Month: October 2009

Countering the Conniptions Over Qom

Iran’s nuclear program is once again center stage, the dominant subject of discussions at the national and international levels. On Sept. 21, Iran sent a letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) informing it of the construction of a uranium enrichment facility near the holy city of Qom, 90 miles south of Tehran. In … Continue reading “Countering the Conniptions Over Qom”

US Foreign Policy, Rudyard Kipling, and the Libertarian Theory of the State

How is foreign policy made? In these, the last days of America’s imperial decline, when the Constitution is but a ragged piece of parchment relegated to the Museum of Archaic Documents, our relations with other countries are entirely governed by the executive branch: all decisions are made by the president and his appointed national security … Continue reading “US Foreign Policy, Rudyard Kipling, and the Libertarian Theory of the State”

Cold War’s Ghost Blocks Mideast Peace

And you thought “don’t ask, don’t tell” was a U.S. law on gays in the military that Barack Obama has promised to change. As it turns out, the same phrase plays quite a different role in the Middle East, where Obama seems to have no intention of changing it at all. Successive administrations have adhered … Continue reading “Cold War’s Ghost Blocks Mideast Peace”

Leaked Iran Paper Based on Intel That Split IAEA

Excerpts of the internal draft report by the staff of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) published online last week show that the report’s claims about Iranian work on a nuclear weapon is based almost entirely on intelligence documents that have provoked a serious conflict within the agency. Contrary to sensational stories by the Associated … Continue reading “Leaked Iran Paper Based on Intel That Split IAEA”

Tuesday: 14 Iraqis Killed, 45 Wounded

Updated at 7:30 p.m. EDT, Oct. 6, 2009 At least 14 Iraqis were killed and 45 more were wounded in today’s violence. The attacks included one in Anbar province, where assaults are once again becoming frequent. Not only are some Iraqis there turning their backs on the Coalition, a new operation in Ninewa could be forcing gunmen to flee to other provinces.

McChrystal’s Ultimatum

Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s latest insubordination was an act of sheer petulance. We already know via unnamed reliable sources that McChrystal has threatened to resign if he doesn’t get the next wave of escalation in Afghanistan he wants. The sanctioned leak of his report on Afghanistan to Bob Woodward of the Washington Post and McChrystal’s 60 … Continue reading “McChrystal’s Ultimatum”

Instead of Bombs and Bribes,
Let’s Try Empathy and Trade

What if tomorrow morning you woke up to headlines that yet another Chinese drone bombing on U.S. soil killed several dozen ranchers in a rural community while they were sleeping? That a drone aircraft had come across the Canadian border in the middle of the night and carried out the latest of many attacks? What … Continue reading “Instead of Bombs and Bribes,
Let’s Try Empathy and Trade”

Generals Open New Front in Washington

The Pentagon’s preemptive strike came with the leak of Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s confidential review of the Afghan war to Bob Woodward of the Washington Post. McChrystal’s painting of the military picture was grim. “Failure to gain the initiative and reverse insurgent momentum in the near-term (next 12 months) – while Afghan security capacity matures – … Continue reading “Generals Open New Front in Washington”

Palestinian Voices of Gloom Get Louder

ABU DIS, Occupied West Bank – Three Israeli soldiers, automatic rifles slung across their shoulders, are questioning a group of Palestinian builders. The top floors being added to the concrete house that lies right alongside Israel’s security wall, which divides off occupied East Jerusalem from Palestinian territory on the eastern side, have evidently aroused some … Continue reading “Palestinian Voices of Gloom Get Louder”