Stories by Patrick Cockburn

Will the West's Big Plans to Remake the Mideast Set the World Up for More Disaster?

Posted on: May 16, 2013, Source: CounterPunch

The dangers of ignoring history.

Bahraini Aristocrat Accused of Repeatedly Beating Imprisoned Poet for Lack of Loyalty to Al-Khalifa Family

Posted on: Jul 18, 2011, Source: Independent UK

A female member of the al-Khalifa royal family in Bahrain has been accused of repeatedly beating the 20-year-old student poet Ayat al-Gormezi.

Mideast Dictators Making the Same Fatal Mistakes

Posted on: Mar 28, 2011, Source: Independent UK

Recipes for staying in power that have served them so well since the early 1970s suddenly don't work for the Arab despots.

The Vicious War That Sent Shahzad to Times Square

Posted on: May 16, 2010, Source: CounterPunch

Fighting in the tribal areas on the Pakistani border has long been seen by the Western media as a sideshow to the Afghan war. Not anymore.

Maliki Defeated in Iraq Elections: Former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi Poised to Take Power

Posted on: Mar 27, 2010, Source: Independent UK

Five years ago he was denounced as an American puppet, but Iyad Allawi, the former Iraqi prime minister, is set for a surprising return to the center-stage of Iraqi politics.

Sentenced to Death Four Times, "Chemical Ali" Executed in Iraq

Posted on: Jan 26, 2010, Source: Independent UK

The only surprise about the hanging of Saddam's former henchman, who was convicted for the massacre of 5,000 Kurds, is that it took so long to happen.

Don't Mess with Yemen

Posted on: Dec 31, 2009, Source: Independent UK

"It is extraordinary to see the US begin to make the same mistakes in Yemen as it previously made in Afghanistan and Iraq."

Stealing Money, Selling Heroin and Raping Boys -- The Very Dark Side of the Afghan Occupation

Posted on: Nov 13, 2009, Source: CounterPunch

One reason Afghan villagers prefer dealing with the Taliban than govt. security forces is that the latter have a habit of seizing their sons at checkpoints and sodomizing them.

In Afghanistan, Victory For a Crooked, Corrupt, and Discredited Government

Posted on: Nov 3, 2009, Source: Independent UK

The election in Afghanistan has turned into a disaster for all who promoted it.

The Truth About the Afghan Election

Posted on: Aug 23, 2009, Source: CounterPunch

What foreign reporting of elections in both Afghanistan and Iraq misses is that many ordinary Afghans and Iraqis see their governments as rackets run by political gangsters.

How the Tattoo Industry's Decline in Baghdad Reveals That Life Is Better in Iraq Without the U.S. Around

Posted on: Aug 17, 2009, Source: CounterPunch

The American military withdrawal is stabilizing Iraq to a degree the neocons who got us into this war could never admit to.

Iraq Faces the Mother of All Corruption Scandals

Posted on: May 29, 2009, Source: Independent UK

Allegations of kickbacks rock key government department as 1,000 officials face arrest and the Trade Minister is forced to resign.

The Ugly Truth About Foreign Aid in Afghanistan: Kabul's New Elite

Posted on: May 1, 2009, Source: Independent UK

Western aid agencies are lavishing vast sums on their officials while extreme poverty is driving young Afghans to fight for the Taliban.

One of Iraq's Few Successes Since the U.S. Invasion Was Saving Its Ancient Marshes: Now They're In Peril Again

Posted on: Apr 30, 2009, Source: Independent UK

A unique civilization that has existed in Iraq for thousands of years, the marsh Arabs survived Saddam but now are losing a battle against nature.

Sunni Iraqis Fear a Bloodbath of Reprisal After Possible U.S. Exit

Posted on: Apr 13, 2009, Source: CounterPunch

As American troops prepare to leave, the Sunni who changed from insurgents to US allies over the last two years are fearful for their future.

Suicide Bomber Kills 33 at Reconciliation Meeting of Sunni and Shia Iraqis

Posted on: Mar 11, 2009, Source: Independent UK

The suicide bombing comes three days after a similar attack killed 28 people near the police academy in east Baghdad.

The Afghan Surge: Proof the U.S. Has Not Learned From Its Debacle in Iraq

Posted on: Feb 27, 2009, Source: Independent UK

More U.S. troops in Afghanistan will spark a backlash in which religion combines with nationalism to oppose foreign intervention.

Iraq Election Results Point to a Big Win for Maliki

Posted on: Feb 5, 2009, Source: Independent UK

Iraqi voters have rebuffed religious parties and cemented the power of the country's Prime Minister.

Iraq Election Most Peaceful Since Fall of Saddam

Posted on: Feb 1, 2009, Source: Independent UK

The last regional poll, in 2005, triggered two years of civil war. This time, there was not a single major attack anywhere in the country.

Rebuilding Gaza Could Be the Most Difficult Reconstruction Project in the World

Posted on: Jan 20, 2009, Source: Independent UK

The scale of the ruin, the economic siege of the enclave, and attempts to exclude Hamas are complicating factors.

It's Official: Total Defeat for U.S. in Iraq

Posted on: Dec 14, 2008, Source: CounterPunch

Iraq's parliament came to a major agreement recently: all 150,000 troops are to withdraw from cities by June.

U.S. on Deadly Attack in Syria: "We're Taking Matters Into Our Own Hands"

Posted on: Oct 28, 2008, Source: Independent UK

The attack, which killed eight, was labeled "terrorist aggression" by Syria and is an unexpected expansion of the Iraq war.

Status of Forces Agreement Reached Between U.S. and Iraq, Almost. (For Real This Time.)

Posted on: Oct 16, 2008, Source: Independent UK

The Bush administration will present the pact as a sign of its success in Iraq, but in fact it is very different from what it intended.

The Real Reason Bush Spied on Maliki

Posted on: Sep 8, 2008, Source: Independent UK

Although Bob Woodward doesn't mention it in his book, the true aim of the U.S. has been to figure out Baghdad's real relationship with Iran.

Spinning Iraq for a GOP Victory

Posted on: Sep 3, 2008, Source: Independent UK

With an eye on the presidential election, the White House is working to create the impression that the war is ripe for U.S. victory.

Who's Really Running Iraq?

Posted on: Aug 7, 2008, Source: CounterPunch

The United States has far less control over events in Iraq than politicians and the press would have us believe.

Obama's Huge Coup on Iraq: McCain Was Asking for It

Posted on: Jul 22, 2008, Source: CounterPunch

John McCain and the White House have been clearly dismayed and embarrassed by Iraqi govt. support for Obama's withdrawal plan.

Why Average Iraqis Didn't Pay Much Attention to Obama's Visit

Posted on: Jul 22, 2008, Source: The Nation

With Iraqis more concerned with electricity that the U.S. election, a timetable for withdrawal is the best Obama could give them.

A War on Iran Would Be Like Another War on Iraq

Posted on: Jul 6, 2008, Source: Independent UK

With covert operations against Iran poised to be carried out from Iraqi territory, Iranian retaliation would target the already embattled country.

Big Oil Returns to Iraq

Posted on: Jun 20, 2008, Source: The Independent UK

The return of the four major Western oil companies will be greeted with dismay by many Iraqis who fear losing control of their vast oil reserves.

Revealed: Secret Plan to Keep Iraq Under U.S. Control

Posted on: Jun 5, 2008, Source: The Independent UK

Bush wants fifty military bases, control of Iraqi airspace and legal immunity for all American soldiers and contractors.

How Cell Phones Have Fueled a Frenzy of "Honor" Killings in Iraq

Posted on: May 21, 2008, Source: Independent UK

The position of women in Iraqi society has deteriorated dramatically since the start of the occupation -- and the daily results are deadly.

Fighting For Survival, Muqtada al-Sadr Orders a Ceasefire

Posted on: May 13, 2008, Source: Independent UK

The ceasefire agreement is intended to end seven weeks of fighting in which more than 1,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed.

Battle Against al Qaeda in Iraq Has Turned Mosul into a Ghost Town

Posted on: May 12, 2008, Source: Independent UK

Five years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, Mosul, one of the world's great cities, has become a desolate battleground.

U.S. Death Toll in Iraq Hits 7-Month High

Posted on: May 2, 2008, Source: Independent UK

The killing of three U.S. soldiers in Baghdad raised the number killed in April to 47, reversing a trend towards lower American casualties.

The Most Important Questions to Ask About the Trial of Tariq Aziz

Posted on: May 1, 2008, Source: Independent UK

And the biggest question: Who is left from Saddam Hussein's regime?

Former Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz Faces Trial for Executing 42

Posted on: Apr 27, 2008, Source: Independent UK

One of the most famous faces of Saddam Hussein's regime, Aziz is accused of ordering the execution of 42 merchants for increasing food prices in 1992.

Iraq's Police Refuse to Support Attacks on Insurgent Army

Posted on: Mar 30, 2008, Source: CounterPunch

The recent explosion of violence is making a mockery of Bush's claim that America had turned the corner in Iraq.

Basra on Fire

Posted on: Mar 26, 2008, Source: The Independent UK

Muqtada al-Sadr called for a campaign of civil disobedience in which shops, businesses, schools and universities would close down.

How to Destroy a Country in Five Years

Posted on: Mar 16, 2008, Source: CounterPunch

This the fifth of Iraq's blood-sodden anniversaries since Bush invaded, and the country is now utterly ruined.

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