Gareth Porter

Sunnis and Shi’ites are now sliding toward a civil war, and the Bush administration has shown no interest in trying to avert it.  With Congress growing increasingly restless over the absence of an administration exit strategy, opponents of the occupation could take the offensive by offering a clear alternative policy of using U.S. influence to encourage … Continue reading “How Bush Is Contributing to Civil War in Iraq”

Even as the Bush administration was hailing the heroism of the Iraqi Shi’ite majority for going to the polls last Jan. 30, it was secretly preventing the new Shi’ite government from having full control over its own intelligence services. The reason, it has now been revealed, is that the administration fears that the Shi’ites will … Continue reading “The Coming Shi’ite Showdown”

Thirty years after the last chopper left the Saigon embassy, Americans still don’t know why this country fought in Vietnam. According to the dominant explanation, U.S. policymakers believed unquestioningly in the “domino theory,” which held that noncommunist countries in Southeast Asia would topple one by one if South Vietnam was lost. According to the conventional … Continue reading “Dominoes or Dominance?”

As the U.S. occupation of Iraq heads toward its third year, there is a remarkable absence of debate over withdrawal, despite the evidence that a clear majority of the American people want out. Many conservatives are uneasy about the occupation, but they are unwilling to challenge the administration publicly. Most liberals in politics and the … Continue reading “Preventing or Fomenting Civil War?”