Month: October 2002

The Serbs are arming Saddam Hussein’s drive for world domination. Huh? If it sounds like a plot of a pathetic spy caper, that’s because it does. But even Hollywood flacks, who habitually insult the intelligence of American moviegoers, would never dare stoop this low. It just wouldn’t sell. Unsurprisingly, this particular plot was written in … Continue reading “Empire’s Playground”

The resounding success of the recent antiwar demonstrations called by the International A.N.S.W.E.R. coalition has the pro-war forces in a panic, and this has given rise to an unlikely alliance between the limousine liberals over at Salon.com, the born-again wacko "Christian Zionists" of WorldNutDaily, and frothing-at-the-mouth ex-Commie-turned-rightwing-nutball David Horowitz. We might call it the pinko-brown … Continue reading “WARMONGERS, LEFT AND RIGHT”

You’ve got to love being right wing in Britain – why here it verges on being a semi-respectable position. We don’t have a New York Times to make us feel emotionally insecure about our belief system, and indeed, unlike both America and Canada for example, we even have a national Conservative party. All in all, … Continue reading “David Frum’s Guide to Mythology”

So when will the invasion begin, now that Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, who not only demonstrably has weapons of mass destruction, including hundreds of the nuclear weapons that are the only ones worthy of the term, has used poison gas on his own people? Or do such criteria not apply to permanent members of … Continue reading “Destroying the Hostages to Save Them?”

Okay, so I marched in the San Francisco antiwar demonstration, October 26th, against my better judgement: and I’m glad I did. I did it because this was considered a test of antiwar sentiment, and I felt obligated to attend, but I had a good time in spite of myself. It was a colorful crowd, as … Continue reading “I AIN’T MARCHIN’ ANYMORE”

The Indian government has announced the de-escalation and demobilisation – or, as it prefers to call it "re-deployment" – of over half a million troops which it amassed at the border with Pakistan ten months ago. Pakistan has decided to reciprocate this move. Over the next six weeks or so, this will bring to an … Continue reading “De-escalation, But No Thaw Yet”

The response of some to the capture of the Maryland sniper, John Allen Williams, a.k.a .John Allen Muhammad, illustrates an idea that has been preoccupying me of late: the relationship (if any) between ideology and truth. Ideology of any sort inevitably distorts the mental processes, and a writer – that is, a serious writer, and … Continue reading “A MAN NAMED MUHAMMAD”

Jiang Zemin’s visit to Bush’s ranch on Friday may prove decisive for US plans to wage war in Iraq. The Chinese government is thoroughly enjoying its relatively neutral stance throughout the War on Terrorism, while reaping the benefits of having its own “terrorist movement” in East Turkestan. Aside from deflecting the Bush Administration’s early attempts … Continue reading “‘We Make You Play Bad Card’”

[Lat. casus – opportunity, occasion; bellum,-i –war] Not a day goes by in which the inhabitants of the Balkans are not reminded, in some way, that they are servants of the Empire. On top of the visible legacy of imperial intervention, its hidden consequences also crop up regularly to deepen the region’s misery. Adding insult … Continue reading “Casus Belli”

When Mother Jones magazine asked me to contribute an article on the present state of the movement against the Iraq war – and what to do about it – I was delighted to comply. After all, I’ve been inveighing against the sad state of the antiwar movement for years, and here was my chance to … Continue reading “PATRIOTS FOR PEACE”