Category: International Relations

  • A question of UN authority: Sir John Weston

    Sir John Weston writes an interesting piece on today’s Guardian. It is worth a read: Our two priorities should therefore be to ensure that UN authority over Iraq is upheld, not flouted; and that the US remains committed to the UN. If the second resolution passes, both seem possible. If the votes are not there,…

  • Direct action is the solution

    Naomi Klein is now imploring peace activists to take action – civil disobediance. Klein is always a good read, I look forward to her articles in the Guardian. In this weeks piece she talks about the “voila moment” – the point at which Iraqi people turn against their leader. She is sceptical that the propaganda…

  • US imperialism tearing up the rulebook: George Monbiot

    George Monbiot continues to amaze me in how closely we think alike. His article this week is not only the read of the day, but one of the best articles I have read so far this year. I will therefore quote from it extensively. I will take you through his main points. On Saturday, President…

  • Nobel war prize? :Paul Hamilos

    Paul Hamilos in the Guardian asks the question: Given the fact that previous nominees include Adolf Hitler and Henry Kissinger, can anyone take the Nobel Peace Prize seriously? His answer is really a big No, and I would be inclined to agree. Henry Kissinger?

  • North Korea threatens war (again)

    Yes those Koreans are at it again, and this time they are threatening to pull out of the 1953 armistice that ceased hostilities. Technically it is still at war – and pulling out of the armistice is effectively declaring war again.

  • Why imperialism is wrong

    Jon E Wilson, a lecturer in history at King’s College London writes a piece in today’s Guardian. He is unhappy with the way the British Empire has been presented on Channel 4’s history programme, by Neil Ferguson. He argues that far from having a good effect on the world, the British Empire succeeded only in…

  • Dont trust France

    Gary Younge discusses France’s opposition to the invasion of Iraq, interestingly they have recently deployed a carrier to the eastern med.

  • Bombers put on alert for N.Korea

    Don Rumsfeld has put long range bombers on alert in the pacific – in order to deter any Korean oppurtunism while the administration is engaged with Iraq. Recently there have been movements of fissile material in Korea – being watched closely by the Americans.

  • Religion and Foreign Policy

    William Pfaff writes a very intriguing piece today. He talks about the relation between religion and the Bush administration – Calvinism and Protestantism dogma in relation to Foreign Policy. Well worth the read.

  • Anti-European is not nice

    Todd Gitlin, professor of journalism and sociology at Columbia University, writes something of a polemic against his own country. He derides Bush and his cronies for their dismissal of ‘Old Europe’.It is a very interesting piece, I have not read anything like that in a while.