Month: January 2004

Although Iran is facing political turmoil inside the country, its relationship with Persian Gulf and Middle Eastern countries has never been better since clerics ended 2,500 years of monarchy in 1979. Whereas once countries in the region were fearful that Tehran might want to dominate the region and help topple Sunni-majority kingdoms and undemocratic rulers … Continue reading “Iran: Trouble Within, but Ties with Neighbors Never Better”

http://www.independent.org/tii/antiwar/e040128.html

In the months following the September 11th terrorist attacks, questions arose about whether Congress could continue to function if many of its members were killed or injured in a future terrorist attack. These concerns resulted in the creation of a commission that advocated a first in American history, namely the appointment of individuals to the … Continue reading “Congress Cannot Be Appointed”

The resignation of David Kay, the CIA’s chief weapons inspector, combined with statements he has made in connection with his resignation, puts something of a capstone on the crumbling of any remotely valid case for the recent (or ongoing, not to put too fine a point on it) Iraq war. Every justification (or rationalization, if … Continue reading “Lessons for the Future”

Our country, if you look at its history, has fought an awful lot of wars, and it’s no wonder that militarism is always just beneath the surface of our culture, even in times of peace. Americans fought in the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the War … Continue reading “A War Culture”

The invasion of Iraq was no humanitarian intervention, Human Rights Watch says in its annual report released in London Monday. The human rights organization’s argument on Iraq marks the keynote essay in its annual report. The 407-page "World Report 2004: Human Rights and Armed Conflict" includes 15 reports on varying subjects related to war and … Continue reading “Rights Group: Iraq War Was ‘Not Humanitarian’”

A recent edition of Jane’s Intelligence Digest maps out the next stop on this administration’s road to war: Syria. Yes, everything’s going according to plan. Forget George W. Bush’s “road map.” The real road map, plotted by a cabal of U.S. war-hawks in 1996 for then Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – “A Clean Break: … Continue reading “The Axis of Ares”

The Army of World War II, you might say, was the last Army of the republic. It performed great deeds, but there was not much luxury, not even for the generals and admirals. Nobody was paid much. Travel was by military plane, troop train or warship, even for generals, admirals and world leaders. Not so … Continue reading “No Stinking Empire”

Retired Gen. Anthony Zinni began warning that ousting Saddam Hussein, let alone invading Iraq, risked destabilizing the entire Middle East back in 1998, when he led U.S. Central Command and testified against the Iraq Liberation Act that made “regime change” official US policy. And just six months before the actual invasion last March, in October … Continue reading “War Party Puts Syria in Its Sights”

Canada’s decision to hold talks with Washington on a proposed US missile defense program has breathed new life into the country’s peace movement. The federal government agreed earlier this month to start official talks on joining the defense shield, which would use satellites, radar and ground-based weapons to track and destroy ballistic missiles. New Defense … Continue reading “Canadian Govt Talks on US Missile Plan Boosts Peace Movement”