Month: December 2002

As 2002 draws to a close, the prospects for peace seem bleak in the world’s troubled Middle East region. Afghanistan remains in chaos, despite the ouster of the Taliban regime by American forces. Israel and the occupied West Bank territories suffer terrible incidents of violence almost daily, forcing the cancellation of Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem. … Continue reading “Waning Prospects for Peace in 2003?”

In recent weeks, the Bush administration has stepped up efforts to destabilize the Iraqi government, while aggressively deploying troops and ships in a manner that could provoke an attack from Iraq – and provide an excuse to start a war. Over the weekend of December 14 to 16, the U.S. hosted a conference in London … Continue reading “Operation Provoke War”

Perhaps it’s the time of the year. I’m not over Christmas yet – I spent much of the season singing with a quasi-professional (people actually paid us!) caroling group – and some songs stay in my head. The third verse of "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" seems especially poignant to me just now: … Continue reading “In Search of a Peace Culture”

One good aspect of the holiday season was that veteran Arab-hater James Taranto, whose column "Best of the Web" runs on the Wall Street Journal‘s website, went on vacation, and the world was spared his unsparing hatred for all things Arab for a few blessed days. Not for long, however: he’s back at the same … Continue reading “A RELIGION OF PEACE?”

The coming elections will be decided – and perhaps have already been decided – by an anonymous person, whose nom-de-guerre is "Nadav". "Nadav" calls himself an "expert" in the service of the General Security Service (known by its Hebrew acronym Shabak or Shin-Bet). According to him, his official title is "chief of the research department … Continue reading “‘Nadav’s’ Putsch”

There is a puzzling paradox about Holocaust denial: those who deny it are precisely the ones who would have supported it. I couldn’t help thinking of this paradox when I heard that American university professors have recently been accused of anti-Semitism (!) for signing a document warning against Israeli intentions to drive out masses of … Continue reading “Ethnic Cleansing: Past, Present and Future”

Did I just call the United Nations a problem? I suppose I did. Long ago and far away – back in the 1960s actually – the John Birch Society used to put up billboards calling for the US to get out of the UN and the UN out of the US. I understand the sentiment, … Continue reading “The Unresolved Problem of the United Nations”

I try not to sound too preachy in these columns, but having just celebrated Christmas with more of my extended family than we have been accustomed to in recent years I had to wonder in print. Jesus talked about turning the other cheek, about never returning evil for evil, about humbling oneself, about taking care … Continue reading “The Empire Ruminates”

All eyes are on Iraq these days, but conventional wisdom holds it’s just the first step of the Bush administration’s larger push to gain hegemony over the international oil and gas industry. Two factors could stand in the way of the US grand plan though: Central Asia and Europe. A microcosm of this battle is … Continue reading “Forget Iraq: The Real Battle Is In Turkey”

All eyes are on Iraq these days, but conventional wisdom holds it’s just the first step of the Bush administration’s larger push to gain hegemony over the international oil and gas industry. Two factors could stand in the way of the US grand plan though: Central Asia and Europe. A microcosm of this battle is … Continue reading “Forget Iraq: The Real Battle Is In Turkey”