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Iraq
Lesson for Iraq in the Asian Soccer Cup
by Caesar Chelala
NEW YORK, New York - Two very dissimilar events with contradictory results took place recently in Iraq, practically simultaneously: the withdrawal of five Sunni ministers from the so-called unity government of Nouri al-Maliki and the victory of the Iraqi national soccer team over Saudi Arabia for the Asian Soccer Cup. The first is indicative of the battle for power being waged among the factions present in that troubled country, while the second succeeded precisely because those factions were able to overcome th eir deep-seated differences and work towards a common goal. The politicians could learn a valuable lesson from the latter.
Bush's last chance
 Commenting on the Baker-Hamilton Report, Shlomo Ben-Ami writes, "The report's recommendation for an international conference in the style of the Madrid peace conference is not only a timely indication of the linkage between the Israeli-Arab conflict and the region's other troubles; it is also a long overdue reminder that bilateral negotiations between the parties cannot produce an agreement. That realisation prompted the all-Arab Peace Initiative of 2002, which established the conditions for an Israeli-Arab comprehensive settlement." |
Emphatically stating the obvious on Iraq
 David Ignatius, a regular Washington, D.C.-based contributor to the Daily Star, analyses the findings and recommendations in the bipartisan Iraq Study Group's report. Acknowledging that the real national security threat to America is the "sense in the rest of the world that Iraq symbolises America's fatal new combination of arrogance and incompetence", he highlights how this report can help to turn this around. |
U.S. War Resister Cases Work Their Way Through Canadian Courts
 Canada's Federal Court of Appeal prepares to hear appeals from resisters Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey. Both are appealing April 2006 Federal Court decisions which upheld findings by the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) that the Americans did not qualify as refugees under the 1951 Geneva Convention. Hinzman and Huey both face court martial and up to five years in jail as deserters if they are ordered returned to the U.S. Nevertheless, the IRB rejected their arguments that they did not want to participate in an illegal war and that they would be punished for acting on their conscience. |
For Francis Fukuyama, there is life after the neocons
by Peter Nolan
When local and foreign tyrants meet
As a big fan of sports, an admirer of most things American, and a life-long follower of Middle Eastern politics and the role of Western powers in this region, I offer a modest proposal that could serve the best interests of both worlds: Condoleezza Rice should be given a full-time, serious job in the sports world � commissioner of the National Football League has been suggested, analyst-commentator for ESPN television would also work � and she should leave the task of politically rearranging the Middle East to its own people, and to the natural rhythms of history.
by Rami G. Khouri
CPT rejoices in the release of our peacemakers
Our hearts are filled with joy today as we heard that Harmeet Singh Sooden, Jim Loney and Norman Kember have been safely released in Baghdad. Christian Peacemaker Teams rejoices with their families and friends at the expectation of their return to their loved ones and community. Together we have endured uncertainty, hope, fear, grief and now joy during the four months since they were abducted in Baghdad.
by Doug Pritchard and Carol Rose (co-directors of Christian Peacemaker Teams)
