Month: August 2007

What appears to be going on regarding Iran is a struggle within the administration over how to approach the Shi’ite mullah-dominated country that looms so large not only in the American imagination but as a regional power that is bound to have considerable influence in the region, especially with Iraq (assuming there is an entity … Continue reading “Tussling Over Iran”

Dec. 7, 1941, and Aug. 6, 1945 – and what happened on those dates – are fading from the world’s memory as the generations who experienced those events die off. Those two dates mark the beginning and the beginning of the end of World War II in the Pacific. They were the dates when the … Continue reading “Instant Death”

Updated at 6:15 p.m EDT, Aug. 10, 2007At least 58 Iraqis were killed or found dead and 66 more were wounded as violence returns to the country. A car curfew is still in effect until tomorrow in Baghdad. Also, a U.S. helicopter had to make an emergency landing after striking an electrical pole; two soldiers … Continue reading “Friday: 81 Iraqis Killed, 89 Wounded”

In hailing what he has called an "almost breathtaking" turnaround in Anbar Province that has weakened al-Qaeda as a triumph for his new military strategy in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus has put a favorable spin on a development which actually challenges the central rationale for continued US military occupation of Iraq. The dramatic change in … Continue reading “Anbar ‘Turnaround’ Undercuts War Rationale”

Korea has joined the first rank of nations. You wouldn’t know it, however, listening to the Korean public’s reaction to the kidnapping and murder of Korean aid workers in Afghanistan. It is America’s fault. Christian missionaries long have been active in Korea. The first president of South Korea, Syngman Rhee, was a product of American … Continue reading “Korean Whining: The Price of Dependence on America”

The United States has rarely lost any conventional military battle since at least 1950. Nor has it, at the same time, ever won a war. It has successfully overthrown governments through interventions or subversion but the political results of all its efforts – as in Afghanistan in the 1980s and Iran in 1953 – have … Continue reading “Mechanistic Destruction: American Foreign Policy at Point Zero”

Updated at 10:49 p.m. EDT, Aug. 9, 2007The tens of thousands of pilgrims converging on Baghdad today were not met with any attacks. Violence elsewhere was also light. Overall, at least 46 Iraqis were killed or found dead and another 21 were wounded. Also, three American and two British servicemembers were killed in separate events. … Continue reading “Thursday: 3 GIs, 2 Britons, 46 Iraqis Killed; 21 Iraqis Wounded”

DUBAI – The new United States plan to sell arms to Saudi Arabia and other allies in the Middle East to counter growing Iranian influence could trigger an arms race and worsen instability in an already volatile region, say experts. The arms deal, which still requires the approval of the Democrat-controlled US Congress, is one … Continue reading “Plan Against Iran May Trigger Arms Race”

On August 1, the Imperial capital’s conservative daily, the Washington Times, carried an interesting opinion piece. Paul Belien, author of A Throne in Brussels, warned against the peril of "liberal politicians, like Hillary Clinton" seeking to transform the U.S. into a more Europe-like welfare state. Welfare statism, warned Belien, is a "dreaded affliction" that has … Continue reading “Statism as Disease”

This week the Russian and Chinese militaries are conducting a joint military exercise involving large numbers of troops and combat vehicles. The former Soviet Republics of Tajikistan, Kyrgkyzstan, and Kazakstan are participating. Other countries appear ready to join the military alliance. This new potent military alliance is a real world response to neoconservative delusions about … Continue reading “US Hegemony Spawns Russian-Chinese Military Alliance”