Abandoning Yemen?
Monday, October 11, marked the official closure of the U.N. Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen (also known as the Group of Experts or GEE). For nearly four years, this investigative group examined alleged abuses suffered by Yemenis whose basic rights to food, shelter,...
War Powers Reform and the Pretense Thereof
I’ve just read through three of the most boring but potentially most important documents around. One is the War Powers Resolution of 1973 which you can print on 6 pages and is what’s referred to as existing law even though it’s violated as routinely...
When Are Secrets Not Secret?
"Three people can keep a secret if two of them are dead." ~ Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) Last week, President George W. Bush's torture regime reared its head in an unusual argument before the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2002, Abu Zubaydah was captured by a...
Heroes or Parasites: Europe’s Self-Serving Politics on Refugees
Language is politics and politics is power. This is why the misuse of language is particularly disturbing, especially when the innocent and vulnerable pay the price. The wars in Syria, Libya, Afghanistan and other Middle Eastern, Asian and African countries in recent...
If It’s Not a Cold War, Why Does It Look So Much Like a Cold War?
The United States, the President swore, is "not seeking a new Cold War." But he is, and it didn’t have to be that way. The end of the Cold War could have been the end of the Cold War. Russia really didn’t want a new Cold War and has only been reluctantly...
Abandoning Yemen to War Criminals
The United Nations body responsible for monitoring and recording human rights abuses effectively abandoned the people of Yemen last week. In a 21-18 vote with seven abstentions, the U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC) refused to extend the mandate of an independent...
My War on Terror, Up Close and Personal
Originally posted at TomDispatch. It’s hard to imagine how I would have done my work at TomDispatch over the last decade without one crucial resource: Brown University’s Costs of War Project. After all, that website has offered a remarkable look at...
Strategies To Cut the Military Budget: Realistic Options for an Unrealistic Government
The military budget is going to be cut. That will cause enormous wailing and gnashing of teeth in Washington. The generals will promote fantastic disaster scenarios. The military-industrial complex will deploy more lobbyists. The Neoconservative Greek Chorus will...
