The following items have been posted during the past two weeks on www.supportingfacts.com. The full text of each article is preceded by a short summary.
STUTTERING ECONOMIES The global economy is in worse shape than many thought before this winter began, and the economic and financial headlines could get worse before they get better, says the Economist. DESPERATE BLAIR Tony Blair thinks all will be forgiven when images are shown of Iraqis cheering their British and American liberators, but Seumus Milne of the Guardian thinks he and his Labour government will never recover. PROFITABLE DESTRUCTION The Wall Street Journal reports that the US, anticipating large-scale destruction, is inviting bids from American companies to rebuild the Iraqi infrastructure it intends to bomb. IN-BEDDED Under the guise of press freedom, the Pentagon is “embedding” hundreds of journalists into combat units on the assumption they will bond with the troops and serve as instruments of US war propaganda. PENSIONS THEFT Fortune magazine says employees counting on company pensions to help fund their retirements may be in for a rude awakening when corporations renege on their commitments and slash benefits by as much as half. US CHEMICAL WARFARE The Independent reports the US is preparing to use pepper spray, CS gas and other toxic agents in Iraq, including ones similar to the chemical that killed 120 Moscow hostages last year. SIEGE OF BAGHDAD The US is continuing to deploy its forces for a sprint to Baghdad, writes military historian John Keegan in the Daily Telegraph, but he may be overly optimistic that the city will fall without a fight. HAMAS SUPPLANTS PLO Hamas has displaced the PLO as the leading Palestinian faction – with no small assist from the Israelis, according to an analysis in Ha’aretz. CONFLICTING PRESSURES Provoked by US unilateralism, governments everywhere are having to choose between elite anxieties and an aroused public opinion – including in France, where the outcome is still uncertain. ANTIWAR ILLUSIONS Perry Anderson argues that contemporary antiwar movements lack staying power because they have illusions about the UN and the possession of nuclear weapons by smaller states. QUANTIFYING LIBERTY Post-9/11 restrictions on civil liberties are under scrutiny in the US, reports the New York Times, and if they are loosened, it will have more to do with economics than liberal morality. POTENTIAL UNgate It will be interesting to see whether UN diplomats react with cynicism or outrage to revelations by Britain’s Sunday Observer that US intelligence is monitoring their confidential communications. MEET UNAMI Unami, says the London Times, stands for United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq – a secret group established by the UN in violation of its own charter – charged with forming a new post-invasion Iraqi government. NOT ACCORDING TO PLAN The war hawks not only expected the US’s reluctant allies to have fallen into line by now, but also the first signs of an Iraqi coup or uprising to have emerged. Neither has yet transpired. DEMOCRATIC DILEMMA An article in the Washington Post describing reform efforts in Saudi Arabia points to the dilemma confronting US foreign policy: democratization is likely to bring to power forces hostile to its interests. ASSERTIVE EUROPE The resistance to US war plans by the leading European powers is intended as a warning they can’t be ignored, but whether they will veto an American resolution at the UN remains an open question. TURK REVERSAL LOOMS Defying public opinion, the hard-pressed Turkish government will likely succeed in reversing a parliamentary vote denying access to US forces to launch an invasion of northern Iraq. OCCUPYING IRAQ Time magazine says White House officials publicly talk about liberation but privately concede the aim is to “take over Iraq, plain and simple” and impose strong military control over the country. If you do not want to receive these reminders, please reply to this e-mail with "unsubscribe" in the subject line. If you like this site, please consider forwarding this message to others who may be interested in these issues. Sorry for any cross posting.
