Matthew Hoh

Last Friday, I addressed the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Below is the video of my statement, along with a transcript. My friend Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi also provided an Arabic translation of my comments. As an aside, Aymenn is one of the best Middle Eastern and geo-political analysts I know. You can follow him on … Continue reading “An Escalatory Game for Fools and Madmen”

I was asked for my thoughts on what most concerned me about the expected US attacks on Iran following the death of three American soldiers over the weekend in Jordan. Some of those thoughts made it into Newsweek.  Below, I’ve provided an extended set of thoughts on what we could expect from US attacks against Iran. … Continue reading “What the First Week of War With Iran Could Look Like”

Two press reports stood out to me this morning: the release of the names of two US Navy SEALs who drowned two weeks ago in the Arabian Sea and the Air Force’s production authorization for the B21 Raider bomber. Both stories symbolize an imperial inertia that defines American national security policies, an inertia that is … Continue reading “Americans Are Paying a Massive Price To Maintain the Empire”

Note: I originally intended this as a short post to provide videos and photos of my time in Palestine in 2017. With news of a possible hostage swap, my mind is on the terror that detention and captivity bring to Israeli and Palestinian families. At the end of this essay, along with the photos, is … Continue reading “Night Raids, Tear Gas, and Captivity”

The US supports nearly 75% of the world’s dictators, autocracies, monarchies, military regimes, etc., with weapons, military training and money. Please remember this the next time someone tells you the US should do X or Y because such and such a nation is bad… Comparing Freedom House’s list of Not Free nations* to FY 2020 … Continue reading “Nearly 3/4 of the World’s Dictators Receive US Weapons and Military Assistance”

As U.S. and Western forces gear up to depart from Afghanistan, the country’s more than 40-year war enters its next phase. This is nothing new for the Afghan people. In the course of a century, they have seen British and Soviet conquerors exit, leaving various would-be kings, power brokers and warlords to fill the vacuum. … Continue reading “A Cruel and Unjust Peace for Afghanistan”

Thirty thousand dead from suicide in 20 years among American service-members and veterans. Brown University’s Costs of War Project, utilizing data from the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), calculates that four times as many men and women who have served in the US military since 9/11 have died by … Continue reading “Was It Just? America and Her Suicidal Combat Veterans”

“There’s only one thing worse than a soldier dying in vain; it’s more soldiers dying in vain.” ~ Senator Mike Gravel, 2008 Democratic presidential primary debate, July 23, 2007. Please watch this short video of Senator Mike Gravel speaking at the 2008 Democratic presidential primary debates. Watch him admonish his fellow candidates for their warmongering. Watch this video, not just to … Continue reading “Mike Gravel and An Ongoing Road to Courage”

Review of Bringing The Enemy’s War Home; The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que Mai I was born near New York City in 1973, the year the United States officially ended its war in Vietnam and brought home the last of its combat troops. The Vietnam War, known to the Vietnamese as The American War, … Continue reading “The Mountains Sing”

Matthew Hoh is a Senior Fellow at the Center for International Policy. He resigned in protest from his post in Afghanistan over US strategic policy and goals in Afghanistan in September 2009. Prior to his assignment in Afghanistan, Matthew served in Iraq; first in 2004-5 in Salah ad Din Province with a State Department reconstruction … Continue reading “Washington Plans To Start Violence in Iraq Before Leaving”