Month: September 2014

Entering the Intelligence Labyrinth

Originally posted at TomDispatch. What are the odds? You put about $68 billion annually into a maze of 17 major intelligence outfits. You build them glorious headquarters. You create a global surveillance state for the ages. You listen in on your citizenry and gather their communications in staggering quantities. Your employees even morph into avatars … Continue reading “Entering the Intelligence Labyrinth”

China Is a Paper Tiger

The rise of China as America’s chief rival on the international stage has long been a staple of our foreign policy pundits’ alleged wisdom. The Chinese, simply by virtue of their enormous population, have been deemed the inheritors of the earth. China, we are told, has been in the process of overtaking us in terms … Continue reading “China Is a Paper Tiger”

Attack of the Five Monarchies

It is the irony of ironies. A cadre of repressive monarchies is chosen to liberate the captive peoples of Iraq and Syria from the tyranny of ISIS. Combating a group known for its violent sectarianism, the five Arab allies ordered by the United States to participate in the bombing campaign against ISIS are themselves the … Continue reading “Attack of the Five Monarchies”

DHS Is a Mess

After an intruder was able to jump over the fence and enter the White House, the Secret Service, an agency in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is talking about augmenting security procedures and widening the White House security perimeter to include surrounding areas in the executive mansion’s neighborhood. Because I work across Lafayette Park … Continue reading “DHS Is a Mess”

Most Americans Say US Gives Too Much Aid to Israel

Most Americans believe the United States is giving too much foreign aid to Israel according to an online survey. The American Public Opinion on U.S. Aid to Israel (PDF) survey was fielded via Google Consumer Surveys between September 26-29, 2014 as a necessary follow-up to the release of the influential Chicago Council on Global Affairs … Continue reading “Most Americans Say US Gives Too Much Aid to Israel”

At Least 246 killed across Iraq As Battles Rage near Baghdad

Only 17 non-militant deaths were reported today and no wounded, but that is an unlikely number, because there was heavy fighting just west of Baghdad. An unconfirmed report suggests that a thousand soldiers may have been killed in that operation alone. At least 229 militants were killed in other battles and airstrikes and 33 more were wounded.

They’re Making Up Stuff

It’s hard to keep the American people engaged with foreign affairs: notoriously "isolationist," we just can’t stay interested in the various overseas "threats" our rulers would have us in a panic over. While Al Qaeda was Washington’s biggest "success" in this regard – the 9/11 attacks really got everyone’s attention and managed to keep Americans … Continue reading “They’re Making Up Stuff”