Category: Uncategorized

Memo to: Richard Lugar, chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Re: An Anti-Diplomat at the UN? Dear Senator, you’ve known me for more than 30 years, from your days as Mayor of Indianapolis and my days as associate editor of The Wall Street Journal. When I tell you John Bolton is a true force of darkness, … Continue reading “John Bolton, Force of Darkness”

That the commemoration of the end of World War II is being used to announce the commencement of World War IV is just another one of those little ironies that the Bush administration seems to delight in. The president’s five-day four-nation journey, which takes him to Latvia, Holland, Russia, and the former Soviet republic of … Continue reading “Commemorating a World War”

A top secret British memorandum dated July 23, 2002 was leaked in the run-up to Thursday’s parliamentary elections in the UK (which Blair won, though his Labour Party was much weakened by public disgust with such shenanigans as the memo describes). It summarizes a report to Blair and others in the British government by Sir … Continue reading “The Smoking Gun”

LONDON – The invasion of Iraq rebounded a little on the government of British Prime Minister Tony Blair to dent his majority as he returned to a third term as prime minister. But it was not serious damage. Iraq did not prevent Blair from returning with a comfortable enough majority, and this is the first … Continue reading “Iraq Clouds Blair Victory”

Those who know me often accuse me of being Pollyannaish in my long-range optimism, noting that I still believe, unlike most post-Marxists, that the state will eventually wither away (although I’ve come to accept the likelihood that it just might not happen during my lifetime). So take this with whatever saline dosage seems appropriate. It … Continue reading “With a Whimper?”

JERUSALEM – Fatah maintained its position this week as the largest party by far in the Palestinian territories, despite earlier signs of weakness and a strong showing by the militant Hamas movement in the municipal elections. Preliminary results from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip show Fatah with 56 percent of the popular vote, … Continue reading “Vote Dampens Hamas Political Bid”

A month-long U.N. conference on halting the spread of nuclear weapons neared the end of its first week Friday deadlocked over how to strengthen the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The meeting opened Monday without a set agenda. Diplomats warned it could end in four weeks without a final statement even as U.N. officials and disarmament advocates … Continue reading “US Nuclear Weapons Hypocrisy Highlighted at Conference”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi’s address to the Seventh Review Conference of the Treaty on Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons was a diplomatic masterpiece – in sharp contrast to the undiplomatic badgering of the Conferees about alleged “loopholes” in the Treaty by the head of our delegation, Stephen Rademaker. Kharrazi focused on how to strengthen the … Continue reading “Iran Defends the NPT”

Well, here we are, two years out (as they say in Washington) from “mission accomplished,” the president’s now-famous speech during the photo opportunity on an American carrier. The American death toll in Iraq is now 1,585, and the wounded exceed 10,000. The cost is about $300 billion. Somewhere between 140,000 and 150,000 Americans remain in … Continue reading “Mission Accomplished, Captain Queeg?”

The voices of veterans who have served in Iraq is among the most important in convincing the public and government officials that the war in Iraq is wrong and the occupation must be ended. The interview below is with Patrick Resta of Iraq Veterans Against the War. Patrick, who served as a combat medic in … Continue reading “Iraq Vet: End the Occupation Now”