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After the visits of Richard Armitage and Donald Rumsfeld, which formalised the commitments made by Islamabad and New Delhi to their American mediators or “facilitators”, the threat of overt war has diminished in South Asia – although it has by no means disappeared. A new triumphalism is now discernible in parts of political India, and … Continue reading “The Relevance of Détente”

RETRACTION In the following column, I wrote about Sibel Edmonds, a wiretap translator formerly employed by the FBI who has stepped forward with allegations about infiltration of the FBI by a mysterious "Middle Eastern country." Citing "a trusted source," I wrote: "According to his Justice Department sources, the mysterious “Middle Eastern country” the [Washington] Post … Continue reading “TREASON IS THE REASON”

Here in the Twin Cities Governor Jesse Ventura has just announced that he will not run next term, to everybody’s surprise. His was a reign of frustration and entertainment and I am one of the few who will miss him. His replacement will surely be boring and bursting with platitudes. One of the last great … Continue reading “Ties That Bind”

It’s been a fact for at least a year now, ever since the Treaty of Ohrid was signed, that the Balkans was fully conquered. Perhaps the final, unnecessary confirmation came in March, when the last remnant of the last Yugoslav federation was officially dismantled. Those who inherited the rubble of what used to be Yugoslavia … Continue reading “Balkans Leaders Chose Servitude”

P>I couldn’t help but notice the number of hits coming from an ezboard site, where people post messages and a kind of conversation in cyberspace ensues. Our hit report enables me to click on the url and find out the source of the hits – and, in this case, I was in for a surprise. … Continue reading “PUNDITRY IN THE AGE OF TERRORISM”

You can catch a few items in the newspapers – usually stories about raids or massacres – about Colombia, but not much that puts the latest incident in anything resembling a context. So I was pleased that the Orange County World Affairs Council last week hosted an enlightening (if not especially encouraging) discussion on Colombia. … Continue reading “Colombia: Mapping a Quagmire”

When George W. Bush was invited to speak to the graduating class of Ohio State University, the students were given a few, uh, suggestions: "Immediately before class members filed into the giant football stadium, an announcer instructed the crowd that all the university’s speakers deserve to be treated with respect and that anyone demonstrating or … Continue reading “THE WIMPY AMERICAN”

When George W. Bush was invited to speak to the graduating class of Ohio State University, the students were given a few, uh, suggestions: "Immediately before class members filed into the giant football stadium, an announcer instructed the crowd that all the university’s speakers deserve to be treated with respect and that anyone demonstrating or … Continue reading “THE WIMPY AMERICAN”

The United Jewish Communities of North America has recently decided to give its financial support also to Israeli settlers in the occupied territories (Ha’aretz, 14.6.02). At first, out of warm Jewish solidarity, I got very worried. Persistent rumours, especially since September 11th, say that the US government is not very fond of using charity money … Continue reading “How Jews Can Support Israel”

It is very hard to get a clear reading on the present situation. Oh sure, there are those who write as if they know what is going on, but their commentary, on further analysis, can be seen to rest only on a wide reading of utterly conventional and predictable sources with "official U.S. party line" … Continue reading “Cracks in the Façade of the Civic Religion”