TCS: The Gray Zone Between War and Peace
My latest article at Tech Central Station, “The Gray Zone Between War and Peace,” is up. It’s an extended and better organized version of some thoughts on the Sgrena shooting and Iraq checkpoint situations I’ve discussed over the last couple days here.
Read the TCS piece. Nicely done. One aspect not mentioned I would be curious about, especially in regard of the circa 9pm (and presumably after-dark) Sgrena incident — What about curfew(s)?
the question should be.
how many of these incidents would have occured if saddam was still in power??
A vote for Bush is a vote for osama
If Saddam were in power, a few “civilians” would not have been shot speeding towards checkpoints.
No, they would have been lashed to a bed frame and electrocuted, or thrown from a roof.
A vote for ignorance is a vote for Osama.
It’s perfectly legitimate to defend the US troops in Iraq, and without doubt it’s probably safer to shoot first and check after.
BUT: An Italian intelligence agent isn’t exactly a bodyguard? Why are you using this term?
Bodyguard – if you ask me – gives a slightly wrong impression here. And that impression is probably calculated. For the very simple reason: it’s a bodyguard’s job to safe a person to the point of getting killed himself. Nicola Calipari was an Italian intelligence officer, as you know. And that’s not exactly a bodyguard.
The term intelligence officer would suggest, that he was quite aware of the things you tell about. And it would helped your larger strategy more, if you had written, that under the circumstances he might not have taken the necessary precautions: Like? E.g. Contacting US authorities.
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3613/is_200307/ai_n9295934/pg_3
Re-thinking objectivity
regards KRAUT
My understanding is that he was part of the Italian secret service and assigned to her as part of her protection detail. I didn’t mean to imply that he was a personal bodyguard, just describing his function during the shooting.
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/03/07/1449232
LUCIANA CASTELLINA: Yes, of course, I have spoken with Giuliana, of course. Giuliana herself she says, I don’t know. She only — I mean, what is important of what Giuliana said, that they were not at the checkpoint, that they were not going fast, that they were already within the area of the airport, and that then there is another agent of the secret services which was with Giuliana in the same car and who said the same thing, and he confirmed that the American authorities had been perfectly informed. By the way, it would have been impossible otherwise.
well the following does not sound exactly like you describe it – same link as above:
AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about how high up in intelligence he was, the title, *International Operations Chief of Italy’s military intelligence service*, certainly a position that I’m sure was often criticized by Il Manifesto, your newspaper