Peter Van Buren

“Today we finally acknowledge the obvious: that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital,” President Donald Trump said. “This is nothing more or less than a recognition of reality.” Trump’s formal recognition of Jerusalem as the capital, reversing some seven decades of American policy, is arguably the most unnecessary decision of his time in office, and the clearest … Continue reading “Why Leave Well Enough Alone in Jerusalem?”

Islamic State is in fatal decline. The Middle East will soon enter a new era, post-Islamic State, dominated by the Saudi-Iranian power struggle. The struggle will, as it has as it ran alongside the fight against Islamic State, involve shifting Sunni and Shiite allegiances. But the fight is not about religion. Religion this time has … Continue reading “The Next Middle East War, Post-ISIS”

The seemingly accepted wisdom that American President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are paired madmen on the edge of war has little to support it other than projected fears. There will be no war because war on the Korean peninsula benefits no one and is very bad for everyone (we’ll get … Continue reading “Madmen, North Korea, and War”

Sustaining America’s state of post-9/11 perpetual war requires skillful manipulation of the public at home. The key tool used for this purpose is the bloodless narrative, a combination of policy, falsehoods and media manipulation that creates the impression that America’s wars have few consequences, at least for Americans. How can the American government sustain its … Continue reading “How To Sustain Perpetual War (It’s Easy, Hide the Bodies)”

We’re allowing a mindset of “anything Trump does is wrong” coupled with lightening-speed historical revisionism for the Obama era to sustain the same mistakes in the war on terror that have fueled Islamic terrorism for the past 15 years. However, there may be a window of opportunity to turn the anti-Trump rhetoric into a review … Continue reading “Does It Matter Who Pulls the Trigger in the Drone Wars?”

Busy weekend for terrorism. Nine people stabbed in a shopping mall in Minnesota (meh), and the big one in New Jersey/New York. It was there Afghan American Ahmad Rahami made up a bunch of pipe bombs and pressure cooker IEDs, distributed them in four separate locations, and set off two explosions. The one detonation in … Continue reading “Department of Homeless Security”

On May 27, Barack Obama became the first sitting American president to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, the site of the world’s first atomic bombing. Though highly photogenic, the visit was otherwise one that avoided acknowledging the true history of the place. Like his official predecessors (Secretary of State John Kerry visited the Peace Memorial … Continue reading “Obama and the Myth of Hiroshima”

Unlike President Obama, who today is the first sitting president to ever visit the site of the first atomic bombing, I’ve visited Hiroshima many times while living in Japan. The thing that always struck me about Hiroshima was simply being there. The train pulled into the station under an announcement that you had arrived in … Continue reading “My Dreams Seek Revenge: Hiroshima”

The State Department Inspector General’s (IG) investigation report leaked out a day early on May 25 makes a number of significant points. These matter, and need to be considered by anyone voting in November.What’s in the IG Report Neither Clinton nor any of her senior staff would participate in the IG’s investigation. Clinton never sought … Continue reading “The New State Department Report on Hillary’s Email, and Why it Matters”

Did the CIA meet with some of the 9/11 hijackers ahead of the attacks on New York? Did the Saudi government help finance those hijackers? Someone knows the answers, and soon, you might know as well.This Summer?James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, told the New York Times the so-called “28 pages,” a still-classified section … Continue reading “Is This What’s in Those 28 Pages? And Does it Matter?”