Month: February 2013

Boots on Campus

Have American university campuses become so inured to the militarization of policy, culture – our thought – that they can’t see the Trojan horse sitting in the quad, its occupants pouring out and passing out sweets and credits to all the Ivy Leaguers passing by with goggled eyes and open arms? A caricature for sure, … Continue reading “Boots on Campus”

Former Insiders Criticize Iran Policy as US Hegemony

“Going to Tehran” arguably represents the most important work on the subject of U.S.-Iran relations to be published thus far. Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett tackle not only U.S. policy toward Iran but the broader context of Middle East policy with a systematic analytical perspective informed by personal experience, as well as very extensive … Continue reading “Former Insiders Criticize Iran Policy as US Hegemony”

Shenzo Abe Does D.C.

Last October a delegation of the U.S. imperial elite slithered into Japan, led by Richard Armitage, former Undersecrtary of State and Joseph Nye, Dean Emeritus of the Kennedy School of Empire – er, Government- at Dear Old Harvard. They came armed with a diatribe which they had co-authored for the Center For Strategic and International … Continue reading “Shenzo Abe Does D.C.”

Infantile Conservatism

Regularly now, The Washington Post, as always concerned with fairness and balance, runs a blog called “Right Turn: Jennifer Rubin’s Take From a Conservative Perspective.” The blog tells us what the Post regards as conservatism. On Monday, Rubin declared that America’s “greatest national security threat is Iran.” Do conservatives really believe this? How is America, … Continue reading “Infantile Conservatism”

Impunity Forever? Iraq and the Betrayal of a People

The Iraqi puzzle of life confirms an endless number of tragedies: Ethnic tension and sectarianism have become a major element in Iraqi politics since the US/UK invasion of 2003, a polarization of inter-group relations  Iraqis had not known before. This explains much of the existing hideous crime including murder, kidnapping, property destruction and,  most noteworthy, … Continue reading “Impunity Forever? Iraq and the Betrayal of a People”

Eyes Wide Shut on the Iraq War

Ten years ago, as President George W. Bush and his administration were putting the finishing touches on their unprovoked invasion of Iraq, the mainstream U.S. news media had long since capitulated, accepting the conventional wisdom that nothing could – or should – stop the march to war. The neocon conquest of the major U.S. news … Continue reading “Eyes Wide Shut on the Iraq War”

Who Funds the War Party?

Who funds the War Party? Before we answer that very interesting question, it’s important to define just what (and who) it is we’re talking about. I use the "War Party" phraseology as shorthand for a number of different groups and individuals, all of whom are linked by an ideological and/or financial interest in promoting a … Continue reading “Who Funds the War Party?”

The Riddle of the Israel Lobby

One of the most interesting and prolonged private debates I have had in my life was with the brilliant Dr. Nahum Goldmann. The subject: American peace initiatives. It was an unequal debate, of course. Goldmann was my elder by 28 years. While I was a mere editor of an Israeli news magazine, he was an … Continue reading “The Riddle of the Israel Lobby”

The Hidden History of Water Torture

Sometimes, the world can be such a simple, black-and-white sort of place.  Let me give you an example.  Imagine for a moment that the Iranians kidnap an American citizen from a third country.  (If you prefer, feel free to substitute al-Qaeda or the North Koreans or the Chinese for the Iranians.)  They accuse him of … Continue reading “The Hidden History of Water Torture”