Month: May 2007

There are sins of commission and sins of omission. George Tenet, former Director of Central Intelligence, has apparently decided to confess, several years after receiving the Medal of Freedom, to one or two of the latter. But in his book, At the Center of the Storm, he has, it appears, inadvertently confessed to a major … Continue reading “Tenet’s Greatest Sins”

It is almost impossible to predict how it will all shake out, but "old Europe," in former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s dismissive phrase, will almost certainly be politically different than it is today. The election in France, which brought putative conservative Nicolas Sarkozy to the presidency, the announced impending resignation of Tony Blair as prime … Continue reading “Renewing Old Europe”

Antiwar activists from around the country will celebrate Mothers’ Day by converging on Washington, DC, where they will demand Congress end the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Five days of activism, sponsored by the women-for-peace group CODEPINK and "peace mom" Cindy Sheehan’s Gold Star Families for Peace, will culminate in what organizers call a "Mother of … Continue reading “Moms Spend Their Weekend Protesting War in Iraq”

Palestinians should give up the idea of a two-state solution. It is as plain as a hippopotamus at a tea party that the only kind of state the Israelis will give them, if at all, is a politically and economically unviable collection of tiny enclaves separated by Israeli territory. Instead, Palestinians should demand a unified … Continue reading “One Man, One Vote”

Updated at 11:35 p.m EDT, May 11, 2007At least 77 Iraqis were killed or found dead today and 87 were wounded during violent attacks. Four foreign fighters were killed trying to sneak into Iraq through the Syrian border. Also, three GIs were killed in separate attacks yesterday, reported U.S. authorities. One American soldier was killed … Continue reading “Friday: 2 GIs, 77 Iraqis Killed; 87 Iraqis Wounded”

The year 1989 showcased one of history’s great moments of human liberation. The Soviet Union loosed its grip on its European satellites. Communist dominoes toppled. The Berlin Wall fell. So ended some of the most odious regimes in human history. A variety of barbarous, collectivist regimes were swept away, and with surprisingly little violence. Hundreds … Continue reading “Get Out of Europe; Avoid a New Cold War”

Neoconservative hawks who championed the invasion of Iraq are leading a new campaign to persuade state and local governments, as well as other institutional investors, to "divest" their holdings in foreign companies and U.S. overseas subsidiaries doing business in Iran. While stressing that U.S. military action against Iran’s nuclear program should not be taken off … Continue reading “Neocons Driving Iran Divestment Campaign”

For Americans, whose view of Islam and Islamic politics is, to put the matter politely, less than complex, it’s worth being reminded of just how complex, how unexpected, politics (religious or otherwise) can turn out to be anywhere on this planet. With that in mind, Dilip Hiro, Tomdispatch regular and author most recently of Blood … Continue reading “Turkey’s Unholy Alliance”

Portraits of Congressman Ron Paul, Republican of Texas, invariably descend into cliché – he is “Dr. No,” he’s against subsidies even for his own district, he’s a libertarian Don Quixote – but, then again, clichés are what the conventional wisdom is made of, and so we are told Rep. Paul’s run for the White House … Continue reading “10’s Goldwater Moment”

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, or more accurately, George W. Bush’s lap dog, has resigned to England’s relief. Boris Johnson at the Daily Telegraph wrote that “Blair cannot escape the blame for a disaster in which at least 60,000 (and possibly 10 times as many) Iraqis have died, and which is causing 40,000 Iraqis to … Continue reading “One War Criminal Down, A Fistful to Go”