William Pfaff

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Good Speech. Will Anything Come of It?

U.S. President Barack Obama’s eloquent Cairo speech was distinguished by the quality of his previous major speeches, that of speaking as an adult to adults. He promised to say what he thought, and did so on all of the topics he addressed. He was not a comfortable guest for the Egyptian government, although a courteous … Continue reading “Good Speech. Will Anything Come of It?”

The West’s Reckless Approach to Russia

The failure last week of Russian talks with the European Union on energy supplies to Europe is one more occasion for Russian-Western tension. This has sent the Europeans off to look for other energy sources. The Russians have in past winters turned the gas off when it suited them, and the Europeans would like more … Continue reading “The West’s Reckless Approach to Russia”

From Phnom Penh to Islamabad

Last September, during the American presidential campaign, I wrote a column declaring that the United States had again invaded Cambodia, only this time "Cambodia" was Pakistan. President George W. Bush had ordered U.S. ground attacks on the Taliban inside Pakistan’s Tribal Territories, without Pakistan’s authorization. That was also when Barack Obama’s foreign policy campaign platform … Continue reading “From Phnom Penh to Islamabad”

‘Democracy at Gunpoint’ Strategy Guarantees Defeat

An account from the Taliban side of the Afghanistan war, which was published in the New York Times on May 5, provides devastating evidence of the failure that almost certainly will eventually overtake the United States and NATO. It is a long interview with a young Taliban "logistics tactician" who has been speaking with Jane … Continue reading “‘Democracy at Gunpoint’ Strategy Guarantees Defeat”

The Wrong Argument Over Torture

The calls currently heard for an independent commission to investigate America’s use of torture in George Bush’s war on terror usually argue that a congressional investigation, or a straightforward criminal investigation under the authority of the Department of Justice, would become so politicized, or be so widely subjected to partisan attack, as to be hopelessly … Continue reading “The Wrong Argument Over Torture”

US Leadership Could Rid World of Nukes

PARIS — It is estimated that there are some 23,000 nuclear weapons in the arsenals of the United States and Russia today, with another thousand or so held by China, Israel, France, Britain, India, Pakistan, and who knows who else. As President Barack Obama said in Prague during his overseas journey last week, it could … Continue reading “US Leadership Could Rid World of Nukes”