The Return: A Book for Frances about Life and Death
             Preface
            Back Cover
      You're in Charge: A Guide to Becoming Your Own Therapist
            Introduction: The Art of Self Observation
             On Dreaming
            Foreign Editions
   Since the New Deal: An Annotated Chronology of the Events That Have Changed the United States
             The C.I.A. (excerpt)
             Origins of the Cold War (excerpt)
             Some Quotations that Demonstrate the Underlying Philosophy Since the New Deal

 
      Afghanistan, "Terrorism," and Blowback   About Anthrax
     Some Thoughts on 9-11-2001

"Humanitarian intervention" is the latest brand name for imperialism as it begins a return to respectability

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The Russians fully understand the dangers. The defence ministry in Moscow has already announced plans to deploy new tactical nuclear weapons near Russia's western border. Russia's National Security Council has quietly dropped its long-standing doctrine of "no first use" of nuclear weapons. In the US, Clinton has sent to Congress a nuclear weapons rebuilding programme unmatched since the early Reagan years. If we are to speak of truly "rogue" powers, the US leads the pack.

Blair's reference to the new "rule of law" is quite obscene. One of the world's nuclear flashpoints is the Indian subcontinent, where India and Pakistan, both nuclear powers, are on the edge of all-out war over Kashmir. In the first year after coming to power, Blair and his government approved 500 licences for the export of weapons to the two countries - they also approved 92 licences for arms shipments to the Indonesian military, which is currently arming and training death squads to prevent East Timor achieving its independence.

New Labour's fake internationalism is part of "economic globalisation", a project as old as gunboats. The gathering assault on the principle of the sovereignty of nations, however, marks a new phase in the global war against democracy. Blair, essentially an opportunist, and his spinners trust that his cold-war-style belligerence will invoke the Thatcher factor and ensure him a long reign. There are important differences. In the midst of the 1982 Falklands war, Thatcher did well in local elections. In striking contrast, Blair has just been crushed in the Euro elections by a lame-duck Tory leader. More significant, Labour voters stayed at home in record numbers, just as they did in the Scottish and Welsh devolutionary polls. They are not apathetic, as reported. They are on to him at last; and their growing awareness is crucial as he aspires to lead us across the Rubicon.

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© Janette Rainwater 1997-2004

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