On Saturday, the Iraqi government backed Washington in its denials that an American airstrike killed pro-government forces near Tikrit. U.S. air forces joined the battle on Wednesday after Baghdad requested the help. Due to the long history of conflict between U.S. forces and Shi’ite militias, the U.S. had kept out of the fight.
Imagine if an American presidential candidate made a plea to his supporters on election day with the following statement: "The Republican administration is in danger. Black voters are going en masse to the polls. Liberal NGOs are bringing them on buses." Even in a country where Chris Matthews is a media celebrity and Pamela Geller …
Continue reading “Netanyahu the Mythbuster: ‘Special Relationship’ No More”
With the agreed deadline for reaching a “political framework” for a final comprehensive nuclear agreement only a few days away, the fate of the negotiations now hang on closing the gap between the P5+1 and Iran on removing sanctions. The issues associated with Iran’s nuclear program have now been pretty much resolved, except for limits …
Continue reading “Sanctions and the Fate of the Nuclear Talks”
Rapid changes are occurring in Yemen. Ever since United States had to leave its military base there, other powers have been lining up to benefit from the chaos. It has been revealed that Saudi Arabia has commenced bombing targets in Yemen. Egypt has announced its support for the Saudi effort. I am quite confident that …
Continue reading “Yemen Exploding: Is the Stage Set for the Big War?”
Iraqi leaders promised that Shi’ite militias would submit to government authority and accept U.S. involvement. The pledge comes a day after the militiamen said they would quit the war against the Islamic State militants over U.S. airstrikes in the Tikrit operation. Among the leaders was Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani who asked the militias to coordinate their efforts with government forces. Some of the militias may not have intended participating in the boycott at all.
The forces that do not want a U.S. nuclear deal with Iran, nor any U.S. detente with Iran, are impressive. Among them are the Israelis and their powerful lobby AIPAC, the Saudis and their Sunni allies on the Persian Gulf, a near unanimity of Republicans and a plurality of Democrats in Congress. Is there a …
Continue reading “The Enemy of My Enemy”
Originally posted at TomDispatch. Fifteen to 20 years ago, a canny friend of mine assured me that I would know I was in a different world when the Europeans said no to Washington. I’ve been waiting all this time and last week it seemed as if the moment had finally arrived. Germany, France, and Italy …
Continue reading “Your Money at War Everywhere”
Yesterday a coalition of Arab nations led by Saudi Arabia bombed targets across Yemen in an attempt to reverse recent gains by Shiite rebels. The Saudi’s also announced that 150,000 soldiers had been deployed in anticipation of a possible ground invasion. It’s all part of a familiar recipe. It has become so familiar that we …
Continue reading “When Politics Mean More Than Human Lives: Saudi Arabia Bombs Yemen”
Saudi Arabia‘s US-backed aggression against the sovereignty of Yemen is a textbook example of how local conflicts are internationalized – and become tripwires for regional wars and even global conflagrations. Like Libya, Yemen is yet another Middle Eastern country that doesn’t really exist: it is actually at least two separate countries, perhaps three – the …
Continue reading “Leave the Houthis Alone!”
On March 23 over at Volokh Conspiracy, law professor Ilya Somin wrote about a lawsuit against Henderson, Nevada police officers who allegedly forced a family to let them into their home for hours while scoping out a neighbor’s domestic disturbance standoff back in 2011. Linda, Michael, and Anthony Mitchell sued police for various constitutional violations …
Continue reading “Are Cops Soldiers Yet?” 
