Month: September 2005

Next Stop: Syria

The pressure on Syria is being increased, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see a “border incident” involving a shoot-out between Syrian and American troops. We may be in for a new Tonkin Gulf, leading to an extension of our “liberatory” efforts in the Middle East. We already have U.S. Ambassador (i.e., Imperial … Continue reading “Next Stop: Syria”

Pentagon Foresees Preemptive Nuclear Strikes

Amid increasing tension between the United States and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program, and growing concern about overstretched U.S. ground forces, the George W. Bush administration is moving steadily toward adopting the preemptive use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states as an integral part of its global military strategy. According to a March document by … Continue reading “Pentagon Foresees Preemptive Nuclear Strikes”

Abusing America’s Fear of Terrorism

On Sept. 6-7, 2005, the New America Foundation hosted "Terrorism, Security & America’s Purpose," a policy forum featuring scholars, elected officials, intelligence experts, and journalists. A full list of speakers is available here. Juan Cole is professor of modern Middle East and South Asian history at the University of Michigan. He offers his perspective on … Continue reading “Abusing America’s Fear of Terrorism”

Gitmo Cases May Go to Civilian Courts

Media coverage of Hurricane Katrina has all but drowned out what may well be two of the most consequential human rights court decisions in recent U.S. history. Last week, a three-judge federal appeals court panel ruled unanimously that President George W. Bush has the authority to indefinitely detain a U.S. citizen, José Padilla, arrested in … Continue reading “Gitmo Cases May Go to Civilian Courts”

WMD Postmortem

Drawing upon the findings of the (a) Iraq Survey Group, (b) U.S. and British official investigations, (c) contemporary Iraqi official documents, and (d) personal memoirs of UN officials and others, Associated Press reporter Charles Hanley has constructed a highly regarded postmortem of Saddam’s nonexistent “weapons of mass destruction” threat to us. Hanley begins his postmortem … Continue reading “WMD Postmortem”

From Federal Failure Arises More Federal Power

The New Orleans catastrophe is inexplicable. FEMA’s slow response is a mystery. Never before has federal funding for work by the U.S. Corps of Engineers on the New Orleans levees and for the congressionally authorized Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project (SELA) been curtailed in the face of dire expert warnings of the consequences. The … Continue reading “From Federal Failure Arises More Federal Power”

Landmark Conference Critiques War on Terror

An extraordinary two-day conference in Washington (much of it on C-Span) sponsored by the New America Foundation,”Terrorism, Security & America’s Purpose” featured a host of scholars, elected officials, intelligence experts, journalists, an others, from Tom Clancy and Grover Norquist to George Soros and Ted Sorensen. Though perspectives varied widely, it is clear that experts from … Continue reading “Landmark Conference Critiques War on Terror”

Katrina, Iraq, and the End of ‘National Greatness’

Charles Krauthammer blithely dismisses the widespread belief that, having diverted so many resources to Iraq, we were unable to take care of our own in New Orleans: “The problem with the evacuation of New Orleans is not that National Guardsmen in Iraq could not get to New Orleans, but that National Guardsmen in Louisiana did … Continue reading “Katrina, Iraq, and the End of ‘National Greatness’”

The Mosquito and the Hammer

We pull into the parking lot at the same moment in separate cars, both of us slightly vacation-disheveled. He wears a baseball-style cap and a half-length purple raincoat in anticipation of the downpour which begins soon after we huddle safely in a local coffee shop. As I fumble with my two tape recorders, he immediately … Continue reading “The Mosquito and the Hammer”