[Peace-discuss] Just Foreign Policy News, December 15, 2006

[Robert Naiman]

Just Foreign Policy News
December 15, 2006
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/newsroom/blog/

1324 days have passed since President Bush declared "Mission
Accomplished" in Iraq.
2800 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq since.

Tell Congress, Stop the Money and Bring the Troops Home:
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http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/involved/iraq.html

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Cleveland News5 online poll: Kucinich leading Clinton and Obama
http://www.newsnet5.com/politics/10511595/detail.html

Write a Letter to the Editor:
In this summary, the Christian Science Monitor and the Washington Post
take up the issue of talking to Iran, and the New York Times takes up
the issue of talking to Syria.
http://www.csmonitor.com/cgi-bin/encryptmail.pl?ID=CFF0C5E4
letters at washpost.com
letters at nytimes.com

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Summary:
U.S./Top News
The Army may seek an injunction under the Taft-Hartley Act to force
the United Steelworkers back to work at Goodyear to produce tires for
the military in Iraq, the Topeka Capital-Journal reports. The United
Steelworkers would send 200 striking workers back into the Goodyear
Tire & Rubber Co. plant in Topeka to build tires for the military if
the company gets rid of replacement workers, a USW official said. "If
Goodyear would dismiss the temporary workers in Topeka, within hours
the company will have a crew of 200 experienced Steelworker tire
builders in the plant to make sure the needs of the troops are met,"
the union said. "Goodyear declined the request, saying that it had an
internal meeting and concluded that the situation was 'under control,'
" the union said. The article seems to suggest that the company, the
military, and other U.S. officials may be colluding to try to break
the strike on the grounds of military need in Iraq.

Dennis Kucinich was a strong proponent in the 2004 race of pulling out
of Iraq, notes the Washington Post's Howard Kurtz. That was then seen,
at least by the media, as a fringe position. Now it is the majority
position. In the latest WashPost poll 69% say we should withdraw all
U.S. combat troops by early 2008, keeping only military training
forces there. Kurtz notes that there was some objection on Huffington
Post to the "snarky tone" of press reports on Kucinich's announcement
of his candidacy for President.

National Public Radio reported yesterday that Democrats in Congress
were not going to "cut funding for the troops," writes Robert Naiman
on Huffington Post. What they meant to say was, Democrats are not
going to cut funding for the war. Of course, nobody is going to cut
funding "for the troops." What is the image being peddled here? That
somehow Congress would cut the funding, but the troops would still be
in Iraq. A soldier would run out of bullets, because Congress cut the
funding. A soldier would go to the mess hall, but there would be no
food, because Congress cut the funding. Jeeps and tanks would stop in
the middle of the road. No gas. Congress cut the funding. Let's put
this hoary lie to bed. Let's take $14 billion - a small fraction of
what the Bush Administration wants to waste on more death in Iraq -
and use it for "coming home bonuses" for returning U.S. troops,
payable when the last one comes home. With each soldier getting
$100,000, there wouldn't be any more question about who was for
"supporting the troops."

The most serious fault of the Iraq Study Group was its warning a
"precipitate withdrawal" would cause a "bloodbath" in Iraq, writes
Gareth Porter on TomPaine. The cry of "bloodbath" will be used to
against any attempt in Congress to advance a timetable for withdrawal.
The same argument was used by Nixon to continue the Vietnam War for
four more years. The bloodbath argument evades the central fact that
the U.S. occupation has never been aimed at avoiding or reducing
sectarian war between Sunnis and Shiites. On the contrary, the U.S.
has used sectarian conflict for its own purposes.

Senator McCain said Thursday that American military commanders were
discussing the possibility of adding as many as 10 more combat
brigades - a maximum of about 35,000 troops, the New York Times
reports. The article notes that American commanders are divided on the
question, with some arguing against an increase in troops and in favor
of reconciliation and economic development measures.

Secretary of State Rice yesterday rejected the ISG's recommendation
that the US seek the help of Syria and Iran in Iraq, the Washington
Post reports, saying the price might be too high, and that if it is in
their interest, they will do it without being asked. This continues an
apparent pattern of Administration officials of offering contradictory
arguments for why the US should not talk to Iran and Syria (the price
is too high, the price is zero), another sign that Administration
policy is based on dogma rather than reason.

Senator John Kerry said Friday he was willing to go to Tehran to talk
to Iranian leaders but would not have time during his current trip to
Syria, Reuters reports.  The Bush Administration has argued talks with
Syria are pointless. Kerry said, "That's a mistake... It is
nonsensical to set up not talking as some kind of reward/punishment
barrier."

If there were a serious effort by the US for a comprehensive
resolution of problems between Iran and the US, Iran would be more
than ready to help, according to Iranian analysts cited by the
Christian Science Monitor. But Iranian leaders will want assurances
that the US will not double-cross them, obtaining their assistance
with the quagmire in Iraq and then turning their guns on Iran, noting
that weeks after Iran helped the US defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan
in 2001 President Bush declared Iran to be part of an "axis of evil."

The White House said Thursday a Democratic senator's meeting with
President Assad of Syria was inappropriate and undermined democracy in
the region, while three more senators, including a Republican, made
plans to visit Damascus in defiance of President Bush, the New York
Times reports.

Attitudes towards the US reached new lows through most of the Arab
world over the past year, according to the findings of a major new
survey of five Arab countries, Inter Press Service reports.

The EU called Thursday for a Middle East free of weapons of mass
destruction, AP reports, responding to comments by the Israeli prime
minister acknowledging Israel's nuclear arsenal.

Iraq
Sectarian divisions have delayed a proposed national oil law, the New
York Times reports. The law has also been controversial because of the
role it envisions for foreign companies, but the Times does not
mention this. Dow Jones reports: "Iraqi trade unionists criticized the
major role for foreign companies in the draft law, which specifies
that up to two-thirds of Iraq's known reserves would be developed by
multinationals, under contracts lasting 15 to 20 years." See "Iraqi
Unions Attack Oil Privatization," Institute for Public Accuracy,
12/15/06, http://www.accuracy.org/newsrelease.php?articleId=1407

Harassment from U.S. forces is a greater threat to the work of the
Iraqi Red Crescent, an affiliate of the Red Cross, than insurgent
attacks, says its vice-president, AP reports.

Iran
Iranians voted today for local councils and a powerful clerical body
in elections that will give the first indication of President
Ahmadinejad's popularity since he swept to office in 2005, Reuters
reports.

Pakistan
Pakistan will have to decide what to do about tribal authorities who
have not been living up to their agreement to prevent Taliban and
al-Qaeda fighters from moving back and forth across the border, says
Director of National Intelligence Negroponte, the Washington Post
reports. But Negroponte acknowledges that with elections coming,
President Musharraf has a "political balancing act to perform."

Somalia
There is fear that an all-out conflict in the Horn of Africa may be
unavoidable, the Washington Post reports. Some observers, including
Ethiopians opposed to war, are convinced that the US is tacitly giving
a green light to Ethiopia to attack the Islamic Courts Union in
Somalia. An Ethiopian opposition leader questioned a visit from Gen.
John Abizaid last week. "If there is disapproval, you don't pay
visits, right?" he said. "We used to see this call for restraint, but
I have not seen that lately."

Venezuela
Chávez never had a chance with the U.S. press, writes Steve Rendall in
a special issue of Extra! devoted to Venezuela.  Rendall notes that in
April 2002, New York Times editors cheered a coup against Chávez,
declaring that thanks to the overthrow of the elected president,
"Venezuelan democracy is no longer threatened by a would-be dictator."
For Pedro Carmona - the man who took power in the coup, declaring an
actual dictatorship by dismissing the Venezuelan legislature, Supreme
Court and other democratic institutions - Times editors had nicer
language, calling Carmona "a respected business leader." Following
Chávez's return to office a few days later, Times editors issued a
grudging reappraisal of their coup endorsement, acknowledging that the
forcible removal of a democratically elected leader "is never
something to cheer."

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Robert Naiman
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org