Faltering of Arab Democracy Is Seen

Staff / Truthdig Apr 10, 2006 The New York Times reports that many Middle Eastern countries that made moves toward democracy are now pulling back, emboldened to ignore Bush's demands in the wake of the Iraq debacle. Dig deeper

Democracy in Iraq Not a Priority in U.S. Budget

Staff / Truthdig Apr 5, 2006 Money that Bush earmarked for programs to build up Iraqi political parties, media outlets and human rights groups is now going toward security. Another example of how the reality of democracy-building is so much messier than the fantasy. Dig deeper

Kerry Calls for Iraq Pullout Deadline

Staff / Truthdig Apr 5, 2006 In the N.Y. Times, the former presidential candidate calls for two deadlines: May 15 for the Iraqis to form a unity government, and a date later in the year for the U.S. to pull out. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Rice Concedes Errors in Iraq

Staff / Truthdig Mar 31, 2006 The secretary of state admits that the U.S. has probably made thousands of "tactical errors" in Iraq but defends the larger policy of invading Iraq. Dig deeper

The White House That Cried Wolf

Molly Ivins / Truthdig Mar 28, 2006 The more that administration leaders play games with definitions of democracy and weasel wording about torture, the less they can be believed about anything. So if they someday tell the truth, no one will believe them. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Sign Me Up for the Pentagon Democracy Plan

Molly Ivins / Truthdig Mar 21, 2006 I do like the idea of supporting democracy and think we should try it -- especially here in the US of A. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Bush Sets a Target for Iraq Transition

Staff / Truthdig Mar 14, 2006 The president, who has until now refused to set concrete withdrawal timelines, now vows to cede control of most of the country to Iraqi forces by the end of 2006 Check out a full-text version of his speech. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Needed: A New Direction for U.S.-Russian Relations

Staff / Truthdig Mar 9, 2006 We need a new policy toward Russia--one that is neither triumphalist, Cold War-like, or ignorant of the fact that the pro-Western liberal groups in Russia are in fact supported by a tiny fraction of the Russian electorate. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Inching Toward Authoritarianism

Staff / Truthdig Feb 24, 2006 A legendary South African journalist calls himself "appalled" at the way America's policies of wiretapping and torture are beginning to resemble those of apartheid Cape Town. (Video available.) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

U.S. Threatens to Cut Off Iraqi Aid

Staff / Truthdig Feb 22, 2006 America's ambassador to Iraq says the United States might cut funding to the Iraqi government if it puts sectarian politicians in two key posts. Iraq's prime minister angrily rejects the call, saying, "We do not need anybody to remind us, thank you." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Neocon Mea Culpas

Staff / Truthdig Feb 20, 2006 Francis Fukuyama, one of the leading neocon intellectuals who argued the case for the Iraq war, admits in a blockbuster N.Y. Times Magazine essay that it is "very hard to see how [the removal of Saddam Hussein, and a few spillover benefits] justify the blood and treasure that the United States has spent." Andrew Sullivan, another leading pro-war conservative, echoes Fukuyama's comment and points out three areas where neocons were tragically wrong. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Steamed Rice

Staff / Truthdig Feb 16, 2006 The secretary of state gets a grilling when she requests $75 million from the Senate for democracy-building activities in Iran. Most of the money would go toward round-the-clock TV programming in Farsi. And while that's probably not a bad idea, it's hard to imagine that any amount of TV would meaningfully distract attention from the spectacle of the American occupation of Iraq. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )