Peace and Security
War Criminal? Not Me Boss!
John Demjanjuk? Now there’s a war criminal for you, and we finally got him. Though he had long lived in the United States, Germany just sentenced him to life in prison. Well, at home actually, since he’s too sick for jail and only has a couple months left. There’s no evidence he ever killed anyone, but as a death camp prison guard he saw plenty of folks gassed.
Austerity Draft
Blowing the Whistle
I love whistleblowers. Bradley Manning. Daniel Ellsberg. WikiLeaks. Whistleblowers remind all of us that no matter where you work, no matter how you draw a paycheck, you must follow your conscience and do what’s right.
Explosive Nuclear Spending
Where are our spending priorities? Clearly there must be better ones than a $1 trillion going to nuclear weapons around the world.
Washington Still Refuses to Learn an Obvious Lesson
Back in 2004, three years into the hunt for Osama bin Laden, the 9/11 Commission report made its debut to the gushing admiration of the Washington press corps. The report was everything that the mainstream media adores: bipartisan, devoid of divisive finger-pointing, full of conventional wisdom.
Israel’s Third-Rail Borders
Writing about the Palestinians and Israelis is an exercise without profit. There’s no way to try to take a reasonable stand on the issues involved and escape vilification.
Wanted: Real U.S. Leadership
The world is transfixed as the unprecedented events in the Middle East and North Africa unfold. And foreign policy aficionados are equally transfixed as the U.S. government maneuvers between its stated values and sometimes short-sighted security policies. With targeted airstrikes and lofty rhetoric supporting some, but not all, of the brave activists seeking respect for their rights, Washington’s relations and approach with the region are inconsistent and off the mark.
War Gets Easier All the Time
It used to be that war was a really big deal. Conflicts such as Vietnam could tear the country apart. Times have changed, with decisions on war quickly becoming back-page stuff. Our wars were scarcely discussed during the last congressional election campaign. How come?
Crossing the Lexicon
Osama bin Laden’s demise raises many moral, legal, political, and historical questions. As I’ve edited and posted a steady stream of commentary about this post-9/11 milestone, one persistent editorial question has touched on all these issues.
Torture: Immoral, Illegal, Counterproductive, and Un-American
Osama bin Laden’s death has laid to rest the mystery of his whereabouts. His body lies under the ocean. But now his death raises another increasingly popular question. Was he tracked down thanks to tips elicited through the torture of captured al-Qaeda operatives? The answer should be clear: no, torture doesn’t “work.”
