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War consists of killing people and destroying property. That’s all there is to war. Any honest soldier will tell you the same thing: His job is to kill people and destroy property. That’s true of all branches of the service. The difficult question is, When is a nation justified in making the decision to kill … Continue reading “Consequences of a War State”

The third anniversary of the Iraq invasion is bound to attract a lot of media coverage, but scant recognition will go to the pundits who helped to make it all possible. Continuing with long service to the Bush administration’s agenda-setting for war, prominent media commentators were very busy in the weeks before the invasion. At … Continue reading “War-Loving Pundits”

Philip Bobbitt’s The Shield of Achilles: War, Peace, and the Course of History (Alfred A. Knopf) received a few glowing reviews when it was published in early 2002 but did not get much attention beyond the confines of think-tanks and academia. Perhaps the book was too heavy for the broader readership (well, with more than … Continue reading “Saying Good Bye to Dubai; Bidding Adieu to Globalization?”

Since today’s dispatch is by a former federal prosecutor, let me suggest a small “law” of my own, one fit for the present moment: When it comes to the Bush administration, whatever the subject may be and however bad you think things are, they’re going to be at least several fallback positions worse than whatever … Continue reading “Reprogramming the Infinite Loop”

Washington finally realizes after its chronic troop shortage in Iraq and elsewhere that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s vision of quickly "shocking and awing" enemies to win victories has been spectacularly unsuccessful and that the US needs foreign manpower more desperately than ever. Its global visions – and illusions – cannot be attained without them. These … Continue reading “American Foreign Policy and the Future of NATO”

The rituals of Empire have their own meaning and structure, and, as we morph from a republic to an imperial hegemon, these are becoming more formalized. Note the proliferation of grandiosely named agencies and other offices, staffed by a multitude of officials with sonorously self-important titles. For example, how many people know that a “Bureau … Continue reading “American Megalomania”

U.S. Pres. George W. Bush issued his second-term National Security Strategy Thursday, a document outlining the administration’s strategy for using diplomatic, economic, and military tools to deal with global challenges. Ironically, the 47-page document that outlines a series of "successes" and "extraordinary progress in the expansion of freedom, democracy, and human dignity" since 2002 makes … Continue reading “White House Reaffirms ‘First Strike’ Doctrine”

It is almost unfair to analyze the president’s speeches on Iraq these days. It seems increasingly apparent that most Americans aren’t listening any more. Even if Dubya were to defy all expectations and deliver a convincing argument for staying the course (whatever that might mean beyond simply keeping American troops in Iraq where they will … Continue reading “Last-Ditch Effort”

JERUSALEM – The overcrowded Gaza Strip has routinely been described as a big prison following the onset of the second Palestinian rising, the Intifadah, six years ago and the virtual closing of crossing points to and from Israel. Life for the 1.4 million Palestinians packed into refugee camps on this thin sliver of land, one … Continue reading “Gaza: Life Gets Harder in the ‘Prison’”

If you were President George W. Bush with all available US troops tied down by the Iraqi resistance, and you were unable to control Iraq or political developments in the country, would you also start a war with Iran? Yes, you would. Bush’s determination to spread Middle East conflict by striking at Iran does not … Continue reading “Is Another 9/11 in the Works?”