‘Blowback,’ the Prequel ‘Blowback,’ the Prequel
The story of what historians call the second cold war often begins with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979, which shocked Americans into their own overreaction i...
Oct 25, 2001 / Column / Eric Alterman
The Left and the Just War The Left and the Just War
The left is getting itself tied up in knots about the Just War and the propriety of bombing Afghanistan. I suspect some are intimidated by laptop bombardiers and kindred bully bo...
Oct 25, 2001 / Beat the Devil / Alexander Cockburn
Day-O, an Afghan Calypso Day-O, an Afghan Calypso
(With apologies to Harry Belafonte, among others) Bombed all night by dat Yankee bunch Daylight come and de bombers go home Now dey'll drop some cashew crunch Daylight ...
Oct 25, 2001 / Column / Calvin Trillin
Homeland Insecurity Homeland Insecurity
It is hard to write a column like this under the present circumstances. It is hard to comment on what is happening in the world if the military regulates everything. And yet it i...
Oct 25, 2001 / Column / Patricia J. Williams
A True Patriot Can Pose Hard Questions A True Patriot Can Pose Hard Questions
War skeptics such as Richard Gere, Susan Sontag, Rep.
Oct 23, 2001 / Column / Robert Scheer
Court Time for Henry Court Time for Henry
Although it may appear that the aftershocks of September 11 have somewhat deposed the discourse of human rights and international law and replaced it with that of law and order, th...
Oct 18, 2001 / Column / Christopher Hitchens
War and Peace War and Peace
How depressing was the October 13 peace rally in Washington Square? Well, the Bread and Puppet Theater performed--that should give you an idea. "It's the sixties all over again,"...
Oct 18, 2001 / Column / Katha Pollitt
On V.S. Naipaul’s Nobel Prize On V.S. Naipaul’s Nobel Prize
So V.S. Naipaul finally gets the prize. It's said he's willing, through unblinking eyes, To make his observations, then recall The bleakest Third World countries, warts and al...
Oct 18, 2001 / Column / Calvin Trillin
They’re Rich, They’re Spoiled, They’re Supporting Terrorists They’re Rich, They’re Spoiled, They’re Supporting Terrorists
What do we bomb next? Saudi Arabia? The Saudis would be a logical target if President Bush were serious about his stated goal of punishing nations that support terrorism.
Oct 16, 2001 / Column / Robert Scheer
Patriot Games Patriot Games
Patriotism requires no apologies. Like anti-Communism and anti-Fascism, it is an admirable and thoroughly sensible a priori assumption from which to begin making more nuanced jud...
Oct 11, 2001 / Column / Eric Alterman