Internet still under US grip: forum delegates Nov 19, 2009
But he said some countries, particularly countries not on friendly terms with the United States such as Iraq under President Saddam Hussein, or Syria and Sudan, "had difficulties in registering their domain names.". "Big decisions should not be unilateral but in consultation with the Internet community at large," the participant said. (Yahoo! Asia News)
Iraqi foes give mediation a chance Nov 19, 2009
The status of Kirkuk has been a point of angry contention since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, who had tried to Arabize the city, expelling hundreds of thousands of Kurds. The Turkmen minority also has complained of being squeezed out, as Kurds have poured back in and reasserted their influence. (Boston Globe)
The end is near Nov 19, 2009
Why didn t the Bush Administration take the 9/11 terrorists out with the same expediency as Saddam Hussein ... But the stated reasons are to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), to end Saddam Hussein s support for terrorism, and to free the Iraqi people. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
Bush lays into the left at Americas summit but agrees concessions Nov 19, 2009
Running against the tide of his Latin American peers, President Fox beamed during a joint press conference with Mr Bush, who last week proposed a guest worker programme that could benefit up to 5 million illegal Mexican workers in the US. The Mexican leader happily accepted an invitation to Mr Bush's Texas ranch in March, and congratulated him on the capture of Saddam Hussein. The mutual goodwill closes a period of tension after Mexico's refusal to support the war in Iraq. (Yahoo News -- Summit of the Americas)
Election in doubt as law vetoed Nov 19, 2009
The passage of an election law was delayed 11 times, largely on the question of representation of the ethnically mixed area of Kirkuk, an oil-rich region whose Kurdish population has grown substantially since the American invasion, after shrinking under years of persecution by the government of Saddam Hussein. When the election law was passed on November 8, it seemed as if those differences had been resolved. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
U.S. pledges to keep taking in Iraqi refugees Nov 19, 2009
The U.S.-led invasion that removed Saddam Hussein from power displaced more than 4 million Iraqis. Many have returned, but the U.N. High Commissioner for refugees has said the country remains too unstable to absorb the 1. (AlertNet)
Afghanistan slips in corruption index Nov 18, 2009
"The governments have to show "that there is the political will to respond to the needs of the people," Hodess said.In Iraq, corruption has become widespread since the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003 with scarcity of serious government measures against corrupted officials.That has undermined the largest nation-building efforts with siphoning billions of dollars away from the country's struggling economy, increasing frustrations among Iraqis mainly over corruption, lingering... (MSNBC -- International)
Afghanistan is 2d on corruption index Nov 18, 2009
In Iraq, corruption has become widespread since the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003 with scarcity of serious government measures against corrupt officials. A Bertelsmann Foundation report used in the index noted that in Iraq non-security institutions remain weak and debilitated. (Boston Globe)
'In a Nightmare' Nov 17, 2009
Thousands of men and women have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since we invaded and toppled Saddam Hussein. Its become easier to ignore the casualties over time. (Fox News)
Schwarzenegger wows US troops on return to Iraq Nov 17, 2009
"No matter what your political views, it doesn't really matter with Arnold -- he's the Terminator," said Ferry, 42, who is two-and-a-half months into his third tour since the 2003 US-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein. Schwarzenegger will return to the big screen next year when he stars alongside fellow action movie stars Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren in "The Expendables", directed by Stallone, and due for release in the summer. (Yahoo! Asia News)
Nothing to do but leave Nov 17, 2009
The Taliban are often nasty people, but, in themselves, no more constitute a direct threat to us or our allies than did Saddam Hussein. It is heartbreaking to think of what we could do with the resources that are wasted in these two wars. (Boston Globe -- Editorial)
Expedite executions Nov 17, 2009
Saddam Hussein has been convicted of murder and, in just a few days, sentenced to be executed, and then, actually executed by hanging. Can we, in our "civilized" California society, appreciate such an astonishing event. (Fresno Bee -- Opinion)
Democracy - it’s not for everyone Nov 17, 2009
Overthrowing Saddam Hussein in Iraq, many naively believed, would transform the Middle East from the authoritarian rule of sheiks and emirs to a Western democracy that would be friendly to Israel. Instead of the invasion of Iraq transforming the Middle East, the realities of the Middle East transformed Iraq. (Boston Globe)
Test of wills over Iran plan Nov 17, 2009
With Sharon, it was selling to Washington the notion of taking out Iraq's Saddam Hussein first, and now with Netanyahu it is settling business with Tehran's mullahs first. The common denominator of the approaches is an indefinite postponement of the Palestinian problem. (Asia Times Online)
U.S. Soldiers Among First to Tour Ancient Iraqi Temple Nov 16, 2009
The Ziggurat of Ur has stood for 4,000 years in the desert near Nasiriyah in southeastern Iraq, but this unique historical site had been almost completely off limits to visitors under Saddam Hussein. All that has changed since the old regime was overthrown in 2003, and now, U.S. soldiers are some of the site's most receptive visitors. (Fox News)
Bingos comeback erases divisions in Baghdad Nov 16, 2009
Like a military club in Saddam-eraIt continued to thrive under Saddam Hussein until the early 1990s, when the dictator cut the country's booze supply to curry favor with Muslim conservatives and tribal leaders. Also, many women stopped coming to the Alwiyah for fear of the sexual predators among Saddam's family and cronies. (MSNBC -- International)
US firms struggle for toehold as Iraq rebuilds Nov 16, 2009
07 trillion) after the US invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, one country was conspicuously absent ... It is almost an article of faith among many Iraqis, judging from opinion polls, that the United States invaded Iraq not to topple Saddam Hussein, but to get their country's oil. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
Iraq's Marshlands: Resurrecting Eden Nov 16, 2009
(CBS) It turns out Saddam Hussein did possess a weapon of mass destruction and he used it in a slaughter that few have heard of until now: after the Gulf War in 1991, the dictator spent untold millions on this weapon, designed to exterminate an ancient civilization called the "Ma'dan," also known as the "Marsh Arabs." ... But if this was the place where man fell from grace, Saddam Hussein showed just how far man can fall ... That was when the U.S. and its allies invaded southern Iraq to throw... (CBS News)
Protecting our rights, freedom Nov 15, 2009
Of course no one is suggesting that Saddam Hussein was a good guy - he wasn t. I voted against the use of force in Iraq because I wasn t ready to give up on sanctions, diplomatic pressure, and negotiation. Still, the measure passed and our nation went to war. (Boston Globe)
Former UN diplomat defends Kurdistan oil interests Nov 15, 2009
The region gained autonomy after rising up against former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in 1991. Galbraith, the 58-year-old son of economist John Kenneth Galbraith, is a former U.S. ambassador to Croatia who served recently as the top-ranking American in the U.N. mission in Kabul. (Fresno Bee -- Nation)
US: Iraq needs to do more to help refugees return Nov 15, 2009
The U.S. was heavily criticized by those who felt it was taking in too few Iraqi refugees uprooted by the sectarian bloodletting that followed the U.S.-led 2003 invasion and ouster of Saddam Hussein. But more than 30,000 Iraqis have moved to the U.S. since in the last two years as part of a United Nations resettlement program that started in 2007. (MSNBC -- International)
Page turns for Baghdad's ancient book center Nov 14, 2009
After the Saddam Hussein era, during which many books were banned, a whole new variety of previously suppressed books appeared in the market ... "The street passed through the crisis which Iraq has passed through in general, that is the well-known events after the fall [of Saddam Hussein], in addition to all the blasts and threats. Al-Muttanabi was one of the victims. But after the government's efforts to destroy the armed groups, al-Muttanabi is buzzing again, with all the books that mark it as... (Asia Times Online)
Does business education have a future in Iraq? Nov 14, 2009
Recently in Iraq, two young American business school professors decided to take an entirely different approach when they visited the University of Tikrit (the University originally founded by Saddam Hussein): They listened first, interacted and then worked together to create a joint plan of action to ensure that both sides were getting what they needed. In doing so, they may have created a new model for building education systems in other countries. (EurekAlert!)
5,000 more European troops expected for Afghan war Nov 14, 2009
But the hardline Islamist movement rebounded after the Bush administration shifted resources in 2003 to Iraq, believing Saddam Hussein held weapons of mass destruction which were never found. The two wars have strained U.S. ground forces _ another factor in Obama's deliberations. (Rhinelander Daily News, WI)
Security, Death Step-by-Step for Marines in Afghanistan Nov 13, 2009
In Iraq, the explosive charges were mainly conventional ordnance -- mortars and artillery shells left over from Saddam Hussein s military. According to Grant, in the Nawa District of Helmand Province -- a large swathe of desert hedging in farming villages -- the charge is ammonium nitrate packed into plastic jugs and cans. (Human Events Online)
The rise of Rimland? Nov 13, 2009
After the fall of Saddam Hussein, the government of Iraq declared all contracts signed during the Saddam era were invalid and were to be reviewed and subjected to new Iraqi law. LUKoil accordingly put in a new bid for West Qurna earlier this year, but has lost out to Western rivals. (Asia Times Online)
Decorated, Cigar-Smoking Marine Runs for Congress Nov 13, 2009
That April 2004 attack came nearly a year after an Associated Press photographer captured a smiling Popaditch smoking a cigar, with the just-fallen statue of Saddam Hussein in the background. The photograph landed on newspaper front pages, garnering Popaditch worldwide attention. (Newsmax)
Iraq minority rights fears grow Nov 12, 2009
Since the US-led invasion that led to the fall of Saddam Hussein, Kurdish groups have grown in strength after decades of repression. But HRW said the Kurdish Regional Government had "offered minorities financial and other inducements to win their support, while simultaneously using repressive measures to keep them in line". (BBC News -- Africa)
* Iraq free press under fire: group Nov 12, 2009
Media freedoms have improved substantially in Iraq since the tyrannical decades of Saddam Hussein, when all information was controlled by cronies of the former dictator, such as Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf, who was the information minister during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. But in recent months Iraqi journalists have noticed a shift in the attitudes of officials and a heightened sensitivity that has seen reporting become increasingly difficult and, in some cases, dangerous. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
The White House and HISTORY(TM) Together Honor Veterans as Part of 'Take a Veteran to School Day' on Veterans Day Nov 12, 2009
He was responsible for starting up the banking system in Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein. Sharpe was appointed to the position of Director of the Economics Division in April 2009. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Shiite Militias Move Into Oil-Rich Kirkuk, Even as Kurds Dig In Nov 12, 2009
During the rule of President Saddam Hussein, Arabs brought in from elsewhere in Iraq displaced thousands of Kurds. As many as 300,000 Kurds who were pushed out have returned to the area, according to U.S. estimates, establishing vast settlements on the outskirts of the city and making them its largest ethnic community. (Yahoo News -- Kurdish Issues)
Calif. man charged with wearing unearned medals Nov 12, 2009
What I want to know is how did we go from Saddam Hussein being in charge in 2003 to al-Qaida being in charge in 2007 when we have been there the entire time. I was under the impression that we have been looking for bin Laden. (Fresno Bee -- Nation)
Iraq PM Warns of Threat Before Jan. Vote Nov 12, 2009
Iraq has seen a significant security improvement over the past two years, but attacks blamed by the government on al Qaeda in Iraq and Saddam Hussein supporters continue to hinder the country's return to normalcy. The latest when 155 people were killed in a pair of bombings targeting government offices in the heart of Baghdad. (CBS News -- World)
VETERANS DAY: Medford vets get up close and personal with MHS students Nov 12, 2009
We were always going to Saddam Hussein s old palace, and were basically bodyguards for the president and vice president and prime minister, he said. We got to see so many things up close that I never dreamed I d see, and it gave us a pretty good idea of how real the threats were to the country. (Medford Transcript, MA)
* Baghdad, Kurds abusing minority groups: HRW Nov 11, 2009
Baghdads Arab-led government and ethnic Kurds controlling a semi-autonomous northern enclave are battling over issues of wealth and power as the nation tries to thrash out tricky constitutional issues after the fall of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. Before we understood that we had a totalitarian government and therefore abuses happened. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
In the Iraq war, Christians pushed to the brink Nov 11, 2009
Since no Christian was able to have a government job under Saddam Hussein, university graduates became lawyers, doctors, and engineers. Crucial to Iraq's recovery, they are now scattered, afraid to return. (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
Iraq's coming election: The region's liveliest system Nov 11, 2009
One is led by Iyad Allawi, a keenly secular Shia and former Baathist who was a prime minister after the fall of Saddam Hussein. He has teamed up with Saleh al-Mutlaq, a stalwart Sunni member of parliament, to form the Iraqi National Movement. (The Economist)
The Shrink and the Terrorist Nov 10, 2009
Add this incident of journalistic malpractice to the fabricated destruction of Babylonian antiquities during the invasion of Iraq, spiking the ACORN story, Jayson Blair, CNN's systematic kissing up to Saddam Hussein, spiking the TEA Party story, the fake National Guard documents, spiking the Lewinsky story, deliberate misrepresentation of the Tet offensive, the invention of Fidel Castro, the invention of Barack Obama. Location: IL Reply # 2 Date: Nov 10, 2009 - 12:48 AM EST Hasan, History, and... (Townhall.com)
Ignorance is no excuse Nov 10, 2009
They thought Saddam Hussein had WMD and it turns out he didn't, but it was impossible to know because he ran a dictatorship and had a record of lying. Donald Rumsfeld, the US defence secretary, took this to absurd extremes this weekend, claiming that Saddam tricked the US into war with his "deception and defiance". (Yahoo News -- Hutton Report)
Militants kill, Kurds intimidate Iraqi minorities-HRW Nov 10, 2009
Baghdad's Arab-led government and ethnic Kurds controlling a semi-autonomous northern enclave are battling over issues of wealth and power as the nation tries to thrash out tricky constitutional issues after the fall of dictator Saddam Hussein. "Before we understood that we had a totalitarian government and therefore abuses happened. But now we are supposed to be free and democratic. This democracy is killing us," an Assyrian Christian elder was quoted as saying by Human Rights Watch. (AlertNet)
Halliburton's Higher Bill Nov 10, 2009
The new order does not change the nature of Halliburton's work, but the higher price tag does reflect the growing demand for the company's services as U.S. forces continue to battle a stubborn insurgency two years after the fall of Saddam Hussein. The increased bill parallels ballooning overall costs in Iraq. (Yahoo News -- Halliburton)
Government won't tell truth about health care Nov 10, 2009
danielh wrote on Nov 9, 2009 3:36 PM:" dogs: WMD? I know we just got done going around in circles last week, but here goes again...Do you remember the Valerie Plame - Joseph Wilson saga. Scooter Libby exposed Valerie Plame because Wilson was speaking of his own experience on his visit to Niger, to uncover information on Saddam Hussein's procurement of yellowcake uranium.Well, wilson didn't find any, and Cheney didn't appreciate Wilson telling his story. Allegedly, Cheney explained that it was... (Lodi News Sentinel, CA)
Three anniversaries Nov 10, 2009
Using advanced technology designed to defeat the Soviet Union, the U.S. military quickly demolished the armed forces of Saddam Hussein's feeble regime ... The possibility that Saddam Hussein might develop nuclear weapons and give them to al-Qaida to be used to destroy American cities -- a possibility that was remote to the point of absurdity -- was employed by the Bush administration to justify an invasion and occupation of Iraq, the actual strategic purpose of which remains debated to this day.... (Salon)
Day of the Skulls Nov 10, 2009
Page last updated at 11:09 GMT, Monday, 9 November 2009. The BBC's Andres Schipani went to a central La Paz cemetery to find out more. (BBC News -- Americas)
What Oil Companies Will Get in Iraq Nov 10, 2009
And the companies, which had for decades been partners in the Iraq Petroleum Corporation before Saddam Hussein nationalized the industry, would tentatively return to some of the biggest oil fields on the planet ... Before 2003, Saddam Hussein had effectively blocked Kurdistan from producing oil, while the rest of the country pumped about 2. (Time.com)
Iraq Compromise Allows Elections, But Kurdish Tensions Remain Nov 10, 2009
Sunday's compromise, which allows recent Kurdish returnees (much of the city's Kurdish population had been expelled by Saddam Hussein, precisely to cement Arab control there) to vote in Kirkuk but gives parliament the authority to investigate any suspicious voting patterns, came only after strong pressure from Vice President Joe Biden, who made personal phone calls to top Kurdish leaders while the American ambassador counted Arab votes in Baghdad ... Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki pledged to... (Time.com)
Writing through the rubble Nov 10, 2009
To many, Ahmad Chalabi is an Iraqi hero, the charismatic champion of a free Iraq who would stop at nothing to reach his goal: the overthrow of Saddam Hussein ... Although lawyers were crawling "all over the carcass of the Chalabi banking empire," Chalabi commandeered his considerable charm and Rolodex to start building up a new sort of business aimed at the ouster of Saddam Hussein ... Kurds maintain that the province has long been theirs and that they are just correcting the "Arabization" or... (Salon)
Hasan Computer Reveals No Terror Ties Nov 9, 2009
Bush is OUT."Because, some Republicans are already trying to frame this as a terrorist attack. The point is to try to push this as the first terrorist attack since 9-11 and placing it on Obama's watch. Therefore, Republicans will then run around saying that we were safe until Obama came along. So, it's fair to point out that the anthrax attacks and the DC sniper attacks were also terrorism, if the Ft. Hood shooting was terrorism. by 50BMS13 November 8, 2009 8:42 PM EST 911 was formulated and put... (CBS News -- US)
Iraqi parliament passes key election law Nov 9, 2009
During the rule of former dictator Saddam Hussein, tens of thousands of Kurds were displaced under a forced plan by Saddam to make Kirkuk predominantly Arab. The Arab-led central government vehemently opposes anything that would remove Kirkuk from its control. (MSNBC -- International)
Iraq latest crucible for Harvard mediation Nov 9, 2009
The other pointed to a like promise from the regime of Saddam Hussein. Guns were raised, shots fired. (Boston Globe)
Iraqi lawmakers pass crucial law for 2010 elections Nov 9, 2009
Saddam Hussein forcibly expelled Kurds from Kirkuk and neighboring cities and villages in northern Iraq during his tenure. Despite opposition from the Kurdish block, lawmakers agreed to use an open-list system, which will give political parties and factions less flexibility to distribute seats. (Boston Globe)
Veterans park will be dedicated in ceremonies this Wednesday Nov 9, 2009
Later in his military career, Shuler made history in leading the longest combat air mission, both in time and distance: the initial air attack upon Saddam Hussein in the Gulf War. Beyond his flying career, Shuler was one of the key players in the formation of the Mighty Eighth Museum near Savannah, Ga. (Orangeburg Times and Democrat, SC)
Bush lays into the left at Americas summit but agrees concessions Nov 9, 2009
Running against the tide of his Latin American peers, President Fox beamed during a joint press conference with Mr Bush, who last week proposed a guest worker programme that could benefit up to 5 million illegal Mexican workers in the US. The Mexican leader happily accepted an invitation to Mr Bush's Texas ranch in March, and congratulated him on the capture of Saddam Hussein. The mutual goodwill closes a period of tension after Mexico's refusal to support the war in Iraq. (Yahoo News -- Summit of the Americas)
Cheney says terror attack was 'act of war' Nov 9, 2009
Cheney said all the available intelligence said Saddam Hussein was trying to develop weapons of mass destruction, and he was also a "state sponsor of terror" and was giving money to the families of suicide bombers, he added. "This was a bad guy," Cheney said. (St. Joseph Herald-Pallidium, MI)
No shipload of whites fleeing disaster would be treated like this Nov 8, 2009
It is the equivalent of John Howard's lie that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. Rudd was standing outside a church on a Sunday when he said this. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
The White House and Abramoff: 70 more contacts revealed Nov 8, 2009
Purely with regard to terrorism and national security, by 2004, Bush/Cheney had already gotten caught deceiving the public about having "no warning" before the 9/11 attacks, not to mention about Saddam Hussein's nonexistent weapons of mass destruction ... He claimed that Saddam Hussein forced him to invade Iraq by expelling U.N. arms inspectors. (Salon)
Obama's Frightening Insensitivity Following Shooting... Nov 7, 2009
Saddam HUSSEIN was the dictator in Iraq and our troops fighting Saddam's insurgents. Obama HUSSEIN is attempting dictatorship and America will be battling it's own insurgents from within. (The Drudge Report)
Joe Klein: Both factually false and stuck in the 1980s Nov 7, 2009
But Ledeen has a track record in spreading misinformation, according to the US magazine Vanity Fair, which claimed he was linked in the false reports that Saddam Hussein tried to buy yellowcake uranium in Niger one of the main pretexts for the invasion of Iraq. And in January 2007 he falsely reported Khamenei's death. (Salon)
US and Iraq try to contain Iran weapons smuggling Nov 7, 2009
SEIZED: Iraqi police display assorted weapons (including rocket-propelled grenade launchers, foreground) seized during raids and searches in Nasiriyah. The arms, found in the predominantly Shiite south, may have been smuggled from Shiite-dominated Iran. (Christian Science Monitor)
Iraq oil deal puts pressure on Opec Nov 6, 2009
It is a blow to of Russia, which had signed an agreement to develop West Qurna under Saddam Hussein and had been lobbying intensely for the field in the past weeks. EDITORS CHOICE. (FT.com -- Markets)
Fast Facts: Fort Hood Nov 6, 2009
Many Fort Hood units have been sent to Iraq and Afghanistan - the 4th Infantry Division was able to capture Saddam Hussein in 2003. Fort Hood was named for Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood, who gained notoriety as the commander of Hood's Texas Brigade during the Civil War. (CBS News -- US)
U.S. troops kill 2 Hussein sons Nov 6, 2009
WASHINGTON - American forces killed Saddam Hussein's widely feared sons Odai and Qusai during a six-hour firefight yesterday at a hideout in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, the U.S. military command announced in Baghdad ... But John D. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia, senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said, "We cannot ignore the fact that as long as Saddam Hussein is alive, or perceived to be alive, we have not won this war.". (FOX61, CT)
Fort Hood: US Army's largest, mightiest post Nov 6, 2009
The base's Fourth Infantry Division was responsible for the capture of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in December 2003. In addition to peacekeeping efforts, Fort Hood units routinely participate in national and international disaster relief efforts, including rescue and relief following the 1985 Mexico City earthquake and an earthquake in Managua, Nicaragua, in 1992 that ravaged that city. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Peak oil? Don't worry -- Obama's on the job Nov 6, 2009
Later, Iraqi nationalists and the Baath Party of Saddam Hussein nationalized the IPC, provoking unrelenting British and American hostility ... Saddam Hussein did succeed for a time in elevating oil output, in the process raising national income and creating a well-educated middle class ... He and his top officials were intent on replacing Saddam Hussein's regime with one that would prove friendly to American oil interests. (Salon)
Iraq election could be delayed, official warns Nov 6, 2009
Under former dictator Saddam Hussein, tens of thousands of Kurds were forcibly displaced under a plan to make Kirkuk predominantly Arab. After the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, many Kurds returned. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Politics)
