News Abroad

Boykinism: Joe McCarthy Would Understand

by Andrew J. Bacevich

Credit: Flickr/Wikimedia Commons/HNN staff.First came the hullaballoo over the “Mosque at Ground Zero.” Then there was Pastor Terry Jones of Gainesville, Florida, grabbing headlines as he promoted “International Burn-a-Koran Day.” Most recently, we have an American posting a slanderous anti-Muslim video on the Internet with all the ensuing turmoil.Throughout, the official U.S. position has remained fixed: the United States government condemns Islamophobia.  Americans respect Islam as a religion of peace. Incidents suggesting otherwise are the work of a tiny minority -- whackos, hatemongers, and publicity-seekers. Among Muslims from Benghazi to Islamabad, the argument has proven to be a tough sell.

Obama Against the World

by Tom Engelhardt

The specter facing the Obama administration after November 6. Credit: Flickr/HNN staff.Since this is my version of an election piece, I plan to get the usual stuff out of the way fast.So yes, the smartest political odds-givers around believe President Obama has a distinct edge over Mitt Romney coming out of the conventions, the Senate is trending Democratic, and who knows about the House. In fact, it almost seems as if the Republicans put forward the only man in America incapable of defeating an economically wounded and deeply vulnerable president (other than, of course, the roster of candidates he ran against for the nomination).

Who Is the Client State?

by Stanley Kutler

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking to lawmakers on Capitol Hill about U.S./Israel relations. Credit: Flickr/FArepublicans.President Barack Obama and his wife stood in a moment of silence outside the White House at 8:46 am on the morning of September 11, a sacred day of its own in this country. At the same time in Jerusalem, Benjamin Netanyahu pointedly assailed his presumed ally, the Obama administration, over its reluctance to set "red lines" to prevent Iran from any further uranium enrichment program.

The Siren Song of American Imperialism

by William Astore

U.S. troops pose with dead Moro rebels in the Philippines, 1906.Considering the scale of our mistakes over the last decade in Iraq and Afghanistan, if we as a country truly want to pursue a leaner, smarter, more effective foreign policy, the first step we must take is to stop listening to the siren song of our own imperial rhetoric. We need to stop posing as benevolent caregivers and start being more honest with ourselves.And that honesty extends to our own history. The French have a saying that translates to, "The more things change, the more they remain the same." The appropriateness of that saying was brought home to me last week when a good friend of mine played an old campaign speech of William Howard Taft. In 1908, when he was running for president to succeed Teddy Roosevelt, Taft recorded several speeches on Edison-era cylinders. Fortunately for me, my friend collects vintage Edison phonographs and cylinders.

Bundling Up to Save Syrian War Victims

by William Lambers

Syrian refugees in southern Turkey, August 2012. Credit: Flickr/IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation/TURKEY.What cannot be forgotten amid the conflict in Syria is the humanitarian crisis which grows daily. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been forced from their homes by the fighting between rebels and the government forces supporting President Assad.Food aid is needed to save lives and prevent malnutrition and disease from growing. For hunger can easily become the greatest threat facing the Syrian people. Vivian Manneh of the charity Catholic Relief Services says Syrian refugees are exhausted.But this crisis gets even scarier when you think of what is coming: winter. Yes, even in the Middle East, colder temperatures will come putting refugees at even more risk if they do not have supplies.

The Arab Spring and the Loss of Innocence

by Andrew Meyer

Protesters waving black Islamist flags near the American embassy in Cairo. Credit: Flickr/Aslan Media.The wave of anti-American protests set off by the film The Innocence of Muslims has occasioned an explosion of politicking, soul-searching, and speculation across the media spectrum here in the U.S. and among our allies abroad. Amidst alarm intensified by the genuinely horrific murder of America's ambassador to Libya and three of his colleagues, the polemics and rhetoric generated by these events have been white hot and wildly divergent, suggesting a discourse made incoherent by hysteria. Dire predictions of an ensuing clash of civilizations abound, pundits decry a U.S. foreign policy "in shambles." In their rush to pronounce definitively upon a fluid and sensational situation as it unfolds, few observers seem willing to pause long enough to consider what the long-term historical implications of this moment might be.

Judging Romney Fairly

by K.C. Johnson

Mitt Romney giving his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in Tampa. Credit: Mallory Benedict/PBS NewsHourIt’s not fair to criticize Mitt Romney solely for choosing to politicize a foreign policy crisis, as he did when he recently released a statement in response to the events in North Africa. “It's disgraceful,” he asserted, “that the Obama administration's first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks.”

The “Muslim” Problem

Protests in Bahrain against the anti-Islamic film "The Innocence of Muslims." Credit: Wikipedia/Mohamed CJ.The past week has seen a dramatic punctuation in the political present. This present is one in which several countries in North Africa and the Middle East are emerging from years of “stable” dictatorial rule in which human rights were ignored by the Western countries who philosophize how important human rights (or at least the right kind of rights) are. There is also a presidential election looming in the most powerful nation on earth, a nation divided in a partisan way with few realistic ideas on how to frame a way out of the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression. It is raining politics and that is fire and brimstone in the current climate.

How Hawkish Are Americans?

by Lawrence S. Wittner

U.S. Army gunner during a mission in Afghanistan. Credit: Flickr/Zoriah.In the midst of a nationwide election campaign in which many politicians trumpet their support for the buildup and employment of U.S. military power around the world, the American public’s disagreement with such measures is quite remarkable. Indeed, many signs point to the fact that most Americans want to avoid new wars, reduce military spending, and support international cooperation.The latest evidence along these lines is a nationwide opinion survey just released as a report (Foreign Policy in the New Millennium) by the highly-respected Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Conducted in late May and early June 2012, the survey resulted in some striking findings.One is that most Americans are quite disillusioned with the Iraq and Afghanistan wars of the past decade. Asked about these conflicts, 67 percent of respondents said they had not been worth fighting. Indeed, 69 percent said that, despite the war in Afghanistan, the United States was no safer from terrorism.

Romney, Reagan, and Campaign Foreign Policy

by Chester Pach

Mitt Romney’s criticism of the Obama administration’s handling of the deadly attacks on U.S. embassies and diplomats in the Middle East has raised questions about the Republican nominee’s judgment during foreign policy crises. The concern over the propriety, wisdom, and even factual accuracy of Romney’s accusations evokes memories of similar charges against Ronald Reagan during the 1980 campaign against President Jimmy Carter. Reagan, too, had many critics who thought he was inexperienced, inept, or incompetent in dealing with international issues. A closer analysis, however, shows that Reagan’s approach to foreign policy was more temperate and principled than critics recognized. Reagan was also more successful than Romney has been so far at persuading the American people that they could trust him to serve as commander-in-chief.

Romney Jumps the Shark: Libya, Egypt and the Butterfly Effect

by Juan Cole

Counter-protest in Benghazi. Credit: Mohamed al-TheebThe late science fiction writer Ray Bradbury authored a short story about time travelers. They were careful, when they went back to the Jurassic, not to change anything, but one of them stepped on a butterfly. When they got back to the present, the world was slightly different.

Monopolizing War: Doing What America Does Best

by Tom Engelhardt

Lockheed Martin display promoting the M299 Missile Launcher at the DSEI arms trade show in London. Credit: Flickr/Ian Haskins.It’s pop-quiz time when it comes to the American way of war: three questions, torn from the latest news, just for you. Here’s the first of them, and good luck!Two weeks ago, 200 U.S. Marines began armed operations in…?:a) Afghanistan b) Pakistan c) Iran d) Somalia e) Yemen f) Central Africa g) Northern Mali h) The Philippines i) Guatemala

Obama’s "Smart Power" Foreign Policy Not Smart at All

by John Feffer

Close-up of 30mm cannon on an A-10 Thunderbolt II. Credit: Wikipedia/Mrkoww.Barack Obama is a smart guy. So why has he spent the last four years executing such a dumb foreign policy? True, his reliance on “smart power” -- a euphemism for giving the Pentagon a stake in all things global -- has been a smart move politically at home.  It has largely prevented the Republicans from playing the national security card in this election year. But “smart power” has been a disaster for the world at large and, ultimately, for the United States itself.Power was not always Obama’s strong suit. When he ran for president in 2008, he appeared to friend and foe alike as Mr. Softy. He wanted out of the war in Iraq. He was no fan of nuclear weapons. He favored carrots over sticks when approaching America’s adversaries.

Romney vs. Obama vis-à-vis Israel

by Daniel Pipes

"President Obama has thrown allies like Israel under the bus." That's what Mitt Romney, Republican candidate for president, said in the high-profile speech accepting his party's nomination last week, repeating a slang phrase for sacrificing a friend for selfish reasons. Romney had deployed this phrase before, for example in May 2011 and January 2012. This criticism of Obama fits a persistent Republican critique.

What Should Obama and Romney Read on China?

by Jeffrey Wasserstrom

Yao Ming leading the Chinese delegation in the 2008 Olympics. Credit: Flickr.

The History Romney Should Consider before Returning Churchill’s Bust to the Oval Office

by Lee Ruddin

A bust of Winston Churchill can be found in the White House today. Three-and-a-half years on from reports that Barack Obama sent Churchill packing, we learn that there were, in fact, two busts and that the "Greatest Briton" was not "unceremoniously expelled" (as Andrew Roberts said recently in the Telegraph) but still enjoys pride of place in the Residence, outside the Treaty Room, at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.A second bust was presented by Her Majesty’s Government after the September 11 attacks and this famously graced the Oval Office for the duration of George W. Bush’s presidency. When the Bush administration came to an end, though, so did the loan -- hence the reason for its hasty return to the British Embassy; all of the other artwork loaned specifically to President Bush was likewise removed by the curator’s office on Inauguration Day, as protocol dictates, prior to the arrival of the newly sworn-in successor.

The Republican "Small Government" Fraud

by Lawrence S. Wittner

The F-22 Raptor. $150 million per aircraft, $66 billion for the program, never flown in combat, and subject to technical problems so serious the fleet was temporarily grounded twice! Supported by small-government Republicans! (Photo credit: Wikipedia.)One of the most widely-advertised but falsest claims in American politics is that the modern Republican Party stands for “small government.”In the distant past, leading Republicans were indeed sharp critics of statism. And even today a few marginal party activists, like U.S. Representative Ron Paul, have championed limited government -- even libertarian -- policies. But this is not at all the norm for the contemporary GOP.

Wait Out the War in Syria

by Daniel Pipes

Bashar al-Assad's wretched presence in the Presidential Palace of Damascus may, contrary to Western assumptions, do more good than harm. His murderous, terroristic, and pro-Tehran regime is also non-ideological and relatively secular; it staves off anarchy, Islamist rule, genocide, and rogue control of Syria's chemical weapons.As Syria's civil war intensifies, Western states are increasingly helping the rebels overthrow Assad and his henchmen. In doing so, the West hopes to save lives and facilitate a democratic transition. Many Western voices call for more than the non-lethal aid now being offered, wanting to arm the rebels, set up safe zones, and even join their war against the government.The Presidential Palace in Damascus.

Why Timbuktu Will Overcome Its Latest Fundamentalist Conquerors

by Steve Kemper

Djinguereber Mosque in Timbuktu, Mali. Credit: Wikipedia.Many of today's headlines about Islamic north-central Africa would look familiar to the explorer and scientist Heinrich Barth, who traveled 10,000 miles there for the British from 1850 to 1855. The caravan routes ridden by Barth are now roads, but the arid territories they cross are still a nexus of distinctive cultures that have mixed and chafed for centuries. Old frictions still flare up between Muslims and non-Muslims, black and brown, fundamentalists and moderates, central governments and local chiefs.

The 2012 Election: Freedom, Justice, Fairness, and Opportunity

by Walter G. Moss

Bayard Rustin and Cleveland Robinson confer before the 1963 March on Washington. Credit: Library of Congress/New York World-Telegram.Now that the Republican ticket is set with Mitt Romney's selection of Paul Ryan as his vice-presidential choice, it's time to compare the rival tickets regarding some basic values.Let's start with freedom. Among others, U.S. historian David Hackett Fischer has stressed what an essential value it has been to us and how differently we have interpreted it. In his Liberty and Freedom he indicated that even these two synonyms have often taken on different shades of meaning.