This past September, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton drew criticism for comparing the current situation in Mexico to “Colombia 20 years ago.” Most of that criticism questioned whether the analogy was appropriate or whether the statement was an unnecessary affront to a close U.S. ally, the Mexican government of Felipe Calderón. But the more significant part of Clinton’s comments was her enthusiastic praise for Plan Colombia—the massive U.S. military aid package started by her husband in 1999—and her insistence on the need “to figure out what are the equivalents” for other regions, particularly Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.
The 2010 “Are You Serious?” Awards
In which erstwhile FPIF columnist Conn Hallinan hands out his awards for dubious distinction to news stories and newsmakers.
Review: Cultures of War
The last 70 years of modern warfare have been filled with atrocities, from the first bomb that exploded the tranquility of Pearl Harbor on the morning of December 7, 1941 to the advent of large-scale saturation bombing of civilian centers culminating in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, from the terror attacks of 9/11 to the ill-advised invasion of Iraq and subsequent quagmire. In his ambitious and comprehensive comparative study Cultures of War, historian John Dower exposes many striking similarities between the thoughts, actions, and attitudes of Imperial Japan, the United States, and radical Islamists.
Repeal of DADT Becomes Zero Sum Game Between Gays and Gitmo Detainees
Repeal of DADT: Good news for gays; bad news for Guantanamo detainees.
Is Bono Undermining His Activism by Hobnobbing With the Superclass?
The impact of celebrity activists unmoored to social movements is likely to be superficial.
Does Prague Stop With START?
The difficulty getting New START passed means ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty isn’t happening anytime soon.
New START Closer to Breaking Out of the Blocks
Ratification is like the starter’s gun — but is the finish line disarmament or a nuclear-industrial complex more deeply entrenched than ever?
Q. So What Are You Fighting For? A. Ah’m Fightin’ Cause Yore Here
How and why the U.S. assures an endless supply of “terrorists” to fight and “enemies” to destroy.
U.S. Agrees to Transfer Nuclear Material to Yet Another Outlaw Nuke Regime
Like India, which the U.S. also provided with nuclear materials, Israel never signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Agreement.
WikiLeaks XXI: So Much for the Media’s Mandate to Mediate Secrets
Even for those who advocate government secrecy, many of the classified documents should not have been classified at all.