Commentaries Archives - Page 364 of 837

The Costs of Quagmire

by Erik Leaver, Emily Schwartz Greco | Sep 14, 2005

As the costs begin to escalate in the Gulf States with Congress authorizing $60 billion for rescue and cleanup operations and as fingers point in the Capital, the costs of another quagmire mount—that of the Iraq War. The death and destruction strewn by hurricane Katrina may equal or even exceed the death toll of U.S. soldiers in the Iraq War. But while 6,000 miles separates the two, the links between war overseas and the fate of those in Katrina’s wake are closely interwoven.

Looking for Peace in Iraq

by Erik Leaver, Adil E. Shamoo | Sep 14, 2005

Despite increased U.S. military operations and the stepped-up training of Iraqis, the Iraq insurgency continues to be deadly—nearly 3 U.S. soldiers died per day in August. Dwarfing that number are Iraqi deaths as a result of the fighting which average 34 every day.

Hurricane Katrina and the War in Iraq

by John Gershman, Stephen Zunes | Sep 2, 2005

As it begins to appear that the death toll in southeastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi from Hurricane Katrina may surpass that of 9/11, questions are once again being raised regarding the Bush administration’s distorted views as to what constitutes national security.

Iraq: Stop Intervening in the Civil War

by Erik Leaver, Gareth Porter | Aug 23, 2005

While the news media have covered every twist and turn in the negotiations over a constitution, it has largely ignored the most important development in Iraq since the January 2005 election – the emergence of a sectarian civil war between Sunnis and Shiites.

Bombings and Repression in Egypt Underscore Failures in U.S. Anti-Terrorism Strategy

by John Gershman, Stephen Zunes | Aug 11, 2005

The devastating bombings which struck the Egyptian city of Sharm al-Sheik on July 24 underscore both the extent of the threat from Islamist terrorists and the failure of the United States and its allies to effectively deal with it.

Labors Foreign Policy Heads in a New Direction

by John Gershman, Tim Shorrock | Aug 11, 2005

Lost amidst the publicity about the breakup of the AFL-CIO at its convention last month were two events that, in their own ways, could point to a radically new foreign policy for American unions and workers.

August Around the World

by John Gershman, Col. Daniel Smith (Ret.) | Aug 11, 2005

The song speaks of “those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.”

The prevailing sentiment, less “laid back,” refers to “the dog days of summer” from which the rich and well-connected have historically sought relief by getting out of town. Indeed, one can easily picture Caesar Augustus—in whose honor the Roman Senate renamed and lengthened the sixth month in the Julian calendar—abandoning Rome in the same way Congress and the president flee Washington.

Security Council Reform Debate Highlights Challenges Facing UN

by John Gershman, Ian Williams | Aug 10, 2005

Within a day of arriving at the United Nations John Bolton, the former lobbyist for Taiwan and advocate for one permanent seat on the Security Council, the United States, had cut a deal with the Chinese representative. China wants to stop an additional permanent Security Council seat for Japan. The United States had promised Japan its support in return for its loyalty over Iraq, but hated Germany more than it loves Japan. So the two agreed to thwart the attempt by the G-4 (Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan), to secure permanent seats during the current reform proposals.

Too Much of Nothing

by Tom Athanasiou, John Gershman | Aug 1, 2005

Bush Overstates Africa Aid Increase

by David Bryden, Emily Schwartz Greco | Jul 20, 2005

Now that the dust has settled from the rush of media reports about Africa brought on by the Group of Eight summit, itÂs worth taking a closer look at what the United States has actually committed to, in terms of aid for programs to address poverty and disease in Africa.