U.S. and the World

Inspector General Warns that with Opium Production Skyrocketing, Afghanistan Could become “a Narco-Criminal State”

The country’s poppy fields are responsible for more than $150 million a year in revenue for Islamic militants, according to James L. Capra, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s chief of operations, who provided written testimony to the caucus. “The Taliban is involved in taxing opium poppy farmers; operating processing laboratories; moving narcotics; taxing narcotics transporters...[and] providing security to poppy fields, drug labs, and opium bazaars,” Capra said. read more

Delta Airlines and Pilots Sue U.S. Government over Financing of Foreign Airlines

Delta and the Air Line Pilots Association contend that Ex-Im’s actions are giving overseas carriers an unfair advantage in the airline industry, and making it harder for domestic companies to compete. The plaintiffs, who include Hawaiian Airlines, are upset over Ex-Im’s approval in September 2011 of $1.3 billion in loan guarantees and $2.1 billion in loan commitments to Air India so it could purchase 30 Boeing aircraft. read more

First Person to Successfully Challenge Inclusion on No-Fly List

For the first time, a federal judge has ruled that the government must make a correction in the application of its no-fly anti-terrorism policy, and take a former Stanford grad student off the list she was mistakenly put on nine years ago. The government has steadfastly refused, since the no-fly list was conjured up after the September 11, 2001, attacks, to say who is on the list, how they got there or how they can get off it. read more

U.S. Military Formally Returns to Somalia 20 Years after “Black Hawk Down”

The Obama administration quietly sent a small team of soldiers, described as trainers and advisers, to Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, three months ago. Senior defense officials said they plan to expand the number of advisers later this year. Elite Special Operations teams already make occasional forays into the country to conduct hostage rescues and counter-terrorism raids. There are also regular U.S. drone flights over Somali territory to conduct surveillance and occasional air strikes. read more

Network TV Pulls Back from Foreign Policy Coverage

The focus on the pope, Mandela and Prince George demonstrated the rise of “celebrity journalism” in news coverage, Andrew Tyndall, the report’s publisher, told Inter Press Service. He added that “a minor celebrity like Oscar Pistorius (the South African track star accused of murdering his girlfriend) attracted more coverage (51 minutes) than all the rest of sub-Saharan Africa in the [11] months before Mandela’s death.” read more

Federal Refusal to Enforce Law Allows Foreign Fishing Companies to Use Harmful Methods

Passed by Congress in 1972, the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) requires that all imported fish be accompanied by proof that the technology used to catch them does not kill or seriously injure marine mammals in excess of U.S. standards. Congress intended to protect dolphins and whales, American consumers concerned about them, and U.S. fishers’ whose costs are higher because they have to use mammal-safe technology. read more

Hunting Club Auctions First Foreign Permit to Kill Endangered Black Rhino

The auction will take place this weekend, during the Dallas Safari Club’s annual meeting, which it calls “the greatest hunters’ convention on the planet.” The highest bid—likely to be six figures—will get the permit issued by the Namibian government to hunt and shoot a Black Rhinoceros. The money will go to support conservation efforts in the southern African country to protect the endangered species, now numbering about 5,000. read more

Former Guantánamo Prisoner Suspected in Benghazi Attack

According to a Guantánamo “Detainee Assessment” prepared by the Department of Defense in 2005, Qumu “poses a MEDIUM to HIGH risk, as he is likely to pose a threat to the U.S., its interests and allies.” He was also deemed to be “of HIGH intelligence value.” This may be the reason that the Bush administration, thinking Qumu would act as an ally, released him from Guantánamo two years later. read more

Should U.S. Provide Asylum to Mexicans Fleeing Drug Violence?

The sheer numbers reveal just how dangerous life has become south of the border. Last year, 13,800 Mexicans requested asylum because of gun battles and murders brought on by cartels. This year’s total more than doubled from 2012, reaching 36,000 asylum requests. Last year only 1% of the claims were approved, granting asylum to just 126 people. read more

War in Afghanistan May be the Least Popular Conflict in U.S. History

Only 17% of respondents said they still support the 12-year-old war in Afghanistan. The decline in support has been dramatic since 2008, when favorability was at 52%. The new survey found 57% believe the conflict is going badly for the U.S. Only about 30% say America is winning the war, which has killed 2,300 U.S. troops. read more

More than 70 Radiation-Stricken U.S. Sailors Sue Fukushima Plant Operator

The sailors became exposed to radiation leaking from the crippled power plant when their ships arrived off Japan’s coast to provide humanitarian assistance. They remained in the area for four days. The American men and women say they are suffering from radiation exposure and numerous health problems brought on by the exposure. These include leukemia, testicular cancer, gynecological bleeding and thyroid diseases. read more

U.S. Seen as Greatest Threat to World Peace…and the Nation Most Would Like to Move To

The latest Win/Gallup International’s Annual Global End of Year Survey revealed the United States was most often chosen as the greatest threat to world peace among all nations. Twenty-four percent of respondents chose the U.S., far more than Pakistan (8%), China (6%), North Korea, Israel and Iran (5%). But the U.S. is viewed as more than just a bully on the world stage. When asked which country they would most like to live in, 9% of respondents picked the U.S. read more

Innocent Uighurs Finally Leave Guantánamo after 12 Years

The George W. Bush administration reportedly knew as early as 2003 that the Uighurs were not a threat to U.S. security. But the administration allegedly kept them at Guantánamo Bay in exchange for China’s cooperation at the United Nations to not interfere with the authorization of force against Iraq in 2003, the Uighurs claimed. “It is especially heartbreaking that when the Uighurs were turned over to U.S. forces following the invasion of Afghanistan, they thought they had been saved.” read more

Federal Court Reinstates Saudi Arabia as Defendant in 9/11 Survivors’ Lawsuit

The oil sheikdom was originally a defendant in the case until 2005, when a federal judge, George B. Daniels, ruled that sovereign immunity protected it from liability for the attacks. That liability could potentially amount to tens of billions of dollars in civil damages. But a Second Circuit three-judge panel ruled this month that Daniels had erred in dismissing Saudi Arabia from the lawsuit. read more

Federal Court Gives Go-Ahead for Africans to Sue Nestle in U.S. over Slave Labor Claims

Three residents of Mali sued Nestle USA in U.S. federal court in 2009 claiming they were forced as children to work without pay and were abused at Ivory Coast plantations that supplied Nestle with cocoa. In an amici curiae filed in support of the Malian workers, a group of international law scholars expressed concern that “by creating a law-free zone for corporations, the District Court has charted an unprecedented and unjustified course.” read more

Forgotten by Most Americans, Iraq is Still a Source of Profits for U.S. Weapons Makers

The Iraqi military will receive 75 Hellfire missiles from Washington. Costing nearly $70,000 a piece, the delivery represents an early Christmas gift for arms maker Lockheed Martin. The company also made out with the order to manufacture Aerostat surveillance balloons, three of which were provided to the Iraqi government by the Obama administration. The administration intends to ship 10 ScanEagle reconnaissance drones in March to Iraq. This shipment will mean more revenue for Boeing. read more