LIBERATED IRAQ AT ONE YEAR: THINGS FALL APART

A member of the rebel Mehdi Army near a burning Humvee in Al-Sadr city, April 4 While U.S. officials downplayed any sense of crisis over the situation in Fallujah or the unprecedented crackdown against the Mahdi, and Bush insisted that Washington would "stay the course" on Iraq, including handing over sovereignty to an interim government June 30, others -- both for and against U.S. designs in Iraq -- depicted a much more dire scenario. Hunkered down in the Baghdad Green Zone and in U.S. bases across the country, the occupation's military and political leadership fails to appreciate how distrustful most Iraqis are about U.S. intentions. Months of waterless, electricity-less days did little to help win Iraqi hearts and minds, and helped break whatever fragile social bond might have given the United States the social capital it needed to govern

U.S. Facing Rebellion From Iraqi Troops It Trained Back To Square One In Iraq One Wicked Week in Iraq Report from Fallujah -- Destroying A Town To Save It Violence Threatens To Unravel UN Iraq Plans Sunni, Shiite Now Allied In Fighting U.S. Coalition In Iraq, A Rising Storm Iraq Now A Free For All Fallujah Horrors Puncture White House Optimism

U.S. Mercenaries Now Have Key Role In Fighting Iraq War
Up to 15,000 "private military contractors" in Iraq

Will The 9/11 Panel Dare Probe The Bush-Saudi Connections?
As 9/11 hearings resume, we will see whether or not the commission has the stomach to address what may be the single most egregious security lapse related to the attacks: the evacuation of approximately 140 Saudis just two days after 9/11

When the Pentagon released its own transcripts of Bob Woodward's interview with Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, they deleted a key, incriminating passage. But they forgot one crucial fact: Reporters also record interviews

PRO-CHOICE WASHINGTON MARCH LARGEST IN HISTORY
1,150,000 overflow capitol mall for women's reproductive and health rights

U.S. Now Fighting On Both Sunni, Shiite Fronts
Najaf and Fallujah become potent symbols to each group
Iraq To Have Only "Limited" Or "Restricted" Sovereignty After Handover
Senate grills ambassador that will take over from Bremer

Now Target Of Al-Qaeda, Saudis Propose Democratic Reforms
Too little, too late for monarchy?

Fallujah Cannot Even Bury Its Dead
Mass graves in city soccer stadium
WHAT TRIGGERED THE SHIITE INSURRECTION?
The insurrection in Shiite areas of Iraq was not a sudden explosion, nor was it primarily inspired by the events in Falluja. It was, instead, the result of a long series of actions and reactions between the Coalition's armed forces and increasingly organized and anti-American Shiite militias. The most important single event was the immensely important, but barely reported, announcement that the United States had "found a legal basis for American troops to continue their military control over the security situation in Iraq" even if the Iraqis ask the U.S. to leave after June 30
U.S. Must Explain Removal of Iraqi Nuclear Equipment, Entire Buildings
Unclear if massive looting or U.S. dismantling responsible

UN Gives Bush Last Chance To Rescue Iraq
Has to immediately give UN power to appoint new government

Blair Tries To Put Best Face On Iraq Meltdown
UK support for the war has slumped to 41%
Hostages In Iraq Sparks Political Crisis In Japan
Nation already had anguish over assisting Iraq occupation later this year
Neo-Cons Want To Paint Al-Sadr As Iran Stooge
Convinced that Iran was to destabilze Iraq and take over

Total War vs. Total Faith: Al Qaeda Moves Ahead
Iraq unlike any other war, including Vietnam

Rising Gas Prices May Foreshadow Global Oil Crisis By 2010 Scientists warning that official estimates of remaining oil reserves are dangerously over-exaggerated

U.S. Holding, Abusing 20,000 Prisoners, Iraqis Say
"The major problem that Iraqi people suffer from is random capture by the U.S. military"

Bush Has 3 Options For Leaving Iraq: The Good, Bad, And Ugly
The "Ugly" option -- a faux exit -- appears increasingly likely

RWANDA REFLECTS ON GENOCIDE A DECADE LATER Rwanda's genocide erupted 10 years ago, with a savagery and thoroughness that shocked the world. In just 100 days, up to 800,000 Tutsis and Hutu moderates were killed by Hutu extremists as the international community did nothing. By most accounts, Rwanda is remarkably peaceful these days, and the government is now releasing thousands who confessed to the killings after a brief stint in a so-called reeducation camp. They are returning to villages where they live next to families whose relatives they killed. Africa expert Gregory Salter says Rwanda's policy might be a new time bomb: the government has aggressively spread a version of history that blames former colonial powers for the country's problems. These efforts to ignore ethnic divisions could cause Rwanda to again explode Many Women Survivors Of Rwanda Massacre Face Grim Future Rwanda Genocide Survivor Reflects On 'Collective Madness' France Continues To Deny Any Role In Rwanda Massacre Clinton Was Warned Early Of Rwanda Genocide, Papers Show

Rwanda homeless child living in the streets (PHOTO: lutheranworld.org)

Jordan Says It Stopped Terror Plot That Could Have Killed 80,000
Al-Qaeda reportedly planned bomb, chemical attack on capitol

Bush Shifts WMD Hunt From Seeking Hard Evidence To Vague Intent Now looking for intention to have a "breakout production capacity"

Taiwan, China Unification Now Seems Impossible
Reverse of opinion in both countries before Taiwan election

Haiti Jails One Rebel Murderer -- But For How Long?
But human rights observers are not overly optimistic

Haiti's Armed Groups Refuse To Lay Down Weapons
Gangs target Aristide supporters

Haiti Settles Down To Misery As Usual
New prime minister promises housing, a paved highway

U.S. Shipping Guns To Haiti's Island Neighbor
Expected to be smuggled across border to arm militants behind Haiti coup

The press had lots of fun with the recent robot debacle in the Mojave Desert. Competing for $1 million in prize money, 15 vehicles headed off on a 142-mile course through some of the most forbidding terrain in the country. None managed to navigate even eight miles. The robots hit fences, caught fire, rolled over, or sat and did nothing. However, the purpose of the event was not NASCAR for nerds, but a coldly calculated plan to construct a generation of killer machines

Bin Laden Probably Hoping For Bush Re-elect
Poll shows terrorist "October Surprise" would swing election to Bush

Pentagon chiefs admitted its troops had mistaken Mazen Dana's camera for a grenade launcher being aimed at them and opened fire, killing him

Journalist Orgs Troubled By Killing Of 26 Reporters In Iraq
Two more reporters killed by U.S. forces in April

Troops Kill Journalists From U.S.-Funded Iraq TV
A pattern of reporters being killed since U.S-led invasion

Honduras Withdrawl From Iraq Welcomed At Home Followed announcement of Spain pullout within hours

Islamic Worlds Of Sunni, Shiite Move Closer
Egypt and Iran near ending 25-year long disputes

Neo-cons Seek To Create Pro-U.S. "Islamic Progress Institute"
To promote "American Islam" and undercut existing Islamic groups
U.S. Polarized On Earth Day 2004
Bush message on reclaimed wetlands aimed at picking up votes from hunters, anglers

Iraq's Environmental Meltdown
Raw sewage still flows into rivers, despite $3.2B spent by U.S.

Burma's Generals Meeting Quietly With Nobel Prize Dissident
Aung San Suu Syi still under house arrest

Ground Zero Cleanup Workers Fight For Health Aid "Nobody knows what people were exposed to"

Oil Theft Is Thriving Business In Nigeria
Well-organized crime syndicates include Russians and others from former Soviet bloc

After New Violence, Serbs Want Kosovo Divided
Diplomat hopes for reconciliation with ethnic Albanians all but abandoned

Pakistan In Bind Over Fighting Islamic Militants
Many amnesty offers, but no takers

Activists Pressure Bulldozer Shareholders To Stop Sales To Israel Protesters focus on Caterpillar, maker of the bulldozer that crushed the activist

Vatican Loves Mel Gibson Movie, Hates 'Da Vinci' Book
Church urges Catholics not to read "blasphemous" novel

How To Be A Corporate Tax Evader
New GAO explains "transfer pricing," shifting income to other countries

Karl Rove's Iraq Nightmare
Time is running out, and choosing the wrong path could spell defeat in Nov
The Useful Missle Defense System Bush Won't Fund
But has budgeted nearly $4 billion for untested ICBM system

Why Condi Won't Apologize For 9/11
The blame for 9/11 lies with Bush, and he must be the one to apologize

Richard Perle's Departure Signals Decline Of Cheney Camp
Was the VP's main adviser on the wars in the Middle East

Backed Into Corner, Bush Throws Condi To 9/11 Panel
Recognition that Dick Clarke may have inflicted serious damage to Bush's re-election

Bush Medicare Ads Blasted As Deceptive PR
Feel-good TV ads leave out vital information about changes

Taxing The Bejeezus Out Of Sinners
A Historic March
Not Vietnam, But A Quagmire All The Same
Be There At The March for Women's Lives
Bush Living In His Own Little Reality
The Problem Of Zarqawi's (Non-Missing) Legs
Tom DeLay's Grand Jury Problem
Bad And Getting Worse
Pity The Residents in The 19 In-Play States
Come November, Will Bush Blame The Birders?