The pattern of media reports – based on White House leaks – that an agreement with Iran is almost completed has become predictable. Where once the markets fluctuated wildly (and some insiders made huge profits with the information), each time we hear that the deal is...
The Rise of China and the Imminent US Exit: What Must the Arabs Do?
US President Donald Trum’'s state visit to China will go down in history as the day the United States finally acknowledged Beijing’s ascendancy as a global superpower. That acknowledgment does not need to be articulated in a formal statement; it can be clearly read in...
A Global War on Children
Originally published on TomDispatch. Sometimes, Donald Trump just doesn’t get the credit he deserves. In so many ways, he is indeed a record-setting president. Here’s just one example, as reported by Dave DeCamp of Antiwar.com. In early May, the U.S. military bombed...
Support Our Troops: What It Really Means
The other day, I was reading an old Atlantic Monthly and came across the following cartoon: That is one powerful image. I like the tiny heads on the pallbearers. They make me think of the posturing politicians who tell us to “support our troops” while sending them to...
The Strait of Hormuz: A Constant in Iranian History
The strategic and spiritual resonance of the Strait of Hormuz is deeply woven into Iran’s identity. It represents a profound geographic constant in Iranian history. This narrow waterway has served as a central artery for Persian political and economic power,...
Wildlife & Landmines: The Lasting Legacy of Passive Weapons
Horrifically deadly and widely implemented on a global scale, landmines continue to speckle the landscape of current and past battlefields. And while effective in a passive sense, the hardware planted beneath the soil persists long after the inevitable conclusion of...
The Boring Trump-Xi Summit: Boring Is Good
Critics of the May 2026 summit between President Trump and Xi Jinping, president of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), widely condemned the outcome as being long on pomp and ceremony but short on meaningful substantive results. They noted that most of the...
Senators Propose To Head Off ‘Automatic’ Draft Registration by Repealing Selective Service
On May 14th, Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) reintroduced the Selective Service Repeal Act, S. 4537). This bill already has the endorsement of dozens of peace and antiwar groups, draft resisters, religious organizations, antiwar...
US/Iran Energy Shock Damage Is Spreading in Asia
In the Asian shock, four transmission channels play a role. In the case of oil, elevated risk premium is coupled with physical tightening via Strait of Hormuz disruptions. Lliquefied natural gas (LNG) poses a more severe constraint than oil and thus structural...
The Man Who Seeks To Rule the World
Although Donald Trump has never been modest about his abilities or reluctant to exercise personal power, during his second term in office he has shown clear signs of megalomania. One sign, of course, is his blatant demand for the territory of other nations. Since...


