This month has seen two reports on the history of human rights abuses in Afghanistan: “Blood Stained Hands” by Human Rights Watch (see my earlier post), and now “Casting Shadows: War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity, 1978-2001” by the Afghanistan Justice Project. The AJP report is probably the most comprehensive of its kind, describing the violations committed from the Soviet invasion to the US invasion, and beyond. It is probably one of the most …

We may be seeing the seeds of another “revolution” in a post-Soviet state, courtesy of the US State Department.

In what the Boston Globe calls walking the “diplomatic tightrope,” US officials have agreed to consider asylum requests for refugees from Uzbekistan fleeing after the violent crackdown in Andijan in May. Uzbekistan has been an important ally of the US because it allows the use of one of the first US airbases in Central Asia, and because the …

In addition to being contemptible acts of violence, the London subway/bus attacks that killed at least 50 and wounded over 700 were also perfect opportunities for global imperial powers to set aside their differences and renew their solidarity.

According to a FOX news report on the bombings,

Jamie Rubin, a former foreign affairs specialist under former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, told FOX News from London that the attack may recreate some of the unity of world leaders …

Just before G8 leaders met in Scotland to make themselves feel good about relieving African debt, and engage in handwringing on terrorism, two of the G8 countries (Russia and China) were busy snubbing another (the United States).

At the latest meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (Russia, China, Kyrgysztan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan), the growing US military presence in Central Asia has been seriously called into question. As quoted in an Associated Press article, a declaration …

Human Rights Watch has done some commendable work on Afghanistan, and they continue it with the report “Blood-Stained Hands: Past Atrocities in Kabul and Afghanistan’s Legacy of Impunity,” published on July 7.

The report begins:
Afghanistan has suffered from over two decades of war. This is the typical opening of most reports, articles, and speeches written about Afghanistan today. The statement, usually used to help explain the country’s post-Taliban challenges, is repeated so frequently that it …

I am sorry I haven’t been able to post at all in the past week. Due to a debilitating flu and a family emergency I have hardly had time to turn on the computer. I hope to be back to more frequent posts (one every 2-3 days) in a day or two.

Meanwhile…If you haven’t done so yet, check out the wonderful coverage of the World Tribunal on Iraq by Zeynup Toufe.