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News Releases

  • Claims of Democracy

    “You won’t have any problem with Saddam. We’ll be rid of the bastard soon enough. And in his place we’ll install a pro-Western dictator, who will be good for us and for you.” — U.S. Congressman Tom Lantos, quoted in the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz, 9/30/02 [Lantos denies saying this, but Ha’aretz, a respected Israeli daily, stands by the quote.] www.newamerica.net/index.cfm?pg=article&pubID=1004 www.townhall.com/columnists/jackkemp/jk20030218.shtml As the Bush administration and supporters of its policies in the Middle East claim to be seeking democracy in Iraq, the following analysts are available for interviews: JIM LOBE A political analyst for Foreign Policy in Focus, Lobe has…

  • Coalition of the Coerced?

    Yesterday, White House spokesperson Ari Fleischer insisted that “the President is not offering quid pro quos” to other countries for their tacit support to invade Iraq. The following analysts take issue with such claims: SARAH ANDERSON, PHYLLIS BENNIS, JOHN CAVANAGH The Institute for Policy Studies is releasing a report today — “Coalition of the Willing or Coalition of the Coerced?” — which charges that member representatives on the U.N. Security Council are being recruited through coercion, bullying, and bribery. Anderson is a fellow at IPS specializing in global economy issues, Bennis is a Mideast and U.N. expert and Cavanagh is…

  • Turkey, Israel and International Law

    KANI XULAM Director of the American Kurdish Information Network, Xulam said today: “Basically, the Kurds have been handed over to the Turkish government. It is being reported that the U.S. has approved some 80,000 Turkish troops in northern Iraq. The gains of autonomy that the Kurds have made in northern Iraq could well be lost. The Turkish military has depopulated thousands of Kurdish villages and killed tens of thousands of Kurds over the last 15 years. Northern Iraq could end up much like northern Cyprus, which Turkey has illegally occupied for decades…. Also, crucially, the government of Iraq should come…

  • Weapons Inspectors Going to Work in America

    A group of Canadian, British, American, Italian and Danish parliamentarians, scientists, academics, and religious and union leaders have informed the Pentagon that they intend to inspect the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center in Maryland this Sunday. Among the parliamentary members in the delegation are: Alan Simpson from the U.K., Libby Davies from Canada, Senator Francesco Martone and parliament member Graziella Mascia from Italy, and Pernille Rosenkrantz from Denmark. In a letter delivered to Donald Rumsfeld earlier this week, Christy Ferguson of the Canadian group Rooting Out Evil, which is organizing the inspector delegation, wrote: “As a State Party to the Chemical…

  • Showdown at the United Nations: Interviews Available on

    SIMONA SHARONI Sharoni is professor of peace and conflict studies and Middle East politics at Evergreen State College and executive director of the Consortium on Peace Research, Education and Development. She said today: “The recent global protests represent an unprecedented development by the world community to confront those in the seats of power to change their policies.” More Information JOHN QUIGLEY Professor of international law at Ohio State University, Quigley is author of a number of articles about the UN Security Council, including “The ‘Privatization’ of Security Council Enforcement Action: A Threat to Multilateralism.” Quigley said today: “Apparently the U.S.…

  • Crisis at a Crossroads: * Blix at the UN * Global Protests

    IMAD KHADDURI Khadduri worked with the Iraqi Atomic Energy Commission from 1968 until 1998. He was able to leave Iraq in late 1998 with his family. Now in Canada, he was recently interviewed by UNMOVIC. More Information DANIEL ELLSBERG Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers, warns of the government using deceit to drive the nation into war. His book Secrets has recently been published. He is currently in New York City. More Information JAMES PAUL Paul is executive director of the Global Policy Forum, which monitors the United Nations. More Information LESLIE CAGAN Tomorrow will likely be the largest day…

  • * Turkey * NATO * Bin Ladin Tape

    SANAR YURDATAPAN Yurdatapan was recently awarded the Global Rights Defenders award by Human Rights Watch. He said today: “Turkey is boiling. Ninety percent of the people are against an attack on Iraq. We are shocked at the depictions we see of the situation in the U.S. media. People here are not unhappy with NATO. No one here is with Saddam, we know the horrors he has done, but — outside of a tiny minority which is hoping to benefit — nobody wants this.” More Information WILLIAM HARTUNG Senior research fellow at the World Policy Institute, Hartung has written several articles…

  • U.S. Credibility Problems

    GLEN RANGWALA Rangwala, a lecturer in politics at Cambridge University, exposed the British government’s plagiarism in its recent dossier which Secretary of State Colin Powell praised before the Security Council last week. Britain’s government has admitted that Rangwala is correct. He said today: “Powell’s citation of the plagiarized paper is merely a symptom of the weak case he is putting forward.” Rangwala’s reports are posted at: www.traprockpeace.org/firstresponse.html. BARBARA OLSHANSKY An attorney with the Center for Constitutional Rights, co-author of Against War with Iraq and author of Secret Trials and Executions, Olshansky said today: “The president talked today about making America…

  • Powell Cited Sham “Fine Paper”

    “My colleagues, every statement I make today is backed up by sources, solid sources. These are not assertions. What we are giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence… “I would call my colleagues’ attention to the fine paper that the United Kingdom distributed yesterday which describes in exquisite detail Iraqi deception activities.” — Secretary of State Colin Powell to the United Nations Security Council, Feb. 5 GLEN RANGWALA Rangwala is a lecturer in politics at Cambridge University in Britain. He has written a report: “A First Response to Secretary Colin Powell’s Presentation Concerning Iraq” which takes issue…

  • Some Analysis of Powell’s Speech

    PHYLLIS BENNIS A fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, Bennis is author of the book Before and After: U.S. Foreign Policy and the September 11th Crisis and the article “Powell’s Dubious Case for War.” Bennis said today: “Contrary to Powell’s pronouncements, Hans Blix said the UNMOVIC inspectors have seen ‘no evidence’ of mobile biological weapons labs, have ‘no persuasive indications’ of an Iraq link to al-Qaeda and no evidence of Iraq hiding and moving material used for weapons of mass destruction.” More Information More Information DAVID MacMICHAEL A former CIA analyst, MacMichael wrote a recent piece entitled “Iraq: The…

  • UN Suspending Israel * Ireland

    “Israel’s abusive repudiation of the very idea of the United Nations, its escalating and lethal violation of countless international norms, its repeated, deadly attacks on UN sanctuaries and peacekeepers justifies its expulsion.”

  • Targeting the Post Office

    “President-elect Donald J. Trump has confirmed the incoming administration’s interest in exploring privatization of the United States Postal Service (USPS). Privatization would repudiate the Postal Service’s public service mission. The public postal system exists to serve all, delivering such critical items as medications and lab tests, not to turn a profit. No profit-making company would…

  • Israel’s Impunity Extends to Destroying Syria’s Ability to Defend Itself

    “Regardless of who ultimately controls a future government in Damascus, Israel exploited the chaos following Assad’s fall to make sure that Syria does not retain the military capacity to defend itself. And Israel did so with the tacit support of Joe Biden and his administration, who repeated Israel’s argument that it was acting pre-emptively in…

  • Genocide Denial

    “Imagine for a moment that a magnitude 8 earthquake occurred somewhere in the world, and the Western corporate media refused to use the word ‘earthquake’ in reporting it, instead talking ambiguously of a ‘tectonic incident’ that had caused buildings to collapse and people to die.”

  • Espionage Act Defendant Asif Rahman Will be Held in Pre-Trial Detention

    “Based on pure speculation the government claimed Rahman was ideologically motivated and therefore more dangerous than other defendants. If taken to its logical conclusion, it would mean the government believes whistleblowers who act out of the public interest are a greater threat than spies who betray their country for financial gain.” 

  • Trying to Make Sense of RFK Jr.

    “It’s absolutely true that RFK Jr. is an unusual political figure. But it’s also true that he has deep roots in our politics going all the way back to his uncle, John F. Kennedy. The Kennedys have always been present in our political system because mainstream Democrats have tried to recapture the political magic of…

  • Israel Bombing Gaza, Lebanon, Syria

    “HTS has every reason to approach the UN Security Council and to charge Israel with aggression, both for Israel’s encroachment on territory of Syria beyond the illegally occupied Golan Heights, and for Israel’s bombing of Syria’s naval fleet and other military sites.”

  • Insurance CEO Shooting Highlights Street Crime vs Corporate Crime Contrast

    “We often view street violence as a moral failing deserving punishment; in the corporate world, we often view decisions that cause harm as unfortunate but necessary byproducts of business. But the public’s shocking reaction to Thompson’s shooting suggests that people are interpreting the ruthless tactics of private health insurers as forms of violence akin to…

  • Threats to Regulation of Formaldehyde

    New reporting from ProPublica found that under the incoming Trump administration, regulations to curb formaldehyde are under threat. Formaldehyde is one of the most widespread toxic pollutants and causes more cancer than any other air pollutant. Under President Biden, the Environmental Protection Agency will release its final health assessment of formaldehyde by the end of…

  • Syria’s Future: Democracy or Subservience to U.S., Turkey and Israel?

    “The Israeli bombardment of Syrian military facilities had weakened the Syrian armed forces’ logistical and ordinance capabilities. These attacks had been sustained and painful for the Syrian armed forces…. The nearly three years of conflict in Ukraine had certainly denied Syria the ability to call upon further Russian assistance for the protection of Damascus or…

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