This Week in Accountability, August 7, 2011

Posted by CODEPINK Staff

This Week in Accountability, August 7, 2011

While speaking at the Aspen Security Forum, the former Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair called for an end to U.S. drone strikes. He also mentioned that the U.S. over spends billions on security and intelligence. Blair was confirmed in early January 2009 as Director of National Intelligence but was fired by President Obama in May 2010.

Activists in Canada are gearing up for a visit by former President George W. Bush working on efforts to have the former president arrested. Activists who made attempted citizens' arrests will be in action as well as lawyers who are working on the legal angle.

The Chilcot inquiry keeps moving forward in its questioning of former Prime Minister Tony Blair's decision to invade the country of Iraq. This fall, the inquiry is expected to be published and is set to challenge Blair's evidence of Saddam containing weapons of mass destruction.

Touching on issues of Palestine, Afghanistan, Bradley Manning and Iraq, activists in Perth Australia held a lively protest outside a venue where Tony Blair was speaking. Watch as activists the confront local police!

While CODEPINK was making its presence known in Washington, DC, cofounder Medea Benjamin found herself face-to-face with former ambassador to the UN John Bolton. CODEPINK Confronts John Bolton

Bolton helped to launch an illegal war of aggression by disseminating false claims that Iraq was trying to obtain uranium “yellowcake” from Niger through the State Department while he was Under-Secretary of State for Arms Control.

To continue maintaining relationships with clients, mercenary contractor Xe, formerly known as Blackwater is moving its headquarters to Virginia. The office opened its doors on Monday on 19th and Kent in Rosslyn. Erik Prince is the former owner of Xe, whose mercenaries are complicit in murders and other misconduct in Iraq in addition to arms smuggling allegations.

In an amazing turn of events, an Army veteran working for a military contractor while in Iraq will be able to move forward in his case against former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The veteran claims he was disappeared, tortured and released with no explanation while in Iraq.

Human right groups in Britain are boycotting an inquiry into the government’s role in the torture and extraordinary rendition program. The groups, some representing former Guantanamo detainees, claim the victims of these torture tactics will not be fully represented in the inquiry.