"Find Them! Feds Hunt Boston ‘Terror Team’ as Pols Appeal for Calm"

Tom Farmer and Michele McPhee, Boston Herald

Authorities are scouring Boston for four Chinese nationals and two Iraqi men who may pose a nuclear threat to the city based on a report from an unidentified man calling from Mexico who claims to have smuggled them over the U.S. border.

"They got a call from across the border in Mexico to the California Highway Patrol several days ago, and he said he brought two Iraqis and four Chinese (individuals) across the border and according to him, they stated soon to follow behind them would be some sort of (nuclear) material,'' said a law enforcement source.

In Europe, Fears Grow of a Coming Iran Conflict

Der Spiegel

Berlin — Remarks by United States President George W. Bush on Tuesday that he would not rule out the possibility of war against Iran have generated serious criticism in Germany. Leading German foreign policy experts have warned that a diplomatic solution is the only one for Iran.

German politicians have reacted with great concern over United States President George W. Bush's Tuesday statement that he would not rule out the possibility of going to war against Iran if the country does not stop its plans to develop a nuclear weapon. Many here fear the tense diplomatic impasse could lead to an escalation in the Middle East conflict and derail European efforts to negotiate a settlement with Tehran.

U.S. Military Resorting to Collective Punishment in Iraq

Dahr Jamail, Inter Press Service

Baghdad — Military bulldozers have mown down palm groves in the rural al-Dora farming area on the outskirts of Baghdad, residents say. Electricity has been cut, the local fuel station destroyed and the access road blocked.

The U.S. action comes after resistance fighters attacked soldiers from this area several weeks back.

Jelloul writes:

Juan Cole's"Lebanon-like solution" is: put aside 20% of seats in parliament for the Sunni Arabs:

If elections are held in January, I see only one way to avoid disaster. This would be some sort of emergency decree by the current government that sets aside, say, 20% of seats in parliament for the Sunni Arabs. This procedure would seat Sunni Arab candidates in order of the popularity of their lists and in order of their rank within the lists on which they run. But the results would essentially be "graded on a curve." In a way, this procedure is already being followed for women, who are guaranteed 30% of seats. This solution is Lebanon-like and is not optimal, but it might be the best course if long-term sectarian and ethnic conflict is to be avoided. Remember, the first thing the new parliament will do is craft a permanent constitution. You want Sunni Arabs sitting at that table, or else.

No Mr Cole, a Lebanon-like non-sectarian solution is: leave 50% of seats for Sunni Iraqis — including Sunni Kurds.

"Thatcher Must Stay Away from Africa"

Zimbabwe Herald

The ordinary British, French, German, Belgian,
Portuguese and Spanish man or woman did not benefit
from the colonies.

In fact, they were expected to die for them when
troops were sent out to crush resistance from
"natives" who felt semi-slavery was not that wonderful
an option.

The people who benefited, Cecil John Rhodes and his
ilk, were those who guided the process and made sure
they won the commercial rewards, looting Africa and
the pockets of their metropolitan taxpayers.

Economist Robert Heilbroner Dies at Age 85

New School University

New School University mourns the passing of Robert Heilbroner, Norman Thomas Professor Emeritus at the Graduate Faculty, who died on January 4, 2005 at the age of 85. Author of 25 books and countless articles, Heilbroner was an outstanding public intellectual of the 20th century.

His classic treatment of the history of economic thought, The Worldly Philosophers: The Life and Time of the Great Economists, captivated generations of readers with its elegantly written, witty, and probing discussions of how economists from Smith to Keynes struggled to understand the history of capitalism.

Venezuela Mayor Orders Private Land Seized

Fabiola Sanchez, Associated Press

The mayor of Venezuela's second-largest city ordered the government to
seize two swaths of abandoned private lands Tuesday, saying the property
would be used for projects to benefit the entire population.

Giancarlo Di Martino, Maracaibo mayor and staunch supporter of President
Hugo Chavez, told The Associated Press the lands include 62 acres within
the city and an abandoned industrial zone running along the shore of
lake Maracaibo about 20 miles to the southeast.

Robert S. Finnegan writes:

"Beginning of the End?
U.S. Army Sergeant May Refuse Re-Deployment to Iraq"
Robert S. Finnegan, Southeast Asia News

Ft. Stewart Georgia, “Rock of the Marne” — This morning Sergeant Kevin Benderman, U.S. Army awoke to face what will probably be one of the most important decisions of his life: whether or not to accept or refuse re-deployment to Iraq to participate in a war that has been increasingly questioned by the American public, and the world. A war that has been ruled illegal by United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and has come under increasing fire from both Republicans and Democrats alike who share the same concerns as Sergeant Benderman and the U.N. Secretary General.

"The Aftermath in Aceh"
Sylvia Tiwon and Ben Terrall, Indonesia Alert

Thousands missing, refugee camps lacking food and water, mass graves: in the aftermath of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that hit the Indian Ocean basin on December 26, 2004, these images have come to identify Aceh in the world's eyes. As of this writing, more than 80,000 Acehnese are reported killed by the disaster; hundreds of thousands are displaced, facing disease and starvation. Data from Aceh's southwestern coast, nearest the epicenter, is only beginning to emerge due to destruction of already poor infrastructure in those isolated communities.

Writer, Critic Susan Sontag Dies at 71

Reuters

Author and social critic Susan Sontag, one of the strongest voices of intellectual opposition to US policies after the September 11 attacks, has died at the age of 71.

Sontag, who had suffered from leukemia for some time, died in a New York cancer hospital.

She was known for interests that ranged from French existentialist writers to ballet, photography and politics.