MOURNING IN AMERICA

There's plenty of irony in being called "unpatriotic" by foreigners who know little of and care nothing for this country's proud legacy of contempt for empires. But I must put away my bitterness, for now, because this Independence Day is a time for mourning: it is,...

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Court Historians, Then and Now

According to Amazon.com, everything Foster Rhea Dulles wrote is out of print. That said, the writing of Mr. Dulles is worthy of our attention, both because of his family ties and because, as in his America's Rise to World Power (1955, Harper Collins), Dulles builds a...

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Liars, Halfwits, Inquisitors and Thieves

None of the events or statements that follow should come as a surprise. What is surprising is the lack of reaction by their victims, or those who unwittingly support the perpetrators. As with everything, the ongoing Balkans drama will have consequences yet impossible...

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NO EXIT?

Support at home for the U.S. military presence in Iraq is dropping dramatically as our troubles mount on the battlefield. 56% of Americans now say Iraq was "worth going to war over," while 42% disagree – a long way down from 73% to 23% in April. The reasons are...

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A Glimmer of Hope?

It is seldom incorrect to discount hopes for imminent peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Nonetheless, it seems almost possible to hope beyond hope this time that something resembling a cease-fire between Israelis and Palestinians might stand a chance of lasting...

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What I’ll Be Celebrating on the Fourth

As an American writer, the following reminder strikes me as absurdly obvious, but in absurd times the obvious bears repeating. Friday is Independence Day. It is not Veterans Day or Memorial Day. As befits a nation founded on ideas, our chief holiday lifts the quill...

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THE ROAD MAP

So you wondered about the plague of crickets that recently hit the American Midwest, not to mention the tornadoes that have been swooping down on us, destroying whole towns and tearing up the landscape like a MOAB from heaven. And, say, what's up with the record heat...

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Democracy with Chinese Characteristics

Next week the Chinese Communist Party celebrates yet another year in power. The Party has evolved since its inception, it claims, into the benevolent, progressive Party we see today: capable of discussing such radical concepts as "intra-party democracy."...

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