November 6th, 2009
by Jason Leopold – TruthOut
Two years before the invasion of Iraq, oil executives and foreign policy advisers told the Bush administration that the United States would remain “a prisoner of its energy dilemma” as long as Saddam Hussein was in power.
That April 2001 report, “Strategic Policy Challenges for the 21st Century,” was prepared by the James A. Baker Institute for Public Policy and the US Council on Foreign Relations at the request of then-Vice President Dick Cheney.
In retrospect, it appears that the report helped focus administration thinking on why it made geopolitical sense to oust Hussein, whose country sat on the world’s second largest oil reserves.
November 6th, 2009
The video shows three events that took place during this year’s olive harvest in the West Bank: Settlers are seen stealing olives from a grove belonging to a resident of al-Mughair village. Two settlers pick olives and drag filled sacks to a car… Residents discovered several dozens of olive trees had been cut in their groves. Residents of other villages also reported olive trees that had been cut or uprooted… Settler harass olive pickers although soldiers were present… residents of the village were also attacked by several dozens of settlers as they attempted to harvest olives… [Source: btselem.org]
November 6th, 2009
by Dominic Waghorn – Sky News, UK
‘Halas’, says Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. ‘Enough. It’s over’.
Last night he told his people he has ‘no desire’ to stand in the elections he has called for early next year.
He has made similar threats before, about resigning and not wanting to go on. Whether he means it this time remains an open question. If he does, Palestinian politics is entering extremely choppy waters, and with it the hopes for peace.
But how did we get here, and what happened to the now rapidly unravelling US push for peace?
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