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Michael O'Hanlon
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 19, 2003
History will credit Shinseki
WASHINGTON -- As he stepped down from office this week as the U.S. Army chief of staff, Gen. Eric Shinseki probably breathed a big sigh of relief. He had been put through the meat grinder in his job, particularly during Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's tenure.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 2, 2003
Enough with the France-bashing, please
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and some of his Pentagon associates appear to be on a private vendetta against France. The Pentagon has not denied, and may even have planted, false rumors that France helped some members of Saddam Hussein's government escape Iraq during the recent...
COMMENTARY / World
May 12, 2003
Time to push bigger deal with Pyongyang
WASHINGTON -- When South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun visits Washington this week, what can he and President George W. Bush possibly talk about?
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 15, 2003
Panama's combat lessons apply to Iraq
WASHINGTON -- Unless Iraq's military capitulates quickly, the most difficult phase of a war to overthrow President Saddam Hussein will likely be the battle for Baghdad. American military triumphs since 1990 have taken place in the open desert of Arabia, the airspace over the Balkans and the barren plains...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 19, 2003
It's no longer just the economy, stupid
WASHINGTON -- In recent weeks, as often in the past, many key Democrats have contributed importantly to American national-security debates. They have been trying to increase funding for homeland security efforts, prodding President George W. Bush to remain multilateral in his approach to Iraq even as...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 30, 2003
Forget about military draft
WASHINGTON -- In recent weeks, motivated partly by a looming war in Iraq, a debate has again begun about whether the United States should adopt military conscription to replace its all-volunteer force. While the motivation behind this debate is understandable, it would be a very bad idea -- the equivalent...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 12, 2003
War deadline weeks away
WASHINGTON -- When will U.S. President George W. Bush have to decide whether to go to war against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein?
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 14, 2002
South Korean crisis brewing
WASHINGTON -- The makings of a crisis are evident on the Korean Peninsula. And it is not about North Korea's clandestine uranium-enrichment program or about the Dec. 19 presidential elections. Instead the crisis revolves around the U.S. armed forces, which are badly mishandling relations with South Korea....
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 5, 2002
Welcome weapons cutbacks
WASHINGTON -- According to recent reports, Pentagon officials are considering cuts in several weapons programs as they develop their 2004 budget proposal. If defense spending is to be kept within reasonable bounds, these are exactly the sorts of reductions that will be required.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 28, 2002
Stick to the facts on Saddam Hussein
WASHINGTON -- The claims of U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney that Iraq might join with terrorists to strike the United States at any time are far-fetched. Very little about the historical record or current intelligence lends credence to that view. It cannot be...
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 2, 2002
Deadline for winter attack is drawing near
WASHINGTON -- As the saying goes, while politicians and civilians like to think about strategy when contemplating war, generals think logistics. If the United States and any coalition partners go to war against Iraq, the first part of that logistics effort requires getting up to a quarter million combat...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 1, 2002
A marine's lessons for Europe
WASHINGTON -- As expected, it has just been announced that U.S. Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Jones will soon take the reins as NATO's top military leader, otherwise known as Supreme Allied Commander Europe, or SACEUR. It will be the first time that a marine officer holds that position, which has...
COMMENTARY / World
May 3, 2002
U.S. homeland still insecure
Half a year after the creation of the Office of Homeland Security, how well is the Bush administration doing in its efforts to improve protection of the United States against terrorist attacks? No major attacks have occurred since Sept. 11, giving a first impression that the effort is going well. But...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 29, 2002
Possibility of Osama's escape haunts U.S.
WASHINGTON -- Was Osama bin Laden in the mountains of Tora Bora in the first half of December? And did the U.S. decision to rely on Afghan militias and Pakistani troops, rather than American forces, to seal off escape routes from those mountains permit bin Laden to escape during the intensive bombing...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 6, 2002
Bush's foreign aid revolution
WASHINGTON -- Just as U.S. President Richard Nixon was able to use his conservative credentials to fend off critics and go to China, President George W. Bush has just announced a policy change that Republicans have opposed for years, but that is long overdue. Over a period of a few years, Bush would...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 31, 2001
A realistic approach to missile defense talks
WASHINGTON — During the G8 meeting in Genoa, U.S. President George W. Bush and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed to start discussions on how the 1972 Antiballistic Missile Treaty might be modified or replaced.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 16, 2001
The worst is yet to come in Macedonia
WASHINGTON -- While the world's eyes were fixed on Hainan Island off the coast of China, Macedonia's ethnic Albanian rebels were completing a tactical retreat after an offensive by government forces. Some hope that Macedonia's government will now, as expected, offer greater political rights to its ethnic...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 27, 2000
Russia on the right track
WASHINGTON -- While awaiting word on the outcome of the U.S. presidential election, Russian President Vladimir Putin has just reiterated his desire for deep cuts in nuclear forces. Reportedly, he would consider a treaty allowing Russia and the United States only 1,000 strategic nuclear warheads each....
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 25, 2000
Japan's not ready for permanent UNSC seat
WASHINGTON -- Earlier this month, at the United Nations, Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono pressed Japan's case for a permanent U.N. Security Council seat. He argued that Japan's hefty financial contributions to the U.N., its other foreign assistance activities and its strong support for global nonproliferation...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 17, 2000
U.S. military is no paper tiger
Is the U.S. military ready? Texas Gov. and Republican presidential nominee George Bush brought this important issue into the political spotlight at the Republican convention, when he criticized the administration of President Bill Clinton and, by implication, vice president and Democratic nominee Al...

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