U.S. and the World

In a Reversal, Rwanda Screens Air Passengers Arriving from U.S. for Ebola

The government of Rwanda has decided to start screening all visitors arriving from the United States. Rwanda may be reacting to an incident in New Jersey, where two Rwandan exchange students were pulled out of school following fears by staff members and parents that that the two might be carrying the Ebola virus, despite no evidence that they were. In fact, New Jersey is closer to Texas, site of the U.S. outbreak, than Rwanda is to West Africa, more than 2,500 miles away. read more

Classified Internal CIA Study Shows that Its Covert Arming of Foreign Forces Is Often Ineffective

The CIA review showed that arming foreign forces had “minimal” effect on the outcome of most conflicts. This was especially true when forces fought without American support on the ground. President Obama mentioned the study when asked if the U.S. had acted quickly enough to arm Syrian rebels. “I actually asked the CIA to analyze examples of America financing and supplying arms to an insurgency in a country that actually worked out well,” he said. “And they couldn’t come up with much.” read more

U.S. Bombing of Afghanistan Hits 2-Year High

Some military observers say the Pentagon may be increasing air support missions to help American ground forces pull out of forward operating bases and prepare to ship home. Other experts say more U.S. bombing attacks may become a regular part of the strategy in Afghanistan to compensate for fewer troops starting next year, when only 12,500 will remain behind to help Afghan security forces handle the brunt of the war against insurgents. read more

ISIS Uses Ammunition Made in United States

The U.S. is currently spending upwards of a billion dollars attacking Islamic State forces that are using ammunition made in the USA. Conflict Armament Research picked up 1,730 empty cartridges—the part of the ammunition that stays behind when a bullet has left the gun—in northern Iraq and Syria. Of those, 323 were identified as coming from U.S. sources, likely captured from Iraqi forces. Much of it was manufactured at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence, Missouri. read more

Civilian Casualty Guidelines for U.S. Drone Strikes Not Applied to Bombing in Syria and Iraq

President Obama has decided that as much as he hates civilian casualties in warfare, special protections intended to avoid them won't apply to the air campaign in Syria and Iraq. Reports indicate multiple deaths of civilians. One said missiles killed at least nine people, including five children, in the village of Kafr Deryan, Syria. The administration so far has not confirmed any civilian casualties. But it has admitted deaths and injuries could happen. read more

U.S. Strategy against ISIS in Syria Relies on Backing “Moderate Rebels”... Who May Not Exist

“You are not going to find this neat, clean, secular rebel group that respects human rights and that is waiting and ready because they don’t exist,” said Aron Lund. “It is a very dirty war and you have to deal with what is on offer.” In the end, the U.S. may be dancing to the tune called by ISIS, just as the George W. Bush Administration took Osama Bin-Laden’s bait and attacked in Afghanistan and Iraq, causing the radicalization of many in the Middle East. read more

As U.S.-Led Coalition Strikes ISIS, Women Emerge to Fight Against and Die at Hands of Terror Group

Women have left their mark already in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The extremist group executed Samira al-Nuaimy, a female civil rights lawyer. But Major Mariam al-Mansouri, the UAE’s first female fighter pilot, reportedly led her country’s missions as part of a U.S.-led coalition to destroy the ISIS threat in the Middle East. read more

Seattle to Begin Fining Households and Restaurants for Wasting Food

Seattle’s city council unanimously passed an ordinance last week that mandates fines for those who throw food in the general garbage can instead of in a compost bin. Trash collectors will be empowered to inspect residential cans and if they contain more than 10% food or other compostable items, the owner will find a $1 fine on his or her next utility bill. Apartment owners will get two warnings for their dumpsters, but $50 fines for subsequent offenses. read more

300,000 U.S. Students Live in Shelters, Motels or on the Street

It is estimated that about 300,000 American children in the 2012-2013 school year were homeless while attending school, according to a new report. read more

Obama Administration Agrees to Get Rid of Landmines…Except in Korea

The United States has finally agreed with most nations of the world that landmines need to go. But the new policy has a loophole in it the size of the Korean peninsula. read more

Jury Finds Arab Bank Guilty of Helping Finance Terrorism

In the lawsuit that was originally filed 10 years ago, the 297 plaintiffs cited the U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act (pdf), which for the first time was successfully used to hold a financial institution responsible for knowingly supporting terrorism efforts. They claimed Arab Bank supported Hamas by handling transfers and payments for the group. And they did so despite a “high” burden of proof, which entailed proving Hamas was behind 24 suicide attacks. read more

U.S. Greenhouse Gases back on the Rise; U.S. Still Leads in Per Capita Pollution

The U.S. averaged 16.5 metric tons of carbon dioxide spewed into the atmosphere for each individual—a rate that’s far ahead of all other nations. China, the second largest per-capita polluter, averages 7.2 metric tons. The U.S. emission rate had slowed because of increased use of natural gas in power generation, but coal has recently made a bit of a comeback in that role, causing more carbon to flow into the atmosphere. read more

Judge Allows Cisco to Slither out of Responsibility for Chinese Government Human Rights Abuses

Cisco sold a system called “Golden Shield” to the Chinese government, touting its ability to uniquely identify members of Falun Gong and as “the only product capable of recognizing over 90% of Falun Gong pictorial information,” according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). Cisco’s presentation also included offering features to persecute “Falun Gong evil religion,” which should have been a tip-off that human rights violations were at issue. read more

Jewish Groups Pay to Send U.S. Police to Train in Israel

Israeli training of U.S. police has also influenced the type of equipment being used. Security forces from both countries are now using some identical gear, including stun and tear gas grenades manufactured by the same U.S. companies—Combined Systems Inc. and Defense Technology Corp. A long-range “sound rifle” that emits ear-shattering noise to disperse crowds, which was used against 2005 West Bank protestors, was also used in the recent police action against protestors in Ferguson. read more

The Mysterious Case of the Obama Administration Claiming State-Secrets Privilege in a Private Defamation Lawsuit

The administration’s move has been described as unprecedented, because United Against Nuclear Iran is a private group and not a government agency. Ben Wizner, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer who has fought the government in other cases involving classified information, said he had never seen anything like that. “If there’s something in their files that would disclose a state secret, is there any reason it should be in their files?” Wizner asked. read more

Obama Administration and EU Threaten Shutdown of ExxonMobil’s Drilling in Russian Arctic

The Obama administration left open the possibility that the sanctions could be halted if Moscow sticks with the current cease-fire agreement and pulls its troops from Ukraine. But even if they are imposed, at least one oil analyst dismissed their importance on the Kara Sea project. Fadel Gheit at Oppenheimer & Co. told the Post that the sanctions’ “bark is worse than its bite,” considering commercial oil production out of the Arctic is a decade away. read more