Peace
Somalia's fragile peace could unravel under the threat of United States military action, giving the upper hand to warlords opposed to recent efforts to rebuild the war-torn country, a British-based charity said Monday.

Shoe-bomb flight -- a trial run?
As investigators gather evidence about possible links between alleged airline shoe-bomber Richard Reid and the al Qaeda terrorist organization, intelligence officials on both sides of the Atlantic are floating a disturbing theory: that Reid's bombing attempt may have been a "trial run" for future, simultaneous attacks against passenger jets to be carried out by supporters of Osama bin Laden.

MI5 blunders over bomber
British security services knew of links between shoe bomber Richard Reid and one 11 September hijack suspect late last year.

The making of a human timebomb
Islam gave Richard Reid a chance to abandon crime. Then fanatics made him a terrorist. His story may become familiar: there are a lot more like him

Inequality -- and Uncle Sam -- at the Root of Argentinean Crisis
President Bush is betting that Argentina's economic meltdown will not spread beyond its borders. But a social crisis behind the economic one threatens all of Latin America, and ultimately the United States

More Than Bush Bargained For?
American Involvement Has South Asia on the Brink of Nuclear War

China court indicts Hong Kong trader for imported Bibles
A court in China's Fujian province has issued an "evil cult" indictment to Li Guangqiang a Hong Kong businessman for transporting Bibles into China and may hand him a death sentence, a Hong Kong rights group said on Saturday. Please call/write the Chinese Embassy and request that Li Guangqiang be released, and all charges against him be dropped.

Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China in the United States
2300 Connecticut Ave NVV Washington DC 20008
contacts: Tel:(202)328-2500 Fax:(202)588-0032 Email: chinaembassy_us@fmprc.gov.cn or Website

Argentina to Devalue as President Slams Free Market
Argentina's new President Eduardo Duhalde, blaming free market policies of the last decade for creating social chaos proposed a bill to Congress that seeks special powers enabling him to dismantle the peg that kept the peso one-to-one against the U.S. dollar.

A Euro For Your Thoughts
The idea of the euro is to unite the countries economically and create some truly boring paper money adorned with generic, unidentifiable bridges and doorways.

US missile shortage delays Iraq strike
A shortage of cruise missiles has thrown plans for a full-scale strike on Iraq into disarray.

Crying With Argentina
Although images of the riots in Argentina have flickered across our television screens, hardly anyone in the United States cares.

U.S. cooking up a coup in Venezeula?
There is the smell of a coup in the air these days. It was like this in Iran just before the 1953 U.S.-backed coup overthrew the Mossedeah government and installed the Shah. It has the feel of 1963 in South Vietnam, before the military takeover switched on the light at the end of the long and terrible Southeast Asian tunnel. It is hauntingly similar to early September 1973, before the coup in Chile ushered in 20 years of blood and darkness.

Weapons of mass destruction — going nuclear in Iraq
Dr Alim Abdul-Hamid's office at Al Mustanseriya Medical College in Baghdad has had plenty of first-hand experience with Iraq's unprecedented plague of cancers and birth defects.

Brace yourself for Part Two
President Bush announced a crusade for infinite "justice" – later downgraded to infinite freedom – and bombed Afghanistan. Using the gunmen and murderers of the discredited Northern Alliance to destroy the gunmen and murderers of the discredited Taliban, the Americans bombed bin Laden's cave fortresses and killed hundreds of Afghan and Arab fighters, not including the prisoners executed after the Anglo-US-Northern Alliance suppression of the Mazar prison revolt.

Getting Iran Right
Some big opportunities were left in the wake of Sept. 11. Take Iran, which pledged assistance in search-and-rescue operations for any downed American

The Healing in Helping the World's Poor
We can't create a world free from tension and conflict. But we can end the world's hunger.

The New War Against Terror
So this time there is a little relief and we have a pleasant topic instead, the new war on terror. Unfortunately, the world keeps coming up with things that make it more and more horrible as we proceed.

The Real Story Behind America’s War
This, not the hunt for a man in a cave in Afghanistan, is the aim behind US Vice-President Dick Cheney’s threats to “40 to 50 countries”. It has little to do with terrorism and much to do with maintaining the divisions that underpin “globalisation”.

Do the (Ordinary) Americans Know?
The Americans that have a (reasonably) clear understanding of what is going on in the world are a minority. The Americans that have a fairly intelligible picture of the world are more numerous, but are also a minority.

The bomber from Bromley
The man accused of smuggling bombs concealed in his shoes on to an American aircraft is a small-time British criminal who converted to Islam behind bars.

Shoe bombs capable of grave harm
Te shoes of the suspected suicide bomber subdued aboard an American Airlines flight Saturday contained alarmingly sophisticated, working bombs with enough explosive power to cause a disaster, law enforcement officials said yesterday.

Flight instructor phoned the FBI last August
A flight instructor attempted to alert the agency that a terrorist might be taking lessons to fly a jumbo jet. "Do you realize how serious this is?" the instructor asked an FBI agent. "This man wants training on a 747. A 747 fully loaded with fuel could be used as a weapon!"

The Innocent Dead in a Coward's War
The price in blood that has already been paid for America's war against terror is only now starting to become clear.

Somalia high on US list of terror targets
Somalia could become the next target of US action, in an attempt to shut down boltholes for al-Qaida members fleeing Afghanistan.

US Policies Played "Significant Role" in Terror Attacks
The poll of 275 world leaders showed a majority of non-US respondents felt US policies had played a significant role in fueling terrorists' anger against the United States.

Disparities of Wealth Are Seen as Fuel for Terrorism
Americans are in general totally convinced of our own essential goodness - that we are the most democratic, most liberal, most just people in the world and that we assume everybody else sees it the same way. We are not very good at putting ourselves in the shoes of others, and therefore we don't necessarily understand that people don't share the view of us that we have ourselves

How the World Sees the U.S. and September 11
The survey also highlights a large gap between the way Americans believe they are seen abroad and the way others see the United States. U.S. attacks on Afghanistan are seen by 4 in 10 non-Americans as an overreaction.

Bush Administration Wants To Build New Nuclear Bomb
Defense officials are considering the possibility of developing a low-yield nuclear device that would be able to destroy deeply buried stockpiles of chemical or biological weapons.

U.S. Again Placing Focus on Ousting Hussein
With Muslim backing, the option of taking the war against terrorism to Iraq has gained significant ground in recent weeks, according to administration officials.

In the Pursuit of Peace, Acknowledge, Listen to Women
I believe the world is in the state it's in because women's power and perspective are underused and underappreciated. Nations most often still cannot find means other than war to resolve conflict and curb violence in large part because men, almost exclusively, have held the reins of power.

CIA Denies Being Source of Anthrax
The Washington Post reported Sunday that genetic tests of the spores in the anthrax-laced letters mailed to Capitol Hill were identical to stocks maintained by a U.S. Army research program at Ft. Detrick, Md.

A Fairy Tale at Christmas
Coverage of This War Has Played Down the Civilian Deaths and 4 Million Refugees, Feeding a New US Doctrine of Terror

Allied rifts fuels fears on British troops' mission
The military and diplomatic mission to secure Afghanistan and begin planning for the 'wider war' against terrorism looked increasingly precarious last night after America and Britain appeared to be odds over the way forward.

"Sounds Good to Me...."
Last night, in New York City, Ramsey Clark, former attorney general under the Johnson administration, was speaking

Videotape is fake, say Pakistanis
Few ordinary Pakistanis seemed convinced that the video was the real thing. "This is totally manufactured. It's a drama," a spokesman for the Jamaat-e-Islami, Amirul Azeem, told Reuters. "If America really had any proof against bin Laden, they would have taken it to court."

U.S. Releases Videotape of Osama bin Laden
The U. S. government released today a copy of a videotape of Osama bin Laden obtained by U.S. forces in Jalalabad, Afghanistan in late November. Read Transcript PDF

Atta's Father Dismisses Videotape
The father of Mohammed Atta dismissed as a "forgery, a fabrication!" U.S. investigators believe that Atta was the ringleader behind the hijackings of the four passenger planes that crashed into the World Trade Center. The elder Atta, a 65-year-old retired lawyer, has repeatedly denied his son's involvement in the terrorist attacks and has also claimed to have spoken to his son by telephone after Sept. 11.

US targets Somalia in hunt for al-Qaeda
American forces have already flown surveillance flights over Somalia looking for al-Qaeda forces to target in the next stage of the global war on terror
Crisis in brief

Unfinished Business
It has been a war fought like no other - hi-tech, brutally one-sided, breathtakingly rapid. It will revolutionise the way we think about conflict. But where will the US take its war on terror next?

Britons fight for Osama at Tora Bora
Dozens of British Muslims are fighting shoulder to shoulder with the last of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda soldiers. His troops are now fighting a last-ditch battle in a huge cave complex near the Afghan city of Jalalabad.

U.S. ABM Withdrawal a 'Mistake'
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday called the U.S. decision to withdraw from the ABM treaty a "mistake."

American in Taliban: Biological strike on U.S. near
An American Taliban fighter held captive by Marines in Afghanistan has told American officials that al Qaeda's next attack on the United States will take place in days and involve biological weapons

Hundreds massacred, hospitals, mosques destroyed
During the 60 days continued US bombardment in Afghanistan, hundreds of Taliban, civilians were massacred while several mosques, hospitals and entire villages were destroyed. The US warplanes continued hammering of Afghanistan from October 7 to December 6 also forced hundred of thousands people to leave their homes and compelled them on living in refugees camps in Pakistan and deserts.

Afghan Women's Group Gloomy on Post-Taliban Era
Afghan women staged a protest in Pakistan on Monday, denouncing past abuses by factions making up their country's new government and predicting that the lot of women would be no better than under the hard-line Taliban.

It's Credibility, Stupid!
Once again the Bush Administration has warned the American public about the possibility of terrorist attacks and has put law enforcement officials around the country on “the highest alert.” If government agencies - or their informants -- are listening to terrorists hatching plans, then they ought to have some hint as to their identities and intentions. Why won't they tell, at least other law enforcement agencies?

Unintended Victims Fill Afghan Hospital
In one bed lay Noor Mohammad, 10, who was a bundle of bandages. He lost his eyes and hands to the bomb that hit his house after Sunday dinner. Hospital director Guloja Shimwari shook his head at the boy's wounds. ''The United States must be thinking he is Osama,'' Shimwari said. ''If he is not Osama, then why would they do this?''

CIA Told Their Taliban Prisoners to Talk or Die
Video footage has emerged alarming and strengthens the case for an urgent inquiry. The conduct of the CIA operatives is disturbing, specifically the apparent threat of execution. "...death threats against prisoners violate international human rights and humanitarian law.

In Letter, 300 Law Professors Oppose Tribunals Plan
More than 300 law professors from around the country are protesting President Bush's order to establish military tribunals for foreign terrorist suspects.

Interviewing John
For nearly three weeks now, I've been trying, unsuccessfully, to have U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft stop by my office to answer a few questions. Really, they're very quick, painless questions. He can even have a lawyer with him—this time.

US Forces Suspension of Germ War Pact, EU Angry
The United States forced a germ warfare conference to break up on Friday without new measures to toughen an international ban, angering its European allies.

N. Korea Says U.S. Being Aggressive
North Korea accused the United States on Saturday of trying to start a war against the communist state, and said it will respond to war with war.

College Condemns War in All-Community Vote
The students, faculty, and staff of Hampshire College have voted to condemn the "War on Terrorism" and propose alternative solutions.

Welcome to Kabul
The British Embassy had a cozy reception in Kabul the other day, offering Swedish meatballs, fruit punch and helpful tips about how to avoid getting shot.

It's Only The Constitution
Looking at the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001 in historical context, it is clear that playing fast and loose with civil liberties is a bad idea.

Huffington: The Evildoers And The Misled
What are we to make of John Walker, the 20-year-old All- American kid who turned Taliban warrior? Maybe that Bush's "us vs. them, good vs. evil" talk is hollow rhetoric.

Pearl Harbor: A Look Back, A Look Forward
In remembering the Dec. 7 anniversary of Pearl Harbor, history has largely forgotten the U.S. internment of German families living in America. Read

How The Taliban Stole Christmas
Can Santa Claus save Christmas, revive the economy and help make the world more safe and free? Damnit, he's gonna try! A hilarious rant penned by St. Nick himself.

Three U.S. Soldiers Killed by other U.S. Soldiers
Three U.S. servicemen were killed and 19 injured today in Afghanistan Read

Civilians abandon homes after hundreds are casualties of US air strikes on villages
Thousands of Afghans are abandoning their homes in the east of the country to escape United States air strikes on civilian villages that have killed hundreds of people.

Thousands Ready For Assault On Bin Laden's Hideout
Thousands of Afghan tribal fighters accompanied by the SAS and U.S. special forces moved in on a network of mountain caves used by Osama Bin Laden last night.

Will Iraq be next? What the experts say
Will the "war on terrorism" extend beyond Afghanistan?

Secret US plan for Iraq war
America intends to depose Saddam Hussein by giving armed support to Iraqi opposition forces across the country

WTC Suicide Pilot Released from Prison by President Reagan
Terrorist pilot Mohammad Atta blew up a bus in Israel in 1986. The Israelis captured, tried and imprisoned him. As part of the Oslo agreement Israel had to agree to release so called "political prisoners". However, they would not release any with "blood on their hands". A well meaning American President, Ronald Reagan and his Secretary of State George Shultz "insisted" that all be released.

Thus Mr. Atta was freed and eventually "thanked the U.S." by flying an airplane into tower one of the World Trade Center. This was reported by many of the networks at the time that the terrorists were first identified. It was censored in the USA from all later reports. The American public must be made aware of this fact.

The Witch Hunt
The American public is predisposed to give the government a free hand in its search for terrorists. But a criminal-justice club wielded without restraint is all but guaranteed to spread its own form of terror.

Tale of an American Taliban
Hamid’s face is almost entirely covered in dirt and black soot, but it is quickly apparent that he is not just another beaten and frightened Taliban warrior. Abdul Hamid, age 20, is an American.

This Dangerous Patriot's Game
After 11 September, the US Introduced Laws That 'Mirror the Worst Excesses of Some Dictatorships'

Bring out your dead
Government anti-terrorist proposals have less to do with 11 September than we are asked to believe.

Bush's Inexperience is Showing
Dire Threats Emanating from Washington Have Horrified America's Allies

Ashcroft Seeking to Free F.B.I. to Spy on Groups
Attorney General John Ashcroft is considering a plan to relax restrictions on the F.B.I.'s spying on religious and political organizations.

U.S. soldiers raise New York City flag at Afghan base
U.S. Marines at the Marine forward base in southern Afghanistan raise two flags Friday - one U.S. flag and one flag from New York City.

Confounding carnivore: how to protect your online privacy
Recent anti-terrorism legislation has given Carnivore -- the FBI's online snooping tool -- increased powers. But privacy-minded citizens can foil the Feds with a few simple tools.

Sudan tried to give US Files on Bin Laden in 1996 - State Department Refused
From the fall of 1996 until weeks before the September 2001 attack on the World Trade Center, the Mukhabarat made repeated efforts to share its files on terrorists with the U.S. On more than one occasion senior F.B.I. officials wanted to accept the offers, but were apparently overruled by the State Department.

We Are the War Criminals Now
'Everything we have believed in since the Second World War goes by the board as we pursue our own exclusive war'

Who's who in Afghanistan
A guide to some of the leading figures in the Northern Alliance and the Taliban Read

Make Your Voice Heard
Much of the government's domestic response to the September terrorist attacks springs from the dangerous notion that granting law enforcement virtually unlimited power will ensure our security. Flash Movie

It's Too Quiet On This Bus
I feel like I am on a huge bus heading straight toward a cliff. We could suggest that the driver steer in a different direction. But no one wants to talk about it. Read

Bin Laden 'is in White Mountains cave stronghold'
American officials have secretly met mujahedin leaders in Jalalabad to co-ordinate an attack against Osama bin Laden's suspected hideout in the White Mountains of eastern Afghanistan, according to a senior commander.