N. Korea: Nuclear issue could be solved with talks
UNITED NATIONS — A top North Korean foreign affairs official says his government “remains consistent in its position to resolve the nuclear issue peacefully through dialogue and negotiations.” Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Pak Kil Yon said here Sept. 27 that his country has “honored its commitments” to agreements on the issue “in good faith.”
Iraq pullout ploy
Withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq is a political struggle both here and in Iraq. President Bush has announced plans to pull some 8,000 troops out of Iraq by early 2009. This leaves 138,000 U.S. troops there, higher than pre-surge levels.
Editorial: Price of empire
The current conflict in Georgia shows just how dangerous it is in this 21st century world to pursue political goals by military means. In an era when war — and nuclear weapons — can easily spread and bring unimaginable devastation, it is imperative that conflicts between states be resolved peacefully.
An August surprise: Russia-Georgia conflict explodes on world scene
The U.S.-backed militarization of the Caucasus in the former Soviet Union exploded on the night of Aug. 7. Under cover of darkness and as the world watched the Olympics, the government of right-wing Georgian President Saakashvili ordered an all-out military attack on Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia.
A new Cold War?
Military alliances are always sold as things that produce security. In practice they tend to do the opposite. Thus, Germany formed the Triple Alliance with Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire to counter the enmity of France following the Franco-Prussian War. In response, France, England and Russia formed the Triple Entente. The outcome was World War I.
EDITORIAL: The good war?
The good news is Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama continues to project withdrawing U.S. combat troops from Iraq by mid-2010. The bad news is, he is proposing to transfer a significant number of those troops to Afghanistan.
Mother, a poem
My son, where are you that I can’t find you. I’ve searched for you in gullies. On pathways, in rivers and in oceans, And in all the different places Where I’m told that “there are bodies.”
For the sake of democracy dont attack Iran
The analysis published by Seymour Hersh in The New Yorker recently [“Preparing the battlefield: The Bush administration steps up its secret moves against Iran”] is revealing in a number of respects regarding the position of the Bush administration in relation to Iran.
EDITORIAL: Ending the war for oil
In 2002, this newspaper issued a bumper sticker that read, “No War for Oil.” Events show how “on target” we were.
Questions about the India-U.S. nuclear deal
The drama is rising over a proposed U.S.-India nuclear pact. India’s left-wing parties, which hold 60 seats in Parliament, are united in opposition to the deal and have managed to thwart it for months. But they now have been pushed to withdraw support of the government because Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is going ahead with the pact despite the opposition from the left and others.
