" In Iraq, a population that numbered more than a million in the 1990s dwindled to less than a third of that in the wake of the US-led invasion and removal of the secular government of Saddam Hussein. In Syria, under threat since 2011 by Salafist groups armed and funded by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and other countries – the US shamefully included – Christians seemed to be facing a similar fate."
"A Gulfstream jet from a quiet airport south-east of Raleigh flew captives to be tortured around the world. The government failed to act but local people have refused to let the issue die."
"America’s war on terror has spread to 76 countries, as shown below. This metastasizing of 'counterterror' efforts is truly paradoxical: the more the U.S. military works to stop terror, the more terror spreads."
"Tillerson once again reiterated the US desire to eventually see President Bashar al Assad removed from power while also pledging US commitment to staying in Syria in order to counter Iran's influence in the region. Ultimately, according to Tillerson, 'the United States will remain in Syria' until certain conditions are met which include the complete destruction of ISIS, Assad's removal from power, and the return of refugees to a stabilized country."
"Contradiction has become the norm for US foreign policy over the past many years - an observation that is clear to anyone even remotely paying attention. On Tuesday the US State Department spokesperson was asked during the daily press briefing about the obvious contradiction inherent in US ally and NATO member Turkey shelling US-backed Kurdish forces in Afrin - the Kurdish held zone in northwest Syria near the Turkish border."
"Despite the PKK being listed as a terrorist group by the U.S., European Union, and U.K., the U.S.-led coalition supports the PYD and YPG as the most effective partner against Daesh, overlooking their proven links with the PKK."
"Trump and his unabashedly Iranophobic generals have allowed the United States to become a patsy for Saudi Arabia, actively abetting or tacitly endorsing MBS’s ambitions. Yet whatever the administration’s purported intent, throwing in with the Crown Prince will only exacerbate the disorder that previous U.S. administrations have done so much to create."
"If '#Resistance' means anything, at a minimum it should entail a refusal to trust a dangerous authoritarian to wield vast power with little checks or oversight."
"The backlash from a liberal establishment that had once praised King for his civil rights campaign came as hard and fast as his allies had feared."
"As suddenly as the Hun threat arose, it disappeared. The armistice that brought peace to the continent went into effect on Nov. 11, 1918, just two weeks after the committee launched its investigation into machinations of German-American brewers. As such, the committee swiftly lost interest in the German infiltration."