Democracy, Terrorism, and Nuclear Weapons

The election of the hardline Tehran mayor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, over former President Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani as the new head of Iran is undeniably a setback for those hoping to advance greater social and political freedom in that country. It should not necessarily be seen as a turn to the Right by the Iranian electorate, however. … Continue reading “Democracy, Terrorism, and Nuclear Weapons”

Grannies Rage Against the Machine

The five elderly women stood in front of a U.S. Army recruiting office in Tucson, Arizona, and began to sing. To the tune of "There’s No Business Like Show Business," they belted out the lyrics they had written: "There’s no business like war business The worst business we know Never mind the homeless and the … Continue reading “Grannies Rage Against the Machine”

Gaza Will Be ‘Vacated but Still Occupied’

JERUSALEM – A growing number of Palestinians are beginning to believe that Israeli disengagement from the Gaza Strip will not mean the end of occupation. "The Gaza Strip will still be occupied territory under international law," says Renad Qubbaj of the Palestinian NGO Network, based in Ramallah in the West Bank. "After implementation of the … Continue reading “Gaza Will Be ‘Vacated but Still Occupied’”

Discouraging Lessons From Imperial Spain

In the 16th century, Europe was devastated by wars of religion, a fact that gives that unhappy time some relevance to our own. The foremost soldier and commander in 16th-century Europe was the duke of Alba. An excellent new biography of the duke by Henry Kamen offers some less than encouraging lessons. In the 1560s, … Continue reading “Discouraging Lessons From Imperial Spain”

Navigating Gitmo’s Legal Labyrinth

As Washington prepares to resume military trials of "war on terror" detainees, a debate over their status is heating up in the U.S. Congress, with even some prominent Republicans demanding higher standards for interrogations and a ban on "cruel, degrading, and inhumane treatment." Brian J. Foley is a professor at Florida Coastal School of Law … Continue reading “Navigating Gitmo’s Legal Labyrinth”

The War Is Over, and We…

June 30, 2005, was the peak of neocon delusion. On that day American Enterprise Institute neocon Karl Zinsmeister posted his article on the AEI online site titled: "The War Is Over, and We Won." No sooner than Zinsmeister put delusion to paper than U.S. military commanders reported escalating and more sophisticated insurgency attacks. Casualties exploded … Continue reading “The War Is Over, and We…”

Unraveling the Plame Case

The Media’s Roving Eye by Tom Engelhardt Oh what a tangled web we weave When we first practice to deceive… I‘ve written regularly about the media’s inability to connect the dots. The other day a reporter out in the far-flung reaches of our imperium wrote in to TomDispatch pointing to a front-paged dot that no … Continue reading “Unraveling the Plame Case”

The Meaning of Sharm el-Sheik

Bombers struck again with utmost viciousness at the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheik last Saturday. The pattern remains relatively consistent: hitting soft targets, killing innocent civilians, attacking countries whose policies are supposed to be close to Washington’s. There are also some differences compared with past attacks. Last October, bomb attacks on the Egyptian resort of … Continue reading “The Meaning of Sharm el-Sheik”

Thomas Friedman, Liberal Sadist?

The acclaimed New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman has often voiced enthusiasm for violent destruction by the U.S. government. Hidden in plain sight, his glee about such carnage is worth pondering. Many people view Friedman as notably articulate, while others find him overly glib, but there’s no doubt that he is an influential commentator with … Continue reading “Thomas Friedman, Liberal Sadist?”

Another Skunk at the Garden Party

It’s almost tempting to breathe a sigh of relief. Raw, heads-in-the-sand stupidity is not limited to those who prop up the Bush agenda here in the land of polarized red and blue. Last week the Royal Institute of International Affairs (RIIA) issued a report [.pdf] suggesting that Britain’s backing for the war in Iraq had … Continue reading “Another Skunk at the Garden Party”