All Commentaries
This Is Not What Containment Looks Like
“To strengthen Iran sanctions laws for the purpose of compelling Iran to abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons and other threatening activities, and for other purposes,” begins HR1905, the so-called “Iran Threat Reduction Act” advanced by the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee this week. The resolution, put forward by the chairwoman of the committee, Florida Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, has 349 co-signers, more than enough to pass a House vote. It will increase sanctions on Iran and limit U.S. contact with Iranian officials, and pressure to enact it will be strengthened by the release of a November IAEA report asserting that Iran has been secretly developing nuclear weapons (and a delivery system for them) since 2003.
Iran: Here We Go . . .
While neoconservative commentators were declaring that diplomacy doesn’t work with Iran, members of Congress were setting about ensuring that it wouldn’t.
Playing With Fire on the Korean Peninsula
The six-party talks may or may not resolve the nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula, but they are the only game in town.
Obama to Aid Uzbek Dictatorship
The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, in a move initiated by the Obama administration, has voted to waive Bush-era human rights restrictions on military aid to the Islam Karimov dictatorship in Uzbekistan, one of the most brutal and repressive regimes on the planet. The lifting of the restrictions, now part of the Foreign Operations bill, is before the full Senate and appears to have bipartisan support. The Obama administration has indicated that it intends to provide taxpayer-funded military assistance to Uzbekistan once the legislation passes both houses of Congress.
Seoul Salvation
His name was on the lips of everyone I talked with in South Korea last week. As an underdog with little name recognition but a long history of progressive organizing, he came from behind late last month to become the new mayor of Seoul.
Remember his name. Park Won Soon is perhaps the first politician to win with an Occupy Wall Street platform.
U.S. Government Brushes Aside Threat UFOs May Pose to National Security
Though presumed benign, UFOs may either pose or perceive to be posing, a threat to national security.
The Phases of the Moon and an Attack on Iran
Launching an air attack on Iran requires bright nights.
Bahrain’s Courageous Doctors
The United States continues to ignore the thwarted Arab Spring in Bahrain. Recently, a quasi-military court in the small Gulf state sentenced 20 doctors and nurses to up to 15 years in jail. The charge against them? Treating injured demonstrators opposing the regime.
Pakistani Nukes in Step Vans Have Ripple Effect on Iran
The United States fears that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons will fall into the hands of terrorists. But Pakistan believes that the United States has designs on its nukes.
Super Stuxnet? U.S., Israel Escalating Malware War Against Iran
Never mind just sabotaging centrifuges, couldn’t “Super Stuxnet” scramble Iran’s air defense systems in advance of an Israeli and/or U.S. attack?