waider

So Blackwater are back doing their thing despite being "100% guilty". Maliki's doing a good job of not tolerating their "criminal act". Score minus one for Soverign Power!

Iyad Allawi, ex-Prime Minister of Iraq, says, "[human rights] abuses are as bad today as they were under Saddam Hussein". Now, it's not that I'd doubt the word of a tried-and-failed politician making a pitch in the run-up to elections, but you know how these things work. If he's actually right, though, it kinda messes up the argument that right or wrong, the invasion of Iraq was ultimately good for its people.

Ireland.com - The Irish Times - BREAKING NEWS / EU main source of foreign investment in Ireland

The EU continues to be the main source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the Republic, according to the CSO (Central Statistics Office).

This kinda runs counter to the argument - which I was inclined to agree with - that Ireland's tacit support for the war in Iraq, viz. allowing US military planes to land at Shannon, was somehow necessitated by the risk of otherwise alienating investors from the US. Of course, the article goes on to note that there may be

...indirect routing of US investment via other countries.

So maybe we're still being "forced" into the stopover decision.

"Blair to urge end to US-EU rift over Iraq", and "Europe is 'shutting out UK firms'". Actually, it's probably got far more to do with the UK's "we're still not sure about this whole EU thing" stance than anything else, but I just thought the juxtaposition of the headlines was amusing.

"19:12:00: England in court over Iraq abuse photographs"

[link]...but it'll cost ya. Also, don't forget to read the small print on what you're actually in charge of.

joke punchline

When I asked if the coalition would quit Iraq if requested to do so by the Iraqi government, I was at least kinda kidding.

What's surprising me about the Nick Berg story, and the Jessica Lynch story, and god knows how many other stories that turn out to be somewhat more quixotic than they first appeared, is that if they're stitch-up jobs, someone's being a really crappy seamstress. I honestly don't believe that "the truth will out" even remotely approximates reality, yet here you have people trotting out some pretty serious questions on Nick Berg's murder mere days after the video of same appeared in circulation. How can that be? You'd imagine it's a fairly straightforward deal to prove that either he was or wasn't in CPA custody before being kidnapped, etc. And yet it's all stonewalling and null answers from the people in whose best interests it is to dispel these wild-ass conspiracy theories.

The other thing that bothers me about the murder - and previous events - is this: if I did something heinous in the morning, while wearing a US Army uniform and claiming affiliation with same, would you immediately describe my actions as those of the US Army? Or would you perhaps investigate, and consider the plausibility of it all, and then make an informed pronouncement? Why then the rush to believe everyone who says, "oh, by the way, we're also affiliated with Al Qaeda"?

And before you ask, yes, this cuts both ways, particularly in light of the fact that the UK photos were, it seems, faked. I have to say, I had personal difficulty with the fact that the guy in the UK photos was so conveniently wearing an Iraqi Flag tshirt.