http://www.inthesetimes.com/archives/tags/foreign+policy/ In These Times features award-winning investigative reporting about corporate malfeasance and government wrongdoing, insightful analysis of national and international affairs, and sharp cultural criticism about events and ideas that matter. en-us Expression Engine jessica@inthesetimes.com seamus@inthesetimes.com Wed, 24 Jan 2007 05:00:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/2983/the_end_of_the_school_of_the_americas/ The annual protests against the School of the Americas--the U.S. Army's training institute for Latin American military leaders--are unlike any in the United States. Choreographed by Catholic activists, they eschew the militant rhetoric, providing a moving experience for both religious and secular activists. The protests began in 1990 with some 10 people, and grew to their largest in 2006. Now, with a Democratic Congress and a changing political climate in Latin America, they have an opportunity to close the School of the Americas for good. On November 19, some 22,000 people took part in the 16th annual protest in front of the gates of Fort Benning in Georgia. On a stage, organizers from School of the Americas Watch (SOAW) read… activism military foreign policy David Sirota Mon, 19 Feb 2007 05:00:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3026/kucinich_comes_back_for_8/ To his supporters, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) represents the sane voice of the Democratic Party--a man who reads books, gives intelligent speeches and acts on principle. To his detractors, Kucinich is a small man on an ego trip, too radical to be elected. Kucinich was the only Democratic candidate in the 2004 presidential primaries to vote against the war in Iraq. His 90-day plan to end the occupation was dismissed by the party's centrist leaders and he came in fourth in the primaries--behind Kerry, Edwards and Dean. Three years later, the Iraq war has cost the lives of more than 3,000 American servicemen and untold thousands of Iraqis. And once again Kucinich, relentless in his call for withdrawing troops, is… elections foreign policy David Sirota Tue, 06 Mar 2007 05:00:01 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3068/america_own_worst_enemy/ In March 1999, President Clinton toured several Latin American countries, surveying areas devastated by Hurricane Mitch and meeting with governmental delegations to promote his vision of globalized trade and cooperative regional diplomacy. In each country, he received a warm welcome. When Clinton spoke before the National Assembly of El Salvador, members of the leftist FMLN party, former guerilla leaders who had become elected representatives, responded with a standing ovation. Given that the United States had worked diligently throughout the '80s to destroy the rebel movement, this was an astonishing sight. Yet, in spite of the United States' long interventionist history, Bill Clinton was popular in Latin America. He had a way of charming would-be critics. Gabriel García Márquez shared dinner… bush books foreign policy David Sirota Fri, 01 Jun 2007 05:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3208/with_an_empire_to_build_who_needs_an_iraqi_parliament/ Over the last few weeks, Iraq coverage in the U.S. media has focused on funding. On May 1, Bush vetoed the Iraq spending supplemental because it would necessitate an "artificial withdrawal." Then last week, Democrats, while simultaneously declaring victory, caved in to Bush's aggression and provided more war-funding than he requested. Congress' lone requirement was mandating benchmarks for the Iraqi government, however, the funds will be available regardless of Iraqi governmental performance. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi continued the anti-war rhetoric, saying "I think the president's policy is going to unravel now," but the words seem empty. Away from the media's gaze toward partisan politics, however, a much more significant story was developing in Baghdad that essentially went unreported. On May… iraq foreign policy David Sirota Tue, 26 Jun 2007 05:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3228/iran_and_americas_tug_of_war/ As the Bush administration boosts its military presence in the Middle East and issues frequent, pointed barbs at Tehran, which in turn quickens the pace of its nuclear enrichment program, two new books examine the object of the administration's hostility. In Iran Oil: The New Middle East Challenge to America (IB Taurus, 2006), British journalist Roger Howard offers a sober analysis of Iran's threat to American power, albeit one that has nothing to do with its nuclear ambitions. "Iran's contemporary challenge to the United States," he writes, "represents an explosive tension between politics and resources." Howard argues that by seeking to isolate Iran through U.S. and U.N.-backed sanctions, the United States forces nations to choose between backing its fight against… foreign policy iran middle east David Sirota Tue, 10 Jul 2007 05:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3258/china_plays_hardball_with_soft_power/ Pirated translations of Dale Carnegie's How To Win Friends and Influence People are available on most Chinese street corners, and it would appear Chinese Communist Party officials have picked up a few copies. Maoist China used to assert itself on the world stage by exporting revolution, waging wars, funding insurgents and broadcasting subversive propaganda across Asia. But today's Chinese leaders have learned the value of a warm smile and firm handshake. Since "We couldn't beat 'em, let's charm 'em" appears to be Beijing's new dictum, China's new global ambassadors are not chiseled-faced "Red Guards" in fatigues, but svelte-suited diplomats, film personalities such as Wong Kar Wai and the amply bosomed Gong Li, designers such as Vivienne Tam, intellectuals such as… china foreign policy David Sirota Wed, 12 Sep 2007 05:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3342/who_does_us_food_aid_benefit/ Last month, in a move that shocked observers, CARE, one of the world's largest humanitarian organizations, rejected $45 million in U.S. food aid, shining a spotlight on a practice the group says may hurt starving populations more than help them. Complaining that U.S. food aid policy is inefficient, unsustainable and perhaps even detrimental to combating food insecurity, CARE belives "enough is enough," according to Bob Bell, director for CARE's Food Resource Coordination Team. The decision comes at a time when other humanitarian and food advocacy organizations are calling on members of Congress to rewrite food aid policy that puts starving populations first when they authorize this month's 2007 Farm Bill. The United States is the world's largest provider of international… agriculture foreign policy David Sirota Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:59:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3347/another_war_we_cant_afford/ The Bush administration and its Beltway network of supporters and enablers are ratcheting up the rhetoric against Iran again, and this time it seems the positioning will have consequences. According to New York University professor and Informed Comment Global Affairs blogger Barnett Rubin, the rhetorical campaign will continue until a military campaign is executed in the very near future. According to one of Rubin's Washington sources who spoke to one of his contacts in a leading neo-conservative institution: They [the source's institution] have 'instructions' (yes, that was the word used) from the Office of the Vice-President to roll out a campaign for war with Iran in the week after Labor Day; it will be coordinated with the American Enterprise Institute,… foreign policy iran media David Sirota Wed, 19 Dec 2007 11:13:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3471/no_talking_to_the_enemy/ About five years ago, a young Iranian man became involved with the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisburg, Pa., where he joined a program through which college students and recent graduates learn practical skills in conflict resolution. At the end of his stay, he returned to Iran, where he became a member of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and, via e-mail, kept in touch with his religious friends in the United States. In August 2006, the man (his U.S. contacts wouldn't name him) called the Mennonites to tell them that the recently elected Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, would be coming to New York to speak before the United Nations General Assembly. He brokered a… foreign policy iran David Sirota Wed, 02 Jan 2008 05:00:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3458/empires_architecture/ Panic shot through the State Department and White House earlier this summer when the American architecture firm Berger Devine Yaeger posted computer-generated images and layout of the forthcoming U.S. embassy in Baghdad on its website. Ostensibly concerned with security, government officials urgently acted to remove graphics to avoid aiding potential insurgents in their plots to disrupt the embassy's progress. The real fear, however, may have been that the disclosure would draw public and congressional attention to everything that's gone wrong with the embassy. Indeed, it's difficult to imagine how insurgents could be any more disruptive to the embassy's existence than those who are building it. Allegations of mismanaged funds, shoddy workmanship, kickback schemes, exploitative labor practices, ill-gotten contracts, blocked investigations,… architecture foreign policy iraq David Sirota