U.S. Sends Wrong Message to the World
Because the United States has set a high standard for press freedom, any perceived weakening in U.S. protections provides cover for authoritarian regimes to justify crackdowns on their own press and others.
Posts
Next test: insurgents
/in Newsday/by Frank SmythThe Bush administration looks like it has finally scored a ringing success in Iraq. But, if one objective of Sunday’s elections was to help defeat Iraq’s ongoing insurgencies, then the exercise failed.
The question now is how Iraq’s next government will handle the insurgents. Before Sunday, they threatened voters. But U.S. troops led the effort to secure polling stations, while more than half of Iraq’s eligible voters defied insurgent threats and exercised their first real chance for self-empowerment in history.
Hasty elections could divide Iraq
/in Newsday/by Frank SmythSplitting Iraq along ethnic and religious lines is not what President George W. Bush’s administration had in mind for Iraq. But it will be one sure result of any attempt to hold elections in the middle of an escalating insurgent war.
Quienes son los Progresistas en Irak?
/in Desde El Salvador/by Frank SmythUn evento en Baghdad pasó sin ser reportado por la tradicional prensa escrita, e incluso la “alternativa”, a pesar de que ello implica que el poder de Estados Unidos sobre el futuro político de Irak puede estar menguando.
Who Are the Progressives in Iraq?: The Left, the Right, and the Islamists
/in Foreign Policy in Focus/by Frank SmythOne event in Baghdad went unreported this month, not only by the mainstream media but also by the “alternative” press, even though it implies that U.S. control over Iraq’s political future may already be waning.
Behind the Badge: Meet the GOP’s Law Enforcement Front Group
/in The Texas Observer/by Frank Smyth“LEAA is one of a new breed of shadowy front groups that is willing to serve as a corporate money conduit and attack dog to benefit GOP candidates.” It’s been quietly funded by National Rifle Association grants.
Estado Unidos no debería confiar en los hombres “yes” de Irak
/in Desde El Salvador/by Frank Smyth¿Cómo terminamos con tantos aprietos en Irak? Porque hicimos lo que hemos hecho por largo tiempo: Buscamos no a los extranjeros con quienes todavía necesitamos trabajar, sino a los exiliados que fueran más parecidos a nosotros.