"war on terror"

“

Up until the mid 2000s, Qaddafi was largely considered the second-most wanted terrorist in the world, having claimed responsibility for several terrorist attacks that killed US citizens, including members of our military. Yet, due in no small part to a multimillion-dollar lobbying and PR campaign, he was pardoned during the War on Terror. The lobbying campaign was also successful in reducing the amount Qaddafi owed to families of the victims of his terrorist attacks by billions of dollars.

If the number-two terrorist in the world can be pardoned in the middle of the War on Terror, there is no telling to what the foreign influence industry can do.

”

Ben Freeman in an interview with Truthout. Freeman is the author of a new book called The Foreign Policy Auction about the little-known industry of foreign lobbying, where countries engage in pay-to-play diplomacy with staggeringly good returns on investment.
Nov 30, 2012 9:26am
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thepoliticalnotebook:

“Every pillar of the Taliban regime will be destroyed.” So said a message to the Taliban leader Mullah Omar from the United States in October of 2001. This message, along with a veritable treasure trove of previously classified documents from late 2001, have just been released and posted by the National Security Archive.  They involve a great deal of information on the initial US strategic response in Afghanistan and the early planning and development of the War on Terror. 

Start looking through the documents here. GWU has taken the time to give some highlights from these documents, including a detailed timeline of Cheney’s post-9/11 whereabouts, and an NSC strategic plan outlining the desire to take down al Qaeda and the Taliban without commiting to “any post-Taliban military involvement.” (Because all that nation-building could get tricky and entangling, no?)

This is for all you FOIA Friday and document lovers. Check it out.

Sep 12, 2011 8:52am
157 notes