Category: History

Belmont club describes the historical situation:

Imagine a time when America found itself in a war against a foreign foe whose strategy was to inflict a constant rate of loss on the army; invited US and British reporters to feed antiwar elements with atrocity stories; when US commanders who expected a quick war against a corrupt and oligarchic native elite found they had roused the countryside against them. Imagine a time when the issue of this war was central to an American Presidential election, caused a split in one of the major parties and planted the seeds for a world war. Not Iraq. The war was Philippine-American War and the election that of 1912.

Throughout the past century, the Philippines managed, though not without hiccups, to remain one of the most free and democratic countries in Asia.

Israpundit has determined the criterion for avoiding Israel’s brutal bombing and invasion campaign, which has killed millions of people all over the Middle East just last week alone (<- sarcasm): Don’t bomb or invade Israel.

No Arab or Muslim country that has attacked Israel has ever been attacked by it, no matter how harsh the rhetoric.

All of Israel’s wars have been defensive since 1948. If the world truly accepted that Israel had a right to defend itself, there could be no criticism of its actions, no moral issues, and no talk of war crimes even when innocent civilians get hurt. But Israel’s “right to defend itself,” to which its western critics are careful to pay lip service, hinges on Israel never actually doing so.

Unfortunately, Israel is stuck in the role of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice:

The Jewish State is entitled to armed self-defence; it just cannot shed any blood.

An interesting article by a former US Ambassador to Mali:

Despite persistent poverty and ongoing turmoil in neighboring states, in a single decade Mali has launched one of the most successful democracies in Africa. Its political record includes three democratic elections and two peaceful transitions of power, a transformation that seems nothing short of amazing.