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Like so much else in our moment, it contravened laws the U.S. had once signed onto, pretzeled the English language, went directly to the darkside, was connected to various administration lies and manipulations that preceded the invasion of Iraq, and was based on taking the American taxpayer to the cleaners. I’m talking about a now-notorious … Continue reading “The Spies Who Came in From the Hot Tub”

It is perhaps a sad commentary that daily bombings and deaths, mostly among Iraqi civilians, are considered so relatively normal that it seems all right to focus on other parts of the world this week. Unfortunately, chaos of a kind that few reasonably realistic observers, including most military figures and even Secretary of Defense Don … Continue reading “Common Sense About India?”

Why are we in Iraq? According to George W. Bush and the 101st Fighting Keyboarders, we’re battling for “freedom,” we’re fighting for the love of liberty that supposedly burns in every heart – right? A look at the Iraqi constitution, which is now in its draft form, makes it very clear that the only proper … Continue reading “Iraq: What Are We Fighting For?”

A plurality of the U.S. public now believes that Iraq war has undermined U.S. prospects for victory in the larger war on terrorism, but a majority still believe that Washington should not yet begin withdrawing its troops, according to a major new poll released Thursday shortly after Britain reported four new bombing incidents in London. … Continue reading “Iraq Seen as Weakening Terror War”

America’s post-9/11 foreign policies have damaged its image abroad, and this is particularly true in Japan, the home of LewRockwell.com columnist Mike (in Tokyo) Rogers. In his new book Schizophrenic in Japan, Rogers, an American expatriate living in Tokyo, provides a unique perspective on the average Japanese person’s view of American imperialism. His collection of … Continue reading “Learning From Tokyo”

After he died on Monday, front pages focused on the failures of William Westmoreland as commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam. Overall, the coverage faulted him for being a big loser, not a mass killer. The Washington Post noted that Westmoreland “was called a war criminal.” But the deaths of thousands of Vietnamese people each … Continue reading “General Westmoreland’s Incomplete Obit”

KARACHI – Liberal-minded people in this country are concerned at the "hasba bill" passed in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) assembly that seeks to severely restrict women’s rights and institute a "moral police" in the territory that borders Afghanistan. What is particularly worrisome is that the bill, described variously by liberals as "Talibanization" and … Continue reading “Taliban-Style Law Passed in Pakistan”

Holbrooke Proud of Balkans "Victory" By all rights, Richard Holbrooke ought to be a has-been. His 15 minutes of fame were under Clinton, when he emerged from the dark shadows of the American "foreign policy elite" to spearhead a military and political blitz that ended the Bosnian War on Washington’s terms. Less stellar was his … Continue reading “The Price of Empire”

More than half of the American people now believe that the Iraqi war has made the U.S. less safe. This is a dramatic shift in sentiment from two years ago. Early support for the war reflected a hope for a safer America, and it was thought to be an appropriate response to the 9/11 attacks. … Continue reading “Ending Suicide Terrorism”

The silver-spooned cowboy in the Oval Office just presented a fine new saddle to the nuclear horseman of the apocalypse. It was a gift worthy of hell. "President Bush agreed yesterday to share civilian nuclear technology with India, reversing decades of U.S. policies designed to discourage countries from developing nuclear weapons," the Washington Post reported … Continue reading “George W. Strangelove and the Triumph of Nuclear Faith”