Month: March 2006

Nuclear Weapons The first thing to remember about nuclear weapons1 is that they are horrible. They represent the logical conclusion of the strategic bombing method of waging war – by obliterating and terrorizing enemy civilian populations. Historically, this was most effectively waged by Britain and the United States in World War II. Nuclear weapons allow … Continue reading “Nonproliferation: From Noble Lie to Pretext for War”

American foreign policy has been weighed down for all too many years by an albatross hung round Uncle Sam’s neck, one that distorts our stance especially vis-à-vis Middle Eastern issues and ultimately works against U.S. interests in the region and around the world: that albatross is unconditional support for the state of Israel. Of course, … Continue reading “The Lobby”

As readers flee news on the printed page for an online life and classified ads head out the door for Craigslist and points west, the Washington Post became just the latest major newspaper to announce significant staff cuts. With fourth-quarter revenue down 3 percent from the previous year, eighty jobs – 9 percent of the … Continue reading “Connecting the Dots, Bush-Style”

The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center finds that President Bush’s support among the American people has fallen to 33 percent. Even more devastatingly, the survey finds that people’s most frequently used one-word description of President Bush is “incompetent.” The chief chaplain for the New York City Corrections Department told a Tucson audience … Continue reading “A Collapsing Presidency”

In my previous article, I laid out why war is not good for an economy generally. Yet, while many people admit that the resources used to fight the Vietnam War or either of the U.S. wars on Iraq could have been put to better use, they still have an almost romantic view of how good … Continue reading “The Myth of US Prosperity During World War II”

War consists of killing people and destroying property. That’s all there is to war. Any honest soldier will tell you the same thing: His job is to kill people and destroy property. That’s true of all branches of the service. The difficult question is, When is a nation justified in making the decision to kill … Continue reading “Consequences of a War State”

JERUSALEM – After months of flattering opinion polls, the first sign of nerves was beginning to show in the camp of acting Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert. In the space of a month, his front-running Kadima (Forward) party had lost 15 percent support, and the acting prime minister’s popularity had also dived in the polls … Continue reading “Sharon’s Successor Comes In From the Shadows”

*with Ngoc Nguyen HANOI – Nguyen Thi Thuy was 22 when she left her village to help build roads for the North Vietnamese army during the war. She remembers crawling into tunnels during the day and covering her mouth with a wet rag when the United States military sprayed the landscape with defoliant. "I didn’t … Continue reading “Agent Orange Leaves Stigma Trail”

NEW DELHI – Hot on the heels of its landmark "nuclear cooperation" agreement with the United States, which allows New Delhi to keep its nuclear weapons, the Indian government has entered into a controversial deal with Russia for the supply of nuclear fuel for two civilian power reactors. The deal is expected to be formally … Continue reading “India’s Russia Card Ups Nuclear Stakes”

A new national poll shows that a near majority of voters either strongly or somewhat agree with a pledge not to vote for pro-war candidates. This makes the antiwar movement’s potential impact on elections larger than pro-gun, anti-abortion, or anti-gay marriage voters. Politicians will have to pay heed to this new political force. The pledge … Continue reading “A Powerful New Voting Block Emerges”