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During the 1970s, the apartheid government of South Africa sought to bolster its claims to legitimacy by allowing elections in the bantustans – the equivalent to today’s walled-in Palestinian communities in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The thought was that if people elected local officials, even to hold largely ceremonial offices, then the … Continue reading “Palestine: Elections Without Democracy”

Nebojsa is on vacation. He will return next week. There can be no doubt that 2004 has been a bad year for peace in the Balkans. An increase in violence and the escalation of Clinton-era policies that appeared defeated earlier have both contributed to a general deterioration in the region, to the point of threatening … Continue reading “Train of Abuses”

What defines conduct unbecoming an officer? Major General Thomas Fiscus, judge advocate general of the Air Force, opposed the harsh interrogation techniques approved and later rescinded by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for use on Guantanamo prisoners. Subsequently, General Fiscus has been reprimanded for a dozen sexual affairs during the last decade and may face disbarment … Continue reading “Conduct Unbecoming”

The Bush administration’s foreign policy may be costing U.S. corporations business overseas, according to a new survey of 8,000 international consumers released this week by the Seattle-based Global Market Insite (GMI) Inc. Brands closely identified with the U.S., such as Marlboro cigarettes, America Online (AOL), McDonald’s, American Airlines, and Exxon-Mobil, are particularly at risk. GMI, … Continue reading “Poll: War Bad for Business”

ESCONDIDO, Calif. – Fernando Suarez del Solar is a busy man. He is busy opening boxes, counting pills, counting bandages; he is busy checking everything in the boxes that come addressed to him from all over the United States. Suarez stops for a moment. “There are other boxes,” he says, “many of them in San … Continue reading “Dead Soldier’s Dad Finds No Enemy in Iraq”

CAIRO – Iraq’s main Sunni political movement, the Iraqi Islamic Party, has announced it will boycott U.S.-sponsored elections to be held Jan. 30. The head of the party, Mohsen Abdel Hamid, told reporters in Baghdad Monday his decision was motivated by the refusal of authorities to postpone elections for six months to ensure broader participation. … Continue reading “Why Arab Leaders Love the Iraqi Election”

There’s blood in the water and the neoconservatives in and around the administration are thrashing about like sharks. They’ve thrown Donald Rumsfeld over the side, and to many, their treachery is evidence that Rumsfeld can’t possibly be one of them, a neoconservative. The iconic Robert Novak has been particularly vocal in his attack on the … Continue reading “The Neoconnerie’s Plan For Iran”

This time a year ago, U.S. forces had just pulled former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein from his “spider hole” near the Euphrates River, and top military commanders were trumpeting the crippling of the unanticipated deadly insurgency that bedeviled the U.S. occupation for months. The administration of President George W. Bush was also jubilant, stressing, somewhat … Continue reading “Bye, Bye Unipolar World”

Why are American soldiers dying in Iraq? The rationale has shifted as the months turn into years. “Weapons of mass destruction” – Saddam’s nonexistent links to al-Qaeda – the Laurie Mylroie conspiracy theory that links Iraq to every ill under the sun, and then some, held in high esteem by the neocons: all had their … Continue reading “We Must Leave Iraq”

Are the neoconservatives and their neoliberal collaborators in the global crusade for democracy pushing America into confrontation and a second Cold War with Russia? So it would seem. Ex-CIA director James Woolsey threw out the word “fascist” on FOX News the other night in describing Putin’s Russia. Earlier, he was quoted as saying, “The … Continue reading “Who’s in Charge of Russia Policy?”