Ted Galen Carpenter

When Barack Obama implemented George W. Bush’s agreement to withdraw all U.S. military forces from Iraq by the end of 2011, most Americans likely concluded that Washington’s disastrous intervention had come to an end.  However, the administration reintroduced combat forces to Iraq and sent troops to Syria when ISIS launched its military offensive in 2013-2014 … Continue reading “Washington’s Continuing Contempt for Its Iraqi ‘Ally’”

There are multiple indications that members of the foreign policy establishment are increasingly worried that the American people are growing weary of Washington’s strategic overextension and the excessive costs in treasure and blood that role imposes.  Elites show their nervousness through desperate attempts to preserve the policy status quo.  One recent example was the effort … Continue reading “The Foreign Policy Blob’s Desperate Attempt To Preserve NATO”

Many readers of Antiwar.com have wondered why they have seen no new articles from me in more than 6 weeks.  The answer is that I was battling heart and other health issues that nearly took my life.  At one point, my principal cardiologist told my wife that I was unlikely to make it out of … Continue reading “My Own Brush with Death Has Intensified My Opposition to U.S. Imperialism”

Advocates of a less interventionist U.S. foreign policy are understandably eager to identify and work with potential political and ideological allies.  That desire causes them to reach out to promising prospects among both liberals and conservatives under the more general banner of foreign policy “restrainers.”  In some cases, the outreach has achieved significant results.  Analysts … Continue reading “Some Alleged Restrainers Are Just Selective Ultra-Hawks”

Joe Biden’s approach to international issues increasingly resembles George W. Bush’s disastrous foreign policy.  One key tendency in common is that both men view complex world affairs in dangerously simplistic terms as an existential struggle between good and evil.  In Bush’s case, the bitter fruit of that perspective became apparent with the seemingly endless armed … Continue reading “Biden Revives Axis of Evil Propaganda Ploy”

Reprinted from The Libertarian Institute. U.S. administrations have repeatedly condemned foreign adversaries for engaging in ethnic cleansing of minority populations. That has been an explicit grievance against the People’s Republic of China (PRC) because of Beijing’s treatment of its Uygur population in Xinjiang province, and against Syria and Iran because of their conduct toward Kurdish … Continue reading “On Ethnic Cleansing, Washington DC Has Always Been the Hypocrite”

It is a sad reality that the establishment news media’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas fighting may be even more shallow, biased, and hawkish than the coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war or previous international conflicts.  The willingness of most prominent news outlets to serve as little more than conduits for pro-war propaganda is not really a … Continue reading “Credulous or Dishonest Journalists Regurgitate Pro-War Propaganda”

The response in the United States to the surge of violence between Palestinians and Israelis holds no surprises whatsoever.  The usual bipartisan contingent of pro-war figures in the political arena, the policy community, and the corporate news media presented a predictable narrative from the outset that quickly became dominant.  Proponents parroted familiar clichés that portrayed … Continue reading “Hawks Are Using Gaza Violence as a Pretext for War with Iran”

The illegal U.S. military occupation in northeastern Syria is rapidly turning into a policy debacle as well.  There is little question that the presence of U.S. troops and armed contractors (mercenaries) is utterly illegal under international law.  The Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad, which is recognized by the United Nations and the vast … Continue reading “Washington’s Illegal, Immoral Meddling in Syria Faces Mounting Problems”

Tucker Carlson reports that the U.S. government prevented him from interviewing Russian President Vladimir Putin.  Carlson told the Swiss magazine Die Weltwoche that he had sought to arrange an interview with Putin, but U.S. officials blocked him. “I tried to interview Vladimir Putin, but the U.S. government prevented me from doing so. Think about [the … Continue reading “Contempt for Press Freedoms: U S Officials Bar Tucker Carlson from Interviewing Putin”