Alan Bock

To be sure, there is more reason than in almost all the previous years of the Iraq war for advocates to hope that things just might turn out reasonably well from the American perspective – even given that even at this late date US objectives are remarkably ill-defined and subject to change as circumstances change. … Continue reading “Bush’s Rosy Scenario”

Nobody except the occasional reporter willing to suspend disbelief and listen to U.S. spokespeople as if they were operating in the real world believed that President Bush’s recent trip to the Middle East would bring substantial progress either in terms of stability in the region or the forwarding of U.S. interests as Bush defines them. … Continue reading “The Imperial Pretension”

I started this from an airport, on my way to New Hampshire to join the horde of media covering the primaries there. Having spent almost a week of being unremittingly busy as an anonymous (except perhaps to Register readers and others who checked out my blogging) member of the horde of media (that herd of … Continue reading “Some Substance, Please”

There’s no getting around the fact that the assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto, who recently returned to an active role in Pakistani politics, is a setback for any hope of democratic reform, as most observers have noted. Even more alarming, it is a significant victory for the forces of Islamic extremism the … Continue reading “Sad Day for Democracy… but Hope on the Horizon?”

I hardly ever agree with David Brooks, the New York Times‘ token quasi-neoconservative columnist, on policy, but he is a shrewd observer who can often offer insights into what the purported influentials are thinking. His column this week suggesting that we are in the midst of a postwar election rather than a wartime election is … Continue reading “Postwar Elections and Peace Prospects”

Years ago Stratfor.com, the private intelligence service and Web site, maintained that the real purpose of the Iraq war was to establish permanent U.S . bases in Iraq, to serve as forward staging areas for future forays in the world wide “war on terror,” in someplace other than Saudi Arabia, home to the most universally … Continue reading “In For the Long Haul”

Heaven knows there are plenty of troubles and potential crises in the Middle East, let alone the rest of the world. While many are understandably focused on Iraq, Iran, Pakistan or even Somalia, the tiny, beleaguered country of Lebanon is facing a crisis that could not only tear the country apart but invite intervention from … Continue reading “Lebanon: The Next Civil War?”

Except for the hardly inconsequential difference that the U.S. is not conducting a military occupation, Pakistan is similar to Iraq in at least one important way. Once the initial mistake was made, it has become difficult for the United States to extricate itself (if it wanted to, which this administration almost certainly does not) and … Continue reading “Pakistan: In Too Deep”

The Iraqi government has let it be known that it doesn’t recognize any immunity for the private military company Blackwater USA, and it’s starting to look as if Blackwater’s contract to serve as bodyguards for U.S. State Department personnel in Iraq will be ended sooner rather than later, despite Blackwater taking on high-priced legal counsel … Continue reading “The Wars Will Be Outsourced”

I am at a conference on war, liberty and the free press sponsored by the Liberty Fund, and there are some discussions we have held that I believe are worth passing on. One of the most significant aspects of the relationship between the press and the military in time of war is secrecy. Almost everybody, … Continue reading “Secrecy and the War Without End”