Harry Browne

It is time for President Bush to stop the cheer-leading and speak the truth. He said last Thursday, "This great nation will never be intimidated. . . . Life in America is going forward." Who is he trying to kid? Last Friday at Los Angeles airport I saw people trying to check their baggage – … Continue reading “Isn’t It Time for the Truth?”

How can we prevent future terrorist attacks? The first step is a foreign policy that rests on a simple principle: We’re prepared to defend ourselves, but we threaten no one. Such a foreign policy should have four elements. 1. Noninterference Our government should never interfere in other countries’ disputes, never arm foreign governments, and never … Continue reading “Preventing Future Terrorism”

Americans have been sold a fantasy by their government and by the "experts" on television. The fantasy is that our government will flex its muscles overseas, make demands, kill a lot of people, demonstrate that we don’t tolerate terrorism, "bring the terrorists to justice," and end terrorism forever. But for decades, our government has been … Continue reading “Do We Choose Death or Peace?”

This three-part series will propose the actions I believe our government should take to fight terrorism. Before looking at those proposals, however, we need to establish some ground rules. Perfection isn’t an option Rule #1: No solution is going to be perfect. Our government has created ill will in many parts of the world. It … Continue reading “What Can We Do About Terrorism?”

I now have received over a thousand emails in response to my articles on the terrorist attacks. I regret that I can’t reply individually to them. Nor is it possible even to reply in print to many of the thoughtful suggestions, complaints, or proposals that readers have offered. But there is one common theme I … Continue reading “The Overlooked Flaw in Retaliation”

In my previous article, I pointed out that killing innocent people is terrorism, no matter who does it – freelance terrorists, an international conspiracy, a foreign government, or our government. It would be wrong for our government to respond to this week’s tragedy by committing further acts of terrorism against innocent foreign people. Find the … Continue reading “Retribution”

My article last Tuesday "When Will We Learn?" provoked more controversy than anything I’ve ever written. In case there was any misunderstanding, here is what I believe: The terrorist attack was a horrible tragedy and I feel enormous sympathy for those who were personally affected by it. I wrote my article hoping that, however unlikely, … Continue reading “The Cycle of Violence”

The terrorist attacks against America comprise a horrible tragedy. But they shouldn’t be a surprise. It is well known that in war, the first casualty is truth – that during any war truth is forsaken for propaganda. But sanity was a prior casualty: it was the loss of sanity that led to war in the … Continue reading “When Will We Learn?”

The politicians’ stirring phrases are meant to keep our eyes averted from the reality of war  – to make us imagine heroic young men marching in parades, winning glorious battles, and bringing peace and democracy to the world. But war is something quite different from that. It is your children or your grandchildren dying before … Continue reading “What is War?”