10 Things to Know about U.S. Policy in the Middle East admin, September 26, 2001 1. The United States has played a major role in the militarization of the region. The Middle East is the destination of the majority of American arms exports, creating enormous profits for weapons manufacturers and contributing greatly to the militarization of this already overly-militarized region. Despite promises of restraint, U.S…. Continue Reading
International Terrorism admin, September 20, 2001 Key Points * The massive terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, have placed the threat of terrorism on the front burner and have exposed the failure of the U.S. government to protect its citizens. * The U.S. is using the threat of terrorism to justify a series of controversial policies,… Continue Reading
Don’t Bomb Afghanistan admin, September 19, 2001 It appears that the United States is preparing for a major military strike against Afghanistan. There is no question that the United States needs to respond forcefully to bring the perpetrators of last week’s terrorist attack to justice and to prevent future attacks. A large-scale military action against that country, however, would be a big mistake. Continue Reading
Should U.S. Forces Strike Back Hard? admin, September 19, 2001 The anger Americans of all backgrounds and political persuasions feel right now over the tragic events of Sept. 11 is justified. A military response , however, is not… Continue Reading
Dangerous Times for U.S. Foreign Policy admin, September 14, 2001 The tragic events of September 11 have brought out both the best of America and the worst of America. The former is represented by the heroism of the rescuers, the thousands of people lining up to donate blood and the response of the religious community through prayer vigils and memorial services. The latter is represented by the jingoism, militarism and xenophobia exhibited from the street to the talk shows. Continue Reading
U.S. Policy Toward Political Islam admin, September 12, 2001April 1, 2024 The perceived growth of radical Islamic movements throughout the Middle East and beyond has not only caused major political upheaval in the countries directly affected but has placed political Islam at the forefront of concerns voiced by U.S. policymakers. One unfortunate aspect of this newfound attention has been the way it has strengthened ugly stereotypes of Muslims already prevalent in the West. This occurs despite the existence of moderate Islamic segments and secular movements that are at least as influential as radicals in the political life of Islamic countries. Continue Reading
U.S. Shouldn’t Fight Violence With Violence admin, September 12, 2001 Terrorism is not rational, but an emotive reaction by frustrated and angry people. Yet the common reaction to terrorism is often no less rational, no less a reaction by a frustrated and angry people. It would behoove this great nation not to respond to yesterday’s terrorist attack on America in ways that would restrict civil liberties, particularly if the terrorists are from an immigrant community. Already, analogies are being drawn to Pearl Harbor, which resulted in the internment of tens of thousands of loyal U.S. citizens of Japanese ancestry. Continue Reading
The United States and Bolivia: The Taming of a Revolution, 1952-1957 admin, September 1, 2001 http://stephenzunes.org/articles/LatinAmericanPerspectivesUSandBolivia.pdf Continue Reading