Peace and Security
The Defense Industry Threatens America’s Economy
India has the military-industrial complex all figured out. So does Saudi Arabia. Neither of them has one. Who needs to build weapons when you can simply buy them at a discount elsewhere? Not that anyone really needs so many weapons anyway, but it’s still a lot cheaper to tap the competitive arms market for a few specific items than to build a massive infrastructure to keep churning out whole arsenals for yourself.
Heading for Havana
For most Americans, visiting Cuba is inconceivable.Not so for travelers from the rest of the world. The Caribbean country’s stunning beaches, colonial architecture, vintage cars, and vibrant musical culture attract more than 2 million tourists a year from Europe, Latin America, and elsewhere.
Making the U.S.-Pakistan Relationship Less Toxic
Since the covert U.S. operation that killed Osama bin Laden near a Pakistani military installation, the U.S.-Pakistani relationship has rapidly deteriorated. Officials from both countries face increasing political pressure to stand firm in opposition to one another. However, this diplomatic confrontation won’t produce any winners. Undermining U.S.-Pakistani bilateral relations could have drastic implications for the security of the entire South Asian region.
Justice Department Gives Torturers a Pass
The Romans had an expression for it: “Nulla poena sine lege,” no punishment without a law. But people sometimes forget that the opposite is also true: Without punishment for offenders, a law itself can die.
Haiti, the Caribbean Sweatshop
It’s baseball season in America, and for every ball that’s scuffed in the dirt or fouled in the stands, another is quietly stitched in an abysmal Haitian sweatshop. Pay and working conditions in Haiti are the worst in the Western Hemisphere, and that’s saying something.
Washington’s Physics Problem in Iraq
The Joint Chiefs of Staff, says its chairman Adm. Mike Mullen, has a “physics problem.”
Bring Our Troops Home
At long last, America’s overdue withdrawal from Afghanistan has begun. “The tide of war is receding,” President Barack Obama declared as he announced that 10,000 troops would come home this year and 23,000 more next year.
How the Government Can Save $2 Trillion
This summer, members of Congress are threatening to shut down the federal government or block efforts to raise the limit on how much the U.S. government can borrow unless lawmakers agree on tough action to cut federal spending. With the budget deficit expanding and total debt now estimated at more than $14 trillion, the House budget doesn’t even begin to make a dent.
America the Vulnerable
This March, federal prosecutors charged six members of an antigovernment group called the Alaska Peacemakers Militia with plotting to wage a campaign of murder and kidnapping against court officials and state troopers. They had already amassed an arsenal of weapons, including hand grenades, assault rifles, and a .50-caliber machine gun.
A Politician Who Distinguishes Fact from Fiction
I’d like to propose a new electoral law that would require all Senate candidates to be novelists. If we had 100 novelists in the Senate, the body might finally be able, like Sen. Jim Webb, to distinguish fact from fiction.
