Antiwar.com

Iraq tops a list of countries whose minorities find themselves most at risk of persecution and even mass killing at the start of 2006, according to a new threat index released Thursday by the London-based Minority Rights Group International (MRG). The index, the centerpiece of MRG’s 2006 edition of the "State of the World Minorities" … Continue reading “Iraq Tops Nations With Minorities at Grave Risk”

With the announcement that Iran plans to resume its nuclear programs, that country has moved at least into the sights of the United States and European countries as a potential threat that should be dealt with. Unfortunately, the United States, like most "advanced" states, is mentally locked into certain modes of dealing with perceived threats … Continue reading “Dealing With Iran”

Chastising Russia over its gas dispute with the Ukraine, Condoleezza Rice recently stated that Russia must "play by the rules." Certainly not economic rules – these would have justified Russia abolishing its hefty subsidy altogether on Ukrainian gas shipments and allowed the $50 Ukrainian price (per 1,000 cubic meters) to rise to the $240 European … Continue reading “Double-Edged Peace Pipes”

Bush Has Crossed the Rubicon Paul Craig Roberts’ piece pretty much sums up the state of the state in the good ol’ USA. … I have been writing to you for the past couple of years and trying to tell you that you are wasting your time anticipating prosecutions and jail time over “Plamegate” and … Continue reading “Backtalk, January 20, 2006”

The Bush administration’s "global war on terrorism" continued to set back the cause of human rights in 2005, according to a major U.S. rights group, which said that U.S. and European hypocrisy in carrying out that war led to a "global leadership void" that had been taken advantage of by more opportunistic powers, particularly Russia … Continue reading “Rights Group Criticizes US, EU Hypocrisy”

KARACHI – Missile strikes carried out by the United States on Damadola village near the Afghan border that killed 18 people may fuel religious fanaticism in this country and seriously complicate President George W. Bush’s war on terror, say moderate political leaders and security analysts. "Political realities in Pakistan need to be better be understood … Continue reading “Pakistanis: US Missile Strikes Will Affect War on Terror”

Former vice president Al Gore gave what I believe to be the most important political speech in my lifetime, and the New York Times, “the newspaper of record,” did not report it. Not even excerpts. For the New York Times, it was a nonevent that a former vice president and presidential candidate, denied the presidency … Continue reading “A Challenge That Cannot Be Ignored”

Last week, Iran removed the UN seals from uranium enrichment equipment at its Natanz nuclear facility and threatened to block International Atomic Energy Agency inspections if referred to the UN Security Council over its nuclear program. Iran claims its program is for peaceful nuclear energy purposes, but there are legitimate concerns that Iran may be … Continue reading “Rethinking Nuclear Nonproliferation”

Has Al Gore become a conservative? His recent speech to the Liberty Coalition, a group of conservatives and liberals united in opposing the growing authoritarianism that drives this administration, sounded as if it had been written by some disgruntled paleoconservative. With his frequent references to the Founders and their philosophy of strictly limited government, his … Continue reading “Gore Channels Taft”

TOKYO – Brushing aside its failure to win a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) last year, Tokyo is betting on backing the United States and its policies as a means of achieving a goal viewed as key to playing a more active role in global affairs. "A role in the prestigious … Continue reading “Japan Wooing the US to Gain Security Council Seat”