Sen. Rand Paul’s bill to cut off US aid to Egypt certainly was prescient, wasn’t it? The bill failed in the Senate, 86 to 13, on account of heavy lobbying by AIPAC, the pro-Israel advocacy group which packs a powerful punch on Capitol Hill. To those unlettered in the intricacies of American foreign policy, this …
Continue reading “Egypt’s Tiananmen”
Perhaps more than any other state in the Middle East, Israel has historically shown a special sensitivity to its nemeses’ efforts to acquire strategic capabilities that might change the regional balance of power. It has also demonstrated a unique willingness to take military action to curb such endeavors from coming to fruition. Israeli air strikes …
Continue reading “Why Israel Is Obsessed With an Iranian Bomb”
1. “Hey, How Come They Got All the Fun?” Now that Darth Vader’s breathy techno-voice is a staple of our culture, it’s hard to remember how empty was the particular sector of space Star Wars blasted into. The very day the Paris Peace Accords were signed in 1973, Richard Nixon also signed a decree ending …
Continue reading “Putting War Back in Children’s Culture”
At least 40 people were killed and 115 more were wounded in the today’s attacks. The Iraqi government also reported the deaths of 38 suspects during a recent security operation in Anbar province. Meanwhile, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari vowed that the government would work to keep Iraq from sinking back into a full-blown sectarian war.
1. The First Coming of G.I. Joe It was 1964, and in Vietnam thousands of American “advisers” were already offering up their know-how from helicopter seats or gun sights. The United States was just a year short of sending its first large contingent of ground troops there, adolescents who would enter the battle zone dreaming …
Continue reading “War Games: The Secret History of G.I. Joe”
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been going around the world as well as regularly appearing on American television telling everyone who might be inclined to listen that "The [Iranian] president was replaced but the goal of the regime remains obtaining nuclear weapons to threaten Israel, the Middle East and the safety of the world." …
Continue reading “Who Is the Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing?”
At least 35 people were killed and 35 more were wounded in today’s attacks.
With the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani, the United States should take a more flexible approach toward Tehran to increase the chances of a successful resolution of the latter’s nuclear programme, according to a new report by the Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) released Tuesday. The report, “Great Expectations: Iran’s New President and …
Continue reading “US Needs More Forthcoming Approach to Iran: Report”
It’s a small detail, in the general scheme of things, but one indicative of a troubling recent trend: when Congress voted on reauthorization of the Patriot Act, in 2011, the administration sent summaries [.pdf] to the House intelligence committee describing – without going into too much detail – the data dragnet conducted by the NSA …
Continue reading “Data-gate Shows We’re On the Cusp”
For air travelers tired of the ever-worsening burden of airport security, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is widening to all U.S. citizens the eligibility of its prescreening process, called PreCheck. Americans, who recently have had their phone records vacuumed up by the National Security Agency spies, can now give the TSA their fingerprints, undergo government …
Continue reading “Burdensome Airport Security: Pay the Government for Relief?” 
