Month: October 2016

As the end of Obama’s term in office approaches, it may be of interest to evaluate his performance on Latin America. One of Obama’s foreign policy promises at the beginning of his first term was to change the way America does business with Latin America. The promise to change the way America does business in … Continue reading “The End of Obama’s Term: A Report Card on Latin America”

The Obama administration has carried out a deliberately deceptive campaign accusing Iran of covertly sending arms to the Houthis by sea, a claim that Washington cites to help justify the Saudi massive air attack against the Houthis that began last year. By repeating the accusation over and over, the administration has been largely successful in … Continue reading “Justifying the Saudi Slaughter in Yemen”

Nuclear weapons present the greatest public health and existential threat to our survival every moment of every day. Yet the United States and world nuclear nations stand in breach of the 1968 Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty which commits these nations to work in good faith to end the arms race and to achieve nuclear disarmament. Forty … Continue reading “Nuclear Weapons – The Time for Abolition is Now”

At least 5,561 people were killed and 2,463 were wounded across Iraq during October. Hundreds were executed on Monday alone.

How did the "growing trust" that Russian President Vladimir Putin once said marked his "working and personal relationship with President Obama" change into today’s deep distrust and saber-rattling? Their relationship reached its zenith after Mr. Putin persuaded Syria to give up its chemical weapons for verified destruction, enabling Mr. Obama at the last minute to … Continue reading “Putin-Obama Trust Evaporates”

Originally posted at TomDispatch.Recently, I was asked a question about Kill Anything That Moves, my history of civilian suffering during the Vietnam War. An interviewer wanted to know how I responded to veterans who took offense at the (supposed) implication that every American who served in Vietnam committed atrocities. I think I softly snorted and … Continue reading “One Veteran’s War on Islamophobia”

In the midst of an election in which the issues are largely ignored in favor of sensationalism and smears, the anti-interventionist voter is pretty much at sea. Hillary Clinton’s demagogic Russia-baiting of Trump as a Kremlin “puppet” augurs a foreign policy that will take us back to the arctic winter of the cold war, circa … Continue reading “What Is To Be Done?”

Several bombers were able to pass through security to detonate their explosives in Baghdad on Sunday.

Baghdad could not keep the Shi’ite militias from joining operations around Mosul.

This fall, the U.S. agreed to provide $38 billion in military aid to Israel over the next ten years, ensuring America’s continued role in funding the occupation of Palestine. Meanwhile, my friends and colleagues here in Gaza live in fear of another significant Israeli attack in the near future. They have every reason to fear … Continue reading “Israel’s Blockade of Gaza Is Inherently Violent”