War & Peace Archives - Page 321 of 729 - Foreign Policy In Focus

Abandoning Sabotage in Iran

by Rob Grace | Oct 22, 2010

For years, the United States and Israel have engaged in a covert effort to destabilize Iran’s government and sabotage its nuclear program. But these operations frequently escape mention in public discussions. By ignoring the covert effort, the current debate about the relative wisdom of diplomacy, sanctions, and preventive military action addresses an incomplete picture. To understand the challenges and potential of U.S.-Iranian relations, the covert program must be factored into the equation.

Clash of the East Asian Titans

by Conn Hallinan | Oct 21, 2010

On the face of it, it is hard to explain why a minor collision between a Chinese fishing boat and a Japanese Coast Guard vessel this past September escalated to the point of Beijing and Tokyo nearly breaking off relations. But the incident mirrors policies that both nations see as vital to their self-interests. It is also connected to the aggressive U.S. push to defend its traditional power in the region.

U.S. Military Aid Far Outpaces Democracy Assistance

by Jim Lobe | Oct 20, 2010

Desperate to secure supply routes to Afghanistan, the United States has been spending at least six times more on military aid for the mostly authoritarian states of Central Asia than on efforts to promote political liberalisation and human rights in the region, according to a new report released here by the Open Society Foundations (OSF).

The Cultural Assassinations of Baghdad

by Qasim Sabti | Oct 20, 2010

When the American tanks had completed their task breaking down the gates of the Art Museum, the first person to reach the main gallery, which was filled with hundreds of paintings by contemporary artists, was—unfortunately—a thief.

A World Made by War

by Tom Engelhardt | Oct 20, 2010

After the drums of war had begun to beat, after the first headlines had screamed their World-War-II-style messages (“the Pearl Harbor of the 21st century”), I had another thought. And for a reasonably politically sophisticated guy, my second response was not only as off-base as the first, but also remarkably dumb. I thought that this horrific event taking place in my hometown might open Americans up to the pain of the world. No such luck, of course.

To the ISI, Its Hidden Agenda for the Mumbai Attacks Made Perfect Sense

by Russ Wellen | Oct 20, 2010

Brutal as the Mumbai attacks were, the hidden agenda behind them was more logical than the one behind the invasion of Iraq.

American Base Town in Northern Japan

by Saito Mitsumasa | Oct 15, 2010

According to the 2006 report, 14 of the 38 most valuable large bases in the world are concentrated in Japan. This includes the top three: the Navy base at Yokosuka, home port for a nuclear aircraft carrier ($3.88 billion); the Air Force base at Kadena, the largest air terminal in Asia ($3.82 billion); and the airbase at Misawa ($3.71 billion).

Standing Up for Democracy in Ecuador

by Laura Carlsen | Oct 15, 2010

The uprising in Ecuador that occurred on September 30 shook the world and sparked a debate about the reason for the unrest. Groups of police and members of the armed forces, disgruntled over a law that, among other aspects, eliminates police bonuses, took to the streets in protest. When President Rafael Correa went out to talk to the police, he was attacked with tear gas and later held captive in the police hospital as police officers continued to attack unarmed citizens.

When It Comes to Terrorism, History Reveals U.S. Is Second to None

by Russ Wellen | Oct 13, 2010

People who lives in glass houses . . . sectarian violence in Iraq echoed butchery during the U.S. Civil War.

The White Noise of War

by John Feffer | Oct 12, 2010

In the high-vaulted main hall of Union Station in Washington, DC, the sound of a drone attack interrupts the morning rush hour. A dozen people suddenly freeze in place. Some point up into the air. Others crouch with hands over their heads in a vain attempt at self-protection. The commuters on their way to and from the trains pause to look at the stationary figures. After a minute or so, the leaf-blower sound of the drone attack cuts off, and the figures crumple to the ground, crying out in pain. As the cries of the victims fade, two attendants cover the bodies with blood-stained sheets.