Month: May 2017

Originally posted at TomDispatch. War, American-style, in the twenty-first century hasn’t exactly been a sterling success story. (How did the Brits ever manage to run that empire of theirs for so many years with such modest numbers of troops?) Take Afghanistan, for example. We now know something of Washington’s latest plans for pursuing the war … Continue reading “Trumping Democracy in America’s Empire of Bases”

We were beginning to think the Donald’s days as the Great Disrupter were over before he even got started. So bringing the hammer down on one of the most self-righteous prigs and self-aggrandizing swamp creatures to ever inhabit the Imperial City came just in the nick of time. After all, just in the last week … Continue reading “Bravo! The Donald Finally Fired a Swamp Creature”

Militants attacked security personnel at the Jordan border.

Americans view South Korea and Israel as two U.S. allies most likely to "embroil the US in an unnecessary, protracted and costly war." 36% of Americans believe South Korea is "most likely" while 28.5% of Americans believe Israel is "most likely." The US has security treaties with all countries in the survey except for Israel. … Continue reading “Poll: Americans Believe South Korea and Israel ‘Most Likely’ Allies To Embroil US in War”

The United States is technically still at war with North Korea. No peace agreement has been signed despite repeated requests from Pyongyang for high-level negotiations. Former presidents Carter and Clinton and other high-level officials have gone to the North and achieved negotiation successes, but no sitting president had done so. Now Secretary of State Rex … Continue reading “Why the US Should Negotiate in Good Faith With North Korea”

Heavy fighting in Mosul left many militants dead.

The closest I ever got to Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, was 1,720.7 miles away – or so the Internet assures me.  Although I’ve had a lifelong interest in history, I know next to nothing about Mosul’s, nor do I have more than a glancing sense of what it looks like, or more accurately what … Continue reading “The Globalization of Misery”

By the end of this month, Defense Secretary James Mattis and National Security Advisor HR McMaster will deliver to President Trump their plans for military escalations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. President Trump would be wise to rip the plans up and send his national security team back to the drawing board – or replace … Continue reading “President Trump: Toss Your Generals’ War Escalation Plans in the Trash”

The launching of yet another ballistic missile test by North Korea dramatizes the conundrum we face in dealing with Kim Jong-un. The trajectory of the missile – it traveled around 430 miles and landed some 60 miles from Russia, in the Sea of Japan – limns the trajectory of North Korea’s course in its confrontation … Continue reading “Trump Should Meet With Kim Jong-un”

The two top national security officials in the Trump administration – Secretary of Defense James Mattis and national security adviser HR McMaster – are trying to secure long-term US ground and air combat roles in the three long-running wars in the greater Middle East – Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. Proposals for each of the three … Continue reading “Will Trump Agree to the Pentagon’s Permanent War in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria?”