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Migrants living in the US, Europe and elsewhere around the world sent a record amount of remittances - some $45 billion - to Latin America and the Caribbean last year, according to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The remittances - or money transfers - sent by Latin American and Caribbean workers living abroad rose nearly 20% over 2003, when $38 billion was sent home, the IDB said. About three-quarters of the remittances came from the US, while Europe was the second-largest source. Japan continued to be a major source of remittances to Brazil and Peru with foreign workers in Canada...

September 28, 2004, 11:10 a.m. Comparing Coalitions So, the U.S. coalition in Iraq is insignificant? Well, let's compare it to the U.S.-led U.N. coalition during the peak of the Korean War. Korean War (peak troop numbers, by country, excluding Republic of Korea forces): United States: 348,000 Great Britain: 14,198 Canada: 6,146 Turkey: 5,455 Australia: 2,282 Philippines: 1,496 New Zealand: 1,389 Thailand: 1,294 Ethiopia: 1,271 Greece: 1,263 France: 1,119 Colombia: 1,068 Belgium/Luxembourg: 944 South Africa: 826 Netherlands: 819 Total: 16 nations; 387,570 combat troops Iraq War (troop numbers, by country, as of July 2004, excluding Iraqi forces): United States: 126,500 Great...

Kerry on Saddam, in Kerry’s own words by Col. Bob Pappas, USMC, Ret. Given Kerry’s latter day allegations that President Bush lied about WMD as a pretext for preemptive removal of Saddam Hussein, the writer thought it is interesting to review his own remarks on the subject, so here goes: “While we should always seek to take significant international actions on a multilateral rather than a unilateral basis whenever that is possible, it in the final analysis we face what we truly believe to be a grave threat to the well-being of our Nation or the entire world and it...

Terrorists attacked ING and MNF joined patrol Baghdad, Iraq -- Today, at 10:00 a.m. LT joined patrol consisting of Iraqi National Guard (ING) and Multi-national Forces (MNF) soldiers from MND CS 1st Brigade Combat Team was attacked by vehicle-born improvised explosive device and improvised explosive device on the road to Al Mashru (30 km north-east of Al Hillah City). 3 ING soldiers were killed, 3 were wounded and 1 missing in action. Immediately Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) procedure was started. All wounded soldiers were evacuated by MEDEVAC helicopters. Quick reaction forces and scene commander team were sent on the spot....

NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND7115 South Boundary BoulevardMacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 August 27, 2004Release Number: 04-08-85 POLISH  ARCHAEOLOGISTS TURN HIGH TECH EQUIPMENT OVER TO ANTIQUITY OFFICE CAMP BABYLON, Iraq – Polish archeologists turned over $13,500 worth of archeological research tools to the Iraqi Antiquity Office in the Babil Province Aug. 25. The high tech equipment includes multi-media and technical research and collection items which supports the Babylon museum works as well as country-wide archeological efforts. The Polish archeologists are members of Multi-National Division Central South’s Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC), an integrated part...

   Aussie serves with Stryker Brigade as a sniperBy Sgt. Fred Minnick Tall Afar, Iraq – In 2001, Spc. John Shore, 20, went to his hometown army recruiting station in Sydney, Australia, and requested a position in an Australian army combat arms unit. The recruiter told Shore that only combat support slots were available, but Shore didn’t want to serve as an administrative specialist or a cook. He desired a life jam-packed with adventure and danger. He knew he wanted to be an infantry soldier. Although he grew up in Australia, Shore had always held a dual citizenship because...

Saturday, August 21, 2004 Bletchley Park's USA Day celebrates American culture Stars and StripesEuropean edition, Thursday, August 19, 2004 MILTON KEYNES, England — Several events are planned to celebrate USA Day at Bletchley Park, the home of World War II codebreakers who cracked the complex German Enigma code.The American Garden Trail at the park will be opened as part of the events that start at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.In addition, baseball and American football — complete with cheerleading — will be played. And American food such as hotdogs and Cajun chicken will be available, along with buttermilk pancakes and popcorn.The trail...

Ladies from the Pago Pago Department of Public Safety, American Samoa, hold up a sign expressing their feelings for the Soldiers of the 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry to return home safely from their deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Fifteen soldiers, all policemen or firemen in the department, were honored by the Department in a public ceremony. The Army Reserve Soldiers are dressed in while t-shirts and blue traditional lava lavas.Paul Adams Samoan Reservists answer the call to dutyBy Paul Adams August 20, 2004 PAGO PAGO, American Samoa (Army News Service, Aug. 20, 2004) -- With the rugged...

August 19,  2004  AIR COMPONENT DATA - who flew what, where - 8/18/04 - OIF, OEF.CENTCOM  | August 19, 2004 FIRST ID SOLDIERS DETAIN 10 DURING OPERATION WOLVERINE IRAQI SECURITY FORCES AND MNF RESTORE ORDER IN AL HAYY NATO Training Implementation Mission arrives in Iraq Joint Force Command (JFC) Naples, via State Dept, Defend America  | August 17, 2004 AFGHAN NATIONAL ARMY RECRUITING ACADEMY GRADUATES SECOND CLASS (+) CENTCOM  | August 19, 2004 Vermont Guardsmen Train, Mentor Afghan Soldiers Afghan Army Maneuvers With Task Force Bronco Afghan National Army Brings Security, Sets Example Pay Raise Shows America's Commitment to TroopsDoD  | August...

[snip]Regardless, for Kerry the vital issue is playing nicely with others. The New Republic's Peter Beinart recently wrote, "Intellectually, Kerry knows he must show he'd go after the terrorists with a vengeance. But that's not where his heart lies. The topic that arouses his greatest passion-the one that has guided his entire career-is improving America's relations with the world." In his 1997 book, Kerry called for the creation of an "entirely new, multilateral code of behavior." In 1993, during the confirmation hearings for Warren Christopher, Kerry called for "an all-out effort to strengthen international institutions." Two years later, Kerry broke...

Remember Kosovo Published: July 28 2004 5:00 | Last Updated: July 28 2004 5:00 Soren Jessen-Petersen, the new United Nations-appointed chief who takes charge of Kosovo next month, faces a huge challenge in keeping the peace in the troubled province. Some western diplomats count Kosovo as a success of international intervention. So does John Kerry, who will be the US Democratic presidential candidate. He has contrasted the multilateral engagement in Kosovo, launched in 1999 when Democrats ran the White House, with the swamp that is Iraq. The Nato-led campaign did force Slobodan Milosevic, former Yugoslav president, out of Kosovo and...

The U.S. military will be conducting bombing exercises on Farallon de Mendinilla Island at the height of celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the Battles of Saipan and Tinian. The bombing exercises would be conducted 24 hours daily from June 15 to 18, according to a public advisory released by the Emergency Management Office. On June 21, the military would also conduct an aerial survey of FDM from 8am to 12pm, the EMO said. The EMO advised fishermen, commercial pilots and tour operators to stay away from the training site during the duration of the military exercises. "The general locations...

The danger of multilateralism Posted: March 18, 2004 1:00 a.m. Eastern © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com Since the first Persian Gulf War, American leaders have sworn by multilateralism in foreign policy. It has become an article of faith that military actions should only be undertaken with the help and cooperation of allies – even when those allies don't have all that much to contribute and even when those allies are brought in kicking and screaming. Let me be the first to point out that one of the dangers of multilateralism was just illustrated in Spain. Spain didn't necessarily contribute much significant in...

Nothing can take the place of meeting foreign military leaders in their countries as the United States seeks to build military-to-military ties, said Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff finished a five-day visit to South America and Haiti March 13. In South America, the chairman spoke with military and civilian leaders on bilateral and multilateral relations. The chairman visited Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Chile before stopping in Haiti. The United States has long-standing close relationships with each country. The trip had been planned for months, long before the situation in Haiti became...

AUSTRALIAN SAS soldiers were the closest Coalition troops to Baghdad for several days early in the Iraq war and had to engage in running firefights with enemy forces who were actively hunting them down. A report released today reviewing Australia's military performance in Iraq details skirmishes between Iraqi and elite SAS troops in the days before the fall of Baghdad. SAS soldiers were involved in one of the first ground confrontations of the war, as troops negotiated Iraqi border posts in the first wave of the ground assault on the country. Later in the war they helped capture leading members...

PRESIDENT BUSH scored a significant diplomatic victory last week when the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved a resolution condoning the nation-building and security activities of the American-led "multinational force" in Iraq. But Bush's critics can't admit it. After months of whining that the United States did not have "international support" for its presence in Iraq, critics moved the goal posts last week after the U.N. resolution passed. Now, they say, the real test of international support is the dedication of foreign troops to Iraq. They probably didn't read that the resolution "URGES member states to contribute assistance under this...

<p>Vice President Dick Cheney yesterday ridiculed the notion that America must enlist the support of every ally before defending itself, saying such a policy would have been disastrous in Iraq.</p> <p>"Ultimately, America must be in charge of her own national security," Mr. Cheney told the Heritage Foundation.</p>

Middle East/North Africa | Iraq The southern marshes as they looked in 2000. By May 2001, more than 90 percent of the Al 'Amarah and the Hawr al Hammar marshes were almost completely dry according to the UN Environmental Program. (DOS Photo) 24 April 2002Iraqi Regime Devastates Environment of Marsh Arabs Satellite imagery shows extensive injury to wetland ecosystemBy Jim Fuller Washington File Science Writer Washington &#8212; The marshlands of southern Iraq are a unique part of the world. The region, lying between the lower reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, is where the ancient Sumerians, it is...

The Real Reasons for the Upcoming War With Iraq: A Macroeconomic and Geostrategic Analysis of the Unspoken Truth by W. Clark January 2003 (last revised 6 March) Independent Media Center www.indymedia.org summary Although completely suppressed by the U.S. media and government, the answer to the Iraq enigma is simple yet shocking -- it is an oil currency war. The real reason for this upcoming war is this administration's goal of preventing further Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) momentum towards the euro as an oil transaction currency standard. However, in order to pre-empt OPEC, they need to gain geo-strategic...

Lately, many members of this site have been posting indignant comments about the so-called "bribing" of other countries to get their cooperation in the WOT. These otherwise well-informed and well-intentioned FReepers risk the appearance of ignorance in these posts, and what's worse, appear to be foolishly taken in by another liberal media distortion. The fact is that the US has been "bribing" these countries since before the 20th century began, and especially in the last 50 years. In fact, it would be difficult to name one country in this world who has not been "bribed" by the US at one...