The news broke on Twitter – where else? – at around five on Tuesday morning: "Officials: Iran Nuke Talks to Continue in New Phase." The Associated Press headline writer might just as well have shortened that to "No Deal," as the content of the story made all too clear: "Wrapping up six days of marathon …
Continue reading “When War Comes We Know Who To Blame”
Saudi Arabia has commenced military operations against the Ansarullah fighters of the Houthi movement in Yemen. The Saudi intervention was not unexpected. Over the last few weeks, there were signs that the United States and the Saudis were preparing the ground for direct military intervention in Yemen in response to the Houthis’ seizing the Yemeni …
Continue reading “Another Illegal War in the Middle East”
Australia’s Chief of Joint Operations Vice Admiral David Johnston said that Coalition forces have, so far, killed about 9,500 Islamic State militants in Iraq. At least 252 people were killed and 17 were wounded on Tuesday.
As the P5+1 and Iran agree to continue talks on a possible joint statement past a midnight deadline into Wednesday, the most contentious issue in Lausanne still appears to be how and when sanctions on Iran will be lifted. Virtually all the details of the negotiating positions of the two sides remain cloaked in secrecy. However, …
Continue reading “Iran Demands Lifting of Sanctions for ‘Irreversible’ Moves, Says Insider”
Given all the frothing by hawkish U.S. Senators about Iran’s possible development of nuclear weapons, one might think that Iran was violating the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). But it’s not. The NPT, signed by 190 nations and in effect since 1970, is a treaty in which the non-nuclear nations agreed to forgo developing nuclear weapons …
Continue reading “Who Are the Nuclear Scofflaws?”
An Israeli-conceived, U.S.-enforced farce masquerading as "grand strategy" is finally dead. For years the Israeli government refused to confirm or deny its nuclear weapons program. The February release of the Israeli section of the Defense Department-commissioned report "Critical Technology Assessment in Israel and Nation Nations" (PDF) killed off the policy while setting off an Internet …
Continue reading “End of Israeli ‘Nuclear Ambiguity’ Good For Peace”
In the wake of the global recession, beginning with the financial crisis of 2008-2009, the British government of Prime Minister David Cameron took a different approach from the U.S. governments of George W. Bush and Barack Obama – eschewing massive government stimuli (that is, profligate spending) for the economy and instead focusing on moderate belt …
Continue reading “The US Should Learn From Its British Ally”
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on the Iraqi government to bring Shi’ite militia groups under the control of the military due to troubling reports that the militias are violating human rights in Sunni territories.
As the deadline for a deal with Iran approaches, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues his very public meltdown – and it gets more revealing every time he opens his mouth. At the latest Israeli cabinet meeting Netanyahu reported that his American vassals are all lined up to scotch any agreement: “I just came from …
Continue reading “The Real Axis of Evil”
Some officials in Tikrit are saying that the cost of allowing U.S. airstrikes may have been too dear. They admit that the strikes are more precise and less likely to kill pro-government forces, but the army isn’t ready to take the place of the militiamen who have been forced away from the fighting.
At least 164 were killed and 106 were wounded.
