Month: July 2002

It’s not so much that the details of the Bush plan are faultier than some other plan some other leader might have devised. The bigger question is why an American president who upon assuming office seemed to understand that American micromanagement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was a losing game is now so eager to impose … Continue reading “Bush: Planning in the Whirlwind”

The two premier magazines of foreign affairs recently featured articles with diametrically opposed themes on a much-discussed topic: is the US Empire on the rise, or in decline? In Foreign Affairs, flagship journal of the New World Order crowd, Stephen G. Brooks and William C. Wohlforth celebrate the rise of the American hegemon, and disdainfully … Continue reading “DECLINE & FALL”

Opposition to the Patriot Act, legislation passed by Congress and signed by the President last year, is growing. Americans are beginning to understand that many precious liberties have been put in jeopardy by the government’s rush to enact new laws in the wake of September 11th. Federal law enforcement agencies now have broad authority to … Continue reading “Monitor Thy Neighbor”

Most of the administration’s paper grandly proclaiming a "National Strategy for Homeland Security" is the kind of innocuous bureaucratic blather one finds in a report on waste management or wetlands maintenance. I’m not sure whether it’s alarming or reassuring to be confronted by such soporific sentences as "This is an exceedingly complex mission that requires … Continue reading “Homeland Security Horrors”

“Wherever the standard of freedom and Independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will her heart, her benedictions and her prayers be. But she goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own.”– … Continue reading “IN SEARCH OF MONSTERS”

[nb: As Christopher Montgomery is away this week – paragliding in Tashkent – Antiwar.com is replacing him with stuff we found earlier in the week in a wastepaper bin, in a conference room in London’s Canary Wharf. Although the document is incomplete, it is clearly a transcription, and we believe the initials stand for the … Continue reading “Notes From the Wastebin of History”

I have previously discussed “liberventionism” in this space. By this newly-minted word I refer to the doctrines of those libertarians who find little wrong with the general trend of U.S. foreign policy, before – and especially – after 9/11, The Day When Everything Changed. To start with the last item, there is probably a good … Continue reading “Liberventionism II: The Flight from Theory”

In the summer of 1995, the Bosnian War was rapidly approaching its conclusion. The balance of power was shifting, with Croatia joining the conflict semi-openly (with American blessing and encouragement) and the Bosnian Muslims bolstered by incoming weapons and mujahidin. In June, Muslim forces ("Army of the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina") attacked on all fronts, making … Continue reading “Shadows of Srebrenica”

You wanted our government to strike back at the terrorists by bombing Afghanistan, right? You cheered when President Bush stood tall and said, “Let’s roll!” And you applauded when he said he will root out the evil-doers everywhere in the world. And when innocent Afghans were killed, you said there’s bound to be “collateral damage” … Continue reading “Welcome to the War on Terrorism, Comrade”

Oh, for joy! The New York Times is telling us there’s a "Call in Congress for Full Airing of Iraq Policy" – this after George W. Bush has been rattling his saber in Saddam’s face for the past year or so, developed a comprehensive invasion plan, and already decided that the US will occupy Iraq … Continue reading “OUR PHONY FOREIGN POLICY ‘DEBATE’”