Stakes remain high in Iran nuclear talks
High-stakes negotiations may soon lead the United States and Iran out of the hostility in which they have been trapped for 35 years. But on Nov. 24, Iran and six world powers announced that they had failed to reach a comprehensive deal on Iran’s nuclear program. They agreed to extend negotiations for a framework to March and for a final agreement to July 2015.
Torture report shows CIA followed White House’s lead
Release of the long-delayed US Senate report on CIA abuses should make Americans proud as well as ashamed. Shame is a natural reaction when we learn that agents acting in our name have behaved so brutally. It is also reasonable, however, for us to be proud of what we read. Security forces in other countries also arrest innocent people, […]
Boston Globe: “Joining the Military Doesn’t Make You a Hero”
WHO IS A hero? In today’s America, it is someone who chooses a military career, puts on a uniform, and prepares for war. Placing soldiers and veterans on this kind of pedestal is a relatively new phenomenon. Past generations of Americans saw soldiers as ordinary human beings. They were like the rest of us: big […]
Boston Globe: ‘Sending US troops to fight ISIS will end in failure’
HOW WONDERFUL that the United States wants to help victimized people in Iraq and Syria! We played no small role in casting their region into its present chaos, so trying to repair some of the damage makes sense. But sending more American troops there, as President Obama did last week, will repair nothing. It will […]
Boston Globe: ‘The US ruined Libya’
JUST THREE years have passed since an American-led bombing campaign destroyed the regime of Moammar Khadafy in Libya. At first that operation felt like a victory for peace and freedom. By bringing down the dictator, we presumed we had “liberated” Libyans and that they would quickly settle into pro-American democracy. The speed with which we […]
