World Leaders Struggle With Kosovo Independence

Staff / Truthdig Feb 18, 2008 Kosovo's declaration of independence has prompted both condemnation and cheers from world leaders Whether in the UN Security Council or the European Union, global opinion is divided In particular, the declaration has served as a flashpoint for tension between the United States and Russia, an ugly reenactment of the kind of jockeying for influence that was supposed to have been buried with the Cold War. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Being Mrs. McCain

Staff / Truthdig Feb 5, 2008 The UK's Times Online certainly chose a very particular frame for its profile of John McCain's wife, Cindy, as evidenced by the headline: "Flawed Cindy McCain Has a Grudge List." Further down, Mrs. McCain gets a bit more credit when writer Tony Allen-Mills predicts she'd make a "formidable but flawed first lady." There appears to be a pattern at work here. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

A British Reality Check on Progress In Iraq

Staff / Truthdig Dec 3, 2007 BBC: "The UK will hand over control of Basra to Iraqi forces despite failing in its goal to establish security there, an MPs' [members of Parliament] report says. The city is dominated by militias and the police contains 'murderous' and 'corrupt' elements, the report added." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Britain to Investigate ‘CIA Black Site’

Staff / Truthdig Oct 20, 2007 The British government's Foreign Affairs Committee will look into charges by a number of sources, including human rights groups and a retired U.S. general, that sovereign British land has been used as a CIA "black site" prison. The island of Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean, has been leased to the United States and is the site of an American military base but remains British territory. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

UK Plans Troop Reduction

Staff / Truthdig Oct 9, 2007 The British government is planning to downsize its military presence in Iraq this May by 800 to leave a total of 7,000 troops, a move Defense Secretary John Reid insists is not meant to signal a "handover of responsibility" to Iraqi forces, according to the BBC. Updated Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘You Left Us With 50 Saddams’

Staff / Truthdig Sep 25, 2007 As the U.S. government is learning much too late, democracy is not a one-size-fits-all application that can be lifted from one culture and grafted onto another. Here, UK reporter Ian Black from the Guardian Unlimited takes a look at what's really going on politically and culturally in Iraq according to a prominent historian and his Iraqi contacts. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Bill Maher vs. the Cult of Di

Staff / Truthdig Sep 3, 2007 If the muted response from his normally rambunctious audience was any indication, Bill Maher might have crossed a line on Friday, but he deserves praise for confronting a senseless taboo, exploring the death of Princess Di without the usual beatification and self-flagellation. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

British Losses Rise as Troops Prepare for Basra Exit

Staff / Truthdig Aug 11, 2007 British forces face a major dip in morale as they prepare to leave Basra -- an exit viewed by some as a retreat from a situation that's become more chaotic and dangerous than it was before. The Independent's Patrick Cockburn apparently agrees, arguing that the British troops "wholly failed" in their "least successful military campaign since Suez in 1956." Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

U.S. Rendition Ignored British Protest

Staff / Truthdig Jul 25, 2007 A British committee investigating possible UK involvement in extraordinary rendition has found that the U.S. ignored British intelligence caveats and concerns, possibly straining a historically close intelligence relationship. The committee also recommended a ban on cooperation that could lead to secret detention, which it said "is of itself mistreatment." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Tony Blair Takes Your Questions

Staff / Truthdig Apr 27, 2007 The British prime minister made an unprecedented appearance on Youtube (of all places) to respond to questions from the host of "Labour:vision" and viewers at large. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Blair Backpedals Over Iraq ‘Disaster’ Remark

Staff / Truthdig Nov 18, 2006 After Tony Blair agreed with an interviewer that the violence in Iraq since invasion has been a "disaster," his representatives on Downing Street insisted that the prime minister was simply being polite. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Britain’s Alleged Torture Hypocrisy

Staff / Truthdig Nov 2, 2006 A new report from Human Rights Watch accuses the British government of softening protections against torture, abdicating its responsibility to pressure the U.S. against the practice and knowingly deporting terror suspects to countries where they are likely to suffer abuse. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )