Free Republic

Car bombs have killed thousands in Baghdad Iraq is in the midst of a civil war, but could the violence draw in the rest of the Middle East? Here, in a personal opinion, historian Niall Ferguson weighs the evidence.As a consequence of a botched Anglo-American occupation, Iraq is now in the midst of a civil war - already one of the biggest in the world since 1945 - with the kind of escalating cycle of tit-for-tat killing and ethnic cleansing that can last for years, even decades. Debate currently centres on how quickly the United States and the UK...

Jordan's King Abdullah is addressing a joint session of Congress.

Consulting Google Earth can help people work out routes to avoid Google is playing an unlikely role in the Iraq war. Its online satellite map of the world, Google Earth, is being used to help people survive sectarian violence in Baghdad. As the communal bloodshed has worsened, some Iraqis have set up advice websites to help others avoid the death squads. One tip - on the Iraq League site, one of the best known - is for people to draw up maps of their local area using Google Earth's detailed imagery of Baghdad so they can work out escape...

Forty-five Jewish people in Yemen have taken refuge in a hotel in northern Yemen after receiving death threats from Muslim extremists. The group fled their village 10 days ago when they were confronted by masked radical Islamist gunmen. The minority community has followed a traditional way of life in the village of Salem for centuries. But, earlier this month, the Salem Jews received a letter accusing them of spreading vice and corruption. The message was clear - the Jews must leave the country or lose their lives. Decade-long insurgency Dawoud Yousef Mousa and his neighbours fled to Saada City,...

People of African origin have lived in Britain for centuries, according to genetic evidence. A Leicester University study found that seven men with a rare Yorkshire surname carry a genetic signature previously found only in people of African origin. The men seem to have shared a common ancestor in the 18th Century, but the African DNA lineage they carry may have reached Britain centuries earlier. The connection was found to date back many generations Details of the study appear in the European Journal of Human Genetics. The scientists declined to disclose the men's surname in order to protect their...

Many Mehdi Army fighters have melted out of sight About 600 fighters and 16 leaders of the radical Shia militia, the Mehdi Army, have been captured by security forces in Iraq, the US military says. The statement said 52 operations had been conducted in 45 days targeting the militia, which is loyal to Najaf-based cleric Moqtada Sadr. Sunni extremists were also the focus of the crackdown, the US military said. US and Iraqi forces are currently preparing for a broad offensive in the strife-torn Iraqi capital Baghdad. Criminal activities by these individuals propagated instability within Iraq US military statement...

A POINT OF VIEW By Brian Walden What next for UK soldiers? With opposition to its role in Iraq, what is the real position of Britain on the world stage today?Mr Jeff Stein is a rather important American journalist. He's the national security editor of the Congressional Quarterly magazine. He may not be a legendary figure like Woodward and Bernstein of Watergate fame, but anybody who's knowledgeable about security and questions senators, representatives and the FBI as part of his job, must know a thing or two. Mr Stein has indeed learnt a lot from his questioning, but none...

Judaism does not regard violence and war to promote justice as always wrong. It accepts that certain kinds of war will be ethically justified, and that it is sometimes morally acceptable to kill people. Before declaring war or starting a battle there must be a genuine attempt to make peace and avoid the conflict. Jewish law only permits combatants to be deliberately killed in war. Innocent civilians must be given every opportunity to leave the field of combat before a battle starts. Old Testament In much of the Old Testament God gives his clear approval to war. He is identified...

Mr Chavez said he wanted to conclude "a unity pact" in Minsk Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has praised Belarus "as a model social state" like the one he and his government are building. During a visit to Belarus, he called for joint efforts to counter what he described as "hegemonic" capitalism. Mr Chavez later met Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko, accused in the West of crushing fundamental rights. Mr Chavez is on a world tour, partly to win support for a Venezuelan seat on the UN Security Council. From Belarus, he will travel to Russia, Qatar, Iran, Vietnam and Mali....

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has warned Israel that it has "pushed the button of its own destruction" because of its actions in Lebanon. He also said Israel should "pack up" and move elsewhere, repeating comments made last year. Israel has accused Iran of involvement in the capture of the two Israeli soldiers, which sparked the current crisis, claims Iran denies. Iran has also been accused of supplying Hezbollah with money and arms. "Israel pushed the button of its own destruction by attacking Lebanon," Mr Ahmadinejad said while addressing an education conference. I advise them to pack up and move...

Excerpt - Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi announced a plan on Tuesday to withdraw Japanese ground troops from the southern Iraq city of Samawah, ending their aid and reconstruction mission that started with the dispatch order issued in January 2004. At a meeting of executives of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party before making the announcement, Koizumi said of the Iraq mission, ''A chapter has been finished. I will announce the withdrawal today.'' Koizumi held a news conference on the withdrawal of the Ground Self-Defense Force troops after meeting with leader of the LDP's ruling coalition partner, New Komeito, as well as...

KINGS POINT, N.Y. - President Bush told Iran on Monday that nations worldwide won't back down from their demand that Tehran suspend uranium enrichment. "Iran's leaders have a clear choice. We hope they will accept our offer and voluntarily suspend these activities so we can work out an agreement that will bring Iran real benefits," Bush said a day before leaving for Vienna, Austria, where he will talk with European Union officials who are leading efforts to resolve the nuclear dispute. If Iran's leaders reject the offer, they will face action before the U.N. Security Council and progressively stronger political...

WASHINGTON, June 15 (UPI) -- The vast majority of Iran's Turkish, Saudi and Pakistani neighbors want the United States to accept a nuclear Iran, according to a new poll of the Muslim world. Saudi Arabia and other governments in the region are officially opposed to a nuclear-armed Iran, but two-thirds of Pakistanis, one-third of Saudis and more than one-fifth of Turks support the idea, shows a series of polls released Wednesday by Terror Free Tomorrow, a non-profit and non-partisan organization. Large numbers of people surveyed were undecided, sponsors said. A plurality of people from the countries polled, including a two-thirds...

A group of NASCAR celebrities, team owners, track owners and civilian employers of Guard and Reserve members left Dec. 29 for a five-day trip to Southwest Asia to visit deployed service members and highlight the importance of support for the Guard and Reserve. Tour participants plan to visit several thousand U.S. service members in Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and Pakistan during the five-day trip. Officials from the National Committee of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, which is cosponsoring the trip, said the visitors will speak to troops, sign autographs, and see first-hand the vital missions U.S. Guard and Reserve...