Month: June 2014

With the Islamic warriors of ISIS having captured all the border posts between Iraq, Syria and Jordan, we may be witnessing the end of Sykes-Picot. That was the secret 1916 treaty by which the British and French carved up the Ottoman Empire, with the Brits taking Transjordan and Iraq, and the French Syria and Lebanon. … Continue reading “Make Congress Vote On War”

The death of CIA veteran John Lloyd Hadden a year ago went utterly unreported by establishment media in the United States. Given Hadden’s known history, the blackout is perhaps not as much a reflection of the difficulty reporting on a clandestine career as a slap at his harsh but ardent defense of American interests against … Continue reading “Death of the Masked Men”

Despite all of the hysteria surrounding the advances in northern Iraq of the brutal group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), no crisis exists for U.S. security, and the American people are wise in their skepticism of renewed U.S. military involvement in that country. Even if the gains of the group eventually lead to … Continue reading “In Iraq, Obama Needs To Have an Eisenhower Moment”

At least 305 people were killed and 55 more were wounded today. The United States received the Iraqi government’s promise that U.S. personnel will have immunity. When the U.S. was trying to negotiate continued U.S. troops in Iraq, the Iraqi government refused that request. The Iraqi Army reported the deaths of as many as 73 … Continue reading “Security Forces Accused Again of Killing Prisoners; Over 300 killed Across Iraq”

When I saw the Washington Post’s banner headline, “U.S. sees risk in Iraq airstrikes,” I thought, “doesn’t that say it all.” The Post apparently didn’t deem it newsworthy to publish a story headlined: “Iraqis see risk in U.S. airstrikes.” Then, in an accompanying article, authors Gregg Jaffe and Kevin Maurer observed nonchalantly that “Iraq and … Continue reading “Iraqis Are Not ‘Abstractions’”

Advocates of a noninterventionist foreign policy and the restoration of civil liberties in America haven’t had a reason to be optimistic in the past decade or so – but that is rapidly changing. On the foreign policy front, non-interventionism hasn’t had many champions in American politics. Indeed, during the darkest days of the post-9/11 era, … Continue reading “Rand Paul vs. Dick Cheney”

At least 141 people were killed and 73 more were wounded as militants took over more border towns and crossings.

At least 251 people were killed across Iraq and another 39 were wounded in fresh violence. Bombing took place in Baghdad, but mostly the bloodshed was due to the ISIS/DAASH invasion. These numbers may be low. Several reports of deaths and injuries did not give actual figures. Two of the militant groups were fighting amongst themselves today.

Last week a Congressional hearing entitled "The Bergdahl Exchange: Implications for U.S. National Security and the Fight Against Terrorism" was convened to investigate circumstances surrounding the prisoner exchange of former Army Private Bowe Bergdahl and events leading to his internment in Afghanistan over five years ago. Amid conflicting accusations of seizure, defection and possible mental … Continue reading “The Bookends of Generation War: Bowe Bergdahl and John Walker Lindh”

The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, says the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) should now close its investigation of the issue of Iran’s development of high explosives detonators the IAEA has said may have been part of a covert nuclear weapons program. IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano has thus far refused … Continue reading “Iran’s Atomic Chief Decries IAEA Failure to Close Detonator Probe”