Just Foreign Policy News
March 18, 2010

JFP video: Highlights of the Afghanistan Debate
In 6 minutes of video, we summarize the case made by Members of Congress for a timetable for military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/endthewar

Help us spread this news around!
Support the work of Just Foreign Policy.
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/donate.html

AP video: French "Reality TV" Documentary Replicates Milgram "Torture" Experiment
Four out of five "contestants" were willing to "torture" if instructed to do so by a "reality TV show."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n78z5d4jfc8

Summary:
U.S./Top News
1) An Irish opponent of the use of Shannon Airport for CIA rendition flights has had his US visa revoked without explanation, Firedoglake reports. Edward Horgan is scheduled to attend an April conference at Duke University to speak about his opposition to "extraordinary rendition."

2) President Lula said Brazil is prepared to talk with Hamas, AFP reports. Speaking at a press conference in Ramallah with Palestinian president Abbas, Lula said nobody, Hamas included, should be ignored in efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "Brazil is prepared to talk to everybody," he said. "All the parties involved must be listened to."

Just Foreign Policy News
March 17, 2010

Al Jazeera Video: Palestinian anger spills onto East Jerusalem streets
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go7V8FX4_Uw

Support the work of Just Foreign Policy:
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/donate.html

Summary:
U.S./Top News
1) The ACLU sued the US government for information on when, where and against whom military and CIA drone strikes can be authorized and the number of civilian casualties, which information it said was essential for assessing the legality of using armed drones to conduct targeted killings, the Politico reports.

2) Ukraine's new governing coalition said it will pass a law against joining military alliances such as NATO, AP reports. The statement appears to apply to all military alliances, including one led by Russia, AP says.

3) Gen. Petraeus told Congress Iran likely would not develop a nuclear weapon this year, saying the date it could do so had "slid to the right a bit," the New York Times reports.

4) U.S. Marines have still not figured out what to do about Marjah's poppy crop, McClatchy reports. Some officials have suggested that they simply buy this year's harvest and take it off the streets. But buying millions of dollars in opium could be "politically unpalatable," McClatchy says.

Just Foreign Policy News
March 16, 2010

Can President Obama Channel His Inner Rachel Corrie?
Today is the seventh anniversary of the death of Rachel Corrie in Gaza by Israeli government bulldozer, and the anniversary this year comes at a rare time in US-Israel relations, in which the US appears to put some real effort into establishing narrower boundaries for Israel's behavior towards the Palestinians.
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/node/513

J Street: Tell Congress to Stand with Biden in His Confrontation with Netanyahu
The Obama Administration is under attack for its condemnation of Israel's provocative announcement during Vice President Biden's trip to Israel last week. Tell Congress to stand with Biden. (You can change the text.)
https://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/2747/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1418

Americans for Peace Now: AIPAC doesn't speak for me
Support President Obama's position against the expansion of Israeli settlements with a letter to the editor. (You can change the text.)
http://capwiz.com/peacenow/issues/alert/?alertid=14815581

Support the work of Just Foreign Policy:
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/donate.html

Summary:
U.S./Top News

Just Foreign Policy News
March 15, 2010

Support Our Troops: Boycott the Israeli Occupation
General Petraeus, Admiral Mullen, and Vice-President Biden say that Israel's actions toward the Palestinians are putting our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq in danger. That's why, to Support Our Troops, the U.S. government must effectively pressure Israel to end its military occupation of the West Bank. And one thing every American can do to Support Our Troops is to shun products from companies linked to the Israeli occupation.
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/node/511

Support the work of Just Foreign Policy:
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/donate.html

Summary:
U.S./Top News
1) In January, Gen. Petraeus sent a team of officials to tell Admiral Mullen that there was a growing perception among Arab leaders that the U.S. was incapable of standing up to Israel and that Israeli intransigence on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was jeopardizing U.S. standing in the region, Foreign Policy reports. This was reportedly the context in which Vice-President Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu: "This is starting to get dangerous for us…What you're doing here undermines the security of our troops who are fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan." Yedioth Ahronoth reported: "The vice president told his Israeli hosts that since many people in the Muslim world perceived a connection between Israel's actions and US policy, any decision about construction that undermines Palestinian rights in East Jerusalem could have an impact on the personal safety of American troops fighting against Islamic terrorism."

Just Foreign Policy News
March 12, 2010

House Afghanistan Debate: What Kucinich Accomplished
On Wednesday, at long last, there was a vigorous debate about the war in Afghanistan on the floor of the United States House of Representatives. The legislative vehicle was a resolution introduced by Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich calling for U.S. troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan by the end of the year. But House critics of the war have long been agitating for a real debate.
[includes video of Edwards, Grayson, Paul, Pingree, and Kucinich.]
http://www.truthout.org/house-afghanistan-debate-what-kucinich-accomplished57588

Support the work of Just Foreign Policy:
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/donate.html

Summary:
U.S./Top News
1) Secretary of State Clinton warned Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Friday that Israel had sent a "deeply negative signal" about the U.S.-Israeli relationship and urged him to take immediate steps to demonstrate it was interested in renewing efforts at a Middle East peace agreement, the Washington Post reports. Her call, made in the wake of the embarrassment suffered by Vice President Biden when Israel announced it would build 1,600 housing units in a disputed area of Jerusalem, was an unusually tough message for the longtime U.S. ally, the Post says.

Just Foreign Policy News
March 11, 2010

Just Foreign Policy News on the Web:
[To receive just the Summary and a link to the web version, you can use this webform:
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/switchdailynews]

House Afghanistan Debate: What Kucinich Accomplished
Yesterday, at long last, there was a vigorous debate about the war in Afghanistan on the floor of the United States House of Representatives. The legislative vehicle was a resolution introduced by Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich calling for U.S. troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan by the end of the year. But House critics of the war have long been agitating for a real debate.
[includes video from the debate of Edwards, Grayson, Paul, Pingree, and Kucinich.]
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/03/11-11

Support the work of Just Foreign Policy:
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/donate.html

Summary:
U.S./Top News

Just Foreign Policy News
March 5, 2010

Support the work of Just Foreign Policy:
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/donate.html

Help Kucinich Force House Debate on Afghanistan
Yesterday Rep. Kucinich introduced a privileged resolution - H. Con Res. 248 - invoking the War Powers Act to force the President to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan this year. Because it is a privileged resolution, Congress will be forced to debate the issue of the open-ended U.S. war in and occupation of Afghanistan. Debate is expected early next week. Ask your Representative to become a co-sponsor of Representative Kucinich's resolution.
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/kucinich

Summary:
U.S./Top News

Just Foreign Policy News
March 4, 2010

Support the work of Just Foreign Policy:
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/donate.html

Help Kucinich Use War Powers Act to Force Afghanistan Debate
Today Representative Kucinich introduced a privileged resolution - H. Con Res. 248 - invoking the War Powers Act to force the President to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan this year. Because it is a privileged resolution, Congress will be forced to debate the issue of the open-ended U.S. war in and occupation of Afghanistan. Ask your Representative to become a co-sponsor of Representative Kucinich's resolution.
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/kucinich

Schakowsky to Clinton: Investigate Human Rights Abuses in Honduras
Nine Congressional Democrats have written to Secretary of State Clinton, urging her to "fully investigate reports of severe human rights abuses in Honduras." The Members of Congress say that the U.S. "must make it clear that the ongoing intimidation and persecution of activists and dissidents is unacceptable." In addition to Rep. Schakowsky, the signers were: McGovern, Grijalva, Farr, Barbara Lee, Oberstar, Honda, Conyers, and Waters.
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/sites/default/files/Honduras_Human_Rights.pdf

Summary:
U.S./Top News

Just Foreign Policy News
March 3, 2010

Support the work of Just Foreign Policy:
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/donate.html

Help Kucinich Use War Powers Act to Force Afghanistan Debate
This week, Representative Kucinich plans to introduce a privileged resolution invoking the War Powers Act to force the President to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan this year. Because it will be a privileged resolution, Congress will be forced to debate the issue of the open-ended U.S. war in and occupation of Afghanistan. Ask your Representative to become a co-sponsor of Representative Kucinich's resolution.
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/kucinich

Summary:
U.S./Top News
1) Some American doctors are pleading U.S. officials to keep the Navy hospital ship Comfort in Haiti, the Baltimore Sun reports. University of Southern California surgeon Randy Sherman, medical director for the aid organization Operation Smile, said "there is no doubt" there are enough earthquake victims to keep the Comfort busy. He thinks it could operate at high volume for at least three more months. US doctors say Haiti is replete with patients whose orthopedic injuries have healed improperly and require complex surgeries that only the Comfort can provide.

2) Human Rights Watch said Honduran authorities should ensure that recent killings and other attacks on opponents of the 2009 coup are promptly and thoroughly investigated. HRW has received credible reports of multiple acts of violence over the past month targeting members of the National Popular Resistance Front, including killings, rape, torture, kidnapping, and assault.

Just Foreign Policy News
March 1, 2010

Palestinians, Israelis, and Internationals Unite to Re-Open Shuhada Street
Since the 1994 massacre of 29 Palestinians at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, the IDF has instituted ever tightening restrictions on Palestinian movement throughout Hebron, and particularly on Shuhada Street where six settlement blocks were established. Today even Palestinian residents of Shuhada Street have to walk on complicated make-shift pathways on rooftops and climb over roadblocks to reach their home since walking or driving on the street is prohibited. On the anniversary of the massacre, Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals locked arms to try to re-open the street; video.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/02/global-movement-joins-hebron-protest-to-open-shuhada-street.html

Haiti Relief and Reconstruction Watch: Debt Relief bill advances
The "Haiti Recovery Act" passed through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week. The bill, introduced by Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Richard Lugar (R-IN) would eliminate Haiti's outstanding debt to International Financial Institutions (IFI) and any debt incurred during relief efforts. Also, the bill would encourage IFIs to make available grants rather than loans "in order to end the debt-relief cycle."
http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/relief-and-reconstruction-watch/

Support the work of Just Foreign Policy:
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/donate.html

Summary:
U.S./Top News