Hans von Sponeck: We appeal, first and foremost,  to the conscience of governments and  civil society but also to their legal-mindedness not to accept  impunity any longer.Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ) is participating in the review of Iraq at the 55th session of the United Nations Committee Against Torture (CAT), from 27 July to 14 August 2015.GICJ has submitted to the Committee its shadow report on torture in Iraq expressing its grave concern about the continued and widespread use…

A number of former and current military leaders who were in power when all U.S. troops left Iraq are saying today that the complete exit left the door open for the Islamic State’s land grab. The assessment comes from the Army chief of staff, a former Marine commandant, a former U.S. Central Command chief, a former defense secretary and, privately, from the officer now running the war in Iraq against the Islamic State, also known as ISIL and ISIS.The question…

US Army general who spent most years in Iraq condemns 'frustrating' pullout against his advice that led to rise of ISIS. The US Army general who spent the most time in Iraq on Tuesday criticized US President Barack Obama's handling of the chaotic country, warning that the rise of Islamic State (ISIS) has been due to failed American policies.Speaking to Fox News just weeks before retiring, US Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno spoke about his four years of…

After the Iran deal was announced, my old boss Leslie Gelb (who is well connected with the Obama administration) confirmed what Michael Doran and I have been writing for a while. “According to top administration officials,” Gelb wrote, “Mr. Obama has always been after something much bigger than capping Iran’s nuclear program, and he got it — the strategic opportunity to begin converting Iran from foe to ‘friend.'”Such naive hopes should have been dashed by the Supreme Leader’s response to…

By: Dr Basheer M. Nafi Nouri Al-MalikiNouri Al-Maliki [file photo]In a weird spectacle that reflects the oddities witnessed by post-occupation Iraq, former Iraqi prime minister and current Vice President Nouri al-Maliki recently took to the podium lecturing about early Islamic history, about the companions of the Prophet Muhammad and about the Koran.Throughout the years of his opposition to the Baath regime, al-Maliki was known to be a man of operations, dubious or otherwise. He was known during the heavy years…

Since ISIS declared the establishment of its caliphate just over a year ago on June 29, 2014, it has seen its territory grow and shrink. According to one estimate, ISIS has lost a quarter of the territory it once controlled in Iraq. While it still controls key cities like Mosul and Ramadi, it has also seen battlefield defeats since its rapid expansion last summer. While progress against ISIS in Iraq can be attributed to many factors, including American airstrikes, the bravery of Kurdish pesh…

By Andrew deGrandpre and Andrew Tilghman   At least 500 U.S. military deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan were directly linked to Iran and its support for anti-American militants — a newly disclosed statistic that offers grim context for the Obama administration's diplomatic deal with the Iranian regime aimed at curtailing the rogue nation's nuclear ambitions.That figure underscores the controversy surrounding Washington's deal with Tehran, a long-sought goal for the president — but one that is fiercely opposed by many Republicans in…

By Struan Stevenson The Hill - Following the major offensive of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq last year, the country’s key cities fell like dominos, increasing the Jihadist’s control over a vast territory spanning from Syria to Iraq. The magnitude of this catastrophe for Iraq and for the region is mind-boggling. As a direct result of the conflict, three million people have been internally displaced and eight million are now in desperate need of humanitarian support. Mass executions, systematic…

By Owen West The New York Times - LAST week President Obama approved an additional 450 troops to join the roughly 3,000 already in Iraq. Living inside secure bases nicknamed “lily pads,” they will train Iraqi soldiers for a few weeks via lecture and drill instruction. The graduates will then be sent outside the wire to fight the Islamic State. This strategy is no more resolute than a lily pad, and our generals know it. It is tokenism that reflects…

By Hussain Abdul-Hussain NOW. - Abu Jaafar al-Asadi is Iran's rising Shiite star in Iraq and the region, and he is not alone: Iran now runs a dozen Shiite militias in Iraq and has many budding leaders like him Abu Jaafar al-Asadi is a young and rising Shiite star. Leading the charge against the ISIS in Iraq, Asadi is the secretary general of Jund al-Imam and the spokesperson of Popular Mobilization, the coalition of Shiite militias sponsored by the Iraqi Interior Ministry.…