Condoleezza Needs to Call Anonymous

In our various oral and written presentations on Iraq, my veteran intelligence officer colleagues and I took no delight in sharply criticizing what we perceived to be the corruption of intelligence analysis at CIA. Nothing would have pleased us more than to have been proven wrong. It turns out we did not know the half … Continue reading “Condoleezza Needs to Call Anonymous”

Papuan Self-Determination Sacrificed to US Courtship of Suharto

On the 35th anniversary of the so-called “Act of Free Choice” (AFC) that resulted in West Papua’s annexation by Indonesia, newly declassified documents depict the administration of President Richard Nixon as unwilling to raise any objections to the process despite its assessment that the move was overwhelmingly opposed by the Papuan people. The memos were … Continue reading “Papuan Self-Determination Sacrificed to US Courtship of Suharto”

Backtalk July 13, 2004

Inoculated for a While? Some time ago I was reading PNAC’s Dec. 3, 2003, National Security Outlook, authored by Thomas Donnelly and Vance Serchuk. The following practically leapt off the page [“Fighting a Global Counterinsurgency“]: (D)efense transformation must bring about a change in the military mindset from what Eliot Cohen calls a “mass army” to … Continue reading “Backtalk July 13, 2004”

A Scheme to Cancel the Elections?

We’re fighting a war to export "democracy" to Iraq – as U.S. government officials openly discuss the possibility of canceling the November elections. While it’s no surprise that a government official of any nationality would talk out of both sides of his mouth, in the Bizarro America of the post-9/11 era a distinctly double-jointed rhetorical … Continue reading “A Scheme to Cancel the Elections?”

Déjà Vu, ElBaradei?

Mohamed ElBaradei – director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency – was in Israel last week pursuing a nuke-free Middle East. Now, ElBaradei has already certified Iraq to be nuke-free. And Iran. So, isn’t the Middle East already nuke-free? Well, not according to Mordechai Vanunu. Vanunu was a technician at the Israeli nuclear facilities … Continue reading “Déjà Vu, ElBaradei?”

The US Stumbles Over North Korea, Taiwan

National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice’s Asia trip produced several noteworthy developments. Although topics of conversation included trade and human rights, the talks with Chinese, Japanese and Korean officials revolved around the two major points of conflict in the region: North Korea and Taiwan. The first important development is the role of Jiang Zemin, former President … Continue reading “The US Stumbles Over North Korea, Taiwan”

Michael Moore, Richard Perle Join Forces

“Hijacking planes, terrorizing innocent people and shedding blood, constitute a form of injustice that cannot be tolerated by Islam, which views them as gross crimes and sinful acts. … Any Muslim who is aware of his teachings of his religion and who adheres to the directives of the Qur’an and the Sunn’ah will never involve … Continue reading “Michael Moore, Richard Perle Join Forces”

Democrats Drop Antiwar Pretensions

Saturday at the Westin Diplomat hotel outside Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the Democratic Party finalized its platform for the upcoming Democratic National Convention to be held in Boston later this month. Progressives and peace lovers – mostly Kucinich and Dean supporters – didn’t get much at all. Not only does the platform not call for the … Continue reading “Democrats Drop Antiwar Pretensions”