Why the Wars can't be Won
The Eastern Sierra Speaks
Why the Wars can't be Won
Categories: Iraq, National Politics, Iran, War and Peace, Afghanistan, 1451 words2 feedbacks •by Prof. John Kozy
Edmund Burke's statement, "Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it" is frequently cited, but in truth, even history's obvious lessons are unrecognized by many who know history very well.
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Response to Mo' Wingnuttitness
Categories: National Politics, Iran, International Relations, Afghanistan, 980 wordsSend feedback •But it's OK for Wall Street to send all our union jobs to China where they can hire Communist Slave Labor for pennies on the dollar and then it's OK, according to the Republicans and too many Democrats, for those same corporations funded by Wall Street to bring those products made with Communist Slave Labor back to the U.S. market without tariffs so those same companies that are using Commmunist Slave Labor can drive any companies that stay here and employ U.S. citizens at good union wages out of business.
Rethinking Iran-Contra: A Much Darker Story? The Iran-Contra/ October Surprise was the missing link in a larger American political narrative
Categories: National Politics, Iran, International Relations, Afghanistan, 2207 wordsSend feedback •The conventional view of the Iran-Contra scandal is that it covered the period 1985-86, when President Ronald Reagan became concerned about the fate of American hostages in Lebanon and agreed to secretly sell weapons to Iran’s Islamist government to gain its help in freeing the captives.
Did 9/11 Justify the War in Afghanistan? Using the McChrystal Moment to Raise a Forbidden Question
Categories: Iraq, National Politics, Iran, Media Issues, War and Peace, Afghanistan, 10238 wordsSend feedback •by Prof. David Ray Griffin
There are many questions to ask about the war in Afghanistan. One that has been widely asked is whether it will turn out to be “Obama’s Vietnam.”1 This question implies another: Is this war winnable, or is it destined to be a quagmire, like Vietnam? These questions are motivated in part by the widespread agreement that the Afghan government, under Hamid Karzai, is at least as corrupt and incompetent as the government the United States tried to prop up in South Vietnam for 20 years.
Six Questions for Juan Cole, Author of Engaging the Muslim World
Categories: Iraq, Iran, War and Peace, International Relations, 2981 wordsSend feedback •By Scott Horton
Juan Cole is one of the nation’s leading historians focusing on the Middle East. Over the past decade he has emerged as a commentator on Middle East policy and a reliable source for new ideas that may enable the United States to pursue its foreign policy objectives more effectively in the region. For millions, his frequent posts at the Informed Comment blog provide a daily update on press accounts from the Islamic world, often including translations from Arabic- and Farsi-language sources in close-to-real time. His new book, Engaging the Muslim World, will be published on March 17.
1. What are the three biggest misperceptions Americans have about the global Islamic community?
Prof. Juan Cole
One: If you watch American television, you see the most extreme charges against Muslims set forth by pundits. Some allege that Muslims are inherently violent and commanded by scripture to attack infidels. In fact, the Quran forbids murder and commands Muslims to make peace with people who seek peace with them. The “infidels” whom the Quran urges the faithful to combat were the militant pagans of ancient Mecca, who had aggressively attacked the Muslims and were trying to kill them all. The Quran praises the Hebrew Bible and the Gospels as full of “guidance and light,” celebrates the children of Israel, and says that Christians are closest in love to Muslims. Of course, some Muslims are bigoted and manage to ignore those parts of their scripture, but it is not the case that the religion is essentially militant. I’ve gone with Americans to the Middle East, and after a few days they typically come and confess to me that they are amazed at how nice the people are, how kind and generous to foreigners, and how little they resemble U.S. media stereotypes.
