Month: October 2006

[Editor’s note, Nov. 1: Justin Raimondo is traveling. His column will return Friday.] (The following is the text of a talk given at Duke University before a joint meeting sponsored by the Libertarian Party of North Carolina and the Green Party.) The theme of this forum, “Beyond Ideology,” is very appropriate to our present situation, … Continue reading “Beyond Ideology”

While the Iraqi catastrophe – and whether we are about to be at a post-midterm election “tipping point” in that country – preoccupies Americans, an older Bush administration Afghan “success” story has sprung enough holes to sink the Titanic and looks to be taking on water fast. The president has long claimed that Iraq is … Continue reading “Poppy Wars”

Updated at 11:05 p.m. EST, Oct. 29, 2006 At least 94 Iraqis were killed in today’s violence. Another 25 are known injured. No foreign deaths were reported, but two Iraqi journalists were murdered in the capital. Also, Prime Minister al-Maliki’s vehicle was attacked by gunmen, but he was not present. The deputy governor of Baghdad’s … Continue reading “Sunday: 94 Iraqis Killed, 25 Injured”

Updated 11:15 a.m. EDT, Oct. 29, 2006 With the end of Friday curfews and the Eid al-Fitr holiday over, violence re-ignited today in Iraq. At least 91 Iraqis were killed and another 129 were wounded, so far. Today, the U.S. military reported that a Marine was killed on Friday "due to enemy action" in the … Continue reading “Saturday: 91 Iraqis, 1 Marine Killed; 1 Coalition Soldier, 129 Iraqis Injured”

I’m not much of a voting man myself. I agree with former Washington Post managing editor Howard Simon, who preferred (though he couldn’t enforce it) that his political writers not vote because it might make them feel vested in a candidate they would have to cover once he or she was elected, arguing that a … Continue reading “A Referendum on War?”

While U.S. President George W. Bush appeared this week to reject suggestions that Washington directly engage the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, pressure both here and in the region for Washington to work out some accommodation with Damascus is rising. While never officially named to the "Axis of Evil,” Syria has received the same … Continue reading “Bush Under Growing Pressure to Engage Syria”

When George W. Bush became president, North Korea, Iraq, and Iran were signatories to the Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) and had made all their NPT proscribed materials, facilities, and activities subject to International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards. However, soon after identifying them as constituting an “axis of evil,” Bush claimed to have “intelligence” that all three … Continue reading “Punishing North Korea – Eh?”

Updated 5:30 p.m. EDT, Oct. 28, 2006 Violence diminished dramatically during the three-day, feast holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which ended yesterday. With various curfews in effect during today’s day of prayer, violence is expected to stay low. Yet, 41 Iraqis have already been reported killed today, while another 15 are known injured. Searches are ongoing … Continue reading “Friday: 41 Iraqis, 1 US GI, 1 UK Soldier Killed; 15 Iraqis Injured”

As the Middle East prepares to mark the 50th anniversary on Oct. 29 of the Suez Crisis that effectively ended European colonialism, a half century of U.S. hegemony in the region also appears to be coming to an end, according to a growing number of analysts. The observation is based primarily on the serious damage … Continue reading “50 Years After Suez,
US Hegemony Ebbing Fast”

On Oct. 18, President George W. Bush signed an executive order creating a new national policy which loudly proclaims that the U.S. will brook no restraint of any kind on its "rights, capabilities, and freedom of action" in space, and that it has the right to deny space "access" to any power deemed hostile to … Continue reading “America’s Kingdom of Heaven”