Month: June 2007

Earlier this month the Future of Freedom Foundation hosted “Restoring the Republic: Foreign Policy and Civil Liberties,” a conference that brought together liberals, conservatives, and libertarians in favor of peace and liberty. Among the speakers was Andrew P. Napolitano, senior judicial analyst for Fox News. A former New Jersey Superior Court judge and professor of … Continue reading “Civil Liberties in Wartime”

Updated at 11:45 p.m. EDT, June 19, 2007Although fewer incidents occurred today, at least 169 Iraqis were killed and 265 more were wounded during new attacks. Most of the casualties were from a major bombing in central Baghdad. In Diyala province, U.S. forces are conducting a new security operation that has already killed several militants. … Continue reading “Tuesday: 4 GI, 169 Iraqis Killed; 265 Iraqis Wounded”

The Bush administration may live in a bubble of "unreality" regarding its foreign policy in Iraq, but neoconservatives inhabit a parallel universe on Iran. Unbelievably, despite the fact that the U.S. quagmire in Iraq has greatly weakened the U.S. position vis-à-vis Iran, the neocons are pushing for military action against that theocratic regime. According to … Continue reading “Iran and North Korea Will Not Be Denied Nukes”

BAGHDAD – Simmering in the summer heat, Iraqis now have a dream called electricity. It is a part of the bigger dream of reconstruction that collapsed. On all measurable levels, the infrastructure is worse than under the former regime of Saddam Hussein, even when it was crippled by the harshest economic sanctions in modern history. … Continue reading “Iraqis Suffer Through Summer Without Electricity”

Earlier this month the Future of Freedom Foundation hosted "Restoring the Republic: Foreign Policy and Civil Liberties," a conference that brought together liberals, conservatives, and libertarians in favor of peace and liberty. Among the speakers was Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. In the videos below, Paul argues for … Continue reading “Nonintervention: The Original Foreign Policy”

It’s a popular notion: TV sets and other media devices let us in on the violence of war. "Look, nobody likes to see dead people on their television screens," President Bush told a news conference more than three years ago. "I don’t. It’s a tough time for the American people to see that. It’s gut-wrenching." … Continue reading “War at the Remote”

Just when you think the roiling relations between the U.S. and Iran might be quieting down, they heat up again. In the last week, while two U.S. aircraft-carrier strike forces continued to patrol the Persian Gulf (after “exercises” that took the carriers directly through the Strait of Hormuz and off Iran’s coast), American accusations against … Continue reading “US, Iranian Detainee Policies: How Different Are They?”

Updated at 2:00 a.m. EDT, June 19, 2007At least 149 Iraqis were killed or found dead and 320 were wounded during the latest attacks. Scores were killed or wounded during two major battles between militia and security forces in southern Iraq. Meanwhile, Sunni families are being forced to flee Baghdad under threat of death. Also, … Continue reading “Monday: 2 GIs, 149 Iraqis Killed; 320 Wounded”

When the history of the Iraq war is written, the question of who lost it and how it was lost will be paramount, yet the answer is clear enough even today. The seeds of defeat were sown long ago, and not just by the policymakers and authors of our present disastrous policy. The co-authors of … Continue reading “Rise and Fall
of the Bizarro Empire”

What happens when one and a half million human beings are imprisoned in a tiny, arid territory, cut off from their compatriots and from any contact with the outside world, starved by an economic blockade and unable to feed their families? Some months ago, I described this situation as a sociological experiment set up by … Continue reading “Crocodile Tears”