Rick Sterling

The following is an adapted version of the presentation made at the webinar "Connecting Dots" on 2.25.2023. Other speakers were Dr. Marwa Osman and Dr. Atif Kubursi. Introduction Syria has been at war since 2011. The conflict is in a stalemate. US troops control nearly a third of the country. The US finances the operation … Continue reading “How US Exceptionalism Has Spawned War in Ukraine and Syria”

We urgently need to spark a mass mobilization antiwar movement in North America. There have been good antiwar demonstrations in recent months, but they have been very limited. We need to rapidly expand tenfold. The Feb. 19 Rage Against the War Machine initiative, which is organized by a diverse group of antiwar forces, could do … Continue reading “Feb. 19: We Need a Huge Rage Against the War Machine”

In April 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered an eloquent and stirring denunciation of the Vietnam war and US militarism. The speech titled "Beyond Vietnam" is relevant to today’s war in Ukraine. In the speech at Riverside Church, King talked about how the US had supported France in trying to re-colonize Vietnam. He noted, "Before … Continue reading “MLK: Beyond Vietnam to Ukraine”

In April 1965, U.S. President Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) explained why he was escalating US involvement in Vietnam. With an Orwellian touch, LBJ titled the speech "Peace without Conquest" as he announced the beginning of US air attacks on Vietnam. He explained that "We must fight if we are to live in a world where … Continue reading “Lessons from Vietnam for Ukraine”

There are significant parallels between the international crises in Cuba in 1962 and Ukraine today. Both involved intense confrontations between the USA and the Soviet Union or Russia. Both involved third party countries on the doorstep of a major power. The Cuban Missile Crisis threatened to lead to WW3, just as the Ukraine crisis does … Continue reading “Handling International Crises: From JFK to Biden”

Zbigniew Brzezinski’s book The Grand Chessboard was published 25 years ago. His assumptions and strategies for maintaining U.S. global dominance have been hugely influential in US foreign policy. As the conflict in Ukraine evolves, with the potential of escalating into world war, we can see where this policy leads and how crucial it is to … Continue reading “Ukraine Is a Pawn on the Grand Chessboard”

Mobilizing a population to vilify and hate a targeted enemy is a tactic that leaders have used since before the dawn of human history, and it is being used to demonize Russia and Vladimir Putin in the current conflict. If we want to join the march to war, we can join the hate fest. But … Continue reading “Fabricating Putin Quotes and Banning Paraplegic Athletes To Undermine Russia”

According to a 2019 Rand report titled "Overextending and Unbalancing Russia", the US goal is to undermine Russia just as it did the Soviet Union in the cold war. Rather than "trying to stay ahead" or trying to improve the US domestically or in international relations, the emphasis is on efforts and actions to undermine … Continue reading “Rand Report Prescribed US Provocations Against Russia and Predicted Russia Might Retaliate In Ukraine”

Introduction Russia has sent troops into Ukraine and attacked Ukrainian military forces. In a one hour address, President Putin said the goal was the "de-Nazification" of Ukraine. It is now clear the Russian statements and proposed peace treaty in December 2021 were deadly serious. At that time the Russians said the US and NATO were … Continue reading “How the US Instigated the Ukraine Crisis”

Victoria Nuland exemplifies the neocons who have led US foreign policy from one disaster to another for the past 30 years while evading accountability. It is a bad sign that President Joe Biden has nominated Victoria Nuland for the third highest position at the State Department, Under Secretary for Political Affairs. As a top-level appointee, … Continue reading “Why Victoria Nuland Is Dangerous and Should Not Be Confirmed”