The United States and its NATO allies offered a ritual of NATO unity after Turkish officials presented their case that the shoot-down of a Russian jet occurred after two planes had penetrated Turkish airspace. The Turkish representative reportedly played a...
Turkey, Russia, and the Fallacy of ‘Collective Security’
Blackadder: You see, Baldrick, in order to prevent war in Europe, two superblocs developed: us, the French and the Russians on one side, and the Germans and Austro-Hungary on the other. The idea was to have two vast opposing armies, each acting as the other’s...
Hillary’s Plan To Combat ISIS Won’t Work
In contrast to most Republican candidates, who have given us general platitudes about "getting tougher on terrorism" or vague promises to use more ground troops in Iraq or Syria, Hillary Clinton has proposed a more concrete program for battling ISIS;...
Pilgrim Stampede at Border; 97 Killed across Iraq
The Reign of Absurdiocy
There is no such thing as "international terrorism". To declare war on "international terrorism" is nonsense. Politicians who do so are either fools or cynics, and probably both. Terrorism is a weapon. Like cannon. We would laugh at somebody who...
The Phony War on ISIS
The downing of a Russian warplane by the Turks raises several questions, which can all be rolled into one big one: In the war against ISIS, which side is Turkey – and NATO – on, anyway? Now let’s list the subordinate issues that cause us to question what’s really...
Fighting in Anbar Progresses Slowly; 79 Killed across Iraq
58 Killed across Iraq; Over 120 Found in Mass Grave
Rainwater has exposed a new mass grave in Sinjar. Witnesses to the executions estimate the grave contains about 123 bodies. It has yet to be excavated, because it has been booby-trapped with explosives. It is the sixth mass grave found so far. At least 58 were killed...
Forget ISIS: Humanity Is at Stake
I still remember that smug look on his face, followed by the matter-of-fact remarks that had western journalists laugh out loud. “I’m now going to show you a picture of the luckiest man in Iraq,” General Norman Schwarzkopf, known as “Stormin” Norman, said at a press...
The Perils of Endless War
War tends to perpetuate itself. As soon as one brute gets killed, another takes his place; when the new guy falls, another materializes. Consider Richard Nixon's intensification of the American war on Cambodia. In hopes of maintaining an advantage over the Communists...