Rumors of War

With the White House discussing plans to invade Iraq, mop-up operations continuing in Central Asia, and seemingly endless violence going on in Israel, it's easy to forget about the other places around the globe in which the U.S. is either directly waging or aiding in the waging of war.

There's Colombia, for instance. Today's Washington Post reports on disturbing developments in that country's civil war, even as the U.S. releases $104 million in new aid; controversial drug-interdiction flights in Colombia and Peru are likely to resume some time later this year. There are active troops in the Philippines, peacekeepers in the Balkans, and some sort of presence in 130 countries.

It's hardly clear whether George W. Bush's foreign policy is as disastrous as Al Gore opined way back when (to give Al Gore his due, as part of the Clinton administration, he knows something about disastrous foreign policy). But if the president's recent appearance with Ariel Sharon is any indication, it'll be some time before we get a full articulation of what comes next.