Month: September 2018

At least 401 were killed in Iraq during September, and 491 were wounded.

On September 18 leaders of North and South Korea signed a September Declaration to advance inter-Korean cooperation and the possibility of the North’s denuclearization. Critics immediately dismissed the agreement for having accomplished nothing on the latter objective while largely ignoring what was accomplished on the former. From my perspective, the critics have it wrong: They … Continue reading “A Victory for Diplomacy on the Korean Peninsula”

While I hate to open this with a health update, it does explain a few things that need explaining. I was quite prepared to write yet another fundraising letter last week, but my illness – there, now I’ve actually personified it! – had other plans. A change in my medication had a dramatic effect on … Continue reading “The Awards I Never Got”

Originally posted at TomDispatch. In July 1999, Chalmers Johnson began the prologue to Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire this way: "Instead of demobilizing after the Cold War, the United States imprudently committed itself to maintaining a global empire. This book is an account of the resentments our policies have built up and … Continue reading “Backfire, a Generation of American Folly”

A bomb attributed to the PKK killed and wounded several Turkish soldiers.

Originally posted at TomDispatch. When you think about it, the Earth is a relatively modest-sized planet – about 25,000 miles in circumference at the Equator, with a total surface area of 197 million square miles, almost three-quarters of which is water. It’s not so hard, if you’re in a certain frame of mind (as American … Continue reading “In the Heart of a Dying Empire”

An internet star followed by millions was assassinated in Baghdad.

Operations continue in Anbar province

The Saudi bombing of a school bus in Yemen on August 9, 2018 killed 44 children and wounded many more. The attack struck a nerve in the U.S., confronting the American public with the wanton brutality of the Saudi-led war on Yemen. When CNN revealed that the bomb used in the airstrike was made by … Continue reading “In Yemen and Beyond, US Arms Manufacturers Are Abetting Crimes Against Humanity”

By now, the images are infamous: stunned, bloodied Yemeni children arriving at the hospital after their summer camp bus was bombed by Saudi aircraft. The United States is deeply implicated in that August 9 attack, which killed 54 people – most of them children Fragments from the bomb bear the labels of U.S. weapons manufacturers. … Continue reading “The US Isn’t Just Backing the Yemen War – It’s Helping Trap Those Forced To Flee”