Physicians for Social Responsibility is a non-governmental organization that addresses the medical issues associated with various public policies. It has published a new study on the civilian casualties in the American interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan in the “war on terror” since 2003. The American military did not publish information on civilian casualties in those wars, and we have relied only on unsystematic studies for estimates. This study uses accepted techniques for those estimates, and the conclusions are significantly higher than earlier ones. Unfortunately, civilian casualties did not figure prominently in the American discussions of the wars. For purposes of the quiz on 1 April, I will only use information from pages 15-18 of the study.
The Iranian negotiations are going down to the wire. They are scheduled to end on Sunday, and reports are that many of the issues have been resolved but some still remain. The negotiators have been working overtime, and Iranian President Rouhani made a point of contacting the heads of state of each of the P5+1. It seems clear that all parties want to reach agreement, so the final unresolved matters must be of serious consequence.
The US has found itself allied with Iran against the Islamic State. And now it finds itself allied with Saudi Arabia against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The shifting alliances are creating incredible uncertainty in the Middle East, and the potential for miscalculation increases with every violent outbreak. Needless to say, the situation in the region is becoming increasingly dangerous.
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