Month: October 2013

While the rest of the nation has long since passed judgment on George W. Bush’s invasion and occupation of Iraq, a few "deadenders" – as Donald Rumsfeld dubbed the Iraqi insurgents – persist in hailing this disaster as a "victory," albeit one that has been betrayed by the Obama administration. Even as the most ideological … Continue reading “The Deadenders”

At least 48 people were killed and 89 more were wounded as Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was in Washington to ask the U.S. government for help in fighting a surge in violence that many say he spawned with an attack on protesters in April. Since then, the bloodshed has been relentless.

There is considerable hypocrisy among America’s so-called friends who are urging the Barack Obama Administration to do something about Syria. We in the antiwar community have been focusing on the role of the Israel Lobby in urging an attack on Syria as a stepping stone to another much bigger war with Iran after doing everything … Continue reading “Riyadh Says Let America Do It”

Last week it was reported that Saudi Arabia decided to make a “major shift” away from its 80 years of close cooperation with the United States. The Saudi leadership is angry that the Obama administration did not attack Syria last month, and that it has not delivered heavy weapons to the Syrian rebels fighting to … Continue reading “A Welcome US/Saudi Reset”

When German Chancellor Angela Merkel celebrated the opening of the new U.S. embassy in Berlin in 2008, she could not have imagined that she was blessing the workplace for the largest and most effective gaggle of American spies anywhere outside of the U.S. It seems straight out of a grade-B movie, but it has been … Continue reading “Spying on the President”

At least 32 people were killed and 63 more were wounded in continuing violence. Mosul, by far, suffered the most casualties in today’s attacks.

We’re supposed to believe President Obama had no idea the NSA was spying on Angela Merkel’s cell phone, but the Liar-in-chief was effectively refuted by his own underlings when NSA spokeswoman Vanee Vines huffily told the Wall Street Journal: "The agency’s activities stem from the National Intelligence Priorities Framework, which guides prioritization for the operation, … Continue reading “Surveillance Is for Peons”

As the first formal probe by an international rights body into allegations of U.S. mass surveillance began here Monday, privacy advocates from throughout the Americas accused Washington of violating international covenants and endangering civil society. Monday’s hearing took place before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), an arm of the 35-member Organization of American … Continue reading “US Snooping Makes It a Neighborhood Pariah”

Recent revelations about Iraq have exposed a pattern that may be just as revelatory about Syria. When the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons recently won the Nobel Peace prize, its former director general, José Bustani, decided to finally discuss the circumstances behind his firing eleven years ago. Bustani says that the Bush administration … Continue reading “Don’t Take Your Eye Off Regime Change”

The foreign leaders are dropping like flies – to American surveillance. I’m talking about serial revelations that the National Security Agency has been spying on Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff, two Mexican presidents, Felipe Calderón (whose office the NSA called “a lucrative source”) and his successor Enrique Peña Nieto, at least while still a candidate, and … Continue reading “The Fantasy of a Clean War”