Imperial Hubris

US and the Chalabi-ization of Syria

"Concerned that US/Saudi/Israeli/Qatari-supported al-Qaeda rebels in Syria look too much like, well, al-Qaeda members, the US has announced that it prefers to create a whole new opposition in Syria. If what is claimed by the US administration and is amplified in the subservient Western press is true -- that the vast majority of the Syrian people are fighting with or supporting those seeking to overthrow the Syrian government -- why on earth would it be necessary for the United States Department of State to gather its allies together in Qatar to create a Syrian opposition?" Continue reading →

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Kuwait police use stun grenades against protest

"Kuwaiti riot police used stun grenades and smoke bombs against thousands of demonstrators who blocked a major road south of the capital on Sunday as the emir met four leading opposition figures. After elite special forces and police completely sealed off the original protest site in Kuwait City, organisers told supporters via Twitter to gather instead at Mishref, some 20 kilometres (12 miles) south of the capital. The government had vowed to use force if necessary to prevent the march, saying that processions and demonstrations are illegal without a permit." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingKuwait police use stun grenades against protest

House Intelligence Chair: Strike On Iran’s Nuclear Facilities Would Not Be An Act Of War

"Well, in very targeted strikes, we use very targeted strikes against al Qaeda. And so if it is a very targeted strike, many would argue that that’s short of war. And if it only seeks to go after their nuclear program, that is — we’re not talking about invasions or naval engagements or troops on the ground, none of that. And this has been used by other — President Clinton used this tactic. [..] And we do know, those — that the Iranians believe that there is a whole panoply of options — war and then these targeted strikes they don’t see as — wouldn’t see as an act of war." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHouse Intelligence Chair: Strike On Iran’s Nuclear Facilities Would Not Be An Act Of War

Army Suicides This Year Exceed 2012 Combat Deaths in Afghanistan

"The number of suicides among U.S. Army active duty and reserve personnel in 2012 is higher than the total combined military fatalities from Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan over the same timeframe. In 2012, there have been a total of 247 suspected suicides among Army active and reserve duty personnel. Of those, 158 have been confirmed as suicides and 89 remain under investigation. An additional 40 military fatalities were the result of 'non-hostile causes,' which means they were fatalities not caused by the Taliban, insurgency forces or Afghan forces – so-called 'green-on-blue' attacks." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingArmy Suicides This Year Exceed 2012 Combat Deaths in Afghanistan

NATO kills four children in Afghan East: Karzai

"Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday condemned a NATO operation that he said killed four children in the country's east, a claim the coalition said was possible. The operation took place in the Baraki Barak district of Logar province on Saturday, a statement released by Karzai's office said, adding: 'It resulted in the killing of four innocent children' who were tending to livestock." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNATO kills four children in Afghan East: Karzai

Glenn Greenwald: Joe Klein’s sociopathic defense of drone killings of children

"Obama has led all sorts of progressives and other Democrats to be the most vocal supporters of unrestrained aggression, secret assassinations, and 'crippling' the Iranian people with sanctions. It is completely unsurprising that the most sociopathic defense of drones comes from one of the most committed Obama supporters, and that it's now left to a former GOP Congressman to raise objections. As much as anything, that is the Obama legacy. Those who cheer for the unchecked power to assassinate in secret because it's Obama who currently wields that power will be the ones fully responsible for future abuses." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: Joe Klein’s sociopathic defense of drone killings of children

CIA operators were denied request for help during Benghazi attack

"Former Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods was part of a small team who was at the CIA annex about a mile from the U.S. consulate where Ambassador Chris Stevens and his team came under attack. When he and others heard the shots fired, they informed their higher-ups at the annex to tell them what they were hearing and requested permission to go to the consulate and help out. They were told to 'stand down,' according to sources familiar with the exchange. Soon after, they were again told to 'stand down.' CIA spokeswoman Jennifer Youngblood, though, denied the claims that requests for support were turned down." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCIA operators were denied request for help during Benghazi attack

A Lesson in Empire Building: The Use of “Foreign Aid”

"It's one thing to hear, or read about, the staggering number of U.S. dollars that get doled out to foreign nations. It's another to actually see it visually on a map. As you can see, with very few exceptions, just about every single nation in the world receives U.S. taxpayer money. How can this be? How can a nation that is $16 Trillion in debt possibly hand out even a dime? Imagine going up to the average college kid with a student loan debt of $26,600 and asking him/her for a large amount of money. They'd look at you like you were crazy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA Lesson in Empire Building: The Use of “Foreign Aid”

US ‘Secret’ Drone Base and Ron Paul’s Foreign Policy

"It is from this massive, 500 acre base run by the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), that virtually all the non-Afghan war drones are launched. It is the center of the US drone war against al-Qaeda (except for those al-Qaeda elements in Libya and Syria with which the US administration is allied -- think of those as Eastasia). Appropriately, the base, called Camp Lemonnier, is located on grounds used earlier by the French Foreign Legion -- the non-French arm of the French military used to keep the French colonial empire in line. In Lemonnier we see both under one roof cash to those who do what they are told and drones for those who do not." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS ‘Secret’ Drone Base and Ron Paul’s Foreign Policy