God, Drunks, and America

Winston Churchill once remarked that God protects drunks and the United States of America. Fortunately, the divine protection Churchill detected for the United States seems still in place – if we are wise enough to see and take advantage of it. In the past month, America has been blessed by two events that ought to … Continue reading “God, Drunks, and America”

Battle for Bosnia

The Forgotten Balkans Flashpoint When French voters rejected the EU Constitution this past weekend, among the loudest defenders of the EU were leaders of the Balkan countries that aspire to eventual annexation by the bloc, assuring their subjects that the road to untold riches and unimaginable prosperity still led through Brussels: "In every Balkan capital … Continue reading “Battle for Bosnia”

Wreck It and Run

Among the many unhappy developments in American industry in recent decades has been the advent of "wreck it and run" management. A small coterie of senior managers takes over a company and makes a brilliant show of short-term profits while actually driving the business into the ground. They bail out just before it crashes, cashing … Continue reading “Wreck It and Run”

Washington Is the Source of Terror

The U.S. government gave the slave trade a boost by offering money for al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters. Afghan and Pakistani warlords simply rounded up people who looked Arab or foreign and sold them to the Americans as captured fighters. The "fighters" apparently included relief workers, refugees, and Arab businessmen. The tribunals looking into the classification … Continue reading “Washington Is the Source of Terror”

Bases, Bases Everywhere

The last few weeks have been base-heavy ones in the news. The Pentagon’s provisional Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) list, the first in a decade, was published to domestic screams of pain. It represents, according to the Washington Post, “a sweeping plan to close or reduce forces at 62 major bases and nearly 800 minor … Continue reading “Bases, Bases Everywhere”

The ‘Christian Barometer’ and the Middle East

Even those who have celebrated the recent election in Iraq are concerned that it could give birth to a government dominated by Shi’ite fundamentalist parties that have little respect for the rights of women and minorities. But even those observers worried about the outcome in Iraq take some comfort in the prospect that the liberalization … Continue reading “The ‘Christian Barometer’ and the Middle East”

Military Finds Itself in Twilight Zone

On the day that U.S. citizens honored the nation’s war dead, the U.S. armed forces found themselves in a twilight zone somewhere between glory and hell. On the one hand, the U.S. soldier has rarely ridden as high in terms of public image; no politician of stature – neither Democrat nor Republican, neither conservative nor … Continue reading “Military Finds Itself in Twilight Zone”

Fewer and Fewer Latinos Willing to Die in Iraq

MEXICO CITY – A total of 215 Latino soldiers serving in the U.S. Army have already died in Iraq, but according to antiwar activists, this bad news comes with a silver lining: an ever smaller number of young people of Latin American descent are enlisting in the armed forces. "I’m glad that the Army is … Continue reading “Fewer and Fewer Latinos Willing to Die in Iraq”

Follow That ‘Revolution’

The problem with Ukraine’s “orange revolution” was perhaps symbolized by the country’s entry into the Eurovision Song Contest, Greenjolly’s “Razom Nas Bahato” (Together We Are Many). Of course it’s just a coincidence that the song was the election campaign theme of Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko‘s party. It was entered at the last minute at the … Continue reading “Follow That ‘Revolution’”