Antiwar.com

The response of some to the capture of the Maryland sniper, John Allen Williams, a.k.a .John Allen Muhammad, illustrates an idea that has been preoccupying me of late: the relationship (if any) between ideology and truth. Ideology of any sort inevitably distorts the mental processes, and a writer – that is, a serious writer, and … Continue reading “A MAN NAMED MUHAMMAD”

Jiang Zemin’s visit to Bush’s ranch on Friday may prove decisive for US plans to wage war in Iraq. The Chinese government is thoroughly enjoying its relatively neutral stance throughout the War on Terrorism, while reaping the benefits of having its own “terrorist movement” in East Turkestan. Aside from deflecting the Bush Administration’s early attempts … Continue reading “‘We Make You Play Bad Card’”

[Lat. casus – opportunity, occasion; bellum,-i –war] Not a day goes by in which the inhabitants of the Balkans are not reminded, in some way, that they are servants of the Empire. On top of the visible legacy of imperial intervention, its hidden consequences also crop up regularly to deepen the region’s misery. Adding insult … Continue reading “Casus Belli”

When Mother Jones magazine asked me to contribute an article on the present state of the movement against the Iraq war – and what to do about it – I was delighted to comply. After all, I’ve been inveighing against the sad state of the antiwar movement for years, and here was my chance to … Continue reading “PATRIOTS FOR PEACE”

Question: what is the modern Tory definition of leadership? Answer: asking a question. This at least was how William Hague told it over the Euro. And I say this as someone who came to see a lot of merit in him by the end – this certainly was a man you could measure by the … Continue reading “What’s In A Question?”

Perhaps I should not have been surprised, but I was at least somewhat appalled that with the wall-to-wall coverage the issue received almost no attention. But the use of a military surveillance plane to try to capture the notorious Beltway murderer raises serious questions about the already-tattered separation between military activity and domestic civilian law … Continue reading “Bending Posse Comitatus Brings Bad Results”

As if to confirm what some opponents of this war have been saying – but not too loudly – about this being a war for Israel, the Bush administration is now "weighing an Israeli proposal for a joint operation in Iraq’s western desert to disarm Iraqi missiles before they could be launched against Israel." That … Continue reading “SMEARING THE ANTIWAR MOVEMENT”

When we go to war in Iraq we will do so to summon the Messiah. That is what the Christian right believes. The final battle to rid the world of all non-believers, non-Christians, more exactly non-Evangelical Christians, is going to take place very soon at Armageddon in Israel. The Bible tells us so. Rev. Jerry … Continue reading “Armageddon”

Another day, another threat of war – this time on the North Korean front. Surely Pyongyang’s startling admission that indeed it is actively pursuing the nuclear option – "and more powerful things as well," according to this New York Times report – has pulled the rug out from under the War Party, even as the … Continue reading “NORTH KOREA’S HALLOWEEN SURPRISE”

Monomania is the chief characteristic of most madmen, and so it is with those who are clamoring for war. By monomania I mean a fixation, or obsession, that colors perceptions and makes normal interaction with the world difficult, if not well nigh impossible. Your typical monomaniac might be, say, an anti-Semite, who interprets virtually all … Continue reading “THE SNIPER”