By David Swanson
Was the United States compelled to attack Afghanistan and Iraq by the events of 11 September 2001?  A key to answering that rather enormous question may lie in the secrets that the U.S. government is keeping about Saudi Arabia.

By Bruce K. Gagnon 
The American revolution was supposed to have happened because of the revulsion our 'founding fathers' had with the institution of 'divine right of kings' or monarchy. Supposedly the new American nation went to war with England because a revolutionary 'democracy' was the preferred way of organizing our new nation. (Of course the truth was that the American 'founding fathers' had their own dreams of empire which is just what has sadly turned out for this country. But the mythology of America is all about our rejection of monarchy.) Fast forward to today and we see the headlines on November 20 in the *Portland Press Herald* newspaper: Bath Iron Works may get Saudi ship contract worth billions.

Saudi Arabian hospitals have been focusing on training healthcare professionals to deliver world-classes services, says RNCOS in its latest research study.