Charles V. Peña

This week marked the fourth anniversary of the fall of Saddam Hussein and the liberation of Iraq. On Monday, tens of thousands of Iraqis turned out to celebrate – which, according to one U.S. official, was proof that "Iraq, four years on, is now a place where people can freely gather and express their opinions." … Continue reading “Yankee, Go Home”

Foreign Follies: America’s New Global Empire Doug Bandow Xulon Press, 2006 384 pp. To say that Doug Bandow is prolific would be an understatement of enormous proportions. He turns out a weekly column for Antiwar.com and contributes to two blogs – 4Pundits and Citizen Outreach. Bandow is also the author of several books – Korean … Continue reading “Foreign Follies
a Sobering Read”

In October 2002, President Bush made the case for waging war against Iraq by raising the specter of nuclear terrorism: "If the Iraqi regime is able to produce, buy, or steal an amount of highly enriched uranium a little larger than a single softball, it could have a nuclear weapon in less than a year. … Continue reading “Reducing the Risk of Nukes”

Making an unannounced stop in Pakistan on Monday, Vice President Cheney "expressed U.S. apprehensions of regrouping of al-Qaeda in the tribal areas and called for concerted efforts in countering the threat" according to an aide to Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf. According to Musharraf, Pakistan "has done the maximum in the fight against terrorism." Furthermore, … Continue reading “Our Pals in Pakistan”

The Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC), a group created by President Bush in March 2002, recently issued its "Report of the Future of Terrorism Task Force" [.pdf]. One of its findings was that "the alienation of Muslim populations in the Western world is a major component of the spread of jihadist ideology" and that "Muslims … Continue reading “The Future of Terrorism”

According to President Bush, the additional 21,500 U.S. troops to be deployed in Iraq will provide "the force levels we need" to secure Baghdad. The president would have us believe previous lack of success is because "there were not enough Iraqi and American troops to secure neighborhoods that had been cleared of terrorists and insurgents" … Continue reading “Whither the Surge?”

Last week, most of the media’s and public’s attention was focused on President Bush’s announcement that he would be sending another 20,000-plus troops to Iraq – a move opposed by 70 percent of the American people. Nonetheless, the president refuses to let public opinion change his mind (he has famously said, "As to whether or … Continue reading “92,000 More Soldiers?”

In February 2003, President Bush argued that "a liberated Iraq can show the power of freedom to transform that vital region, by bringing hope and progress into the lives of millions. America’s interests in security, and America’s belief in liberty, both lead in the same direction: to a free and peaceful Iraq." According to the … Continue reading “Requiem for a Dictator”

At this time last year, the Pentagon was hinting that troop levels in Iraq would be reduced. Then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announced that two combat brigades scheduled for combat tours would not be deployed to Iraq. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, proclaimed, "If things go … Continue reading “Another Year,
Another Iraq Plan”

Almost every war sees the emergence of a weapon that is considered decisive or revolutionary. The English longbow – with its ability to kill in great numbers at long range – gave England’s armies the edge in medieval wars on the continent for nearly three centuries, but advances in protective armor plating and the development … Continue reading “Two Pair of Twos”