All Commentaries
Nuclear Weapons Stewardship a Victim of Mission Creep
The National Nuclear Security Administration has seized on safety as its ticket to secure funding for major nuclear warhead modifications.
Zahra’s Paradise
Set in the aftermath of Iran’s fraudulent elections of 2009, Zahra’s Paradise is the fictional story of the search for Mehdi, a young protestor who has disappeared in the Islamic Republic’s gulags. Mehdi has vanished in an extrajudicial twilight zone where habeas corpus is suspended.
Global Warming, Global Violence
Last month the journal Nature published a paper examining the link between local climate variations and civil conflict around the world. The first quantitative study of its kind, it has received a fair amount of attention for its conclusion that climate shifts do indeed correlate with greater violence. The authors found that the rate of armed conflict doubled — from 3 to 6 percent — during El Nino-associated climate swings, a statistically significant and sobering increase.
New Japanese Prime Minister Must Quell China’s Fears About His Nationalism
Japan needs China’s market for its technology. It also needs low-priced daily necessities made in China.
Impressive Taliban Attack on Embassy Eclipses Success for Afghan Security Forces
Its attack on the U.S. embassy reveals a Taliban either conflicted or divided within itself about talking with the United States.
Panama: Free-Trade Tax Haven
Negotiated by President Bush in 2004-2006, the U.S.-Panama free-trade agreement has since stalled in the face of congressional opposition. However, recent House votes have suggested a renewed interest in ratifying the agreement, which would normalize Panama’s status as a notorious tax haven for U.S.-based corporations, along with other, seedier entities.
The New Scramble for Africa
Is current U.S. foreign policy in Africa following a blueprint drawn up almost eight years ago by the right-wing Heritage Foundation, one of the most conservative think tanks in the world? Although it seems odd that a Democratic administration would have anything in common with the extremists at Heritage, the convergence in policy and practice between the two is disturbing.
Israeli Settlers: Never Shy About Taking the Law Into Their Own Hands
Israeli Knesset Member Ben-Ari fears Israeli settlers will be overwhelmed by Palestinian demonstrators and that the Israeli Defense Force won’t protect them.
Libya and the Bully Problem
Elias is Swedish and has buck teeth. These are two strikes against him at the Danish school he attends. The resident bully, along with his fawning entourage, calls Elias “Rat Face” and subjects him to endless indignities. That all changes, however, with the arrival of Christian, an exchange student who is appalled at the treatment of sweet-natured Elias. Christian follows the bully into the bathroom where he is about to inflict yet another humiliation on Elias. But this time it is Christian who metes out the punishment, hitting the bully repeatedly with a bicycle pump and threatening him with a knife if he dares to throw his weight around again.
The Motive for Terrorism That Officials Dare Not Acknowledge
During the war on terror, the military, the Pentagon and the CIA — and their political and corporate allies — have accumulated enormous resources and power in a collapsing economy.