“For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind” — Hosea 8:7 It may be surprising to hear, but it is a plain historical fact that modern international jihad originated as an instrument of US foreign policy. The “great menace of our era” was built up by the CIA to wage a proxy war … Continue reading “They Sow the Cyclone – We Reap the Blowback”
Tag: war on terror
Flytrap to Breeding Ground
After the abject failure of the Iraq War became undeniable, court intellectuals strained to concoct alternative rationales for the War that would recast it as a success, or at least a work-in-progress. Of these, the favorite of blogger-pundit Andrew Sullivan (who has since vociferously recanted his support for the Iraq War) was “Operation Flytrap,” which … Continue reading “Flytrap to Breeding Ground”
Salafists Gaining Ground
The main impact of US intervention in the Middle East has been to destabilize, polarize, and radicalize the region. Especially, it has fomented a vast, multi-country, new sectarian civil war between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. On each side, the most sectarian forces have gained from the conflict. And benefiting the most have been fanatically intolerant … Continue reading “Salafists Gaining Ground”
Obama’s New Restricted War on Terror Is Unlikely to Be Lasting
Prior to the 2012 election, President Obama told aides that he wanted to institutionalize the ad hoc war on terror, thus shaping it for years to come whether he was re-elected or a successor took over, according to the New York Times. This desire led to the recent presidential speech at the National Defense University … Continue reading “Obama’s New Restricted War on Terror Is Unlikely to Be Lasting”
The Eternal War?
Twelve and a half years after Congress didn’t declare war on an organization of hundreds or, at most, thousands of jihadis scattered mainly across the backlands of the planet, and instead let President George W. Bush and his cohort loose to do whatever they wanted; twelve and a half years after the president, his top officials, his neocon supporters, … Continue reading “The Eternal War?”
Has the Left Made Peace With the Warfare State?
As a perpetual emotion machine — producing and guzzling its own political fuel — the “war on terror” continues to normalize itself as a thoroughly American way of life and death. Ongoing warfare has become a matter of default routine, pushed along by mainline media and the leadership of both parties in Washington. Without a … Continue reading “Has the Left Made Peace With the Warfare State?”
Congress Exploits Our Fears to Take Our Liberty
This week, as Americans were horrified by the attacks in Boston, both houses of Congress considered legislation undermining our liberty in the name of “safety.” Gun control continued to be the focus of the Senate, where an amendment expanding federal “background checks” to gun show sales and other private transfers dominated the debate. While the … Continue reading “Congress Exploits Our Fears to Take Our Liberty”
American Anniversaries from Hell
It’s true that, last week, few in Congress cared to discuss, no less memorialize, the 10th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. Nonetheless, two anniversaries of American disasters and crimes abroad — the “mission accomplished” debacle of 2003 and the 45th anniversary of the My Lai massacre — were at least noted in passing in our world. In my hometown … Continue reading “American Anniversaries from Hell”
Who Speaks Now for the GOP?
Last Wednesday, Sen. Rand Paul rose on the Senate floor to declare a filibuster and pledge he would not sit down until either he could speak no longer or got an answer to his question about Barack Obama’s war powers. Does the president, Paul demanded to know, in the absence of an imminent threat, have … Continue reading “Who Speaks Now for the GOP?”
War on Terror, Women, and Children
The Global War on Terror has had many victims since it was launched by President George W. Bush soon after September 11, 2001. In his “crusade,” a word he used publicly before he thought better of it (“This crusade,” he said, “this war on terrorism”), the history of kidnappings and renditions, torture and abuse, imprisonment … Continue reading “War on Terror, Women, and Children”