The tempestuous relationship between the United States and Pakistan is akin to a sordid soap opera featuring a fickle, selfish lover and her unpredictable mistress prone to volatile tantrums. The ensuing violence and instability paralyzing Central Asia is their...
East Jerusalem Settlements Ratchet Up Tensions
JERUSALEM As the fires of human misery continue to smolder in Gaza, the situation in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem is emerging as another potentially explosive issue in, and far beyond, the Middle East. The future of the city is considered an issue of prime...
Obama’s War
Author's note: The following is the text of a speech delivered at a forum sponsored by the Students of American Liberty at East Tennessee State University, on March 4. Illusions die hard. Especially the ideological kind. When the illusion of Barack Obama, the...
Obama’s Guantánamo?
Today is a good moment to give some thought to one of the worst remaining legacies of the Bush era, the prison where that administration's grotesque offshore detention policies the beatings, the torture, the works were first put into play, the prison...
Obama and Israel’s Military: Still Arm-in-Arm
In the wake of Israel's massive assault on heavily populated civilian areas of the Gaza Strip earlier this year, Amnesty International called for the United States to suspend military aid to Israel on human rights grounds. Amnesty has also called for the United...
US Military Dominance in Mideast Proven a Costly Myth
The arguments for maintaining a major U.S. combat force in Iraq at least through 2011, escalating U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan and assuming a confrontational stance toward Iran appear to assume that the United States remains the dominant military power in...
Aid Groups Push Israel to End Gaza Blockade
Aid groups are urging Israel to end its blockade of Gaza and allow unrestricted passage of critical reconstruction materials and humanitarian aid into the territory. "This unlawful blockade is the primary impediment to reconstruction and to the economic activity...
Tinker, Traitor, Soldier, Spy
Few things that happen in the Balkans come as a surprise to experienced observers. Certainly, last week's conviction of the Serbian political, military and security leadership by the Hague Inquisition, for the alleged conspiracy to expel Albanians from Kosovo during...
Friday: 4 Iraqis Killed, 4 Iraqis Wounded
Updated at 6:30 p.m. EST, March 6, 2009On a relatively quiet prayer day, PM Maliki spoke out for reconciliation with former Baath party members. At least four Iraqis were killed and four more wounded across Iraq. No Coalition deaths were reported. Prime Minister Nouri...
Senate Committee Weighs ‘Truth Commission’
In a preview of the heated divisions likely be triggered by the formation of a "truth commission" to investigate detainee interrogation, warrantless wiretapping and other alleged violations during the administration of President George W. Bush, witnesses...


