Tag: venezuela

A Foreign Enemy is a Tyrant’s Best Friend

The recent Iran nuclear deal represents a thaw in the American cold war against that country. It is a welcome sequel to the Obama administration’s partial normalization with Cuba announced late last year. Hardliners denounce these policies as “going soft” on theocracy and communism. Yet, it is such critics’ own hardline, hawkish policies that have … Continue reading “A Foreign Enemy is a Tyrant’s Best Friend”

The Meaning of Hugo Chavez

Editorial note: This essay appears in the current issue of Chronicles magazine, the feisty conservative monthly put out by the Rockford Institute, where my column “Between the Lines” appears regularly. Normally, the content I provide Chronicles is exclusive: that is, you can only get it by subscribing or buying on the newsstand. However, the editors … Continue reading “The Meaning of Hugo Chavez”

On Translating Securityspeak Into English

One might wonder, reading the American “national security” community’s pronouncements, if they refer to the same world we live in. Things make a little more sense when you realize that the Security State has its own language: Securityspeak. Like Newspeak, the ideologically refashioned successor to English in Orwell’s 1984, Securityspeak is designed to obscure meaning … Continue reading “On Translating Securityspeak Into English”

Iran’s Relations with Latin America Less Than Meets the Eye

Its economy hurting from sanctions imposed by the United States and Europe, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been making a show of bolstering its ties to Latin America, with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad this past week making his sixth official visit to the region since taking office in 2005. Contrary to assertions made by the … Continue reading “Iran’s Relations with Latin America Less Than Meets the Eye”

US Base Deal for Colombia: Back to the Status Quo

As the dust settles on the August 10 Colombian Constitutional Court ruling declaring invalid the U.S.-Colombia military bases agreement, politicians and analysts are saying that the decision was for the better.  Most of those voices come from former supporters of the deal —including Liberal Party presidential candidate, Rafael Pardo. Last October, the United States and Colombia signed an … Continue reading “US Base Deal for Colombia: Back to the Status Quo”