Topic: Iraq
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Briefing
Chemical weapons 101: Six facts about sarin and Syria’s stockpile
President Obama said Assad's use of chemical weapons would be a 'red line' for US. Did he use sarin or any other chemical weapon against his own people?
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CSMonitor editors share their favorite people to follow on Twitter
Twitter turned 7 this week. In celebration of the social network's birthday, The Christian Science Monitor compiled a list of favorite Twitter accounts. Each is informative and useful in its own way. Find out what each section recommends for you.
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When dictators fall, so do their banknotes
The following now defunct or possibly soon-to-be defunct banknotes are imbued with the symbols and iconography of their leaders, past and present.
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5 big losers in press freedom: Mali and ... Japan?
The annual World Press Freedom Index released today shows gains for Myanmar and others. Japan tumbled due to an informal ban placed on independent coverage of the Fukushima Daiichi disaster. Here are five of the notable winners and losers on this year’s list.
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Inauguration 2013: 10 highlights from previous second-term addresses
Barack Obama will be the 17th American president to deliver two inaugural addresses. Here are 10 highlights from such speeches by previous two-term presidents, including the shortest one ever.
All Content
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Backchannels Will limited US aid to Syria rebels hasten the end of war, or prolong it?
The US has promised to do a lot more to help Syria's rebellion against the government of Bashar al-Assad, but is stopping well short of the kind of aid that might prove decisive.
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Bradley Manning pleads guilty to some WikiLeaks charges (+video)
Army Pfc. Bradley Manning has pleaded guilty to charges that he broke military rules in providing classified information to WikiLeaks. But he denies the more serious charges of aiding the enemy during wartime, for which he still faces a court martial.
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Security: Where does it come from?
A Christian Science perspective.
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Backchannels Bradley Manning to admit partial guilt in WikiLeaks case
US Army Private Bradley Manning indicated he intends to admit guilt for passing classified documents to WikiLeaks in court tomorrow in an apparent bid to discuss his political motives.
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The Monitor's View: In Syria, US mission creep with moral creep
President Obama is leaning toward providing nonlethal military equipment to certain rebels in Syria. Doing so runs moral risks. But doing nothing to stop the violence is also a moral risk. Can the US walk this fine line?
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Criminals cash in on Syria's chaos with kidnappings and ransoms
Not all of the kidnappings in Syria are politically driven. In lawless areas not held by either the government or opposition, kidnappers are increasingly driven by cold cash.
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Backchannels Taliban attacks in Afghanistan not down after all
The NATO-led coalition said a data entry error led to a claim last week that Taliban attacks had fallen 7 percent last year. In fact, there's little change. So what did we get for the surge?
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Decoder Wire Chuck Hagel will be secretary of Defense. What did GOP opposition accomplish?
The Senate approves former Sen. Chuck Hagel as Defense secretary after weeks of Republican opposition. Hagel emerges politically weaker as he prepares to fight pending budget cuts.
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Just as Nixon went to China, should Obama go to Iran?
World powers, and the US in particular, need a game-changer to move Iran to a cooperative stance concerning its nuclear program, a few analysts argue. Such an Obama overture to Iran is a provocative idea, they say, but the alternative may be military confrontation.
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Change Agent Heroes to Heroes helps wounded US vets recover
Heroes to Heroes takes groups of traumatized US veterans on a journey to Israel meant to restore their sense of humanity and civility.
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Backchannels Hamid Karzai is mad as heck and he isn't going to take it anymore
Afghan President Hamid Karzai would like to make it very clear that he doesn't like the US, his principal protector and patron.
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Opinion: Beyond 'Zero Dark Thirty' Oscars fail: Torture is an ineffective interrogation approach
Academy-Award nominated film 'Zero Dark Thirty' has more issues than its disappointing Oscar showing. Based on my interviews with military interrogators, the movie's portrayal of torture as effective – even vital to getting Osama bin Laden – couldn't be further from the truth.
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As Iran and Israel trade threats, first Iranian novels appear in Hebrew
The rousing success of two Persian novels published in Hebrew this year – the first to ever appear in Hebrew – indicate a thirst among Israelis to better understand Iranian society.
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War psychology research expands, troops found to suffer 'moral injuries'
As researchers and psychologists have come to a better understanding of post traumatic stress disorder a different kind of suffering among veterans has surfaced, a feeling of guilt or inner conflict called 'moral injury.'
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Opinion: 'Zero Dark Thirty' has the facts wrong – and that's a problem, not just for the Oscars
The movie 'Zero Dark Thirty' is a gripping drama and credible contender in this year’s Oscar competition – nominated for five Academy Awards. But because it advertises itself as factually grounded, I have to point out: On each of its three major points, the film gets the story wrong.
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Decoder Wire What sequester says about who's controlling the Republican Party
The looming cuts to the military and domestic spending are pitting the GOP's defense hawks against its antitax and small-government crusaders. So far, it's pretty clear who's winning.
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Will rising tensions in Asia push Japan toward a full-fledged military?
Prime Minister Abe is proposing small steps, such as renaming the Self-Defense Forces, with an eye toward moving away from the legal restrictions that have governed Japan's military since World War II.
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Domenici acknowledges secret son
Former Sen. Pete Domenici, a New Mexico Republican, made public a long held secret on Wednesday. He fathered a child outside of marriage in the 1970s. The former politician, now 80, was the longest serving senator in the state's history and known as a family man.
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Backchannels WikiLeaks discover ties between Nigerian scammers and Straftor
Sort of.
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Focus US 'pivot to Asia': Is John Kerry retooling it?
A focus of American resources on Asia was a major priority when Hillary Rodham Clinton was secretary of State. But it is unclear if John Kerry will follow her approach exactly, many regional analysts say.
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Opinion: A civics lesson for 20-somethings
Many young people drop out of civic life because we set them up to fail. In the Obama era, we talk about social change in such grandiose terms that anything after is bound to feel insignificant in comparison. I've learned that civic engagement, above all else, requires resilience.
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Energy Voices Will oil pipeline attack push energy companies out of Iraq?
With violence on the rise, including a recent attack on a major oil pipeline, it may be only a matter of time before international oil companies lose their stomach for post-war Iraq, Graeber writes.
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Military invests in smart-phone reconnaissance
AOptix signs a $3 million contract with the US Department of Defense to help develop smart phones with Smart Mobile Identity technology, which scans fingerprints and other physical features for identity verification. Biometrics developers say they aren't far from making the technology commercially available.
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Focus How US military plans to carry out Obama's 'pivot to Asia'
A US policy shift toward Asia means a greater role for the Navy. Even pre-'pivot to Asia,' it already stationed half its ships in the region, and it is developing a new 'afloat forward staging base' in the Pacific.
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Decoder Wire Will Republicans regret the decision to delay Chuck Hagel's nomination?
Republicans flexed some political muscle with their unprecedented filibuster of a cabinet nominee. But it could open them to charges of 'obstructionism' and lead to more constraints on the power of the minority.
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