Antiwar.com

We’ve been getting all these trial balloons, so maybe there’s a serious effort underway. (Or maybe not.) A December 29 Associated Press story that ran in numerous newspapers and Web sites around the world, says that Arab leaders "are considering the possibility of pressing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to step down and go into exile. … Continue reading “Can Exile Solve the Saddam Problem?”

On June 13, 2002, Shin Hyo-soon and Shim Mi-sun, both 14 years old, walked along the side of a road on their way to a birthday party, chattering and laughing, as children do. They never saw the mammoth U.S. military truck with two soldiers on board as it crushed them, grinding their bodies into the … Continue reading “Korean Ghosts”

Max Boot starts out his essay on "What the Heck is a ‘Neocon?’" – which should have been titled "Who, Me?" – by claiming to find the label affixed to his political persona "mystifying." Yet he winds up writing a mini-manifesto of the Neocon Creed: "It is not really domestic policy that defines neoconservatism. This … Continue reading “Do Neocons Exist?”

Being an American living in China means never lacking for small talk. During times of peace, conversation tends to be genial. "If I visit Hollywood, where should I stand to see the most movie stars?" is a common query. "Can I really buy a gun at any supermarket in your country?" is another. Recently though, … Continue reading “The View From Over Here: Killing the Chicken to Frighten the Monkey”

If Pakistan’s president, General Pervez Musharraf, wanted to send a shiver down the spine of the international community, and remind it that South Asia still remains the world’s most dangerous place, he could not have done so more effectively than he did last Monday while addressing Air Force veterans in Karachi. Gen Musharraf said he … Continue reading “Musharraf’s Speech Raises the Nuclear Danger”

To get some idea of what we’re in for in 2003, take a gander at this news report from South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency: “Seoul, Dec. 27 (Yonhap) – The United States would deploy some 690,000 troops to augment the 37,000-strong American military presence already here if war should break out on the peninsula, a … Continue reading “Happy New Year?”

As 2002 draws to a close, the prospects for peace seem bleak in the world’s troubled Middle East region. Afghanistan remains in chaos, despite the ouster of the Taliban regime by American forces. Israel and the occupied West Bank territories suffer terrible incidents of violence almost daily, forcing the cancellation of Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem. … Continue reading “Waning Prospects for Peace in 2003?”

In recent weeks, the Bush administration has stepped up efforts to destabilize the Iraqi government, while aggressively deploying troops and ships in a manner that could provoke an attack from Iraq – and provide an excuse to start a war. Over the weekend of December 14 to 16, the U.S. hosted a conference in London … Continue reading “Operation Provoke War”

Perhaps it’s the time of the year. I’m not over Christmas yet – I spent much of the season singing with a quasi-professional (people actually paid us!) caroling group – and some songs stay in my head. The third verse of "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" seems especially poignant to me just now: … Continue reading “In Search of a Peace Culture”

One good aspect of the holiday season was that veteran Arab-hater James Taranto, whose column "Best of the Web" runs on the Wall Street Journal‘s website, went on vacation, and the world was spared his unsparing hatred for all things Arab for a few blessed days. Not for long, however: he’s back at the same … Continue reading “A RELIGION OF PEACE?”