Antiwar.com’s Week in Review | October 23, 2011
IN THIS ISSUE
- Capitalizing on a post-Gadhafi Libya
- Obama announces Iraq "withdrawal"
- New war of choice in Uganda
- Violent milestones in Afghanistan
- Assorted news from the empire
- What’s new at the blog?
- Columns
- Antiwar Radio
- Support Antiwar.com!
Gadhafi Killed in Libya
Muammar Gadhafi was captured by rebel fighters in the National Transitional Council in his hometown of Sirte then beaten and executed with a shot to the head. The extrajudicial killing of the former Libyan dictator ousted with the help of an eight-month bombing campaign was crudely celebrated by U.S. leaders and prompted a speech from President Obama in which he misleadingly put himself on the side of the people in the Arab Spring.
NATO has "tentatively decided" to stop launching airstrikes in Libya following the death of Gadhafi, as U.S. leaders pledge aid and attempt to capitalize on the new NTC-led government.
When Leave Means Stay
President Barack Obama announced that all U.S. troops would leave Iraq by December, in keeping with the 2008 Status of Forces Agreement. Billed as making good on his campaign promise to end the war, Obama actually had this decision forced on him after years of pressuring Iraq to allow thousands of troops past the deadline. An expanded diplomatic presence and thousands of mercenary soldiers will still remain, contradicting the notion that there will actually be a "full withdrawal."
Obama referred to a new relationship with Iraq, presumably characterized by large packages of economic and military aid to abusive governments and armies in exchange for conformity to U.S. interests, as understood by Washington national security planners.
Obama’s New War of Choice in Uganda
Obama’s decision to send 100 combat troops to Uganda to fight the terrorist group the Lord’s Resistance Army, while unexpected, follows a familiar foreign policy doctrine. Here, Obama is countering a Ugandan group on behalf of the Ugandan regime, whose forces can now better focus on waging a proxy war in Somalia for the U.S. Officials claim U.S. troops won’t be engaged in combat, although that is unlikely, considering America’s previous interventions in that region.
John Glaser appeared on Russia Today to discuss the intervention in Uganda, warning that "this has all the ingredients of a prolonged military quagmire."
Double the Death, Double the Fun
American and Afghan troops forced civilians to march ahead of them on roads believed to have been filled with bombs and land mines planted by insurgents, according to allegations from villagers in southern Afghanistan. An investigation is under way, and the charge, if true, would be a war crime. Meanwhile, three people were killed and two detained in a botched U.S. night raid on the home of a former Afghan senator, an incident Hamid Karzai is asking to be investigated. In a new milestone, the U.S. death toll in Afghanistan is now more than double that during President Bush’s tenure, with 1,153 in just 33 months of Obama’s term.
The U.S. has dramatically escalated its attacks on the Haqqani network in eastern Afghanistan, as top U.S. officials threaten Pakistan for not doing that work for them.
Assorted News from the Empire
- Soldiers in Afghanistan will soon be able to launch drones from their backpacks, as drone technology advances faster than the law can keep up.
- Five U.S.-supported Colombian soldiers were accused of murdering two civilian farmers and disguising them to boost enemy kill counts.
- Israel offered Palestinians a "partial" freeze of settlement construction if the PA returns to peace talks, signaling unease at the PA’s measures at the UN.
- Scores more have been killed in Syria as clashes between protesters and Syrian forces continue to escalate.
- Violence flared in Yemen as Ali Abdullah Saleh rejected a U.N. resolution calling for his resignation, as some are worried the deal will grant immunity for Saleh’s crimes.
- Anonymous U.S. officials are disseminating statements about Iran’s Quds Force being "increasingly aggressive," as Obama increases tensions.
What’s New at the Blog?
Jeremy Sapienza highlighted supposedly "progressive" U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren’s hawkish views on Iran. Similarly, Matt Barganier posted supposedly "progressive" blogger Kevin Drum’s consistent subservience to pro-war leaders, as well as his magazine’s strange excitement about "secularizing" the military. Justin Raimondo approvingly cited Ron Paul’s plan cut $1 trillion from the federal budget. Scott Horton pointed out the rabid racism and violence of Rachel Abrams.
John Glaser documented the Afghan war’s deadly effect on children, Herman Cain’s further display of foreign policy ignorance, Paul Pillar’s all too welcoming attitude to Obama’s Uganda intervention, the drone war’s friendly fire, and how Obama was for child soldiers before he was against them. Glaser also railed against the free-speech-killing Stolen Valor Act, the Obama administration’s murder of Anwar al-Awlaki’s 16-year-old son, Michele Bachmann’s disgraceful Iraq comments, America’s new lease on Libya, drones’ ability to fuel forever war, and possible MeK involvement in the Iran plot.
Columns
Justin Raimondo wrote of the post-Gadhafi Libyan chaos induced by NATO, Britain’s defense minister Liam Fox’s ties to Israeli intelligence, and the return of populist wars. Ivan Eland wrote of the impending quagmire in Uganda. Philip Giraldi gave his expert, skeptical analysis on the alleged Iranian plot to kill a Saudi ambassador in Washington. Kelley B. Vlahos wrote about Winslow Wheeler’s charge against the Goliaths of war. Nebojsa Malic explained what the Occupy Wall Street movement has in common with NATO occupation in Kosovo and what it doesn’t.
Antiwar Radio
Scott Horton had on Gareth Porter this week to discuss the false intelligence being peddled about the alleged Iranian plot. John Glaser was on to talk about Obama’s new war of choice in Uganda. Jason Ditz examined the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Uganda. Flynt Leverett talked about recent overtures in U.S.-Iranian affairs. Philip Giraldi gave his two cents on the intelligence in the alleged Iranian assassination plot. Andrew Cockburn discussed the epidemic of improved explosive devices in Afghanistan. The Other Scott Horton reviewed the Obama policy of assassinating citizens without due process. Pepe Escobar analyzed America’s neo-colonialism in Africa. Anthony Gregory discussed the arguments bound to convince social conservatives to end the war on drugs. Grant F. Smith argued that it’s against U.S. interests to maintain Israel’s nuclear secrets. And Patrick Cockburn discussed Gadhafi’s death in Libya and what to expect going forward.
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