The system of international relations we have known since the second world war has broken down. The reasons given for the Anglo-American attack on Iraq were largely fraudulent. Iraq's weapons of mass destruction turned out to be weapons of mass distraction. It is straining at a gnat to argue that UN security council resolution 678, … Continue reading Essay: The American Contract
Author: Robert Skidelsky
Economist and member of the House of Lords
The Last Serious Politician
God and Caesar by Shirley Williams Continuum, 156pp, £12.99 To what political attitudes might Christian belief point? Can the decline of Christianity in rich western countries be reversed, and, if so, how? These are the main questions discussed in Shirley Williams's arrestingly titled essay "God and Caesar", based on lectures delivered at Notre Dame University … Continue reading The Last Serious Politician
The Mystery of Growth
The Spirit of Capitalism: Nationalism and Economic Growth by Liah Greenfeld Harvard University Press, 541 pp., $45.00 Lectures on Economic Growth by Robert E. Lucas Jr. Harvard University Press, 204 pp., $49.95 1. The question of what causes economies to grow is theoretically interesting and practically important. If we could discover the secrets of economic … Continue reading The Mystery of Growth
What Are the Real Reasons for a War in Iraq?
Regime change in Iraq, probably by war, now seems inevitable "in weeks rather than months," as U.S. President George W. Bush puts it. France and Russia are unlikely to veto a United Nations resolution specifically authorizing the use of force against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Their argument will be that, whether or not the war … Continue reading What Are the Real Reasons for a War in Iraq?
Letter: Uncovering the dangers in Iraq
Sir, There have always been two main areas of uncertainty relevant to current policy towards Iraq (letters, February 8, etc). First, how much weaponry of mass destruction (including means of delivery) does Saddam Hussein possess? Secondly, how much damage can he do with an arsenal of such weapons? The first is a matter for the … Continue reading Letter: Uncovering the dangers in Iraq
Debate: Is Regime Change in Iraq Necessary? Bobbitt vs. Skidelsky
Dear Robert 8th January 2003 In 1991, in order to enforce UN security council resolution 678, which called for the expulsion of Iraq from Kuwait, coalition forces invaded Iraq. After an initial bombardment and battle, no effective opposition lay between them and Baghdad. But for reasons that seemed persuasive at the time, the advance was … Continue reading Debate: Is Regime Change in Iraq Necessary? Bobbitt vs. Skidelsky
Do We Actually Need to Wage War on Iraq?
The United States wants to remove Saddam Hussein from power; its main allies would be content with his disarmament. The United States, therefore, wants to keep the United Nations weapons inspectors out of Iraq; its allies want to get them back in. To reconcile these aims - at least formally - is the point of … Continue reading Do We Actually Need to Wage War on Iraq?
A Blind Faith in Capitalism is Being Rocked
Today, capitalism is under attack for the first time since the fall of communism. Three reasons are mainly, and coincidentally, responsible. First, bear markets rule in the three main stock exchanges of the world. Whenever a lot of people lose a lot of money, they blame business. Second, a wave of scandals has hit the … Continue reading A Blind Faith in Capitalism is Being Rocked
A Blind Faith in Capitalism is Being Rocked
Today, capitalism is under attack for the first time since the fall of communism. Three reasons are mainly, and coincidentally, responsible. First, bear markets rule in the three main stock exchanges of the world. Whenever a lot of people lose a lot of money, they blame business. Second, a wave of scandals has hit the … Continue reading A Blind Faith in Capitalism is Being Rocked
Essay: Five Years Labour
Everyone expected Labour to win in 1997, though not by such a large margin. An identically big victory in 2001, pointing to three or even four consecutive terms of office, suggests that a watershed has occurred in British politics, with Labour poised to take command of the 21st century as the Conservatives did of the … Continue reading Essay: Five Years Labour
Robert Skidelsky 