Antiwar.com

The New Orleans catastrophe is inexplicable. FEMA’s slow response is a mystery. Never before has federal funding for work by the U.S. Corps of Engineers on the New Orleans levees and for the congressionally authorized Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project (SELA) been curtailed in the face of dire expert warnings of the consequences. The … Continue reading “From Federal Failure Arises More Federal Power”

An extraordinary two-day conference in Washington (much of it on C-Span) sponsored by the New America Foundation,”Terrorism, Security & America’s Purpose” featured a host of scholars, elected officials, intelligence experts, journalists, an others, from Tom Clancy and Grover Norquist to George Soros and Ted Sorensen. Though perspectives varied widely, it is clear that experts from … Continue reading “Landmark Conference Critiques War on Terror”

Charles Krauthammer blithely dismisses the widespread belief that, having diverted so many resources to Iraq, we were unable to take care of our own in New Orleans: “The problem with the evacuation of New Orleans is not that National Guardsmen in Iraq could not get to New Orleans, but that National Guardsmen in Louisiana did … Continue reading “Katrina, Iraq, and the End of ‘National Greatness’”

We pull into the parking lot at the same moment in separate cars, both of us slightly vacation-disheveled. He wears a baseball-style cap and a half-length purple raincoat in anticipation of the downpour which begins soon after we huddle safely in a local coffee shop. As I fumble with my two tape recorders, he immediately … Continue reading “The Mosquito and the Hammer”

Traveling from New York City in late September 2001, on a pre-scheduled book tour, author Joan Didion spoke with audiences in several cities on the West Coast. In the wake of 9/11, she later wrote, "these people to whom I was listening – in San Francisco and Los Angeles and Portland and Seattle – were … Continue reading “9/11 and the Manipulation of America”

NEW ORLEANS – Heavily armed paramilitary mercenaries from the Blackwater private security firm, infamous for their work in Iraq, are openly patrolling the streets of New Orleans. Some of the mercenaries say they have been “deputized” by the Louisiana governor; indeed some are wearing gold Louisiana state law enforcement badges on their chests and Blackwater … Continue reading “Overkill: Feared Blackwater Mercenaries Deploy in New Orleans”

Many lessons can be drawn from the observation of Israeli dominion over the Palestinians in the past fifty-five years, most notably the audacious mandate of institutionalized violence. Even more alarming than the crimes themselves is the fact that even after blatantly violating international law, Israel manages to remain in the safety of the fold of … Continue reading “Israel’s Successful Use of the Art of Realpolitik”

During 2004, the George W. Bush administration issued more secret court orders, spent 148 dollars creating new classified documents for every dollar spent releasing old ones, invoked the "state secrets" privilege in court cases more frequently than ever before, and received 25 percent more requests for documents under the Freedom of Information Act. These are … Continue reading “Govt Secrecy Carries a Hefty Price”

In a Note Verbale of August 1, 2005, Iran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency that Iran had decided to resume uranium-conversion activities – voluntarily suspended by Iran almost two years before – at the Uranium Conversion Facility at Esfahan. In October 2003, Iran had entered into negotiations with France, Germany and the United Kingdom … Continue reading “Nothing to Refer”

  Watch Ron Paul’s speech on video.     Many reasons have been given for why we fight and our youth must die in Iraq. The reasons now given for why we must continue this war bear no resemblance to the reasons given to gain the support of the American people and the United States … Continue reading “Why We Fight, and Why We Shouldn’t”