Month: May 2005

BEIRUT – Lebanon closed a chapter in its bloody civil war Saturday with the return of army general Michel Aoun from 14 years of forced exile in France. The staunchly anti-Syrian Christian leader’s homecoming is expected to profoundly affect the country’s political scene, changing the configuration of alliances that arose following the assassination of former … Continue reading “Aoun Returns to Lebanon”

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a spending bill last week that contains provisions establishing a national ID card, and the Senate is poised to approve the measure in the next few days. This week marks the American public’s last chance to convince their senators they don’t want to live in a nation that demands … Continue reading “Last Chance to Stop National ID”

“Temptation is not random, nor is it one-size-fits-all. Instead, it will always attach itself to our unique talents and aspirations. One of temptation’s cleverest tricks is to seduce that which is a strength. Our strength can become our downfall because we’re tripped up through the misuse or misdirection of our talents and ambitions.” – Jesus … Continue reading “Parents: The Anti-Recruiter”

That the commemoration of the end of World War II is being used to announce the commencement of World War IV is just another one of those little ironies that the Bush administration seems to delight in. The president’s five-day four-nation journey, which takes him to Latvia, Holland, Russia, and the former Soviet republic of … Continue reading “Commemorating a World War”

Memo to: Richard Lugar, chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Re: An Anti-Diplomat at the UN? Dear Senator, you’ve known me for more than 30 years, from your days as Mayor of Indianapolis and my days as associate editor of The Wall Street Journal. When I tell you John Bolton is a true force of darkness, … Continue reading “John Bolton, Force of Darkness”

To Americans, World War II ended with the Japanese surrender on Aug. 15, 1945, following detonation of atom bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and Aug. 9. But for Russians, who did not enter the war on Japan until Aug. 8, 1945, “The Great Patriotic War” ended on May 9, with the surrender … Continue reading “What Is Bush Celebrating in Moscow?”

In her opening statement to the Sixth Review Conference of the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons held at UN Headquarters five years ago, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright encouraged conferees to focus on three key issues: how the treaty is working to (a) prevent nuclear proliferation, (b) advance nuclear disarmament, and (c) enhance … Continue reading “Badgering the NPT”

Humans have the capacity to create and to destroy. It seems to me that if we do not rein in our destructive capacity, bugs will one day inherit an otherwise empty and barren planet. It’s no use assigning blame. The urge to destroy resides in every human heart. Violence is all too often the problem-solving … Continue reading “Boot the Imperialists”

A month-long U.N. conference on halting the spread of nuclear weapons neared the end of its first week Friday deadlocked over how to strengthen the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The meeting opened Monday without a set agenda. Diplomats warned it could end in four weeks without a final statement even as U.N. officials and disarmament advocates … Continue reading “US Nuclear Weapons Hypocrisy Highlighted at Conference”

JERUSALEM – Fatah maintained its position this week as the largest party by far in the Palestinian territories, despite earlier signs of weakness and a strong showing by the militant Hamas movement in the municipal elections. Preliminary results from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip show Fatah with 56 percent of the popular vote, … Continue reading “Vote Dampens Hamas Political Bid”