Dubya’s Foreign Policy Could Depend On Us

In his surprisingly effective inaugural address George W. Bush spent only a nominal amount of time on foreign policy (as distinguished from military policy insofar as they can be distinguished) and filled it mostly with "we’re still engaged; terrorists don’t get any cute ideas" boilerplate. But it seems to me that a Bush administration foreign … Continue reading “Dubya’s Foreign Policy Could Depend On Us”

Taiwan Independence, R.I.P.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Taiwan independence is dead. It died, stillborn. Taiwan independence was the triumph of politics over economics. That is, until the iron laws of The Marketplace turned Taiwan independence zealots’ pipe dream to dust. In retrospect, no other result was possible, or should have been expected. TAIWAN INDEPENDENCE IS DEAD A funny thing happened … Continue reading “Taiwan Independence, R.I.P.”

Clinton’s Sad Foreign Policy Legacy

Madeleine Albright, as Agence France-Presse recently reported, closed out her final mission abroad in style. The comfortable converted Boeing 757 used by the Secretary of State for trips abroad, on which la Albright has logged almost a million miles in four years, was stocked with fine champagne and French cheeses for the final Albright trip … Continue reading “Clinton’s Sad Foreign Policy Legacy”

Janus-Faced Universalism and Rosy-Fingered Dawn

THE JOYS OF UNIVERSALISM Universalism is said to be a wonderful thing. It brings to mind Alexander the Great, widely praised by historians earlier in this – I mean the late – century, as a heroic founder of ‘universalism.’ The praise came because he made his officers take Persian brides, as did he, to cement … Continue reading “Janus-Faced Universalism and Rosy-Fingered Dawn”

The Gulf War In Retrospect: the “Isolationists” Were Right

Ten years ago, George Herbert Walker Bush unleashed the mightiest military machine on earth against a poor, Third World country whose only “crime” consisted of redrawing the map of the Middle East as originally drawn by the British Foreign Office. Iraq has always claimed Kuwait as its “nineteenth province,” an assertion that history in the … Continue reading “The Gulf War In Retrospect: the “Isolationists” Were Right”

Our War Criminals and Theirs

I hate to disappoint my Republican readers who fell for Condolezza Rice’s jive talk about the US getting out of the Balkans, but you’ve been had. Senator Carl Levin (D-Michigan), fresh from Dubya’s meeting with congressional leaders on defense issues, said the President-elect was a bit more cautious about the prospect of pulling out than … Continue reading “Our War Criminals and Theirs”