Month: July 2016

Hyped emotions, and political opportunism aside, the Israel-Turkey normalization deal, signed on June 27 is unfavorable for Palestinians – and for Gazans, in particular. There is much that is being said to blame Turkey or placate the damage of seeing Turkey – which has for years been one of the most visible backers of Palestinian … Continue reading “People Above Politics: Political Deal Will Not Hamper the Turkish-Palestinian Bond”

The long internal political struggle within the Obama administration over policy toward Syria has intensified following a proposal by President Barack Obama to cooperate with Russia in an air campaign against Al Qaeda’s Syrian franchise. The proposal, in response to an overture from Russia in May, would coordinate airstrikes against al-Nusra Front – the most … Continue reading “A New Fight Over Syria War Strategy”

Human Rights Watch and the United Nations are warning the Iraqi government that it must conduct a transparent investigation of rights abuses during the operation to liberate Fallujah. They also want the United States to acknowledge the abuses. The organizations fear a cursory investigation could negatively impact the fight for Mosul. The number of casualties … Continue reading “HRW, UN Tell Baghdad To Investigate Abuses; 40 Killed in Iraq”

Do we really need a 2.6 million word report on how Bush’s poodle, a.k.a. former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, allowed his country to be pulled into a conflict that claimed hundreds of British lives, thousands of American lives, and at least 150,000 Iraqi lives, while plunging the entire region into a maelstrom of terroristic … Continue reading “Chilcot and the End of the Anglosphere”

Does Hillary Clinton possess the integrity and honesty to be president of the United States? Or are those quaint and irrelevant considerations in electing a head of state in 21st-century America? These are the questions put on the table by the report from FBI Director James Comey on what his agents unearthed in their criminal … Continue reading “Is Hillary Morally Unfit to Be President?”

Wednesday, two shocking videos of police officers fatally shooting civilians (Alton Sterling and Philando Castile) surfaced. The day before, many were appalled to hear the Director of the FBI announce that Hillary Clinton would not be charged for mishandling classified information. The two events may seem unrelated, but at bottom, they concern the same fundamental … Continue reading “From Cops to Clinton: Impunity Corrupts”

Vladimir Putin recently manned up and admitted it. The United States remains the planet’s sole superpower, as it has been since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. “America,” the Russian president said, “is a great power. Today, probably, the only superpower. We accept that.” Think of us, in fact, as the default superpower in an … Continue reading “Where Did the American Century Go?”

An attack on the Sayyid Muhammad bin Ali al-Hadi left dozens dead and injured.

U.S. intelligence veterans are calling on German Chancellor Merkel to bring a needed dose of realism and restraint to the upcoming NATO conference, which risks escalating the dangerous new Cold War with Russia. MEMORANDUM FOR: Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany FROM: Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) SUBJECT: NATO Summit in Warsaw REFERENCE: Our Memorandum … Continue reading “Merkel Urged To Temper NATO’s Belligerence”

In explaining Donald Trump and the train wreck of the Republican Party, neoconservative contempt has targeted cultural rot, immigrant haters, and according to the the National Review, prescription drug addicted hillbillies. These poor, dumb racists have latched on to a celebrity shyster who has no conservative principles and worst of all, no understanding of international … Continue reading “Confessions of a War Propagandist”