Ray McGovern

After a multi-month, politically charged investigation, German intelligence agencies could find no good evidence of Moscow-directed cyber-attacks or a disinformation campaign aimed at subverting the democratic process in Germany. Undaunted, Chancellor Angela Merkel has commissioned a new investigation. Last year, Berlin’s two main intelligence agencies, the BND and BfV (counterparts of the CIA and FBI) … Continue reading “German Intel Clears Russia on Interference”

Oops. Did President Barack Obama acknowledge that the extraordinary propaganda campaign to blame Russia for helping Donald Trump become president has a very big hole in it, i.e., that the US intelligence community has no idea how the Democratic emails reached WikiLeaks? For weeks, eloquent obfuscation – expressed with “high confidence” – has been the … Continue reading “Obama Admits Gap in Russian ‘Hack’ Case”

Occasionally a New York Times writer like Mark Landler will be permitted to step up to the plate and write a sensible article about President “No Guts Obama” and how he caved in to folks whom he lacked the political courage to cross. Landler’s Jan. 1 article shows, among other things, how Obama’s bowing to … Continue reading “Obama’s Deadly Afghan Acquiescence”

A review of events leading to the very edge of full-blown U.S. shock-and-awe on Syria three years ago provides a case study with important lessons for new policymakers as they begin to arrive in Washington. It is high time to expose the whys and wherefores of the almost-successful attempt to mousetrap President Barack Obama into … Continue reading “The Syrian-Sarin ‘False Flag’ Lesson”

The news that President-elect Donald Trump called in disgraced retired Gen. David Petraeus for a job interview as possible Secretary of State tests whether Trump’s experience in hosting “The Celebrity Apprentice” honed his skills for spotting an incompetent phony or not. Does Trump need more data than the continuing bedlam in Iraq and Afghanistan to … Continue reading “Trump Ponders Petraeus for Senior Job”

President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of Kansas Congressman Mike Pompeo, an open aficionado of torture practices used in the “war on terror,” to be CIA director shows that Trump was serious when he said he would support “waterboarding and much worse.” Earlier, there had been a sliver of hope that that, while on the campaign trail, … Continue reading “Installing a Torture Fan at CIA”

In view of the surprising election victory of Donald Trump, today’s vote in the Bundestag has assumed even greater importance. There are very passionate warmongers in the United States. Thank goodness, President Obama is not one of them. I believe that Donald Trump, like Obama, would like to find a way to end the armed … Continue reading “Germany Urged To Pause on Syrian Escalation”

How did the "growing trust" that Russian President Vladimir Putin once said marked his "working and personal relationship with President Obama" change into today’s deep distrust and saber-rattling? Their relationship reached its zenith after Mr. Putin persuaded Syria to give up its chemical weapons for verified destruction, enabling Mr. Obama at the last minute to … Continue reading “Putin-Obama Trust Evaporates”

For instance, Russian defense spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov warned on Oct. 6 that Russia is prepared to shoot down unidentified aircraft – including any stealth aircraft – over Syria. It is a warning that I believe should be taken seriously. It’s true that experts differ as to whether the advanced air defense systems already … Continue reading “Russia Reads US Bluster as Sign of War”

As U.S. and Russian officials trade barbed threats and as diplomacy on Syria is “on the verge” of extinction, it is tempting to view the ongoing propaganda exchange over who shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in July 2014 as a sideshow. That would be a huge mistake – easily made by President Obama’s wet-behind-the-ears … Continue reading “Russia-Baiting and Risks of Nuclear War”