Month: October 2005

A New York State of Mind

In the late afternoon on Thursday, Oct. 6, New York City authorities raised security as a result of what Mayor Michael Bloomberg described as a “specific threat to our subway system.” According to a bulletin issued by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), “a team of terrorist operatives, some of whom may … Continue reading “A New York State of Mind”

A Lose-Lose Referendum?

Five days before Saturday’s referendum on Iraq’s proposed constitution, the U.S. foreign policy elite appears both anxious and gloomy, increasingly worried that win or lose, the process will bring Iraq one step closer to civil war and, with it, the possible destabilization of the wider region. The constitution’s approval, in the view of many experts, … Continue reading “A Lose-Lose Referendum?”

Empire’s Endgame

Finishing the Balkans Interventions Just days after the anniversary of Serbia’s misnamed "revolution," three things came to pass that suggest a next stage of Balkans tragedy is getting underway. First, the Bosnian Serbs caved in and approved the European Union’s ultimatum for centralization of the police, erasing perhaps the last vestige of their autonomy and … Continue reading “Empire’s Endgame”

Democracy: The God That Failed

The idea animating U.S. foreign policy at the moment is simple: if we “democratize” the Middle East – at gunpoint if necessary, peacefully if possible – we can “drain the swamp” of terrorism and defeat the worldwide Islamist insurgency that is now arrayed against us. With democracy will come the rule of law and all … Continue reading “Democracy: The God That Failed”

Torture, the GOP, and the Religious Right

When 46 Republican senators vote against the torture of prisoners (total vote 90-9) and President Bush threatens his first veto in five years in order to thwart them, many Americans must wonder about the political and philosophical divide. Top-ranking generals supported by former Secretary of State Colin Powell sent a letter of support for the … Continue reading “Torture, the GOP, and the Religious Right”

Condi May Be Bush’s Expediency Council

Just as the theocratic leadership in Iran is trying to rein in the aggressive nationalism of the new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, so Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appears to be restraining aggressive nationalists in Washington who want to escalate rising tensions with Iran and Syria. In just the last 10 days, Rice and her State … Continue reading “Condi May Be Bush’s Expediency Council”

Doing Bush’s Bidding

The Treaty on Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) begins by affirming "that all parties to the treaty are entitled to participate in the fullest possible exchange of scientific information for – and to contribute alone or in cooperation with other states to – the further development of the applications of atomic energy for peaceful purposes." … Continue reading “Doing Bush’s Bidding”

How Long Can This Go On?

George W. Bush is a natural born liar. He lied us into a war, and now he is lying to keep us there. In his Oct. 6 self-congratulatory speech at that neoconservative shrine the National Endowment for Democracy, the president of the United States said: "Today there are more than 80 Iraqi army battalions fighting … Continue reading “How Long Can This Go On?”

The War on Terror: A Translation

When the Bush administration fires off a new round of speechifying about “the war on terror,” the U.S. press rarely goes beyond the surface meanings of rhetoric provided by White House scriptwriters. But the president’s big speech at the National Endowment for Democracy on Oct. 6 could have been annotated along these lines: “We will … Continue reading “The War on Terror: A Translation”