Erdogan Isn’t as Strong as He Looks – That’s What Makes Him Dangerous

At first glance, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s drive to create an executive presidency with almost unlimited power through a nationwide referendum looks like a slam-dunk. The man hasn’t lost an election since 1994, and he’s loaded the dice and stacked the deck for the April 15 vote. Using last summer’s failed coup as a shield, … Continue reading “Erdogan Isn’t as Strong as He Looks – That’s What Makes Him Dangerous”

A Hole in the Constitution

The issue of federal government surveillance of Americans has largely occupied Washington politicians and the media since President Donald Trump first accused the administration of his predecessor of spying on him while he and his colleagues worked at Trump Tower in New York City during the presidential election campaign and during the presidential transition. Trump’s … Continue reading “A Hole in the Constitution”

Normalization in the Name of Peace: How Israel Understands the Arab Peace Initiative

Once more, the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002 is taking center stage. Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas insisted during his speech before the recently-concluded Arab League Summit in Jordan, that the Initiative is the only solution on the table; asserting that it will not be changed or even tweaked. But why is this Initiative, … Continue reading “Normalization in the Name of Peace: How Israel Understands the Arab Peace Initiative”

Militants attack Tikrit; 281 Killed in Iraq

During a press conference on Wednesday, Jassem al Jaff, from the Ministry of Displacement and Migration, said that over 430,000 have been displaced by the fighting in Mosul.  At least 281 were killed and 34 were wounded, including bodies recovered from an airstrike site: In Mosul, the number of people killed in a controversial March … Continue reading “Militants attack Tikrit; 281 Killed in Iraq”

Boomerang: ‘Russia-gate’ Turns Into ‘Spy-gate’

It’s the Boomerang Effect – an investigation that exposes the investigators. That’s what we’re witnessing as the “Russia-gate” probe reveals that the real evildoers at the heart of this ginned-up brouhaha are those who accused President Trump of “treason.” Now we know the real treason — to the Constitution — is that committed by members … Continue reading “Boomerang: ‘Russia-gate’ Turns Into ‘Spy-gate’”

The Teflon Wars

Originally posted at TomDispatch. On successive days recently, I saw two museum shows that caught something of a lost American world and seemed eerily relevant in the Age of Trump. The first, “Hippie Modernism,” an exploration of the counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s (heavy on psychedelic posters), was appropriately enough at the Berkeley Art … Continue reading “The Teflon Wars”

Does It Matter Who Pulls the Trigger in the Drone Wars?

We’re allowing a mindset of “anything Trump does is wrong” coupled with lightening-speed historical revisionism for the Obama era to sustain the same mistakes in the war on terror that have fueled Islamic terrorism for the past 15 years. However, there may be a window of opportunity to turn the anti-Trump rhetoric into a review … Continue reading “Does It Matter Who Pulls the Trigger in the Drone Wars?”

Why Is Kim Jong Un Our Problem?

"If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will." So President Donald Trump warns, amid reports North Korea, in its zeal to build an intercontinental ballistic missile to hit our West Coast, may test another atom bomb. China shares a border with North Korea. We do not. Why then is this our problem … Continue reading “Why Is Kim Jong Un Our Problem?”

Yes, Let’s Allow the Syrian People To Decide for Themselves

Is common sense beginning to creep into US policy in the Middle East? Last week Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that the longer-term status of Syrian President Assad would be “decided by the Syrian people.” The media reported this as a radical shift in US foreign policy, but isn’t this just stating what should … Continue reading “Yes, Let’s Allow the Syrian People To Decide for Themselves”