Category: Uncategorized

Poor President Bush. He apparently wants to invade Iraq more than anything else in the world. And just when he thought he had sufficient support to do so, foreign leaders started backing out. So he went to the U.N. and gave a stirring speech – saying Saddam Hussein must allow weapons inspections or the U.S. … Continue reading “America, Meet Your Leaders”

I have for years advocated a moral and constitutional approach to our foreign policy. This has been done in the sincerest belief that a policy of peace, trade, and friendship with all nations is far superior in all respects to a policy of war, protectionism, and confrontation. But in the Congress I find, with regards … Continue reading “War is a Political Mistake”

Now that the first of four phases of the "litmus-test" elections to the legislative Assembly of the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) is over, India and Pakistan have instantly locked horns over their representative character and significance. This renewed rivalry could seriously affect the remaining three phases and the people’s responses, and in turn further aggravate … Continue reading “Portents From the Kashmir Polls”

The recent conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) opened with an announcement that Cuba would become a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The last three hold-outs in the world are Israel, India, and Pakistan. The Arab states, led by Iraq, have proposed that Israel should sign on as part of a framework … Continue reading “LET THE UN INSPECTORS IN”

For three successor states of the former Yugoslavia, this fall is all about voting. Macedonian parliamentary elections were held this past weekend, with predictable results. Serbian presidential elections are next on September 29, followed by a general vote in Bosnia-Herzegovina on October 5. It is a time of choice, a time of civic responsibility, a … Continue reading “Triumph of the Will”

The Americans won’t take "yes" for an answer. Here is how the war-maddened Bush administration is dealing with Iraq’s decision to let in the UN weapons inspectors: "Saddam Hussein’s words cannot be taken at face value." – White House press secretary Ari Fleischer "We have seen this game before." – Secretary of State Colin Powell … Continue reading “BACK DOOR TO WAR”

With the US poised to attack Iraq, it’s helpful to recall what pushed us over the brink last time … the invisible steps and the unspoken consequences. In the fall of 1990, when the US Congress was debating going to war, Amnesty International (AI) released an explosive report detailing how Iraqi soldiers had taken Kuwaiti … Continue reading “The Powell Doctrine:”

As President Bush addressed the United Nations last week, I could not help thinking we have become incredibly mired in the "entangling alliances" another President George – George Washington – warned against. Sadly, many in Washington and the media seem to consider UN approval of our war plans far more important than a congressional debate … Continue reading “Entangling Alliances Distort our Foreign Policy”

In their speeches before the United Nations both President Bush and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, in different ways and probably for different purposes, made a couple of mistakes that could easily come back to bite them. The chief mistake was to take UN resolutions and statements by diplomats and political leaders too seriously, too … Continue reading “Don’t Take the UN Too Seriously”

No wonder all those crunchy-granola kids hate capitalism, or think they do. Getta loada this from today’s [September 15] Washington Post: "Although senior Bush administration officials say they have not begun to focus on the issues involving oil and Iraq, American and foreign oil companies have already begun maneuvering for a stake in the country’s … Continue reading “ATTACK OF THE GREED-HEADS”