John V. Walsh

John V. Walsh writes about issues of war, peace, empire, and health care for Antiwar.com, Consortium News, DissidentVoice.org, The Unz Review, and other outlets. Now living in the East Bay, he was until recently Professor of Physiology and Cellular Neuroscience at a Massachusetts Medical School. John V. Walsh can be reached at john.endwar@gmail.com

Head To Your Local Gas Station or Supermarket To End the US Proxy War in Ukraine

"Harris Tells Americans They Will Have to Pay More for Gas To Punish Russia," proclaimed the New York Times headline recently. So spoke no less an authority on economics than the Vice President of the United States. Harris was on a visit to Poland to reassure a nervous NATO member and to egg on the … Continue reading “Head To Your Local Gas Station or Supermarket To End the US Proxy War in Ukraine”

An Antidote to the ‘Split’ in the US Peace Movement: Anti-Interventionism

Massachusetts Peace Action, a venerable part of the US Peace Movement, has been around since the 1980s and its predecessors date back to the 1950s. Its voice is heeded and it represents most of the shared opinions of the liberal and progressive US peace movement. A recent piece by its Assistant Director, Brian Garvey, provides … Continue reading “An Antidote to the ‘Split’ in the US Peace Movement: Anti-Interventionism”

WWII Redux: The Endpoint of US Policy, from Ukraine to Taiwan

"This is not going to be a war of Ukraine and Russia. This is going to be a European war, a full-fledged war." So spoke Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky just days after berating the US for beating the drums of war. It is not hard to imagine how Zelensky’s words must have fallen on those … Continue reading “WWII Redux: The Endpoint of US Policy, from Ukraine to Taiwan”

Cover-Up of US Nuclear Sub Collision in South China Sea

"When elephants fight, it is the grass that gets trampled." So warned Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte in his address to the UN General Assembly on September 22, 2020. He was referring to the consequences for East Asia of a conflict between the US and China. Fast forward to October 2, 2021, about one year later, … Continue reading “Cover-Up of US Nuclear Sub Collision in South China Sea”

Biden Exits Afghanistan, Heads in the Wrong Direction

On August 31, Joe Biden wisely accepted the inevitable and announced the final departure of all open military presence in Afghanistan. Perhaps, the most important part of the speech had to do with the future, and here Biden was unequivocal: "And here is the critical thing to understand: The world is changing. We’re engaged in … Continue reading “Biden Exits Afghanistan, Heads in the Wrong Direction”

Anti-Chinese Racism Sets Stage for New McCarthyism

More than a dozen young visiting scholars from China had their visas abruptly terminated in a letter from administration of the University of North Texas (UNT), Denton, on August 26, in a letter dated …August 26! The letter informed the students that they could return to campus from their lodgings to pick up belongings, but … Continue reading “Anti-Chinese Racism Sets Stage for New McCarthyism”

Paternalistic Noninterventionism: The Examples of Venezuela and Hong Kong

The summer of 2019 saw a series of events in Hong Kong beginning with two massive demonstrations that called for the withdrawal of the Extradition Bill to Macao, Taiwan and Mainland China. The demonstrations were peaceful and the bill was quickly "suspended" and labeled "dead" by the Hong Kong government and then withdrawn by summer’s … Continue reading “Paternalistic Noninterventionism: The Examples of Venezuela and Hong Kong”

Dismantling the Doomsday Machines

"From a technical point of view, he (Stanley Kubrick) anticipated many things. … Since that time, little has changed, honestly. The only difference is that modern weapons systems have become more sophisticated, more complex. But this idea of a retaliatory strike and the inability to manage these systems, yes, all of these things are relevant … Continue reading “Dismantling the Doomsday Machines”

Woodward: No Evidence of Trump-Russia Collusion, I Searched Hard for Two Years

Bob Woodward’s book Fear has been a sensation in many respects. But one aspect has barely been mentioned. After two years of exhaustive research for his book, Woodward says that he has found no evidence of collusion between Putin’s government and Donald Trump’s campaign in 2016. Zilch, nada, zero. And Woodward strained very hard looking … Continue reading “Woodward: No Evidence of Trump-Russia Collusion, I Searched Hard for Two Years“

The Rocky Road to Helsinki

This is written July 14, two days before the Helsinki summit between Presidents Trump and Putin, and everything is on schedule in very predictable fashion – according to script. In the US, Rod Rosenstein has released "indictments" of 12 Russians who are accused of "hacking" Democratic National Committee servers other Democratic Party associated computers. These … Continue reading “The Rocky Road to Helsinki”