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The International Court of Justice released its historic advisory opinion on 19 July 2024 just as I was finishing my essay on Israel’s theft and abuse of the water resources of Palestine. The 80-page opinion, “Legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem,” unequivocally states … Continue reading “The Politics of Water Under Occupation: Israel in Palestine”

Reprinted with permission from Responsible Statecraft. Israeli forces attacked “vital civilian infrastructure” at the port of Hodeidah in Yemen on Saturday in response to a Houthi drone strike in Tel Aviv, according to Mwatana, a leading independent Yemeni human rights organization. The Israeli military claimed that it hit “military targets,” but Mwatana reports that the … Continue reading “Houthis Only Emboldened by Israeli Attacks”

Editor’s Note:  This article was written just before President Biden announced he would not be seeking re-election. U.S. President Joe Biden’s signature defense of his accomplishments and record is that he energized NATO and put together a coalition of fifty countries to oppose Russian President Vladimir Putin. But it was not Biden that reenergized NATO, … Continue reading “Deflating Biden’s Boast on NATO”

The number of executed this year is said to be 40 people.

Reprinted from TomDispatch. From Gaza to the West Bank to the Israeli-Lebanese borderlands, it’s been a genuine nightmare. The devastation in Gaza remains surreal and almost impossible to take in. Housing, hospitals, schools, religious institutions, you name it – they’re all now a “maze of rubble” while the fighting just goes on (and on and … Continue reading “Assessing the Flames of Protest”

At the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s 75th anniversary summit in Washington, DC, last week China was a big part of the agenda. The NATO summit’s final declaration mentioned the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) 14 times. It noted that “the PRC continues to pose systemic challenges to Euro-Atlantic security” and China’s “stated ambitions and coercive … Continue reading “The True Purpose of NATO Remains US Hegemony”

Much has been written about the political earthquakes in Britain and France, the first resulting in the crushing defeat of the Conservative Party and the latter in the overpowering of the far right, by a largely leftist coalition. But these were not the only important outcomes of the July 4 and July 7 general elections … Continue reading “When Supporting Israel Is a Liability: Is Gaza Changing the West?”

Though hope, which has raised its head before only to be decapitated, may be too optimistic a word, recent changes in tone, coming from many parties to the conflict, forecast the chance that negotiations to end the war on Ukraine are, at least, peaking above the horizon. Those changes come from recent European elections, upcoming … Continue reading “Could a Change in Tone Lead to Peace Talks in Ukraine?”

When the Monroe Doctrine was declared, in 1823,  it was aimed at European colonial powers. It told them to butt out: the US “sphere of influence” included all of Latin America and the Caribbean. During the past two centuries,virtually every Latin American and Caribbean country has had to endure US intervention and interference in their … Continue reading “170 Years of US Aggression Against Nicaragua”

With 5 months remaining until the November elections, candidates Joe Biden and Donald Trump have, over the last few months, staked out positions on key issues on the geopolitical stage. One of the more noteworthy examples was Trump’s acquiescent opinion given to reporters about how Congressional Republicans could get behind the controversial military aid package … Continue reading “Would the President Be in Charge During a War in Taiwan?”