http://www.ericmargolis.com/ Foreign Correspondent / Defense Analyst & Columnist en-us 2008-05-05T10:48:25-05:00 http://www.ericmargolis.com/archives/2008/05/sarkozy_under_s.php METZ, France - This ancient stronghold in eastern France which guards the traditional invasion route down the Mosel River valley is the world’s most heavily fortified city. Ringed by belts of powerful forts built by the French and Germans, and... eric.margolis 2008-05-05T10:48:25-05:00 http://www.ericmargolis.com/archives/2008/04/the_great_syria.php PARIS – Last week, US intelligence released a dramatic video that purportedly showed a Syrian nuclear reactor under construction and North Korean personnel helping in the project. The video and still pictures were evidently taken by Israeli agents. The unfinished... eric.margolis 2008-04-28T12:45:48-05:00 http://www.ericmargolis.com/archives/2008/04/the_world_likes.php PARIS – The more things change, as the French are fond of saying, the more they remain the same. But things have really changed here in France, at least since the long ago days of my youth in the... eric.margolis 2008-04-21T10:04:41-05:00 http://www.ericmargolis.com/archives/2008/04/the_joy_of_spri.php PARIS – Ah, Paris in the springtime! Winter arrived last week, dropping a cold, wet blanket on the City of Light’s fabled `month of love.’ On Monday, Paris was thrown into chaos by anti-Chinese demonstrations against the Olympic torch... eric.margolis 2008-04-14T12:04:57-05:00 http://www.ericmargolis.com/archives/2008/04/token_troops_to.php PARIS – In one of the more bizarre meetings NATO has ever held, the military alliance decided this week to approve a US plan to build an anti-missile system in Poland and the Czech Republic against a threat that... eric.margolis 2008-04-07T13:54:34-05:00 http://www.ericmargolis.com/archives/2008/03/will_mccain_wie.php NEW YORK - Barak Obama says he’s happy to see his primary race with Hillary Clinton continue right up to the bitter end. But there is deepening worry in this overwhelmingly Democratic Party city that the fratricidal battle between... eric.margolis 2008-03-31T14:04:06-05:00 http://www.ericmargolis.com/archives/2008/03/how_to_resolve.php The current Tibetan rebellion against Chinese rule has captured world attention and sympathy. Protests from Katmandu to New York have ensured it stays on TV screens almost everywhere – except China, of course. China’s government, which has been preparing... eric.margolis 2008-03-24T13:33:53-05:00 http://www.ericmargolis.com/archives/2008/03/lies_and_tortur.php NEW YORK - America was riveted last week by the lurid spectacle of the humiliation of New York State’s former governor, Elliot Spitzer who resigned office after be exposed as a long-time client of an escort service. As a... eric.margolis 2008-03-17T14:06:59-05:00 http://www.ericmargolis.com/archives/2008/03/salute_to_wwis.php France’s last living veteran of World War I, Lazare Ponticelli, died Wednesday, aged 110. His death marks the end of France’s final human link to the terrible 1914-1918 Great War that killed 20 million soldiers and civilians. The passing... eric.margolis 2008-03-17T09:34:13-05:00 http://www.ericmargolis.com/archives/2008/03/a_new_red_scare.php WASHINGTON: For old timers like me who miss the Cold War, Washington’s increasingly heated rhetoric over China and various other malefactors brought back piquant memories of the bad old days. The US Department of Defense warned last week, `China... eric.margolis 2008-03-12T10:17:50-05:00 http://www.ericmargolis.com/archives/2008/03/back_to_the_pas.php TULUM, MEXICO Out with the old, in with the old. Last week, Cuba officially replaced 81-year old leader, Fidel Castro, with his 76-year old `baby’ brother, Raul. Promoted to positions just below Raul were two of his closest supporters... eric.margolis 2008-03-03T13:31:27-05:00 http://www.ericmargolis.com/archives/2008/02/america_rescues.php NEW YORK – The Bush Administration has lurched for so long from one foreign policy disaster to another, we have almost forgotten what it’s like to see the United States do the right thing. But we did last week, and... eric.margolis 2008-02-25T09:01:45-05:00 http://www.ericmargolis.com/archives/2008/02/pakistanas_make.php Pakistan’s national elections today are critically important for this strife-torn country’s future. They are almost as crucial for its western backers. Unless honestly conducted – and this seems highly unlikely - the vote will ignite further violence, plunging the... eric.margolis 2008-02-18T13:18:25-05:00 http://www.ericmargolis.com/archives/2008/02/why_europeans_a.php NEW YORK – NATO conferences are usually pretty boring affairs, but last week’s meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania produced some real fireworks. An angry and clearly frustrated US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates accused some European nations of not being... eric.margolis 2008-02-11T14:31:14-05:00 http://www.ericmargolis.com/archives/2008/02/super_tuesdaya.php NEW YORK - The 5 February Democratic primaries were supposed to produce a decisive victory for Hillary Clinton’s well-oiled machine. Instead, Barak Obama’s close second place derailed Hillary’s purported coronation, leaving her facing months of bitter, costly house-to-house political fighting... eric.margolis 2008-02-08T16:56:54-05:00