In previous posts and other arenas I have argued that the Iraq War could not be explained simply by the threat of WMDs, the desire to liberate the Iraqi people, to spread democracy, to uphold the credibility of the UN, etc, etc. My point was that you must look at the operation in the larger context of a global struggle against innumerable threats to US security, both state- and non-state based, where the US for all its power recognized its...

Apparently, three protestors dressed like clowns (no, literally, circus clowns) broke into a nuclear launch facility in North Dakota and, I am not kidding about this, used a sledgehammer to disable the lock on the personnel entry hatch of a Minuteman III missile that provides access to the warhead and then hammered on the silo lid that covers the 300 kiloton nuclear warhead.The three staged the event in part "to call for national repentance for...

Today's maxim seems particularly appropriate, given recent discussions about Iraq and the potential for military conflict with Iran and North Korea.The worst enemy of someone who begins a war is his belief in easy victory. For no matter how simple and certain it appears, a war is subject to a thousand accidents. And the confusion these accidents create will be even greater if they happen to someone who has not prepared his mind and his forces...

In case anyone had any doubts about the moral relativism of certain segments of the right-wing anti-terror warrior-punditry, Wretched provides a useful reminder. Sleep Management, Stress Positions, Change of Scenery, Dietary Manipulation, Environmental Manipulation and Sensory Deprivation have already been acknowledged as unacceptable treatment, even for the hard core of the enemy. But surely these tiny cells were as bad as anything the Nazis...

I don't like to discuss domestic political races on the site, but this is such blatant misinformation I really couldn't resist, especially given its relation to US foreign policy debates. I guess this is what you get when your poll numbers look like this:Santorum (R) 34 (36)Casey (D) 52 (49)Filed as: Santorum, Misinformation

Previously, I've pointed out the overt hypocrisy of American non-proliferation policy. The U.S. continues to seek new nuclear weapons and maintains a very large arsenal of these weapons; yet, it tries very hard to prevent many other states from acquiring these same armaments.Since the U.S. position is that states like Iran, Iraq, and North Korea should abide international norms about nuclear proliferation, this hypocrisy could be viewed as a...

One rule of international politics: when something interesting happens, look to see what else is going on because sometimes the they are related.In other words, perhaps the North Koreans read the news too and aren't as irrational as the Bush Administration would have you believe. Or, context matters. Take your pick.Lets review: The North Koreans are preparing to launch a Taepo-Dong II missle into the Pacific Ocean. They are demanding direct...

Yesterday Germany handily won Group A of the World Cup, defeating Ecuador 3-0 (their third straight victory) and advancing to the next round of competition. This wasn't a huge surprise; Group A wasn't exactly the strongest of groups this year, and the German team is quite the powerhouse behind stars like Miroslav Klose. So on march the Germans into the round of 16, facing Sweden on Saturday.The press coverage of this has been very interesting....

Much has been made of the activation of the nascent US-based missile defense system seemingly in response to North Korea's imminent test of what we believe (but do not know) to be a long-range ballistic missile. The DPRK is obviously looking for attention given that the focus of the West has shifted drastically towards Iran recently. US officials are denying that they are considering shooting down a North Korean missile should it be launched....

Mark Safranski kindly forwarded me a link to a really interesting blog, Cynical Nerd's The Indian National Interest. The most recent post (as of today) is entitled "India, Russia and Geopolitics." The conclusions:While India might move closer to the United States due to a convergence of threat perceptions, the continued ambivalence of the latter towards Indian interests vis-a-vis Pakistan, not to mention United States efforts to cap India’s...

Well, that just about speaks for itself, doesn't it? I don't think he actually wants us to treat "unlawful enemy combatants" the same way we treated Nazi POWs and war criminals, because that would mean applying the Geneva Convention and even extending representation to those charged with crimes.If our readers have any additional nominations for "most idiotic political cartoon of the year", let us know.[edited for clarity. Apologies to Mark...

[Updated] If I have to hear someone else, whether it is an administration official like Tony Snow (scroll down) or a member of the wingnutty club (pick one, any one), tell me that Iraq is 'getting better' and 'we are making progress' my head might explode, alla Scanners (not for the feint of heart).It's not ok, it hasn't been for a while and it isn't likely to be so for a very long time. This isn't 'liberal rage' or 'lefty pessimism' or some...