Gareth Porter

Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist specializing in U.S. national security policy. The paperback edition of his latest book, Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam, was published in 2006.

US Officials Peddle False Intel to Support Terror Plot Claims

Officials of the Barack Obama administration have aggressively leaked information supposedly based on classified intelligence in recent days to bolster the allegation that two high-ranking officials from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were involved in a plot to assassinate Saudi Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir in Washington, D.C. The media stories generated by the leaks helped divert … Continue reading “US Officials Peddle False Intel to Support Terror Plot Claims”

FBI Account of ‘Terror Plot’ Suggests Sting Operation

While the administration of Barack Obama vows to hold the Iranian government "accountable" for the alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington, the legal document [.pdf] describing evidence in the case provides multiple indications that it was mainly the result of an FBI "sting" operation. Although the legal document, called an amended criminal … Continue reading “FBI Account of ‘Terror Plot’ Suggests Sting Operation”

Debate on Haqqani: Military or Political Solution?

Dissension over Adm. Mike Mullen’s accusation that the Haqqani network of Afghan insurgents is a "veritable arm" of Pakistan’s intelligence agency and the revelation that a U.S. official met with a Haqqani official have provided new evidence of a long-simmering struggle within the Barack Obama administration over how to deal with the most effective element … Continue reading “Debate on Haqqani: Military or Political Solution?”

US Knows Pressure on Pakistan Won’t Change Policy

The U.S. threat last week that “all options” are on the table if the Pakistani military doesn’t cut its ties with the Haqqani network of anti-U.S. insurgents created the appearance of a crisis involving potential U.S. military escalation in Pakistan. But there is much less substance to the administration’s threatening rhetoric than was apparent. In … Continue reading “US Knows Pressure on Pakistan Won’t Change Policy”

Study: US Night Raids Aimed at Afghan Civilians

U.S. Special Operations Forces have been increasingly aiming their nighttime raids, which have been the primary cause of Afghan anger at the U.S. military presence, at civilian noncombatants in order to exploit their possible intelligence value, according to a new study published by the Open Society Foundation and the Liaison Office. The study provides new … Continue reading “Study: US Night Raids Aimed at Afghan Civilians”

Kabul Attack Continues Taliban Control of War Narrative

Gen. David Petraeus wrote in his 2006 counterinsurgency manual that the U.S. command headquarters should establish a “narrative” for the counterinsurgency war — a simple storyline that provides a framework for understanding events, both for the population of the country in question and for international audiences. But this week’s Taliban attacks on multiple targets in … Continue reading “Kabul Attack Continues Taliban Control of War Narrative”

Ignoring the Deaths of Innocents After 9/11

In the commentary on the tenth anniversary of 9/11, the news and infotainment media predictably framed the discussion by the question of how successful the CIA and the military have been in destroying al-Qaeda. Absent from the torrent of opinion and analysis was any mention of how the U.S. military occupation of Muslim lands and … Continue reading “Ignoring the Deaths of Innocents After 9/11”

CIA’s Push for Drone War Driven by Internal Needs

When David Petraeus walks into the Central Intelligence Agency today, he will be taking over an organization whose mission has changed in recent years from gathering and analyzing intelligence to waging military campaigns through drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia. But the transformation of the CIA did not simply follow the expansion of the … Continue reading “CIA’s Push for Drone War Driven by Internal Needs”

Tribunal Concealed Evidence al-Qaeda Killed Hariri

In focusing entirely on the alleged links between four Hezbollah activists and the 2005 bombing that killed Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the indictment issued by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon earlier this month has continued the practice of the U.N. investigation before it of refusing to acknowledge the much stronger evidence that an al-Qaeda cell … Continue reading “Tribunal Concealed Evidence al-Qaeda Killed Hariri”

Hariri Bombing Indictment Based on Flawed Premise

The indictment of four men linked to Hezbollah in the 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri made public by the Special Tribunal on Lebanon Aug. 17 is questionable not because it is based on “circumstantial evidence,” but because that evidence is based on a flawed premise. The evidence depends on a convoluted theory … Continue reading “Hariri Bombing Indictment Based on Flawed Premise”