Jeremy Scahill on Obama’s Iraq Withdrawal That Isn’t (Video)

With 70,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, President Obama yesterday dropped his 2009 pledge to remove all combat troops before September, extending the target date 15 months, Gareth Porter reported today at Inter Press Services. The drawdown is intended by the Administration to leave 50,000 ‘residual troops’ indefinitely, but investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill notes the so-called “withdrawal” is a replacement of combat troops with ‘private’ mercenary firms. Earlier today, he spoke with Amy Goodman at Democracy Now! (11:48):

WikiLeaks Founder Responds to Government-Based Scrutiny After Leaking 90k+ Records on Af-Pak War

Julian Assange, Daniel Ellsburg and Nic Robertson discussed “The Afghanistan War Logs” leak, Monday evening.

Part One (7:16):

The ‘Failed State’ Boogeyman

Highlighting U.S. intervention in the further destruction of  Somalia and as Ugandans mourn a terrorist attack from Somali militants and Fareed Zakaria noting the non-threat of ‘failed states’ and the imminent blowback induced by the failed missions of nation building.

Evening Briefing—6th July 2010

News and views from around the web posted to the Wonderland Wire:

Afghanistan: ‘American Escalation of Force’ on Passenger Bus Kills Civilians, Sparks Protests

The latest atrocity adds to the long list inflicted on Afghans since the U.S. invasion. It adds to intuitive reactions and propaganda efforts that feed the illusion of terrorism as a virtue. Jerome Starkey of the London Times reports to Russia Today (7:51):