If you look at the past 100 years or so, you will see plainly that there has always been an "ism" at the gates. The old idea of controlling the people and increasing government power by warning of an "enemy at the gates" dates back to the Roman Empire, and probably...
In his essay "War is the Health of the State," Randolph Bourne criticizes war as an enterprise that increases the state's control over its subjects. During times of peace, people think less about the state and more about living their everyday lives. However, when war...
Call it Star Wars, parts VII-XXII; but last week, just as Revenge of the Sith was opening galaxy-wide – multiplexes on Tatooine alone were expected to pull in billions – reporter Tim Weiner revealed on the front page of the New York Times that a new...
ARBIL, Iraq - The two main Kurdish parties have still not reached agreement on setting up a regional government and parliament after elections held Jan. 30. In that election Kurds voted for the National Assembly and also for a 111-seat regional parliament. A coalition...
George W. Bush's arrival at the Moscow commemoration of V-E Day was preceded and followed by open provocations. The stopover in Riga, Latvia's capital, was a stinging reminder to the Russians that this former Soviet satellite state, conquered by Stalin as a result of...
There is much to be said for the political allusions and messages of the Star Wars epic now that we are able to see it completely. In both very broad and very particular ways, there are stunning and prescient allegories to our own time. With episodes I and II, we...
Afghanistan, where in recent weeks U.S. troops have been killed at a higher rate than in Iraq, has evolved into something of a classic imperial dilemma for the United States. The administration desperately wants to put the best possible face on the situation there,...
Two weeks ago, a small, single-engine plane inadvertently strayed into the closed air space above Washington. The result was panic. Both the White House and the Capitol were evacuated, with police shouting "Run! Run!" at fleeing staffers and visitors....
SANTIAGO -The loss of more than 40 young soldiers in a snowstorm in southern Chile late last week has sparked a fierce debate on the country's compulsory military service. Twenty-one bodies have been found so far, and the search for the remaining 19 continued Tuesday...
If the administration of President George W. Bush fails to conduct a truly independent investigation of U.S. abuses against detainees in Iraq and elsewhere, foreign governments should investigate and prosecute those senior officials who bear responsibility for them,...
