Like in Iraq, CIA Also Exaggerated Soviet Nuclear Threat

They say that history repeats itself. And so it does. Two years ago, the Central Intelligence Agency released reams of intelligence documents on the former Soviet Union that had been classified for nearly 30 years. The findings were damning: the CIA for more than 10 years greatly exaggerated the nuclear threat the communist country posed … Continue reading “Like in Iraq, CIA Also Exaggerated Soviet Nuclear Threat”

Like in Iraq, CIA Also Exaggerated Soviet Nuclear Threat

They say that history repeats itself. And so it does. Two years ago, the Central Intelligence Agency released reams of intelligence documents on the former Soviet Union that had been classified for nearly 30 years. The findings were damning: the CIA for more than 10 years greatly exaggerated the nuclear threat the communist country posed … Continue reading “Like in Iraq, CIA Also Exaggerated Soviet Nuclear Threat”

What I’ll Be Celebrating on the Fourth

As an American writer, the following reminder strikes me as absurdly obvious, but in absurd times the obvious bears repeating. Friday is Independence Day. It is not Veterans Day or Memorial Day. As befits a nation founded on ideas, our chief holiday lifts the quill above the bayonet. Had the Father of Our Country wanted … Continue reading “What I’ll Be Celebrating on the Fourth”

Democracy with Chinese Characteristics

Next week the Chinese Communist Party celebrates yet another year in power. The Party has evolved since its inception, it claims, into the benevolent, progressive Party we see today: capable of discussing such radical concepts as "intra-party democracy." Ahh, yes, the CPC’s idea of democracy differs a little from what, say, Europeans are used to. … Continue reading “Democracy with Chinese Characteristics”

THE CULTURE OF IMPERIALISM

Let’s see: the Supreme Court has determined that the cops can’t just barge into my bedroom, catch me in the midst of an infamous act, and drag me and my, uh, partner, off to jail. Whew! What a relief! But they can still barge into my office, arrest me as an infamous “enemy combatant,” and … Continue reading “THE CULTURE OF IMPERIALISM”

‘Iraqi Freedom’

In a recent Pentagon briefing, Sec. Rumsfeld attempts to assuage concerns about the increased hostilities in Iraq. He states that the recent deaths of American and British soldiers “show the world is still engaged in a dangerous war against terrorism.” This subtle play of semantics reveals the trouble the administration is in. Indeed, it demonstrates … Continue reading “‘Iraqi Freedom’”

Democratic Revolution – It’s What’s for Dinner

Under the headline "Mail Is Chronically Late In Iraq", on the 6/24 "O’Reilly Factor", Colonel Mark Storer inadvertently exposed the logic underlying the current military adventure in Iraq. Specifically, he referred to Iraq as a "theater" in the overall Operation Iraqi Freedom. Chickenhawk O’Reilly, of course, lacked the pluck to ask the Colonel what the … Continue reading “Democratic Revolution – It’s What’s for Dinner”

Wolfowitz Aimed to Undermine Blix So US Could Strike Iraq

Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy secretary of defense, was so eager to see the United States launch a preemptive strike against Iraq in early 2002, that he ordered the CIA to investigate the past work of Hans Blix, the chief United Nations weapons inspector, who, in February 2002, was asked to lead a team of U.N. … Continue reading “Wolfowitz Aimed to Undermine Blix So US Could Strike Iraq”

The Road to Coverup Is the Road to Ruin

Last fall, the White House released a national security strategy that called for an end to the doctrines of deterrence and containment that have been a hallmark of American foreign policy for more than half a century. This new national security strategy is based upon pre-emptive war against those who might threaten our security. Such … Continue reading “The Road to Coverup Is the Road to Ruin”

The Serbian Lincoln?

Two weeks ago, reporting on the violent arrest of a retired Serbian army colonel on war crimes charges raised by the Hague Inquisition, Reuters and other news media referred to the 1991 conflict as the “Croatian war of independence.” That term, however, is false. Many defenders of Slobodan Milosevic see him as the Serbian Abraham … Continue reading “The Serbian Lincoln?”