Antiwar.com Blog

From Josh Rogin’s excellent “Cable” blog at foreignpolicy.com today:

Dennis Ross links Middle East peace to Iran
Posted By Josh Rogin Wednesday, May 5, 2010 – 6:16 PM

The National Security Council’s Dennis Ross is the latest U.S. official to link the Obama administration’s drive to secure peace between Israelis and Arabs to the overall goal of bringing greater stability to the region and combating the threat from Iran.

“In this region, pursuing peace is instrumental to shaping a new regional context,” Ross said in remarks Monday evening. “Pursuing peace is not a substitute for dealing with the other challenges … It is also not a panacea. But especially as it relates to resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict, if one could do that, it would deny state and non-state actors a tool they use to exploit anger and grievances.”

Ross was speaking at the closing dinner for the Anti-Defamation League annual conference, where attendees also heard from the NSC’s Daniel Shapiro, the State Department’s coordinator for counterterrorism Daniel Benjamin, special envoy for monitoring anti-Semitism Hannah Rosenthal, Israeli Amb. Michael Oren, and others.

Ross, whose exact portfolio at the NSC has been the subject of much speculation outside the administration, noted that “the greatest challenge for peace, for security in the Middle East, lies in Iran” and tied the Israeli-Arab conflict to the Islamic Republic.

“Clearly one way that Iran is increasing its influence in the region is by exploiting the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians,” Ross said, echoing statements made by U.S. Centcom commander Gen. David Petraeus in a report (pdf) submitted to Congress back in March.

“The enduring hostilities between Israel and some of its neighbors present distinct challenges to our ability to advance our interests,” Petraeus wrote. “The conflict also gives Iran influence in the Arab world through its clients, Lebanese Hizballah and Hamas.”

Conservative hard-liners ripped Petraeus for the statement, linking the report to a story on Foreign Policy’s Middle East Channel (some elements of which are in dispute). The National Review’s Andrew McCarthy even accused the general of “echoing the narrative peddled incessantly by leftists in the government he serves and by Islamists in the countries where he works.”

But Ross, who is not often accused of being too hard on Israel, made similar comments Monday. “The continuation of the conflict strengthens Iran’s rejectionist partners and also Hezbollah. Iran deliberately uses the conflict to expose even the moderates in the region by stoking the fears of its populations and playing the worst most anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist prejudices,” he said.

This is quite a remarkable statement and should no doubt create some consternation at AIPAC, among other right-wing Israel Lobby institutions.

[viddler id=f166caa9&w=247&h=227]"Those who would slaughter innocent men, women, and children must know that the United States will do more than simply strengthen our defenses. … Around the world and here at home there are those who would attack our citizens and who would slaughter innocent men, women, and children in pursuit of their murderous agenda." –U.S. President Barak Obama, 2009 & 2010

So from his statements here and elsewhere, it would seem that Mr. Obama is implacably opposed to those who "would slaughter innocent men, women, and children."

Yet we know that he and his Administration have stepped- up use of drone assassinations — so stories reporting successful drone assassinations shouldn’t be a surprise – – –

Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud is dead, say officials – CSMonitor.com, Kristen Chick, Correspondent / February 10, 2010

We also know that drone and air strikes are notoriously inaccurate, regularly resulting in so-called "collateral damage" — and that government officials traditionally lie.

So, it should also be no surprise that Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud is alive — also here and here.

But, if it wasn’t Hakimullah Mehusud they assassinated and otherwise droned to death, which innocent men, women and children did they slaughter — in pursuit of their murderous agenda?

We have been missing Alan Bock’s column for the last few weeks.

A few weeks ago, Alan got very sick. After seeing many doctors and getting scores of tests, he has been diagnosed with a cancerous blockage in his biliary ducts.

He is facing surgery and is hopeful, and treatment an a great attitude have seen a vast improvement already.

Here is a note from Alan written a few days ago:

In case anybody has been looking here and wondering what happened to me, it’s been illness. About three weeks ago — four? — Jen noticed I was looking yellow, which means jaundice. Long story short, moving from a hospital in Murietta that couldn’t help me to Cedars-Sinai, I have a blockage in my biliary ducts — some relieved by a stent, so the jaundice is gone, but what remains is cancerous. There’s a surgery called Whipple to take such things out, and I’m now at home taking antibiotics and preparing for surgery, perhaps in a week. I doubt if I’ll have much to say about politics for a while yet — you might be surprised just cooking right and taking care of me takes. But I’m feeling good and optimistic. Maybe more on my condition as my strength increases, but then a silent period again.

We at Antiwar.com send our hopes and thoughts to Alan.

Interspersed between the US claims that they are virtually certain al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is living in Pakistan is the occasional wild theory about where the reclusive terrorist mastermind actually is.

Today’s theory comes by way of a documentary filmmaker who has just released a new film about falconry. Unsurprisingly, his Osama theory involves falcons.

According to the filmmaker, one of his employees saved the life of a weapons smuggler from Northern Iran, and being so grateful that smuggler let him in on the world’s most sought after secret. Apparently Osama bin Laden has been hanging out in Northern Iran, and practicing falconry.

Now wait a minute, you may be saying. Osama is the leader of the Sunni al-Qaeda, and has been an arch-enemy of Iran for decades. Why would he be there, of all places?

Well never mind that, it gets better. The filmmaker claims to be in possession of Osama’s falcons’ telemetry information, and has offered to give it to the US government so they can pinpoint his whereabouts. The US government, apparently not quite this desperate for leads, never called him back.

Democracy Now! has an excellent and comprehensive report on the 40th anniversary of the Kent State shootings.

On May 4th, 1970, National Guardsmen opened fire on hundreds of unarmed students at an antiwar rally at Kent State University in Ohio. The guardsmen fired off at least 67 shots in roughly 13 seconds. Four students were killed and nine others wounded.

Watch or listen to a stream of the broadcast. You can also download an MP3. Other options are available here.