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  • An Analysis of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441

    as Adopted on November 8, 2002 The Security Council, Recalling all its previous relevantresolutions, in particular its resolutions 661 (1990) of 6 August 1990, 678(1990) of 29 November 1990, 686 (1991) of 2 March 1991, 687 (1991) of 3 April1991, 688 (1991) of 5 April 1991, 707 (1991) of 15 August 1991, 715 (1991) of…

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  • Detailed Analysis of October 7, 2002 Speech by Bush on Iraq

    Thank you for that very gracious and warm Cincinnati welcome. I’m honored to be here tonight. I appreciate you all coming. Tonight I want to take a few minutes to discuss a grave threat to peace and America’s determination to lead the world in confronting that threat. The threat comes from Iraq. It arises directly…

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  • A Detailed Analysis of the Draft UN Security Council Resolution Proposed by the U.S. Government

    (Latest publicly available version, October 23, 2002) PP1 Recalling all its previous relevant resolutions, in particular its resolutions 661 (1990) of 6 August 1990, 686 (1991) of 2 March 1991, 678 (1990) of 29 November 1990, 687 (1991) of 3 April 1991, 688 (1991) of 5 April 1991, 986 (1995) of 14 April 1995, and…

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  • UN Security Council Resolutions Being Violated by U.S. Allies

    The following are some of the UN Security Council resolutions being violated by U.S. allies: Resolution 252 (1968) Israel: Urgently calls upon Israel to rescind measures that change the legal status of Jerusalem, including the expropriation of land and properties thereon. http://domino.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/bdd57d15a29f428d85256c3800701fc4/46f2803d78a0488e852560c3006023a8!OpenDocument 262 (1968) Israel: Calls upon Israel to pay compensation to Lebanon for destruction…

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  • Is God “Neutral”?

    WASHINGTON — Ever since Sept. 11, some American religious leaders have been outspoken in calling for a peaceful response and respect for civil liberties. Their perspectives contrast sharply with President Bush’s bellicose invocations of religious rhetoric, as in his Sept. 20 address to Congress when he declared that “God is not neutral.” “Christians have a…

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  • As Bombs Fall, Critics Question U.S. Approach

    WASHINGTON – As the United States continued with air attacks on targets in Afghanistan, dubbed “strategic military locations” by Pentagon officials, peace advocates found their struggle pushed to the forefront. The U.S. strikes, comprised of cruise missiles launched from remote locations and bomber raids, were initial steps of what President Bush described as a “sustained,…

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  • Critics Blast Bush’s Call for “Lengthy Campaign”

    WASHINGTON – When President Bush took the national pulpit on September 20 to address a joint session of Congress, he faced perhaps his greatest challenge since his inauguration. Mainstream media pundits spoke at length of his need to rise to the occasion — to solidify the nation’s commitment to fighting terrorism. With the chamber’s applause…

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  • Rethinking Welfare Reform

    WASHINGTON — With re-authorization of key “welfare reform” legislation due in the coming year, activists are mobilizing to place the rights of minorities and women foremost on the agenda. Many indict the current system — established by the 1996 passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act — as a racist and gender-biased…

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  • Uncontrolled Burn: How congress is adding fuel to the western wildfires

    As wildfires rage through woodland in the West, critics are questioning the federal government’s role in protecting the National Forests. Recently, President Bush proposed a $175 million increase in commercial timber sales on public lands — a move that, along with a planned repeal of the “roadless rule” established by former President Clinton, has many…

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  • Are Americans “Vacation Starved”?

    WASHINGTON — When President Bush clocked out to start on a 30-day vacation at his Texas ranch, a collective lament was in the air from much of the population: “When do we get a break?” The vacation brings to 52 days the president’s total vacation time since his swearing-in last January, a number that dwarfs…

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  • Critical Voices on Lebanon

    RANA EL-KHATIB Now living in Beirut, el-Khatib is working with the YMCA focusing on getting relief and medical supplies to displaced people in Lebanon. She wrote a recent article, “Israel Sows Seeds of Hatred,” which was published in the Toronto Star. Her family is originally from Haifa. A book of her poetry is titled Branded:…

  • Exxon: Record Prices, Record Profits

    AP is reporting: “Exxon Mobil Corp. said Thursday it earned $10.36 billion in the second quarter, the second largest quarterly profit ever recorded by a publicly traded U.S. company. “The earnings figure was 36 percent above the profit it reported a year ago. High oil prices helped boost the company’s revenue by 12 percent to…

  • Al-Maliki’s Visit: Protest and Analysis

    MEDEA BENJAMIN Benjamin is cofounder of CodePink, a women’s peace group, and Global Exchange. She stood up and spoke as Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki addressed a joint session of Congress today. CodePink said in a statement released this afternoon that Benjamin is on her 23rd day of a long-term fast for peace called the…

  • Israeli Bombing of UN in Lebanon: Then and Now

    JOHN QUIGLEY Professor of law at Ohio State University, Quigley is author of numerous books on international law including Genocide Convention and Palestine and Israel: A Challenge to Justice. He said today: “Yesterday’s bombing of the UN compound has striking parallels with the shelling in April 1996 by Israel of the UN compound at Qana,…

  • Lebanon and the Law

    On July 23, the United Nations Emergency Relief coordinator, Jan Egeland, visited Beirut. The BBC reported: “[Egeland] said the ‘disproportionate response’ by Israel was a ‘violation of international humanitarian law.’” BBC The United Nations’ top human rights official, Louise Arbour, warned on July 19: “International law demands accountability. The scale of the killings in the…

  • U.S. Mideast Policy: No Dialogue?

    In February this year, three former U.S. diplomats toured the Mideast as part of an independent delegation and met with President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, President Emile Lahoud of Lebanon, Hassan Nasrallah of Hezbollah, various Hamas officials and Amr Mousa, secretary general of the Arab League. ROBERT KEELEY A former U.S. ambassador to Greece and…

  • Christian Zionists Lobby Congress

    The BBC reported on July 19: “More than 3,400 evangelical Christians have arrived in Washington to lobby lawmakers as part of the first annual summit of Christians United for Israel. Delegates have come from all 50 states and have 280 meetings on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, [main organizer] Pastor John Hagee said.” Rev. Dr. DONALD…

  • Prominent Lebanese-Americans Respond to Crisis

    RALPH NADER Consumer advocate Ralph Nader recently published a letter urging President Bush to take action on the Israel-Lebanon conflict. An excerpt from this letter follows: “With systematic efficiency, the Israeli government has already destroyed innocent homes and basic public facilities — ports, airports, highways, bridges, power stations — which are critical to the delivery…

  • Israel at War: Analysis of Goals

    ILAN PAPPE Currently in Haifa, Ilan Pappe is senior lecturer in the University of Haifa Department of Political Science and Chair of the Emil Touma Institute for Palestinian Studies in Haifa. He said: “The Israeli army’s main vision for the battlefield is today still that of ‘shock and awe’ rather than chasing snipers, suicide bombers…

  • From Lebanon…

    RANIA MASRI Assistant director of the Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Balamand in northern Lebanon, Masri is contributing to the new web pages Siege of Lebanon and Electronic Lebanon. She is particularly documenting attacks on the Lebanese civilian infrastructure. EMILY DISCHE-BECKER Dische-Becker is a freelance reporter blogging from Lebanon. She has worked…

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