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.

Saudis Tried to Pin Khobar Bombing on Iran

On June 25, 1996, a massive truck bomb exploded at a building in the Khobar Towers complex in Khobar, Saudi Arabia, which housed U.S. Air Force personnel, killing 19 U.S. airmen and wounding 372. Immediately after the blast, more than 125 agents from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) were ordered to the site … Continue reading “Saudis Tried to Pin Khobar Bombing on Iran”

McChrystal Looks to Spin Afghan Civilian Deaths Problem

At his confirmation hearings two weeks ago, Gen. Stanley McChrystal said reducing civilian deaths from air strikes in Afghanistan was "strategically decisive" and declared his "willingness to operate in ways that minimize casualties or damage, even when it makes our task more difficult." Some McChrystal supporters hope he will rein in the main source of … Continue reading “McChrystal Looks to Spin Afghan Civilian Deaths Problem”

CIA Secrecy on Drone Attacks Data Hides Abuses

The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency’s refusal to share with other agencies even the most basic data on the bombing attacks by remote-controlled unmanned predator drones in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal region, combined with recent revelations that CIA operatives have been paying Pakistanis to identify the targets, suggests that managers of the drone attacks programs have been … Continue reading “CIA Secrecy on Drone Attacks Data Hides Abuses”

McChrystal Choice Suggests Special-Ops Strikes to Continue

The choice of Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal to become the new U.S. commander in Afghanistan has been hailed by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and national news media as ushering in a new, unconventional approach to counterinsurgency. But McChrystal’s background sends a very different message from the one claimed by Gates and the news media. His … Continue reading “McChrystal Choice Suggests Special-Ops Strikes to Continue”

Officials Admit Pakistanis Reject US Priorities

The advances of the Taliban insurgents beyond the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in recent weeks and the failure of the Pakistani military to counter them have brought a rare moment of truth for top national security officials of the Barack Obama administration. Accustomed to making whatever assumptions are necessary to support ambitious administration policies … Continue reading “Officials Admit Pakistanis Reject US Priorities”

US Lacks Capacity to Win Over Afghans

President Barack Obama and other top officials in his administration have made it clear that there can be no military solution in Afghanistan, and that the non-military efforts to win over the Afghan population will be central to its chances of success. The reality, however, is that U.S. military and civilian agencies lack the skills … Continue reading “US Lacks Capacity to Win Over Afghans”

Maliki Draws US Troops into Crackdown on Sunnis

When U.S. troops and Apache helicopters joined Iraqi forces in putting down an uprising by Sunni "Sons of Iraq" militiamen in central Baghdad last weekend, it was a preview of the kind of combat the U.S. military is likely to see increasingly over the next three years unless a policy decision is made in Washington … Continue reading “Maliki Draws US Troops into Crackdown on Sunnis”