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.

Why Pakistan Demands a Veto on Drone Strikes

ISLAMABAD — Pakistani civilian and military leaders are insisting on an effective veto over which targets U.S. drone strikes hit, according to well-informed Pakistani military sources here. The sources, who met with IPS on condition that they not be identified, said that such veto power over the conduct of the drone war is a central … Continue reading “Why Pakistan Demands a Veto on Drone Strikes”

Ex-PM Says Taliban Offer Talks For Pullout Date

KABUL – The Taliban leadership is ready to negotiate peace with the United States right now if Washington indicates its willingness to provide a timetable for complete withdrawal, according to a former Afghan prime minister who set up a secret meeting between a senior Taliban official and a U.S. general two years ago. They also … Continue reading “Ex-PM Says Taliban Offer Talks For Pullout Date”

What Is Sadr’s Game on Future US Troop Presence?

The big question looming over U.S.-Iraqi negotiations on a U.S. military presence after 2011 is what game Shi’a leader Moqtada al-Sadr is playing on the issue. U.S. officials regard Sadr as still resisting the U.S. military presence illegally and are demanding that Sadr call off his Promised Day Brigades completely.  But Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s … Continue reading “What Is Sadr’s Game on Future US Troop Presence?”

The Lies That Sold Obama’s Escalation in Afghanistan

A few days after Barack Obama’s December 2009 announcement of 33,000 more troops being sent to Afghanistan, in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Defense Secretary Robert Gates advanced the official justification for escalation: the Afghan Taliban would not abandon its ties with al-Qaeda unless forced to do so by US military force and … Continue reading “The Lies That Sold Obama’s Escalation in Afghanistan”

Despite Troop Surge, Taliban Attacks and US Casualties Soared

Data on attacks by armed opposition forces and U.S. combat casualties since the U.S. troop surge in Afghanistan was completed last summer provide clear evidence that the surge and the increase in targeted killings by Special Operations Forces have failed to break the momentum of the Taliban. The Taliban and allied insurgent organizations launched 54 … Continue reading “Despite Troop Surge, Taliban Attacks and US Casualties Soared”

Obama Leaves Door Open to Long-Term US Afghan Combat

President Barack Obama’s speech announcing that the 33,000 "surge" troops in Afghanistan will be withdrawn by "summer" 2012 indicates that he has given priority to the interests of the military and the Pentagon over concerns by key officials in his administration over the impact of the war’s costs on domestic socioeconomic needs. And in a … Continue reading “Obama Leaves Door Open to Long-Term US Afghan Combat”

90% of Petraeus’s Captured ‘Taliban’ Were Civilians

During his intensive initial round of media interviews as commander in Afghanistan in August 2010, Gen. David Petraeus released figures to the news media that claimed spectacular success for raids by Special Operations Forces: in a 90-day period from May through July, SOF units had captured 1,355 rank-and-file Taliban, killed another 1,031, and killed or … Continue reading “90% of Petraeus’s Captured ‘Taliban’ Were Civilians”

Slain Writer’s Book Says US-NATO War Served al-Qaeda Strategy

Al-Qaeda strategists have been assisting the Taliban fight against U.S.-NATO forces in Afghanistan because they believe that foreign occupation has been the biggest factor in generating Muslim support for uprisings against their governments, according to the just-published book by Syed Saleem Shahzad, the Pakistani journalist whose body was found in a canal outside Islamabad last … Continue reading “Slain Writer’s Book Says US-NATO War Served al-Qaeda Strategy”

US Uses Peace Talks to Divide Taliban from Pakistan

The leaked reports over the past two weeks of a series of meetings between U.S. officials and a Taliban figure close to leader Mullah Omar seemed to point to real progress toward a negotiated settlement of the war in Afghanistan. But in fact the talks are part of a Barack Obama administration strategy aimed at … Continue reading “US Uses Peace Talks to Divide Taliban from Pakistan”

Obama Troop Surge Decision Ignored Pak-Taliban Ties

The unilateral U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden created a spike in mutual recriminations between U.S. and Pakistani politicians, but their fundamental conflict of interest over Afghanistan was already driving the two countries toward serious confrontation. The pivotal event in relations between the Barack Obama administration and Pakistan was the decision by Obama to … Continue reading “Obama Troop Surge Decision Ignored Pak-Taliban Ties”