All Backchannels
- Report: $800 million is snuck out of Iraq each weekIt's a staggering claim, but it was made by the country's Supreme Audit Bureau.
Is the detritus of the Iraq war harming the babies of Fallujah?The claim has been made for years. Now, there's a medical report about the Iraq war that appears to back it up.
Shades of Iraq in Afghanistan? Problems with shoddy contracting workA Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) report singled out a $78 million contract to build a garrison for the Afghan National Army as of particular concern.- Last post on US politics and the Benghazi attackI hope.
- In US politics, foreign things are very suspicious ...... and market-oriented approaches to greenhouse-gas emissions are 'radical.' But I missed the moment when corndogs became un-American.
Revisiting the tragic Italian earthquake manslaughter verdictTrying to be a little fairer to the Italian prosecution that sentenced seven men to prison for failing to 'adequately warn' about the L'Aquila earthquake.
Earthquake predictions and a triumph of scientific illiteracy in an Italian courtAn Italian court sentenced scientists to jail time for not having a functioning crystal ball ahead of the 2009 earthquake in L'Aquila. The arguments of science and reason fell on deaf ears.- Women in power are good for women's rights, right?Not necessarily.
- In Indonesian business, the more things change...A Rothschild scion is disappointed to learn that his Indonesian partners have treated him much like politically connected Indonesian businessmen have treated foreign partners for decades.
- IssaLeaks: More fallout from the Benghazi killingsWas it a good idea to聽release a lot of un-redacted State Department memos from Libya? Probably not.
What really happened in Benghazi?Well, I still have no idea. But apparently a mastermind has been named.
There will be no cease-fire in SyriaAt least not one that matters.
Getting in on the Benghazi blame gameHere's a list of where you should really be looking if you enjoy finger-pointing.- A senior Iraqi official ponders if his government is a client of Iran'sWhy not? Everyone else is doing it.
A quiet waiver for Pakistan from the Obama administrationIn September, the Obama administration waived conditions that would have halted $2 billion in aid to Pakistan on the grounds it hasn't made progress in fighting terrorism. Why? 'National security.'
Libya attack: Congressmen casting blame voted to cut diplomatic security budgetReps. Jason Chaffetz and Darrell Issa claim the Benghazi consulate sought more security before the deadly attack. They also both voted to cut the State Department's embassy security budget.
The politics around the Benghazi consulate attack? Plenty of spin to go aroundNo one looks great two weeks after the murder of US Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and three other Americans in Benghazi. Not the Obama Administration. And not its critics.
A big, angry Indonesian protest you may have missedFrom a year ago.
Is the Islamopocalypse really upon us?No. Turn off the television news (or put down your copy of Newsweek) if you think otherwise.
There may be no anti-Islamic movie at allSome interesting and convincing points are made.
