Don’t Count Out Realists Yet

While after a week of personnel announcements conventional wisdom appears to have concluded that the foreign policy of President George W. Bush’s second term will be at least if not more radical than the first, there is also a minority view that such a conclusion is premature. The second interpretation is based on the theory … Continue reading “Don’t Count Out Realists Yet”

There Is No One Left to Stop Them

The United States is in dire straits. Its government is in the hands of people who connect to events neither rationally nor morally. If President Bush’s neoconservative administration were rational, the U.S. would never have invaded Iraq. If Bush’s government were moral, it would be ashamed of the carnage and horror it has unleashed in … Continue reading “There Is No One Left to Stop Them”

Will the Real ‘Iraqi Forces’ Please Stand Up?

When misleading buzzwords become part of the media landscape, they slant news coverage and skew public perceptions. That’s the story with the phrase "Iraqi forces" – now in routine use by U.S. media outlets, including the country’s most influential newspapers. The New York Times and the Washington Post have been leading the way in news … Continue reading “Will the Real ‘Iraqi Forces’ Please Stand Up?”

Preemptive Strikes Will Not Disarm Iran

In 1981, Israel bombed Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor when it believed Saddam Hussein was close to producing a nuclear bomb. Growing concern about advances in Iran’s nuclear capabilities has fanned speculation that Israel could launch an attack against key Iranian facilities, as it did against Osirak. Unilateralists have pointed to this strike as an example … Continue reading “Preemptive Strikes Will Not Disarm Iran”

Human Rights Personnel Under Attack

UNITED NATIONS – The world’s human rights defenders – including lawyers, journalists, judges, women’s activists, and representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) – are increasingly coming under attack by repressive governments, according to a senior UN official. "The violation of the physical integrity of defenders takes the form of killings, attempted killings, torture, beatings, death threats, … Continue reading “Human Rights Personnel Under Attack”

Child Soldiers Still on the March

LONDON – Hundreds of thousands of child soldiers are being used in conflicts around the world and governments are doing little to stop this, says a report published Wednesday. "Governments are undermining progress in ending the use of children as soldiers," says the "Child Soldiers Global Report 2004" produced by the Coalition to Stop the … Continue reading “Child Soldiers Still on the March”

The Battle for Minds (Forget the Hearts)

Reality TV votes with its feet on Bush foreign policy: “[Bernard van Munster, the Dutch-born co-creator and executive producer of the reality TV show, The Amazing Race] continues to scout locations for the seventh season, more than ever convinced that the world is a far less dangerous place than it sometimes seems. ‘Everybody everywhere has … Continue reading “The Battle for Minds (Forget the Hearts)”