Weak States Are ‘Sleeping Giants’ for US Security

Almost three years after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon, the United States is still falling short in its ability to deal with weak, failing or failed states, which increasingly threaten U.S. national security, says a major report...

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The War on Terror: A Persistent Debacle

I just said goodbye to my son, age 21, as he went off to complete his studies at the University of Toronto. We were cleaning out the garage during the two weeks my son was home. I came across some old pictures and documents from my years in the Navy, including a copy...

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No Real Choice

Once more, Americans will be forced to vote for a man instead of a policy. It doesn't say much for self-government that the American people are almost never given a chance to vote on major policy issues. The trouble is that Sen. John Kerry, as his campaign has...

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Superpower or Superdebtor?

Since the passage of the "Iraq Liberation Act" in 1998, the U.S. government has spent more than 40 million taxpayer dollars on the Iraqi National Congress and its leader Ahmed Chalabi. As we now know, Chalabi in turn fed the U.S. government lies about Iraq’s...

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How High Does the Abu Ghraib Scandal Go?

A classified Pentagon report, providing a series of legal arguments apparently intended to justify abuses and torture against detainees, appears to undermine public assurances by senior U.S. officials, including President George W. Bush, that the military would never...

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The Dog Days of the War Party

Fourteen months ago, after the 3rd Infantry Division and Marines swept into Baghdad, Washington was at the feet of the neoconservatives who had been plotting and propagandizing for an invasion for years. A celebratory breakfast was held at the American Enterprise...

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Our Troops Deserve Better

The arrogance of the Bush administration is astounding. Never have I seen such sorry leadership in Washington. Never have I witnessed such a complete lack of accountability. It's disturbing. In the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, and with the grossly undermanned Iraqi...

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New Map, Same Bad Destinations

Dr. Thomas Barnett, Harvard trained political scientist and self-described Pentagon futurist, has a bone to pick with the Bush administration. America's invasion of Iraq was a great achievement, but the President hasn't yet shared with Americans why we are staying...

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