Category: Uncategorized

The coming elections will be decided – and perhaps have already been decided – by an anonymous person, whose nom-de-guerre is "Nadav". "Nadav" calls himself an "expert" in the service of the General Security Service (known by its Hebrew acronym Shabak or Shin-Bet). According to him, his official title is "chief of the research department … Continue reading “‘Nadav’s’ Putsch”

One good aspect of the holiday season was that veteran Arab-hater James Taranto, whose column "Best of the Web" runs on the Wall Street Journal‘s website, went on vacation, and the world was spared his unsparing hatred for all things Arab for a few blessed days. Not for long, however: he’s back at the same … Continue reading “A RELIGION OF PEACE?”

Did I just call the United Nations a problem? I suppose I did. Long ago and far away – back in the 1960s actually – the John Birch Society used to put up billboards calling for the US to get out of the UN and the UN out of the US. I understand the sentiment, … Continue reading “The Unresolved Problem of the United Nations”

I try not to sound too preachy in these columns, but having just celebrated Christmas with more of my extended family than we have been accustomed to in recent years I had to wonder in print. Jesus talked about turning the other cheek, about never returning evil for evil, about humbling oneself, about taking care … Continue reading “The Empire Ruminates”

All eyes are on Iraq these days, but conventional wisdom holds it’s just the first step of the Bush administration’s larger push to gain hegemony over the international oil and gas industry. Two factors could stand in the way of the US grand plan though: Central Asia and Europe. A microcosm of this battle is … Continue reading “Forget Iraq: The Real Battle Is In Turkey”

The past two days have been (yet another) excuse for Chinese to flood the streets, discos, karaoke bars, Western style bars and various plazas with Santa hats atop their heads and – for some reason – plastic hammers which are used to emphasize a "Merry Christmas." True, most Chinese know little about the whys and … Continue reading “Merry Christmas from China”

All eyes are on Iraq these days, but conventional wisdom holds it’s just the first step of the Bush administration’s larger push to gain hegemony over the international oil and gas industry. Two factors could stand in the way of the US grand plan though: Central Asia and Europe. A microcosm of this battle is … Continue reading “Forget Iraq: The Real Battle Is In Turkey”

The year that is about to end has again left the Balkans a bit worse for wear. Of course, the entire world is substantially worse for wear since the shocking attacks of September 2001, and the Empire’s resulting announcement of its quest for global domination. However, the War on Terror has had remarkably little impact … Continue reading “The 12 Months of Christmas”

There is something awfully weird about J.C. Penney’s "Forward Command Post," a toy for kids age five and up. It’s not apparent, at first sight, exactly where the weirdness is coming from. Sure, it’s a battle scene, and the house is shattered, cratered with bullet holes and looking kind of charred. But what else would … Continue reading “CHRISTMAS CARNAGE”

Perhaps it’s the season, and a not entirely rational desire to have the birthday of the Prince of Peace be something other than a harbinger of all-out war this year. But a phone conversation with Jessica Mathews, president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, gave me a few brief moments of hope last week. … Continue reading “A Ray of Hope?”