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George Orwell remains a valuable writer, though he died in 1950. He was a man who was an active participant in his times, and since the new century appears to be going down the same road as the last one, we can still learn from him. His essay "Politics and the English Language" ought to … Continue reading “The Value of George Orwell”

A common theme that has emerged in critiques of my “Wartime Economist” columns on Antiwar.com is that war is good for an economy. One respondent wrote: “Why did [Franklin D.] Roosevelt want the war [World War II] so badly? He wanted it for the same reason every American president since that time has wanted a … Continue reading “War Is Good for the Economy – Isn’t It?”

A prominent public official finally said what we‘ve been saying all along in these pages: "The U.S. presence in Iraq is hurting the worldwide war on terrorism and benefits only Iran and al-Qaeda, U.S. Rep. John Murtha said on Sunday. ‘The only people who want us in Iraq are Iran and al-Qaeda,’ Murtha said on … Continue reading “Another War for Israel”

NEW DELHI – Campaigners for a nuclear-free South Asia are aghast at the potential nightmare that lies ahead following the nuclear technology and fuel deal announced here this week by visiting United States President George W. Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "This deal may have further complicated an already difficult situation in South … Continue reading “India Deal Makes US a Nuclear Proliferator”

The other day on Jerry Agar’s radio show, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld responded to accusations about American atrocities at our prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He accused the detainees there of manipulating public opinion by lying about their treatment. He said, in part: “They’re taught to lie, they’re taught to allege that they have … Continue reading “Tracing the Trail of Torture”

Just what Iraq needs: more prisons. Never mind that the country suffers from dirty water and shortages of medicine and electricity. Never mind that raw sewage regularly spills into the streets of Baghdad. Never mind that unemployment stands at over 60 percent. Never mind that of all these essential services are less available than before … Continue reading “Just What Iraq Needs”

President Bush has taken actions and made proposals that he claims were intended to “strengthen” the existing nuke proliferation-prevention regime. Ha! Last year, Bush specifically urged the Nuclear Suppliers Group to close what he claims is a "loophole," but is, in fact, one of the three pillars supporting the Treaty on Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons. … Continue reading “C’est la Guerre”

There is a degree of surrealism in all of this. Hamas has presented its choice for prime minister to President Mahmoud Abbas, as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine says it has agreed in principle to join a Hamas-led government. In the Arab world, such political transformation (Islamists and Socialists working together to … Continue reading “Hamas Victory Has Changed Everything”

WASHINGTON – While U.S. President George W. Bush hailed Thursday’s nuclear accord with India as a major breakthrough in forging a "strategic partnership" with the South Asian giant, the pact has been broadly denounced by nonproliferation experts here as a devil’s bargain. The agreement, which must still be approved by the U.S. Congress, marks a … Continue reading “US Critics Question Nuclear Pact With India”

Look at the polls. When Gallup’s pollsters go out to ask Americans about the Bush administration and Iraq, they frame their questions this way: “Do you think the United States made a mistake in sending troops to Iraq, or not?”; “Do you favor or oppose the U.S. war with Iraq?”; “Who do you think is … Continue reading “Dubya’s Inferno, and Other Images From a No-Name War”