Posts Tagged ‘ Gareth Porter ’

In Case You Missed…

August 21, 2011

Some of our special stories in July explored the double standards regarding “freedom” in the Middle East, exposed new evidence on the 1980 October Surprise mystery, examined the spread of right-wing extremism, and more.

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Pakistan Demands Veto on Drone Strikes

August 17, 2011

The U.S. commando raid that killed Osama bin Laden on May 2 aroused anger in Pakistan over unilateral American military actions. But bilateral tensions have been growing for years over U.S. drone strikes against Pakistani targets – and have now reached a crisis stage, reports Gareth Porter for Inter Press Service.

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Glimmer of Hope for Afghan Peace

July 28, 2011

In a little-noticed policy shift, the Obama administration renounced “permanent” U.S. bases in Afghanistan, addressing a central demand of the Taliban. Its leaders have signaled that peace talks are possible if the United States agrees to pull out its troops, as Gareth Porter reported for Inter Press Service.

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Mixed Signals on US Troops in Iraq

July 16, 2011

Anti-American Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has stood in the way of proposals to extend U.S. troop presence in Iraq beyond the end of this year, and some of his backers have attacked American forces as a reminder of the looming deadline. But Gareth Porter reported for Inter Press Service that Sadr may be sending mixed signals.

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Afghan War Data Hit ‘Surge’ Success

July 5, 2011

As chief commander in the Afghan War, Gen. David Petraeus has been desperate to show evidence that his latest “surge” succeeded in degrading the Taliban fighting strength. However, recently compiled figures show more attacks by the Taliban and higher U.S. casualties, Gareth Porter reports for Inter Press Service.

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Petraeus Pads Success Against Taliban

June 13, 2011

Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan who is seen as a shoo-in to become the next CIA director, appears to have wildly exaggerated the number of Taliban fighters captured last year by padding the totals with Afghans released after being cleared of Taliban ties, reports Gareth Porter for Inter Press Service. 

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Al-Qaeda’s 9/11 Strategy Explained

June 7, 2011

Before his murder last month, Pakistani journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad detailed how al-Qaeda leaders used the 9/11 attacks to induce “cowboy” President George W. Bush to blunder foolishly into the invasions of two Muslim countries, thus advancing an al-Qaeda strategy to discredit the region’s U.S.-connected leaders, reports Gareth Porter.

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Obama’s Peace Talk Ploy

June 1, 2011

The killing of Osama bin Laden and reports of peace talks with the Afghan Taliban have raised U.S. hopes that the long war in Afghanistan might finally be heading toward a conclusion, but some sources suggest that there is less to these openings than meet the eye, Gareth Porter reports.

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Obama’s Covert Clash with Pakistan

May 23, 2011

U.S. intelligence analysts have concluded that American success in the Afghan War requires Pakistani help in rooting out Taliban safe havens along the border but that Pakistan is unwilling to turn against its longtime Taliban allies – a conundrum that continues to bedevil the Obama administration and U.S. military commanders, writes Gareth Porter in this…

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