Foreign Policy & War

A Different Look at World War II

by Jacob G. Hornberger August 1, 2001

Prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, although many people supported giving aid to England, most Americans opposed entry into the war against the Nazis. Americans still remembered the ravages of World War I (“the war to end all wars”), when American soldiers were drafted and sent ...

The Colombia Quagmire, Part 2

by Doug Bandow August 1, 2001

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 AMERICAN-TRAINED SOLDIERS often serve with and even become paramilitaries. In one celebrated case, heavily decorated Lt. Carlos Acosta joined the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia and executed government investigators. Reported his brother, “He used to say that a soldier in Colombia has to fight not only the guerrillas but also ...

A Negotiated Surrender for Japan Was Another Alternative

by Jacob G. Hornberger July 2, 2001

In his Memorial Day article, “Harry Truman’s A-Bombing of Japan Left Intact Ethics and Law,” which was in response to my article, “A-Bombings of Japan Were Acts of Cowardice and Criminality,” Col. Kevin Winters overlooks the importance of Roosevelt’s and Truman’s demand that the Japanese “unconditionally surrender” to Allied forces (

The Colombia Quagmire, Part 1

by Doug Bandow July 1, 2001

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 “THIS IS NOT VIETNAM,” declared Vietnam-era draft evader Bill Clinton on his arrival in Colombia last year. Alas, while the continents may be different, the conflicts offer eerily similar potential as quagmires for the United States. “This is always how it starts,” warns writer Patrick Symmes. But there’s still time ...

Send Chainsaws to AID

by James Bovard June 1, 2001

THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION is earnestly seeking to reform scores of federal programs after the scandal-ridden Clinton years. But sometimes there is no substitute for a good chainsaw massacre. Such is the case with foreign aid. The U.S. is now giving $15 billion a year in foreign aid — economic and military ...

War Crimes at Hiroshima and Nagasaki

by Jacob G. Hornberger May 2, 2001

Reports of killings of noncombatants during the Vietnam and Korean Wars have recently caused Americans to reflect upon the concept of war crimes, and specifically those committed by their own military forces. But why stop with those two wars? Why not use the opportunity to revisit what U.S. military forces did to the Japanese at ...

A Republic, Not an Empire

by Sheldon Richman May 1, 2001

Predictably, the key lesson of the recent China incident has not been learned. That lesson is this: America was designed as a republic and should not act like an empire. When it does act that way, the American people, not to mention the people in other countries, suffer. Why does the U.S. government need to send spy ...

America’s Imperialism

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 2, 2001

Perhaps the release of the U.S. pilots who were spying on China will cause the American people to reevaluate the U.S. government's foreign policy. For decades, the U.S. government has stood for empire, extending its military domain and supervision over much of the globe, much as the Roman empire did in its day. The empire ...

Powell Praises Castro

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 2, 2001

The Associated Press reported that in response to questioning at a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing, Secretary of State Colin Powell said that Fidel Castro has "done some good things for his people." Powell was referring to Castro's two proudest socialist accomplishments -- public schooling and national health care. With Powell's boss, President George W. ...

FDR — The Man, the Leader, the Legacy, Part 12

by Ralph Raico April 1, 2001

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Table of Contents In granting official diplomatic recognition to the Soviet Union ...

The Continuing War With Iraq

by Jacob G. Hornberger March 1, 2001

A few weeks ago, under the leadership of President Bush, U.S. military forces again dropped bombs on the people of Iraq, purportedly to maintain strict control over the 10-year-old "no-fly zone" in Iraq. A couple of days ago, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell announced his support for easing the ...

FDR — The Man, the Leader, the Legacy, Part 11

by Ralph Raico February 1, 2001

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Table of Contents It would be a mistake to think that the ...