Brian Terrell

Brian Terrell is a Catholic Worker from Maloy, Iowa.

Ending the Other War in Yemen

On February 4, in his first major foreign policy address, President Joe Biden announced "we are ending all American support for offensive operations in the war in Yemen, including relevant arms sales." Speaking of the Saudi-led coalition that has been at war in Yemen since 2015, creating what he called "a humanitarian and strategic catastrophe," … Continue reading “Ending the Other War in Yemen”

Taking Responsibility for Drone Killings: President Obama and the Fog of War

When President Barack Obama apologized on April 23 to the families of Warren Weinstein and Giovanni Lo Porto, an American and an Italian, both hostages killed in a drone attack in Pakistan in January, he blamed their tragic deaths on the “fog of war.” “This operation was fully consistent with the guidelines under which we … Continue reading “Taking Responsibility for Drone Killings: President Obama and the Fog of War”

Making Iowa Into a War Zone

The F-16 jets of the Iowa Air National Guard that formerly buzzed the city of Des Moines have disappeared and we are told that their base at the Des Moines International Airport is in the process of refitting into a command center for unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs, commonly called drones. The MQ-9 Reaper drones themselves … Continue reading “Making Iowa Into a War Zone”

Drones, Sanctions and the Prison Industrial Complex

Editor’s note: Brian Terrell was arrested in April of last year for protesting drone warfare at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri and wrote the following from Yankton Federal Prison Camp, where he is nearing the end of a six month sentence. In the final weeks of a six month prison sentence for protesting remote … Continue reading “Drones, Sanctions and the Prison Industrial Complex”

Touring Tyranny in Bahrain

On the long flight to the Gulf Kingdom of Bahrain on Feb. 10, I had been studying the Lonely Planet guide to the region in order to be able to explain at the airport, if needed, that I had come as a tourist. As it happened, while most passengers on our plane sailed through passport … Continue reading “Touring Tyranny in Bahrain”

Justice Obstructed at Bagram: 10 Years Is Too Long

Despite 10 years of occupation and untold millions of dollars spent on rebuilding Afghanistan’s broken judicial and criminal justice system, the Afghan courts are “still too weak,” The Washington Post reported on Aug. 12, for the United States to relinquish its control over the Parwan Detention Center on Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. On Sept. … Continue reading “Justice Obstructed at Bagram: 10 Years Is Too Long”

Participate in a Real ‘December Review’ of the War in Afghanistan

On Nov. 25, 2010, the occupation of Afghanistan by United States and NATO forces had already lasted nine years and 50 days. This date is a significant milestone, Jason Ditz of Antiwar.com points out, because nine years and 50 days is also how long the Soviet occupation of that country lasted. “That is how long … Continue reading “Participate in a Real ‘December Review’ of the War in Afghanistan”