Are the Neocons Losing It?

While President Bush appears serenely confident about Iraq, the same cannot be said of the War Party propagandists who were plotting this conflict when Dubya was still a rookie governor of Texas. William Kristol of The Weekly Standard now demands the firing of Donald Rumsfeld. William F. Buckley, whose National Review branded the antiwar Right … Continue reading “Are the Neocons Losing It?”

What the Indian Giver Got

Standing beside Pervez Musharraf, an ally in the war on terror, President Bush explained how he told him Pakistan would not be getting the same aid in developing peaceful nuclear power that Bush had just promised to India: “I explained that Pakistan and India are different countries with different needs and different histories. So as … Continue reading “What the Indian Giver Got”

Churchill, Hitler, and Newt

You can always tell when the War Party wants a new war. They will invariably trot out the Argumentum ad Hitlerum. Before the 1991 Gulf War, Saddam had become “the Hitler of Arabia,” though he had only conquered a sandbox half the size of Denmark. Milosevic then became the “Hitler of the Balkans,” though he … Continue reading “Churchill, Hitler, and Newt”

Does Democracy Boulevard Lead to Islamism?

The neoconservatives who dreamed up the Bush Doctrine – promoting “democracy” would be the U.S. mission in the Middle East – may be about to hold yet another “Seconds Thoughts” conference. Certainly, Israel must be having second thoughts on the folly of having yielded to U.S. pressure and allowed Hamas to participate in elections. For … Continue reading “Does Democracy Boulevard Lead to Islamism?”

Bush’s Dilemma: Iran vs. Israel

In the test of wills between the West and Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shows no sign of backing down. The Iranian president has said Israel should be “wiped off the map,” called the Holocaust a “myth,” and said Israelis should be given a province in Austria, but they should get out of Palestine. Whatever was done … Continue reading “Bush’s Dilemma: Iran vs. Israel”

Another Undeclared War?

Is the United States about to launch a second preemptive war, against a nation that has not attacked us, to deprive it of weapons of mass destruction that it does not have? With U.S. troops tied down in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Pakistanis inflamed over a U.S. airstrike that wiped out 13 villagers, including women … Continue reading “Another Undeclared War?”

Time to Talk to Tehran

Does President Bush intend a preventive war, early this year, to effect the nuclear castration of Iran? Or are we rattling sabers? What makes the question urgent are German reports that CIA Director Porter Goss has been in Ankara, Turkey, negotiating for U.S. use of bases for air strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites. Over the … Continue reading “Time to Talk to Tehran”

How Stands the Empire?

How long ago was it that you last heard some pundit blather on about America being “the greatest empire since Rome”? Quite a while, I imagine. For if the Iraqi insurgency has done nothing else, it has induced a sense of humility, and of the limits of American power. Surely, all Americans hope the Iraqi … Continue reading “How Stands the Empire?”

Idealism vs. Realism in Egypt

In 1933, a neo-fascist “Young Egypt” movement, modeled on the Nazi Party, was founded. Among its supporters were two young nationalist officers, Gamal Abdel Nasser and Anwar Sadat. When, in 1942, Rommel’s Afrika Corps smashed into Egypt and was 100 miles from Alexandria, Sadat, colluding with the Muslim Brotherhood, planned an anti-British uprising. In a … Continue reading “Idealism vs. Realism in Egypt”

Putin vs. the Neo-Comintern

The Comintern, or Communist International, also known as the Third International, was the 1919 creation of Vladimir Lenin. Its declared purpose: Fight “by all available means, including armed force, for the overthrow of the international bourgeoisie and for the creation of an international Soviet republic.” Fomenting the communist revolution worldwide was, in brief, the Comintern’s … Continue reading “Putin vs. the Neo-Comintern”