Month: April 2006

When War Crimes Are Impossible

Is President Bush guilty of war crimes? To even ask the question is to go far beyond the boundaries of mainstream U.S. media. A few weeks ago, when a class of seniors at Parsippany High School in New Jersey prepared for a mock trial to assess whether Bush has committed war crimes, a media tempest … Continue reading “When War Crimes Are Impossible”

How Massacres Become the Norm

U.S. soldiers killing innocent civilians in Iraq is not news. Just as it was not news that U.S. soldiers slaughtered countless innocent civilians in Vietnam. However, when some rare reportage of this non-news from Iraq does seep through the cracks of the corporate media, albeit briefly, the American public seems shocked. Private and public statements … Continue reading “How Massacres Become the Norm”

Bush’s War Hawks Edged Out of the Nest

Although still united in pushing for confrontation with Iran, the coalition of hawks that propelled U.S. troops toward Baghdad three years ago appears to have finally run out of steam. Demoralized by the quagmire in Iraq, as well as President George W. Bush’s still falling approval and credibility ratings, the coalition of aggressive nationalists, neoconservatives, … Continue reading “Bush’s War Hawks Edged Out of the Nest”

Top UK Brass Plan for US Strike on Iran

Immediately after Condoleezza Rice’s visit to the north of England for a series of secret meetings and public appearances with Foreign Minister Jack Straw, the UK top brass held their own secret meeting Monday in London to prepare Britain for what they now describe as the "inevitable" U.S. military strike against Iran. Chief of the … Continue reading “Top UK Brass Plan for US Strike on Iran”

Is US Planning More Attacks on Shi’ite Militias?

Last week’s attack by U.S.-led Iraqi paramilitary forces on a building that Shi’ite leaders claim was a mosque may have marked the beginning of a new stage of U.S. policy in which Iraqi forces are used to carry out military operations against Shi’ite militia forces – especially those loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr. However, such a … Continue reading “Is US Planning More Attacks on Shi’ite Militias?”

Security Council Defies Bolton

Under a Safeguards Agreement concluded by Iran with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) – as required by the Treaty on Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) – Iran agreed to allow IAEA inspectors to satisfy themselves that no "source or special nuclear materials" are being used or have been used in furtherance of a nuclear … Continue reading “Security Council Defies Bolton”

Israel and Moral Blackmail

The reaction to a pathbreaking – or, rather, taboo-busting – study of how and why Israel’s interests came to be substituted for America’s national interests in Washington policymaking circles, "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy," [.pdf] by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, has confirmed, in part, its thesis. "The Lobby," as the authors call … Continue reading “Israel and Moral Blackmail”

Conversation With a Few Good Men (and Women)

I teach at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., meaning that I instruct young military officers who are generally smart, hardworking, and curious. Another important piece of background is that two weeks into a typical teaching quarter, I’ve come to love my students. On March 29, I had one of those days that I, … Continue reading “Conversation With a Few Good Men (and Women)”