News Commentary

Pepe Escobar: The indispensable (bombing) nation

"All parallels to Iraq 2.0 duly came to fruition when US Secretary of State John Kerry pontificated that Bashar al-Assad 'now joins the list of Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein' as an evil monster. Why is Cambodia's Pol Pot never mentioned? Oh yes, because the US supported him. Every single tumbleweed in the Nevada desert knows who's itching for war on Syria; vast sectors of the industrial-military complex; Israel; the House of Saud; the 'socialist' Francois Hollande in France, who has wet dreams with Sykes-Picot. Virtually nobody is lobbying Congress NOT to go to war." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPepe Escobar: The indispensable (bombing) nation

Global War on Terror (GWOT) Was a Hopeless Blunder from the Get-Go

"The American public needs to turn against the GWOT. The press and intellectuals need to do far more homework. They need to dig out and read criticisms like these. They need to be more critical of government failures to alter its policies. Many brains were put in cold storage because of the emotional impact of 9/11. They need to be resuscitated. The time for emotion is over. The GWOT was a hasty, ill-conceived response to 9/11. The press and public need a strong dose of honesty about past blunders. The press and public need to stop paying attention to the fanatic warmongers, hatemongers and partisans of Israel and militarism." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlobal War on Terror (GWOT) Was a Hopeless Blunder from the Get-Go

U.S. Losing the GWOT

"Major Bryan Groves, U.S. Army, says the same thing: 'Al Qaeda (AQ), its affiliate organizations, the Taliban, and most recently, AQ-inspired violent extremists, have demonstrated a tenacious resiliency. Their resiliency has primarily manifested itself through a unique ability to evolve and grow over time, enabling them to continue attacking U.S. interests abroad and at home. This resiliency is also evident through continued extremist recruitment, radicalization, mobilization, and funding. The frustrating aspect of this for U.S. counterterrorism officials is the enemy’s success in these areas despite tremendous American and Coalition efforts to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat these organizations.'” Continue reading →

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Bradley Manning: The Mighty Fist!

"We stand in solidarity with PFC Manning and the peace his actions stand for. The state has grown far too large. The centralized, federated nation-state is a great agent of repression. Its power lies in the hands of state servants who wish to extinguish what tiny flames of liberty are left among us. But for many, this sentence has inspired a howl so large that these flames may rage into a roaring fire. If such an injustice can come down on Manning then it can come down on any of us who wish to challenge the immoral actions of the state. May the mighty fist of solidarity vanquish this state!" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBradley Manning: The Mighty Fist!

War Profiteers, Slavery, and the Hypocrisy of Imperialism

"The war profiteers at Raytheon have seen their stock prices soar in anticipation of the Syrian war. As the Boston Herald reported on August 31st, “The Waltham-based manufacturer of the Tomahawk cruise missiles, expected to be used in any strike on Syria, saw its stock hit a 52-week high last week at $77.93 per share, and has stayed near that high, closing yesterday at $75.41.” Officials like John Kerry argue that this war is somehow a humanitarian response to atrocities by the Assad regime. But the corporations that stand to profit are no humanitarians. To the contrary, they have been involved in some of the most grotesque human rights violations of our time." Continue reading →

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‘Surgical Strikes’ an Orwellian Dream

"Imagine for a moment that you live in the nation’s capitol, by the Pentagon or minutes away in Quantico, the Marine Corps headquarters, or one exit down the parkway from the National Security Agency (NSA) in nearby Maryland. Imagine farther out, places where our Navy fleets are stationed – Norfolk, San Diego – or the main Air Force satellite control center in Colorado Springs. Any military installation across the country. Now imagine what it would be like to hear over radio waves and on your television set that one of those places might be bombed as punishment for something your president did." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Surgical Strikes’ an Orwellian Dream

Are American taxpayers financially responsible to defend Syrians?

"President Obama has broken new ground. He has argued that not only does the U.S. government have the authority to tax Americans to defend every human being on the planet, but that the president can order military intervention for that reason on his authority alone. Unfortunately, this has led many to believe that his decision to wait until Congress debates the intervention is some sort of victory for constitutional government. It’s not. Nowhere in the Constitution is it stated or implied that American taxpayers are financially responsible for the common defense of the whole world. Military operations are not funded by donations. Taxpayers are compelled to pay taxes by force." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAre American taxpayers financially responsible to defend Syrians?

Wars of the American Global Frontier

"Obama has issued executive orders creating sanctions on Syria. Sanctions are regarded by some as an act of war, by others as a mild form of war, and by others as force short of war. I see them in the Syrian case as part of an ongoing pattern by which Obama and company are seeking, by a variety of means and pressures up to and including military force, to alter Syria’s politics fundamentally. It is a form of war. Just as 4th generation war is a new form of war, so is the subversion of other countries. This was what the USSR was always accused of doing during the Cold War. The only thing missing at present is a name for this activity and era in which the US has been doing the same kind of thing." Continue reading →

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The President Punts in the Syrian War Game

"Perhaps in keeping with the notion that the US Navy is now serving as the long range bombardment system for al Qaeda, we could crater Syrian runways, blow up their air control towers, and generally cripple as much of their air force as we can find. It might work. But no battle plan survives contact with the enemy. The Syrians are not fools. If we do find their airplanes and blow them up (expensive aircraft destroyed by even more expensive missiles – modern war is not cheap) the Syrians will have to buy more modern airplanes from the Russians, which ought to benefit the Russian economy. I am glad I am not involved in target selection for the coming bombardment of Syria." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe President Punts in the Syrian War Game

Can You Trust the Case for War this Time?

"Emails supposedly leaked to the public by a hacker suggest that the chemical attacks in Syria were actually staged by U.S. intelligence. Is this true? We doubt it, but when you consider the whole history of U.S. wars, it's hard to argue that our 'government' deserves the benefit of the doubt. We share some of that history in a sample letter to Congress below. Public pressure has already forced the President to seek Congressional approval. Maybe more pressure could also deny that approval. Please tell Congress to oppose war in Syria." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCan You Trust the Case for War this Time?