Defense Contractors Operating with Weak Oversight; Who’s Benefitting from the Georgia Crisis;

FEATURED ARTICLE

Going Soft on the Contractors?
By Nick Schwellenbach

In prosecuting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the “war on terror,” the Bush administration has relied on a huge number of contractors to do everything from building barracks to serving meals to soldiers and performing other vital jobs in conflict zones. But the Pentagon agency charged with oversight of defense contracts has been stymied by a crippling combination of too much work, too little time—and too much deference toward contractors—resulting in what one senator called a “debacle and an embarrassment.” Read full story.

FEATURED PROFILES

Committee for the Liberation of Iraq
The short-lived committee, whose members were an influential cadre of hawkish Beltway think-tankers and politicians, closed up shop in 2003 after what it termed the “successful liberation of Iraq.”

Peter Rodman (1943-2008)
A Kissinger protégé who supported the Project for the New American Century and served as an assistant to ex-Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld, Rodman passed away in early August.

Jack Kemp
A member of the revived Committee on the Present Danger, the former Republican congressman and standout NFL quarterback has championed the “war on terror,” arguing that “radical Islamists have declared war on freedom, democracy, and modernity.”

ALSO NEW ON RIGHT WEB

Iran Could Benefit from Georgia Crisis
By Jim Lobe (Inter Press Service)

The U.S. invasion of Iraq has increased Iran’s political leverage in the Middle East, and the crisis in Georgia could further boost that clout. Read full story.

An End to Pax Americana?
By Jim Lobe (Inter Press Service)

The Russian invasion of Georgia seems to have marked a definitive end to the “unipolar moment”—as well as to Bush administration plans to impose its will on Eurasia. Read full story.

“Ally” Musharraf Facilitated Taliban
Analysis by Gareth Porter (Inter Press Service)

Pakistan’s willingness to help the United States in the “war on terror” was partly myth created by the Bush administration. Read full story.

Legal Battle Continues for Ex-Detainee
By William Fisher (Inter Press Service)

A Canadian citizen wrongly detained in the “war on terror” will get another day in court, but the Bush administration may invoke the state secrets privilege—a tactic it has used excessively, some say, to cover up embarrassing mistakes. Read full story.

LETTERS

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