Truman’s worst fears
As narrated by Stephen Kinzer, the phrase “America’s Gestapo” was first used by President Harry S Truman in a letter in which he expressed apprehensions about the CIA acquiring too…
Three to tango
IT takes three to tango in our part of the world. The US-Pakistan duo and the Saudi-Pakistan pair has become a threesome, choreographed by the US. In 1950, prime minister…
Lessons from the east
The sudden resignation of Sheikh Hasina, prime minister of Bangladesh, has sent shockwaves through many struggling democracies. Her departure to a safe location in India on a military helicopter, coupled…
Emerging superpower and its bloc of nations!
During the Second World War, the US played a very pivotal role in its victory by financing the war efforts of many European countries, including the UK. As such, the…
Negotiate or talk
THE three-hour virtual talks on Nov 15 between the president of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping and the president of the United States, Joe Biden, not only made…
Politicians’ revenge
NOT long after the US appointed a national security adviser in 1947 that a rash spread over a large part of the democratic world. Countries began appointing NSAs minus the…
The atomic bomb
North Korea now has a hydrogen bomb. Maybe. Even if the bomb North Korea detonated on Sunday was not a hydrogen bomb, it was North Korea’s most powerful bomb yet.…
Is US aid tied to human rights?
Respect for human rights has remained – at least on paper – a key element of US foreign aid policy. Whether Republicans or Democrats, successive US presidents have vowed to…
The victor’s hubris
On the morning of May 31, 1992, as the Queen Mother unveiled the controversial memorial for Arthur ‘Bomber’ Harris outside the RAF Church in London, she was taken aback by…
Freedom for all
February 1 is celebrated as the National Freedom Day throughout the US to honour the great contribution of President Abraham Lincoln. It was on this day in 1865 that he…
