So....tell us something new? This strikes me as one of those 'don't panic chaps' stories with which the mainstream press - so deeply concerned with the health of the status quo, seek to maintain confidence, however trite their observations may appear

This moving and well documented commentary from serving soldiers will surely come as no surprise to those who regularly monitor military and veteran websites and read books such as the US army interpreter Tony Lagouranis' account of his time in Iraq or the more recent 'Desert of Death by the British Guards officer Leo Docherty on his time in first Iraq , then Afghanistan. The disillusion experienced by both these soldiers pushed them to write for publication and caused them then to be evicted from their service and it is typical of the thoughts of many more. The interesting question is; why does so little of this sort of invaluable commentary see the light of day in the mainstream press - and why this time? The tragedy is that ... More »

A direct report of the deadly day to day existence of US fighting troops on the ground in Iraq. Valuable to read in the context of 'a war over war stories' from the Washington Post already being reviewed in Newstrust.

I guess its good to be reminded of the permanent bias towards government propaganda that infects all the mainstream western media. But for me this is just a little too obsessive.

This is the first of a long series of three important articles charting the rise over many years of right-wing sentiment in the political classes in Germany and France and the consequences of the arrival of Merkel and Sarkozy; and ranging through the intricacies of Turkey's relationship with Europe and the US; the lack of any real opposition to current foreign policy in any of the leading western countries and the outlook for possible ultimate confrontation between the west and a Russo/Chinese axis. The anonymous author is apparently deeply experienced and informed. If the quality of the writing does not perhaps match the quality of the information, the articles nevertheless deserve – demand – wide attention and serious review ... More »

No it doesn't show the big picture but we get plenty of that elsewhere. But apparently it does show part of the day to day reality for Iraquis of which we read more or less nothing in the mainstream media and which naturally western journalists cannot adequately convey. Important reading.

This is good, down and dirty on the ground factual journalism, accurate as far as I can see and, being in the NYT, no doubt well fact-checked. It is not intended to show "the big picture" - I doubt that it interests Ms Brimmage and other poor people like her, suffering in this situation.

In my view Engelhardt is one of the finest journalists writing. This acute review of the current drumbeat of propaganda emerging from the US military and administration on the possibility of withdrawal from Iraq is well referenced and written with a clear amd relevant memory of the days when the same discussion was taking place over withdrawal from Vietnam

Its value lies in its blunt statement of the US neocon view of the relationship between the US, Britain and Europe. It is highly contentious, but at least we all know where Mr Bolton comes from. That's something journalism needs more of in general.