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Hager: Uncomfortable truths
Written By: - Date published: 7:53 am, May 5th, 2013 - 7 comments
Phil Twyford on Nicky Hager’s Capt Jack Lyon Memorial Lecture Uncomfortable truths, NZ foreign policy in the ‘war on terror’. As Phil notes: “I think it is a cautionary tale for any future Labour-led government with a progressive, independent foreign policy”.
War talk
Written By: - Date published: 9:38 am, April 8th, 2013 - 125 comments
Key has put his foot in it again with talk of war against North Korea. Life was so much simpler when he was in opposition…
The CV of a Spy Boss
Written By: - Date published: 5:14 pm, April 3rd, 2013 - 89 comments
Key & Rennie say Ian Fletcher was the most suitable candidate to head the GCSB? His CV includes working on intellectual property, globalisation and free trade, & was private secretary to the Blair minister who fudged the legal advice on attacking Iraq.
Iraq and Big Oil
Written By: - Date published: 11:37 am, September 2nd, 2012 - 32 comments
Author Greg Muttitt writes on Iraq and Big Oil. A very useful contribution to our understanding of the forces shaping the geopolitical landscape and the likely shape of the coming energy conflicts.
Iraq war a “success”
Written By: - Date published: 8:20 am, December 16th, 2011 - 36 comments
So the war in Iraq is “officially” over. The end of a shameful chapter.
Amnesty International: Arrest Bush for war crimes
Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, October 13th, 2011 - 22 comments
Perhaps Mr Key’s staff might like to explain to him what the implications of this development, in conjunction with the recent UN Report on NZ SAS rendering prisoners in Afghanistan and the housing of CIA operations at NZDF bases, might mean for the PM. Amnesty International (London) has issued a call to Canadian authorities to arrest […]
Key’s ‘Honour’
Written By: - Date published: 11:59 am, September 30th, 2011 - 41 comments
John Key says we must stay in Afghanistan to honour the dead, leaving us to wonder who’ll be the last to die for a mistake. But he’s shown before that war is not about principles, or people’s lives to him – he’s quite happy to exchange (other people’s) blood for money: It’s not what’s right, […]
War Nerd on Al Qaeda
Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, May 3rd, 2011 - 13 comments
The best US blog is eXiledonline. They’ve done huge work to expose the Tea Party and its shady backers. Their insight into the class issues underlying economic crisis both raw and diamond-sharp. And one of their writers, Gary Brecher aka the War Nerd, covers conflicts with eyes wide open. Here’s his take on Al Qaeda, coincidentally written last week:
Blood for milk? Pull the other one
Written By: - Date published: 8:44 pm, December 20th, 2010 - 29 comments
It’s surreal to see people who cried that not going into Iraq has cost us a trade deal with the US, now saying that the Reconstruction Team Labour sent was to get access for our milk exports. The claim’s based on a US Embassy cable but that doesn’t make it gospel. In reality, the Right wanted us to fight in Iraq to get an FTA with the US.
Who has “blood on their hands”?
Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, December 1st, 2010 - 22 comments
Amongst other angry and aggressive rhetoric, American politicians have accused the leakers of the diplomatic cables of having “blood on their hands”. Will the leaked cables put lives at risk? Perhaps, but I believe that many more lives would be made safe if the actions and attitudes of our governments, and the “intelligence” that they work with, were more open to the people.
A time of trouble, a time for action
Written By: - Date published: 2:15 pm, October 25th, 2010 - 5 comments
The release of 400,000 classified documents on the Iraq war today highlights a much broader issue for New Zealand. As the world moves into uncertainty, some commentators call it a ‘new new world order’, New Zealand must establish itself definitively, cementing the values we wish to hold true for the coming century.
No victory in Iraq
Written By: - Date published: 10:02 am, September 2nd, 2010 - 6 comments
Barack Obama declared the U.S. combat mission in Iraq officially over on Tuesday but said he would not take a “victory lap”. No victory? That’s quite an understatement…
Iraq war profiteers
Written By: - Date published: 11:40 am, August 9th, 2010 - 15 comments
I regard the invasion of Iraq as one of the most shameful events in America’s history. The made up cover story about “weapons of mass destruction” was quickly shown to be a lie. It was always about the oil. And for too many of those on the ground it was always about lining their pockets with billions of dollars worth of slush money.
Truth out on wars
Written By: - Date published: 7:04 am, July 27th, 2010 - 13 comments
Deputy PM and leader of the Lib Dems, Nick Clegg, caused a bit of a sensation last week when he pronounced Britain’s involvement in the Iraq war illegal. And yesterday Wikileaks published a massive cache of American military files exposing the truth about the war in Afghanistan. Not a good week for warmongers.
Allied with murderers
Written By: - Date published: 10:25 am, April 7th, 2010 - 41 comments
Wikileaks has revealed footage shot from a US Apache helicopter in Iraq in 2007 as they callously murder a dozen Iraqi civilians. Every time you read of some wedding convey being shot up or a houseful of ‘insurgents’ being bombed remember this video and remember that our soldiers are now part of the combat force that is committing these same barbaric acts in Afghanistan.
Mining our national parks for the US war-machine
Written By: - Date published: 12:01 pm, March 23rd, 2010 - 23 comments
Most of the world’s supply of the key rare earth metals comes from China. That’s a strategic problem for the US, which needs rare earths for high-tech military equipment. They don’t want to be dependent on the world’s other superpower, and potential adversary, for their military hardware. Is it a coincidence that the Nats are so keen to let foreigners mine for rare earths in our national parks?
Don’t go, oh mighty Atlas. We’ll give you tax cuts
Written By: - Date published: 1:17 pm, February 2nd, 2010 - 87 comments
So, I’m at a cafe having lunch and there’s some fat middle-aged businessmen having lunch at the table beside me. One of them is talking about Blair’s appearance at the inquiry on the invasion of Iraq and says “all these namby-pambies say ‘oh we shouldn’t have invaded’ but they would have shut up if Saddam […]
Six years – for what?
Written By: - Date published: 1:10 pm, July 2nd, 2009 - 45 comments
Six years ago the Neocon Bush administration invaded Iraq, on the pretence of looking for “weapons of mass destruction” (that were never there). Steve Pierson at The Standard covered the Fifth Anniversary, and some aspects of the death and misery caused by the invasion. Now the Americans are pulling out of Iraq’s cities, they officially […]
US ‘shoes-for-guns’ program in Iraq backfires
Written By: - Date published: 12:05 pm, December 15th, 2008 - 15 comments
[The shoe-thrower is a journo from a Baghdad newspaper taking his opportunity to make his feelings known during Bush’s surprise farewell visit to Iraq. In Arab culture, the sole of the shoe, being dirty, is insulting.]
Context
Written By: - Date published: 6:43 am, November 6th, 2008 - 10 comments
Yesterday morning on Sunrise, John Key was moaning that there is no context to the latest secret agenda tape, where Bill English praises the war in Iraq and criticises Bill English’s ‘moralistic’ approach to international relations. Key is right, context helps us undestand information better. Luckily, Scoop’s library keeps every media release, so we can […]
The Nats on Iraq
Written By: - Date published: 11:55 am, November 5th, 2008 - 34 comments
The Nats have had two responses to English’s “pull the trigger” comments revealed last night: first the taping itself was branded a “dirty trick” and now we have Key claiming on Sunrise this morning that the comments may have been taken out of context. Well here’s a view of his own, straight from Hansard, with […]
English “worried” about Obama
Written By: - Date published: 8:10 pm, November 4th, 2008 - 97 comments
More from 3News tonight on the secret recordings taken at the Naitonal Party conference in August. This time it’s Bill English expressing concern over Barack Obama’s “moralistic” stance to international relations: I’m a bit worried about this whole Obama and Europe thing, just because there’s a limited effectiveness in being moralistic about international relations… and the […]
GWOT comics
Written By: - Date published: 6:49 am, June 12th, 2008 - 8 comments
Ah, Iraq invasion satire. thank god that war is over, eh John? [GWOT – Global War On Terror, official acronym. You can’t make this stuff up]
Mission Accomplished
Written By: - Date published: 11:54 am, May 1st, 2008 - 33 comments
Today is the fifth anniversary of Bush’s infamous “Mission Accomplished” speech in which he stated that “Major combat operations in Iraq have ended”. To mark the date Moveon.org have released the following ad, intended to remind the public that as McCain himself said, “no one has supported President Bush on Iraq more” than he has. […]
Bush’s war – online documentary on Iraq
Written By: - Date published: 5:01 pm, April 10th, 2008 - 7 comments
This recent article in the NYTimes illustrates how the way we inform ourselves is changing, and that it’s increasing access to some serious topics. ‘Bush’s War,’ was produced for the fifth anniversary of the United States’ invasion of Iraq, and is avaiable to watch, online, for free. It has set a viewing record, with more than 1.5 million […]
Five years of hell
Written By: - Date published: 3:10 pm, March 20th, 2008 - 94 comments
It is five years since the US and allies invaded Iraq, and the war is far from over. Every day, there is fighting and people continue to die. Four million Iraqi children have lived their whole lives during war. World-famous economist Joseph Sitglitz estimates the war has cost the world US$6 trillion – the annual […]
The cost of the war in Iraq
Written By: - Date published: 5:09 am, November 14th, 2007 - 5 comments
From the BBC: “The US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are costing nearly double the amount previously thought, according to a report set to be released by Congress”. The Washington post has the full story: The economic costs to the United States of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan so far total approximately $1.5 trillion, […]
Mashup
Written By: - Date published: 10:37 am, October 24th, 2007 - 19 comments
We love remixes (well all except those German house ones of classic 80’s pop). Imagine our delight when we found this in out inbox this morning – tempered only, of course, by the fact the Iraq war is still on. (Hat tip: youknowwhoyouare)
Sweden catches the Key desease
Written By: - Date published: 3:38 pm, October 19th, 2007 - 6 comments
I know there is occasionally talk in New Zealand about “becoming the Sweden of the South Pacific” but this may just have us thinking again. A website under the name ‘The Local – Sweden’s News in English’ headlines ‘No conflict in Iraq,’ says Swedish court. Apparently Sweden’s Migration Court has turned down calls from a […]
The war is not over for the children
Written By: - Date published: 5:18 pm, October 11th, 2007 - 26 comments
For people visiting www.thewariniraqisnotover.com, I am tempted to add another requirement for those feeling genuinely outraged at John Key’s statement on the war in Iraq. Make a donation to the Save the Children Fund and demonstrate some practical support for the bad state of affairs in that sad country. In May 2003, the Save the […]
Key doesn’t deserve the moral high ground
Written By: - Date published: 11:13 am, October 11th, 2007 - 10 comments
No surprise to hear Key in the House yesterday relying on his research unit – Fran O’Sullivan – to try and weasel his way out of his “the war in Iraq is over” comment. As posted previously here on The Standard, ministers’ comments made back in 2003 were made in a very different context – […]
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