Month: April 2013

Chemical Weapons Hypocrisy: WMD for We But Not For Thee

The French, British and Israeli governments have all accused Syria’s regime of using chemical weapons in its ongoing struggle with foreign-backed rebels. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon is urging Assad to allow UN inspectors into the country to verify or disprove the claims. And US president Barack Obama, while carefully avoiding a direct accusation, has … Continue reading “Chemical Weapons Hypocrisy: WMD for We But Not For Thee”

The Profligate Nuclear Pentagon

American taxpayers don’t get their money’s worth from their ever-growing annual investment in the Pentagon. It’s a bottomless pit that makes a hydrofracked well look like a pothole. Most taxpayers would be happy to spend considerably less. The massive size, baroque nature and opaque character of the ‘defense’ budget make picking and choosing programs to … Continue reading “The Profligate Nuclear Pentagon”

Tamerlan Tsarnaev and the Penumbra of Terror

The semi-official story coming out of Washington, and the Western media, is that the Tsarnaev brothers were “self-radicalized” loners, “losers,” as their uncle Ruslan put it, unconnected to any larger organization or terrorist network. The poor babies were so alienated by life in America – where they had been given refugee status, welfare payments, and, … Continue reading “Tamerlan Tsarnaev and the Penumbra of Terror”

Avoid Drumbeat to Escalate in Syria

Many politicians in Washington–not yet realizing that the still-broken American economy can no longer sustain an informal, globe-girdling U.S. empire—have sought to use Bashar al-Assad’s alleged use of chemical weapons on a small scale to escalate U.S. involvement in the Syrian civil war. And it’s not only the economy that won’t support a more muscular … Continue reading “Avoid Drumbeat to Escalate in Syria”

Obama and US Military Divided Over Syria?

Has Syria crossed the “red line” that warrants a U.S. military invasion? Has it not? The political establishment in the United States seems at odds with itself. Obama’s government cannot speak with one voice on the issue, and the U.S. media is likewise spewing from both sides of its mouth in an attempt to reconcile … Continue reading “Obama and US Military Divided Over Syria?”

Bedouins Prepare for Israel’s Expulsion Plan

Dozens of metal and wooden tents cling to the rocky hillside, just outside of Jerusalem along the road leading to the Dead Sea, while the unmistakable red roofs of Israeli settlements peak out from behind opposite hilltops. For 49-year-old Eid Hamis Jahalin, this quiet spot symbolises the potential centre of peace in the region, and … Continue reading “Bedouins Prepare for Israel’s Expulsion Plan”

Jeremy Scahill’s ‘Dirty’ Work

Jeremy Scahill’s new book, Dirty Wars: The World is a Battlefield, is sort of like approaching a dark cavity in an old tree. How many of us would instinctively cry out, “I don’t want to look – there will be creepy crawly things in there and I’m better off not knowing!” Life is filled with … Continue reading “Jeremy Scahill’s ‘Dirty’ Work”

Their War, Not Ours

“The worst mistake of my presidency,” said Ronald Reagan of his decision to put Marines into the middle of Lebanon’s civil war, where 241 died in a suicide bombing of their barracks. And if Barack Obama plunges into Syria’s civil war, it could consume his presidency, even as Iraq consumed the presidency of George W. … Continue reading “Their War, Not Ours”