Blair’s Folly

In 1996, Sir Robert Cooper published a pamphlet entitled "The Postmodern State and the World Order" [.pdf]. In it, he suggested, "The postmodern world has to start to get used to double standards. Among ourselves, we operate on the basis of laws and...

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When Iraqis Gave Up on Government

with Ali Al-Fadhily BAGHDAD - The Iraqi government headed by Prime Minister Noori al-Maliki, like earlier governments assigned by U.S. occupation authorities in Iraq, appears to have killed Iraqi dreams of a brighter future. General elections on Dec. 15, 2005 brought...

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The Year Everything Changed

To say that the year behind us has been interesting would be an understatement. On one hand, there were no wars in the Balkans; no insurgencies, pogroms, or massacres. On the other hand, Imperial influence in the region has decreased dramatically, most likely as a...

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Study War for Peace

The war will still be around – and quite possibly expanding – next week. It's Christmas again, and the phenomenon I whine about every year – that this country lacks an adequate peace culture – remains a problem. To be sure, there's a more...

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A Grim Christmas for Iraqi Children

With Ali al-Fadhily FALLUJAH - Ahmed Ghazi has little reason to stock Christmas toys at his shop in Fallujah. He knows what children want these days. "It is best for us to import toys such as guns and tanks because they are most salable in Iraq to little...

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The Embarrassment of the Wretched

A recent call for a cultural boycott against Israel by John Berger and others has elicited one of its more wretched responses in the Guardian (Dec. 22), signed by Anthony Julius and Simon Schama. I confess I haven't heard of Anthony Julius before – I am told he...

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