Go See V for Vendetta

You know something is up when a film like V for Vendetta is a box office hit. Adapted from a series of graphic novelettes (i.e., comic books) written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd, the plot is set in a dystopian future Britain where "the...

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Backtalk, April 4, 2006

The Lobby Strikes Back I am writing to clarify issues raised in your March 31 Web post in regards to a paper by professor Stephen Walt of the Kennedy School of Government and his co-author, John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago. Stephen Walt is the academic...

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Security Council Defies Bolton

Under a Safeguards Agreement concluded by Iran with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) – as required by the Treaty on Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) – Iran agreed to allow IAEA inspectors to satisfy themselves that no "source or...

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Is US Planning More Attacks on Shi’ite Militias?

Last week's attack by U.S.-led Iraqi paramilitary forces on a building that Shi'ite leaders claim was a mosque may have marked the beginning of a new stage of U.S. policy in which Iraqi forces are used to carry out military operations against Shi'ite militia forces...

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Top UK Brass Plan for US Strike on Iran

Immediately after Condoleezza Rice's visit to the north of England for a series of secret meetings and public appearances with Foreign Minister Jack Straw, the UK top brass held their own secret meeting Monday in London to prepare Britain for what they now describe as...

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Bush’s War Hawks Edged Out of the Nest

Although still united in pushing for confrontation with Iran, the coalition of hawks that propelled U.S. troops toward Baghdad three years ago appears to have finally run out of steam. Demoralized by the quagmire in Iraq, as well as President George W. Bush's still...

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The Hyperpower Hype and Where It Took Us

Just last week, a jury began to deliberate on the fate of Zacarias Moussaoui, who may or may not have been the missing 20th hijacker in the Sept. 11 attacks. At the same time, newly released recordings of 911 operators responding to calls from those about to die that...

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Conversation With a Few Good Men (and Women)

I teach at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., meaning that I instruct young military officers who are generally smart, hardworking, and curious. Another important piece of background is that two weeks into a typical teaching quarter, I've come to love...

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Israel and Moral Blackmail

The reaction to a pathbreaking – or, rather, taboo-busting – study of how and why Israel's interests came to be substituted for America's national interests in Washington policymaking circles, "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy," [.pdf] by...

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