Month: July 2008

When Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani begins his first official visit here at the White House Monday, the welcome is likely to be a little warmer than he might wish. Pakistan, which is beset by both a thriving Taliban insurgency and its worst inflation in some 30 years, has become a serious source of … Continue reading “Pakistani PM May Be Pincushion for U.S. Frustration”

Well, in times like these, you probably ought to read Pat Buchanan’s latest book Churchill, Hitler and the Unnecessary War: How Britain Lost Its Empire and the West Lost the World. You certainly ought to check out Buchanan’s interview about that book on Antiwar Radio. Buchanan convincingly argues that the Brit guarantee to come to … Continue reading “Regime Change Rationales”

The media, egged on by John McCain and his campaign, are going to twist the arm of Barack Obama until he cries "uncle" and admits the U.S. troop "surge" has worked in Iraq. So far, Obama has not cracked under the pressure and, for reasons of political expediency, admitted this dubious proposition. The smart political … Continue reading “Did the Surge Work?”

Hopefully, the next president, whoever he is, will have sense enough to realize that an anti-missile site in Eastern Europe is not worth rekindling the Cold War with Russia. Though the press pays little attention to it, the Bush administration has already practically wrecked relations with Russia by insisting on adding the Eastern European countries … Continue reading “Pull the Plug on the War State”

Last month, Reps. Gary Ackerman (D-NY) and Mike Pence (R-IN) introduced a new resolution to Congress, demanding the President to initiate an international effort to impose a land, sea, and air blockade on Iran to prevent it from importing refined petroleum products and to subject all cargo entering or leaving Iran to "stringent inspection requirements." … Continue reading “Resolution 362: A Grave Mistake to Avert”

Updated at 4:04 p.m. EDT, July 25, 2008Iraqi Prime Minister traveled to Italy this week where he met with the Pope and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Back home, at least three Iraqis were killed and another 12 were wounded in the latest attacks. No Coalition deaths were reported. Iraq has been unusually peaceful this week. … Continue reading “Friday: 3 Iraqis Killed, 12 Wounded”

Instead of moving toward accommodating the demand of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for a timetable for US military withdrawal, the George W. Bush administration and the US military leadership are continuing to pressure their erstwhile client regime to bow to the US demand for a long-term military presence in the country. The emergence of … Continue reading “Bush, US Military Pressure Iraqis on Withdrawal”

The Lion and the Unicorn: Gladstone and Disraeli Richard Aldous W.W. Norton 368 pp. Politics is a spectator sport, akin to baseball or football, but with far greater consequences for the rest of us. After all, no matter how much one despises the New York Yankees, it doesn’t really matter much if they win the … Continue reading “The Lion and the Unicorn“

As any military historian will testify, among the most difficult of maneuvers is the strategic retreat. Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow, Lee’s retreat to Appomattox and MacArthur’s retreat from the Yalu come to mind. The British Empire abandoned India in 1947 – and a Muslim-Hindu bloodbath ensued. France’s departure from Indochina was ignominious, and her abandonment … Continue reading “Honorable Exit From Empire”

"On October 21 (1948) the Government of Israel took a decision that was to have a lasting and divisive effect on the rights and status of those Arabs who lived within its borders: the official establishment of military government in the areas where most of the inhabitants were Arabs." – Martin Gilbert, Israel: A History … Continue reading “Are You Ready to Face the Facts About Israel?”