Month: October 2005

The Fourth Estate and the Warfare State

More than any other New York Times reporter, Judith Miller took the lead with stories claiming that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Now, a few years later, she’s facing heightened scrutiny in the aftermath of a pair of articles that appeared in the Times on Sunday – a lengthy investigative piece about Miller plus … Continue reading “The Fourth Estate and the Warfare State”

Hands Off Pakistan

There has been an increase in violence in Afghanistan, and some foreign commentators have blamed Pakistan for supporting those responsible. It has been said that Afghan insurgents receive sanctuary in Pakistan, which is true, and that this state of affairs can be rectified by more effective policing of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, which is nonsense. It … Continue reading “Hands Off Pakistan”

A Peaceful Kick to the Groin

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has just awarded the nemesis of Bush, Bolton, Sharon and the neocrazies – Mohamed ElBaradei and his staff at the International Atomic Energy Agency – the Nobel Peace Prize "for their efforts to prevent nuclear energy from being used for military purposes and to ensure that nuclear energy for peaceful purposes … Continue reading “A Peaceful Kick to the Groin”

‘Flame’ Plame Blame Game

After spending 85 days in jail, protecting a source that had given her a waiver long ago, New York Times reporter Judith Miller emerged to testify in private, to prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald‘s grand jury, and in public, to the readers of the New York Times. We don’t know what she said to the grand … Continue reading “‘Flame’ Plame Blame Game”

Israel, Iran, and the US: Nuclear War, Here We Come

The stage is set for a chain of events that could lead to nuclear war over chemical weapons in the immediate future. If these events unfold, the trigger will be Israel, the target Iran, the nuclear aggressor the U.S. These are the reasons: The U.S. State Department determined in August 2005 that “Iran is in … Continue reading “Israel, Iran, and the US: Nuclear War, Here We Come”

What Game Theory Can Tell Us About Terrorism

In my inaugural column, it’s appropriate to deal with one of last week’s big events in economics: the awarding of the Nobel prize. The prize in economics went to two men for their contributions to game theory: Robert Aumann of Israel and Thomas Schelling of the United States. Game theory is, in a nutshell, the … Continue reading “What Game Theory Can Tell Us About Terrorism”

Bolton the Peacemaker

Well, the neo-crazies are wandering around in a daze, stunned by the decision of the Norwegian Nobel Committee to award the Peace Prize to Mohamed ElBaradei, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, rather than to Bonkers Bolton, architect of our Proliferation Security Initiative. According to the Committee: "At a time when the threat of … Continue reading “Bolton the Peacemaker”

Referendum Will Change Little

BEIRUT – Iraqis will vote this weekend in a referendum that is billed as decisive for their political future, and by extension crucial for restoring order in their violence-wracked country. But the country’s leaders and also the main mover behind the political process, the Bush administration, may find that the cycle of violence and political … Continue reading “Referendum Will Change Little”

Let’s Not Imitate the British

What I fear most for the future of our country is that our leadership seems to be developing the same arrogance that doomed the British Empire. In early 1941, the British general in charge of the Far East scoffed at the idea that Japan would attack. The Japanese wouldn’t dare, he said, because they were … Continue reading “Let’s Not Imitate the British”