Bereaved Parents Lead Humanitarian Trip to Iraq

Parents of three U.S. soldiers killed in the war in Iraq are on their way to that country as part of a humanitarian mission aimed at showing a different face of the United States to Iraqis displaced by fierce fighting in Fallujah. Along with representatives of several antiwar groups, including San Francisco-based Global Exchange, CodePink, … Continue reading “Bereaved Parents Lead Humanitarian Trip to Iraq”

Bravo, American Dissidents!

As I began to read Antiwar.com some three years ago, just before the launching of Operation "Enduring Freedom," I had a frame of reference to analyze empires and expansionism, but scarce data to apply it to the contemporary U.S. Let me put that framework in a nutshell. It was based in Eric Voegelin‘s political science. … Continue reading “Bravo, American Dissidents!”

The Fallacy of ’39

Justin Logan, a research assistant in the foreign policy studies program at the Cato Institute, has come up with a useful new term: “Can we get a name for inappropriately invoking the appeasement of Nazis? This is a tactic frequently used by neocons and various sundry warmongers who wish to portray opposing various wars as … Continue reading “The Fallacy of ’39”

Neocons and the Cult of State

In a recent column documenting the alleged hopelessness of dragging the Democratic Party back into alignment with mainstream America, George Will unwittingly put his finger on what is soon likely to ail the GOP as well: the impossibility of reconciling its underlying agenda with the values of the American people. Will’s column draws much inspiration … Continue reading “Neocons and the Cult of State”

Yushchenko’s Disease: A Tale of Two Poisons

After weeks of rampant speculation and political intrigue of the highest order, the mystery of Viktor Yushchenko’s rapid and startling facial disfigurement was settled with a simple blood test and reported with bold finality: The Ukrainian presidential candidate was poisoned with dioxin. Not just routinely poisoned. No, it was a silver-medal performance, scoring a blood … Continue reading “Yushchenko’s Disease: A Tale of Two Poisons”

From Saddam’s Camp to America’s Dump

The dump is a dusty wasteland. Heaps of Baghdad’s rotting wastes are strewn about several square miles of the battered capital city. Engaged in their futile battle to remove the endless amounts of garbage from streets, blue garbage trucks rumble through the stinky dump, adding their loads of filth. Thirty-two-year-old Hattim lives in this wasteland … Continue reading “From Saddam’s Camp to America’s Dump”

Slam-Dunk Tenet Gets a Medal

What does George John Tenet have in common with Mother Theresa and Pope John Paul II? Well, all three are recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Tenet? The Director of Central Intelligence under both Clinton and Bush II? The DCI who justified Clinton’s Operation Desert Fox in 1998 and Bush’s Operation Iraqi Freedom in … Continue reading “Slam-Dunk Tenet Gets a Medal”

‘Staying the Course’ Won’t Do

In the aftermath of the suicide bombing of the Mosul mess hall, we are being admonished anew we must stay the course in Iraq. But “Stay the course!” is no longer enough. President Bush needs to go on national television and tell us the unvarnished truth. Why are we still there? For some of Bush’s … Continue reading “‘Staying the Course’ Won’t Do”

Serb-Croat Battleground Moves to Cyberspace

BELGRADE – A new war has broken out between Serbs and Croats, this time without casualties and bloodshed because the battleground is cyberspace. In less than a week, hackers on both sides have crashed the most popular Web sites, leaving challenging messages but short of the hatred the two nations found for one another in … Continue reading “Serb-Croat Battleground Moves to Cyberspace”

Terrorism Shaped 2004 News Agenda

While President George W. Bush’s November reelection topped the Associated Press‘ (AP) annual listing of the top 10 news stories for 2004, the other leading choices suggested that the news media might have helped him in his quest. The list, which reflected the votes of 234 national and local editors, news directors, and similar "gatekeepers," … Continue reading “Terrorism Shaped 2004 News Agenda”