Richard Barnet

About the Author: Richard Barnet is a founder of the Institute for Policy Studies, a Washington, D.C. based think tank, and has written twelve books on foreign policy. His most recent book is The Rocket's Red Glare: War, Politics, and the American Presidency.

When Operation Desert Storm ended in the triumphal hundred-hour ground war, George Bush's mysterious slogan "New World Order" suddenly took on meaning. The United States is now the only global military superpower, and the new political arrangements in the Middle East, whether formally negotiated or not, will be in large measure a Pax Americana. The United States will be more assertive in pressing for an Israeli- Arab settlement, and, with the realignment of forces in the region, some progress may well be made. Saudi Arabia is now firmly...