Month: September 2002

Like all sensible Tories there’s only one result I really wanted to see from the German federal election, and that, of course, was an SPD/Communist coalition. As of the time of writing, it looks as if Chancellor Schröder’s just going to scrap back in with the detestable, and slightly unsettling, Greens, but still, that’ll do. … Continue reading “Let’s Not Be Beastly To the Germans”

Poor President Bush. He apparently wants to invade Iraq more than anything else in the world. And just when he thought he had sufficient support to do so, foreign leaders started backing out. So he went to the U.N. and gave a stirring speech – saying Saddam Hussein must allow weapons inspections or the U.S. … Continue reading “America, Meet Your Leaders”

With all the anniversaries celebrated in China one conspicuous date remains forgotten by much of the population: June 4th. In the late 1980s, inflation, increasing corruption and rising unemployment contributed to several student led protests, with the death of reform politician Hu Yaobang in 1989, students all over China linked the mourning ceremonies with acute … Continue reading “Tiananmen’s Legacy: The Forgotten Rebellion”

I have for years advocated a moral and constitutional approach to our foreign policy. This has been done in the sincerest belief that a policy of peace, trade, and friendship with all nations is far superior in all respects to a policy of war, protectionism, and confrontation. But in the Congress I find, with regards … Continue reading “War is a Political Mistake”

The recent conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) opened with an announcement that Cuba would become a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The last three hold-outs in the world are Israel, India, and Pakistan. The Arab states, led by Iraq, have proposed that Israel should sign on as part of a framework … Continue reading “LET THE UN INSPECTORS IN”

Now that the first of four phases of the "litmus-test" elections to the legislative Assembly of the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) is over, India and Pakistan have instantly locked horns over their representative character and significance. This renewed rivalry could seriously affect the remaining three phases and the people’s responses, and in turn further aggravate … Continue reading “Portents From the Kashmir Polls”

For three successor states of the former Yugoslavia, this fall is all about voting. Macedonian parliamentary elections were held this past weekend, with predictable results. Serbian presidential elections are next on September 29, followed by a general vote in Bosnia-Herzegovina on October 5. It is a time of choice, a time of civic responsibility, a … Continue reading “Triumph of the Will”

The Americans won’t take "yes" for an answer. Here is how the war-maddened Bush administration is dealing with Iraq’s decision to let in the UN weapons inspectors: "Saddam Hussein’s words cannot be taken at face value." – White House press secretary Ari Fleischer "We have seen this game before." – Secretary of State Colin Powell … Continue reading “BACK DOOR TO WAR”

As President Bush addressed the United Nations last week, I could not help thinking we have become incredibly mired in the "entangling alliances" another President George – George Washington – warned against. Sadly, many in Washington and the media seem to consider UN approval of our war plans far more important than a congressional debate … Continue reading “Entangling Alliances Distort our Foreign Policy”

With the US poised to attack Iraq, it’s helpful to recall what pushed us over the brink last time … the invisible steps and the unspoken consequences. In the fall of 1990, when the US Congress was debating going to war, Amnesty International (AI) released an explosive report detailing how Iraqi soldiers had taken Kuwaiti … Continue reading “The Powell Doctrine:”