Category Archives: International

In Explaining Iraq War, WMD Hoax Becomes a Footnote

Posted on 12/15/2011 by Peter Hart

The Washington Post's Scott Wilson has a piece (12/13/11) looking back on the Iraq War, where he writes of the "arc of the American experience in Iraq" being "from hope to barbarity, from swaggering invasion to quiet departure." When it … Continue reading →

Posted in Iraq, War/Military, Washington Post | Tagged | 17 Comments

'Invented' Palestinians Can't Be Quoted

Posted on 12/13/2011 by Peter Hart

Of course Newt Gingrich (you know, the "big thinker" in the Republican campaign) made a lot of news by declaring that the Palestinians are an "invented" people. As As'ad AbuKhalill–aka Angry Arab–pointed out, the New York Times ran a piece … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, Israel/Palestine, New York Times | Tagged , , , | 50 Comments

A Son's Death Didn't Make a Critic 'Credible'

Posted on 12/09/2011 by Peter Hart

Over on Twitter, Glenn Greenwald recommended this USA Today profile of Boston University historian Andrew Bacevich, who has been one of the most prolific and incisive critics of U.S. foreign policy in recent years. Greenwald called it "surprisingly good," which … Continue reading →

Posted in Iraq, USA Today | Tagged , | 4 Comments

How Iran Assertions Turn Into 'Facts'

Posted on 12/08/2011 by Peter Hart

The New York Times today (12/8/11), reporting on the CIA drone that went down in Iran, refers in passing to the recent public debate in Israel about whether time is running out for a military strike to slow Iran's progress … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, New York Times | 3 Comments

Republicans and the Hezbollah-in-Mexico Menace

Posted on 12/07/2011 by Peter Hart

Political campaign watchers seem to agree that the election will be about the economy, and that Republicans probably won't have much to say about Obama's foreign policy (partly because it doesn't much differ from what a Republican president might be … Continue reading →

Posted in Barack Obama, Election, Latin America, New York Times | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

Zakaria and Democracy 'Tension'

Posted on 12/02/2011 by Peter Hart

In the new issue of Time (12/12/11), Fareed Zakaria writes in the first sentence of his column: It is difficult to find a country on the planet that is more anti-American than Pakistan. In a Pew survey this year, only … Continue reading →

Posted in Haiti, Pakistan, Time | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Mitt Romney's Murderous Dictator Gaffe

Posted on 11/30/2011 by Peter Hart

If you've paid attention to the presidential campaign season, you've no doubt been entertained by the string of embarrassments and gaffes: Rick Perry blows the voting age! Herman Cain can't remember what to say about Libya! Mitt Romney talks about … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Election | Tagged , , , , , | 20 Comments

Anonymously Explaining Pakistan Deaths

Posted on 11/29/2011 by Peter Hart

A New York Times piece today (11/29/11) about the U.S. airstrikes that apparently killed 24 Pakistani soldiers opens with Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani speaking publicly about the incident, as does Pakistani military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas. Readers … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, anonymity, New York Times | 5 Comments

Dead Afghan Kids Still Not Newsworthy

Posted on 11/28/2011 by Peter Hart

Back in March, we wondered when U.S. corporate news outlets would find U.S./NATO killing of Afghan kids newsworthy. Back then, it was nine children killed in a March 1 airstrike. This resulted in two network news stories on the evening … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, Media Activism, War/Military | Tagged | 10 Comments

Sam Husseini, David Ignatius: Who's the 'Real' Journalist?

Posted on 11/28/2011 by Peter Hart

Sam Husseini asked a tough question of a member of the Saudi royal family at a National Press Club event–which got him into some trouble with folks at the Press Club. (Good news–his suspension has been lifted.) Part of what … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Criticism, Mideast, Washington Post | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

The Ex-Spymaster Currently Known as Prince

Posted on 11/18/2011 by Jim Naureckas

Sam Husseini's encounter with Prince Turki bin Faisal Al Saud makes me wonder once again–why do we call a person like Al Saud a "prince"? Al Saud was the longtime chief of Saudi Arabia's intelligence agency, and later served as … Continue reading →

Posted in Mideast | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Don't Commit Journalism at the National Press Club

Posted on 11/18/2011 by Peter Hart

When former FAIR staffer Sam Husseini found out that Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal al-Sa'ud would be speaking at the National Press Club, he thought it might be a good chance to ask a tough question. The National Press Club apparently … Continue reading →

Posted in First Amendment, Mideast | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Diamonds or Bombs? WaPo Is Only Skeptical on One Side

Posted on 11/15/2011 by Jim Naureckas

Joby Warrick's Washington Post article (11/14/11) on the new International Atomic Energy Agency report on Iran goes wrong from the first sentence: When the Cold War abruptly ended in 1991, Vyacheslav Danilenko was a Soviet weapons scientist in need of … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran | Tagged , , , | 46 Comments

Reading the Iran Nuke Leaks

Posted on 11/08/2011 by Peter Hart

When the International Atomic Energy Agency is about to release a report on an official enemy like Iran, you can be fairly confident that contents of the report–or what people believe should be in it–will be leaked to elite newspapers … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, Media Criticism, New York Times, Washington Post | Tagged , | 6 Comments

WaPo: Greece, Don't Be an Argentina!

Posted on 11/04/2011 by Peter Hart

Washington Post correspondent Juan Forero has a piece today (11/4/11) that attempts to compare the Greek economic crisis with other similar debt crises, particularly in Latin America. Unfortunately, he draws some misleading conclusions. Forero's point is that there's a lot … Continue reading →

Posted in Latin America, Washington Post | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments