by John Isaacs [contact information] Published in the Guardian UK on December 2, 2008 The security agreement signed by the United States and Iraq and approved by the Iraqi parliament last week marks the beginning of the end of the American occupation. It is about time. For more than six years, this war has undermined […]
Obama and Clinton: More Agreement than Disagreement on Foreign Policy
by John Isaacs President-elect Barack Obama announced today that he will nominate Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) to be Secretary of State. Selecting a former rival for the most prestigious of cabinet positions has unleashed a torrent of media coverage, most of which has focused on grossly exaggerated disagreements during the presidential campaign and behind-the-scenes political […]
How Comfortable is the U.S.-Iraq SOFA?
by John Isaacs by Travis Sharp CONCLUSIONS IN BRIEF The agreement represents a stunning reversal in policy for the Bush administration, which until now rejected any timeline for troop withdrawals. The Bush administration has fallen in line behind the policy of President-elect Barack Obama, who has proposed removing U.S. combat troops from Iraq within 16 […]
Obering’s Missile Defense Exaggerations
by John Isaacs On November 12, Lt. General Henry Obering, head of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), gave a press briefing where he wildly exaggerated the capabilities of U.S. missile defense systems. Gen. Obering: Our testing has shown not only can we hit a bullet with a bullet, we can hit a spot on the […]
Analysis of House-Senate Agreement on the FY2009 Defense Authorization Bill (S.3001)
by Travis Sharp and John Isaacs SUMMARY Facing both a full workload before leaving town for the campaign trail and ongoing member objections to earmarks, Congress decided to skip the normal conference procedure for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 Defense Authorization bill (S.3001). Working together, the House and Senate produced a joint bill that now must […]