War & Peace Archives - Page 421 of 725 - Foreign Policy In Focus

Russia, China Warily Watch for American Intrusions in Central Asia, Part II

by Ahmed Rashid | May 1, 2002

As small Central Asian countries have struck military alliances with the United States, their leaders have asserted their own power more aggressively. At the same time, the presence of American soldiers threatens to dilute Russia’s and China’s power to influence the region’s politics and economics. Since September 2001, Russia and China have cooperated with Washington’s moves and generally affirmed its aims. But as the fighting in Afghanistan winds down, hard-liners in both countries are expressing resentment and apprehension about a prolonged American presence in a region they consider their backyard.

Farewell Crusader? Insiders Will Cash In Regardless

by William D. Hartung | May 1, 2002

A year and one-half into his tenure and on the brink of pushing the military budget over $400 billion per year, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has finally decided to cancel a major weapons program in the name of military “transformation.” His weapons cut of choice is the Army’s $11 billion Crusader program, the largest project of United Defense, whose largest shareholder is the Carlyle Group, an investment firm that employs such former Republican luminaries as former Reagan Defense Secretary Frank Carlucci (chairman), former Secretary of State James Baker, and former President George Herbert Walker Bush (for the occasional $100,000 speech or overseas marketing trip).

Washington Is Ignoring Human Rights Abuses: The Indonesia Case

by Frida Berrigan | May 1, 2002

When U.S. and Indonesian officials met in Jakarta in late April to discuss resumption of military cooperation, it should have caused alarm bells to ring all over Washington.

Nuclear-tipped Foolishness

by Michael Kraig, Michael Roston | May 1, 2002

On April 11, 2002, The Washington Post publicized the Defense Science Board’s study of integrating nuclear-tipped interceptors into America’s planned national missile defense (NMD). Initial Bush administration reviews of missile defense technology discounted the possibility of using such a system. However, the administration may be concerned that other missile defense proposals, employing “kinetic hit-to-kill vehicles” that strike a target head-on, cannot guarantee successful interception. Some analysts have suggested that this form of interception is as difficult as “hitting a baseball with a golf ball.” Beyond guaranteeing a successful interception, some NMD planners also hope that nuclear explosions in space would guarantee the destruction of biological or chemical agents in ballistic missile payloads.

U.S. Arms Transfers and Security Assistance to Israel

by Frida Berrigan, William D. Hartung | May 1, 2002

U.S. press coverage of Israeli attacks on the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian towns on the West Bank often treat the U.S. government as either an innocent bystander or an honest broker in the current conflict, often without giving a full sense of the importance of the U.S. role as a supplier of arms, aid, and military technology to Israel. In its role as Israel’s primary arms supplier, the United States could exert significant potential leverage over Israeli behavior in the conflict, if it would choose to do so.

Too Much is Never Enough: Bush’s Military Spending Spree

by Michelle Ciarrocca | May 1, 2002

Forget that the Bush administration is sending U.S. troops to train local forces in Yemen, the Philippines, and Uzbekistan, and that since September 11th the U.S. has stepped up military aid to Turkey, Pakistan, India, Jordan, and a number of countries who are “with us” in the war on terror.

A U.S. Cabal Pulling America to War

by Conn Hallinan | May 1, 2002

Sometime this fall, probably before the mid-term elections, the U.S. will probably be at war with Iraq. But why are we headed to war in the Mideast? Not because Iraq is engaged in terrorism. According to the CIA, it isn’t. Not because Iraqi arms threaten our security. According to most arms inspectors, Iraq is essentially disarmed.

Why the U.S. Supports Israel

by Stephen Zunes | May 1, 2002

Israel’s State Terrorism

by Lev Grinberg | Apr 1, 2002

What is the difference between State terrorism and individual terrorist acts? If we understand this difference we’ll understand also the evilness of U.S. Middle East policies and the forthcoming disasters. When Yassir Arafat was put under siege in his offices and kept hostage by the Israeli occupation forces, he was constantly pressed into condemning terror and combating terrorism. Israel’s State terrorism is defined by U.S. officials as “self-defense,” while individual suicide bombers are called terrorists.

Defense Establishment’s Control of U.S. Policy Poses Threat to Afghan Reconstruction

by Ahmed Rashid | Apr 1, 2002

Some officials within the Bush administration and the interim government in Kabul complain that the CIA’s and the U.S. military’s continuing control of U.S. policy is hampering Afghanistan’s reconstruction. The continuing military emphasis on policy is thwarting the development of political and economic tactics that strengthen the interim government and promote reconciliation.