The Long Retreat

One of the pitfalls of writing history is that things that happened tend to seem inevitable in retrospect. Coupled with wishful thinking, this can lead to a dialectic mindset, in which the course of human events seems preordained somehow. The “end of history” wasn’t the invention of “liberal democrats” – before them, Communists and Nazis … Continue reading “The Long Retreat”

Imperial ‘Exemptionalism’

Just as it seemed the Empire was going to embark on yet another evil little war, a miracle happened on the road to Damascus. A sensible solution proposed by Moscow caught the Washington warmongers off-guard, and removed their justification for war. Between that and the overwhelming lack of popular support, the Empire backed down – … Continue reading “Imperial ‘Exemptionalism’”

Yet Another Evil Little War

Attacking Syria has been the talk in Washington for years, all the way back to Bush II’s infamous "Axis of Evil" speech. The current (un)civil war started back in March 2011, out of the failed attempt to topple the government through another "Arab Spring" revolution, organized by the American Empire. As in Libya, the response … Continue reading “Yet Another Evil Little War”

Pride Before the Fall

What is the state? In the Lockean language of the U.S. founding documents, it is the apparatus of government "instituted among Men" to secure "certain unalienable Rights" such as "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness". A more cynical perspective, informed by the experience of the 20th century, would term the state a protection racket … Continue reading “Pride Before the Fall”

KLA Boss and the Empire

Hashim Thaci has long been a darling of the Washington establishment. In 1999, while veteran of Croatia’s Serbicide Agim Ceku managed the “military” operations of the “Kosovo Liberation Army,” Thaci was the KLA’s public face. Kissing Madeleine Albright, hugging Tony Blair, shaking hands with Gen. Wesley Clark, Bernard Kouchner and Gen. Mike Jackson – Thaci … Continue reading “KLA Boss and the Empire”