Antiwar.com

As the frustrated Empire attempts ever harder to justify the unjustifiable and launch an invasion of Iraq with some sort of placating pretext, it was inevitable that the precedent of Balkans interventions would come up again. Richard Holbrooke, former foreign policy hitman for the Clinton regime, complained in the Washington Post on February 23 that … Continue reading “From Kosovo to Baghdad”

The U.S. military is doing its best to bluff it out, but Turkey’s decision to opt out has dealt the War Party a crushing blow. They were counting on Turkish compliance, and when that didn’t come through, you could almost hear the shifting of gears – or was that the screech of brakes? Occurring shortly … Continue reading “The Hapless Hegemon”

I‘ve been doing a bit of radio lately, sometimes brought on as one of those curious folks who question this war and should be examined like a pinned butterfly, sometimes by hosts who seem grateful to have an antiwar spokesman who doesn’t think it all goes back to Mumia. (Your local station can reach someone … Continue reading “What’s the Real Key to Our Freedom?”

[The following is the text of a speech delivered to the Libertarian Party of Illinois state convention, March 1, 2003.] I want to start off by thanking the Libertarian Party of Illinois for the invitation to speak here today. It has been almost twenty years since I last showed up at a Libertarian Party function … Continue reading “Libertarianism in the Age of Empire”

On Feb. 24th, 20 of us set up a 4-day tent encampment in the Demilitarized Zone between Iraq and Kuwait. "Between heaven and hell, that’s how I felt, the whole day" said our Franciscan priest, Jerry Zawada. When we arrrived, the sky was darkening, thunder rumbled across the desert. Yet the border area, desolate and … Continue reading “Between Heaven and Hell”

Expats strike rueful poses over their brews and noodles here in Chengdu. Its easy to shake one’s head at the Bush Crew’s follies and swap estimates of the Arabic/Islamic (World?) backlash whilst basking in the Sichuan spring sun, miles and miles away from Iraq. Yesterday at a meeting the Ministry of Propaganda held to discuss … Continue reading “The Safest Place in the World”

President Bush Sr. proudly spoke of "The New World Order," a term used by those who promote one – world government under the United Nations. In going to war in 1991, he sought and received UN authority to push Iraqi forces out of Kuwait. He forcefully stated that this UN authority was adequate, and that … Continue reading “Another United Nations War?”

Is it just a coincidence that the President’s speech to the American Enterprise Institute, in which he outlined an ambitious strategy of "democratization" in the Middle East, was delivered on the anniversary of the day Napoleon escaped from Elba? On Feb 26, 1815, Bonaparte slipped past his guards on the rocky little isle and returned, … Continue reading “Notes from the Margin”

Theory Has the plan worked? After forty odd years of struggle, are we finally about to end up with the Europe we\’ve always wanted? Well that, obviously enough, would depend upon who, in this instance, we are, and what it is we consider \’Europe\’ to be, or about to be. A very credible case is … Continue reading “What Europe Will Do To America\’s Friends”

With an American invasion of Iraq imminent, nations in the region are increasingly worried about the political, social, and economic consequences of a second Gulf war. Not surprisingly, Jordan, Israel, Kuwait, and Turkey are demanding more money from the U.S. to offset the costs, economic and otherwise, of such a war. Other Middle East countries … Continue reading “Buying War Allies and ‘Friends’ with Foreign Aid”