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When lawmakers emerged from their private viewing of the Abu Ghraib photos – a screening arranged under conditions of high security on Capitol Hill – they were at great pains to come up with synonyms for “Ewwwwwwwww!” “Appalling,” said Senate majority leader Bill Frist. “Disgusting,” said Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.). “Horrible,” exclaimed Sen. Lincoln Chafee … Continue reading “Abu Ghraib and the Pornography of Power”

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld quietly left Washington yesterday, flying first to Kuwait, and then on to Baghdad. Rumsfeld was accompanied by only a few reporters, Pentagon lawyers, and Richard Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. After arriving in Baghdad, Rumsfeld immediately met with the commander in Iraq, Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez. … Continue reading “Rumsfeld, Sanchez ‘Pow-Wow’ in Iraq”

As revolting images of torture and degradation of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib flooded the media, it was only a matter of time before someone would invoke the comparison with atrocities (allegedly) committed in the Balkans. But unlike the lurid Balkans stories peddled by activist journalists all too eager to embrace local propaganda, the Abu … Continue reading “Parallels, Contrasts and Questions”

Yesterday at the General Hospital of Fallujah, doctors spoke of atrocities that occurred during the month-long siege of the city in April. Dr. Abdul Jabbar, an Orthopedic Surgeon, said that it was difficult to keep track of the number of people they treated, as well as the number of dead, due to the lack of … Continue reading “Accounts of Atrocities Emerge from the Rubble of Fallujah”

In 1914, Kaiser Wilhelm II, whom history has underrated, told his Chief of the General Staff, von Moltke the Less, that he wanted to remain on the defensive in the West and take the offensive in the East, against Russia. Such a reversal of the Schlieffen Plan would probably have won the war for Germany. … Continue reading “Work For the Grossgeneralstab“

Last month the Bush administration announced plans to deepen U.S. involvement in Colombia by doubling the number of U.S. troops and private military contractors stationed there. The move came in the midst of an energetic public-relations campaign by the U.S. State Department and the Colombian government. Both administrations attempted to paint U.S. policy in Colombia … Continue reading “Bush Administration Seeks to Expand US Military Personnel in Colombia”

The photographs of the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers have had a major impact on public opinion in the United States, according to back-to-back national polls that also show continued erosion in support for President George W. Bush and the war in Iraq. A major poll released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center … Continue reading “Polls: Abuse Photos Spell Trouble for War Party”

What struck me most about Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s testimony last week was how he reserved his greatest indignation for those who leaked classified information exposing rampant military abuse of Iraqi prisoners. They did so “against the law,” he twice noted in a testy exchange with a senator. Rumsfeld seemed more upset with conscientious whistleblowers … Continue reading “Prisongate: The Down and Dirty”

The proponents of the Annan Plan for Cyprus have expressed great regret at the rejection of the plan by Cyprus’s Greek southern section in a general referendum. But really, the plan’s main supporters got exactly what they wanted- and even if they hadn’t, they would still have won a considerable victory. Cyprus was ruled for … Continue reading “Failure and Success in Cyprus”

The S&M War Beneficial righteous rage followed by action is the only thing that may save this tottering old republic and Justin Raimondo has it in spades. His recent comparison of the US tactics in Iraq to those used by the conquering Nazis, swings the harsh light directly on the US military’s conduct there. Raimondo … Continue reading “”