War & Peace

Decentralize to Neutralize Turmoil in Middle East

"The international community—which includes many multi-tribal, ethnic, racial, or sectarian states—frowns on solutions that formally or implicitly break up states. Many have their own minorities that might be encouraged to break away. Thus, arguments are used that it’s a form of apartheid or that boundaries cannot be drawn exactly and will always leave some unfortunate souls on the other side of the line. In South Africa, apartheid was forced separation using armed might of a minority against a majority. In Iraq and Libya, such decentralized governance would have to be voluntary and would reflect existing ethno-sectarian or tribal areas, respectively." Continue reading →

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Urgency: A Tactic of The State

"Jam it through. Worry about the consequences later. This behavior goes way back. I'd like to quote Patrick Henry who was trying to talk some sense to the Virginia delegates who were voting to ratify the U.S. Constitution. Henry was desperately urging them not to give in. Listen to his words and compare it to what we're seeing with the rush to war with Syria." Continue reading →

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Poll: Majority Of Americans Approve Of Sending Congress To Syria

"As President Obama continues to push for a plan of limited military intervention in Syria, a New York Times/CBS News poll showed that though just 1 in 4 Americans believe that the United States has a responsibility to intervene in the Syrian conflict, more than 90 percent of the public is convinced that putting all 535 representatives of the United States Congress on the ground in Syria—including Senate pro tempore Patrick Leahy, House Speaker John Boehner, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and, in fact, all current members of the House and Senate—is the best course of action at this time." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPoll: Majority Of Americans Approve Of Sending Congress To Syria

House Republican Claims Reagan Stood Up To Chemical Weapons Use

"Ronald Reagan did exactly the opposite. For the majority of the 1980s, Iraq under Saddam Hussein was locked in combat with the Islamic Republic of Iran in a war that killed more than 1,000,000 people on both sides. The United States explicitly backed the secular Hussein over the Ayatollah Khomeini’s government in Tehran, still smarting from the embassy hostage crisis that had only ended when Reagan took office. That backing not only included the shipment of tons of weapons to support Baghdad, but also looking the other way when Iraq unleashed its chemical weapons stockpiles — including sarin and mustard gas — against Iranian civilians and soldiers alike." Continue reading →

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Syrian Islamist extremists in the opposition prepare for US missile strike

"In a statement disseminated on the Twitter account of one of its supporters, the radical group Fateh al-Islam offered advice to Islamists, warning that for every U.S. missile that hits a regime target, another will strike a jihadi base. 'Start changing your locations, and use safe houses, and don’t move around in obvious convoys,' said the supporter, Abdullah Saker, detailing precautionary measures. 'Take away mobile phones from the troops, and send them away from the leadership.' 'America destroyed jihadi bases in a very short period of time in Afghanistan and Iraq, and killed a large number of them, because they weren’t prepared. So don’t fall in the trap of laziness,' he added." Continue reading →

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Jim Bovard: We can’t trust White House Syria claims

"Can we expect the U.S. government to be honest about an alleged atrocity which the president is invoking to sanctify his foreign policy? History is not reassuring on that score. Whitewashing the Katyn Forest massacre helped blindfold both American policymakers and the American public regarding the brutality of the Soviet Union. It took 69 years for the U.S. government to disclose that it had deceived the American people regarding one of World War II's landmark atrocities. If it takes as long to find out what the U.S. government knew regarding recent alleged Syrian attacks, we will not have the full story until 2082." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJim Bovard: We can’t trust White House Syria claims

U.S. Navy: Cost of strikes against Syria ‘nagging’ but not ‘extraordinary’

"The cost of possible military strikes against Syria would not be 'extraordinary,' the US Navy chief said Thursday, downplaying the potential price tag of the operation. The Navy currently has four destroyers in the Mediterranean ready if called upon as well as the aircraft carrier Nimitz and accompanying warships in the Red Sea. It was the first time a senior US military officer had openly acknowledged the Obama administration was considering using Tomahawk missiles in a strike against Syria, though officials had privately leaked that possibility previously. The Pentagon’s estimates are apparently based on the assumption that any intervention would last no longer than a few days." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. Navy: Cost of strikes against Syria ‘nagging’ but not ‘extraordinary’

The Costs of War in Syria

"Politicians want a war to appear cheap, at least up front, while the bureaucrats want bigger budgets. Once the war starts, though, all bets are off, and any political or legal authorization given to the administration to wage war will be a de facto blank check for future unlimited outlays for occupation and conflict on an unlimited timeline. We’ve already seen this in both Afghanistan and Iraq, and while the two countries descended into chaos, the claim was made that since the U.S. regime had 'broken' Iraq and Afghanistan, the taxpayers were now on the hook to finance the 'fixing' of the broken countries. The regime knows that all it needs to do is start a war, and the money will begin to flow indefinitely." Continue reading →

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Will Congress Support Military Action In Syria? A ThinkProgress Whip Count

"A ThinkProgress analysis of the public statements of 400 Representatives found that 200 lawmakers have either decisively ruled out supporting the measure or say they are unlikely to back it. Just 48 of the 400 members of the House of Representatives said they will definitely or likely vote in favor or the resolution. A vote in the House is not expected until next week at the earliest. 152 members have publicly said they are undecided and the positions of 33 members are unknown. All told, 361 members either have not decided, or indicated they are willing to consider changing their position." Continue reading →

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McConnell Stays Quiet As Congress Moves To Strike Syria

"Facing competing pressures as he fends off a conservative challenger for re-election, Mitch McConnell is steering clear so far of the debate over whether to attack Syria. The potency of the GOP’s hawkish wing is waning as isolationist sentiments flourish within the conservative movement. The deep-pocketed Heritage Action is against military action. Many Republicans are leaning that way. The public is weary of more war. And being on the same side as Obama is not a comfortable place for Republicans to be politically. 2016 hopefuls Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rand Paul (R-KY) both voted against the use of force in committee Wednesday." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMcConnell Stays Quiet As Congress Moves To Strike Syria