Bill Clinton’s administration made a geopolitical mess in the Balkans during the 1990s by instigating and leading military interventions in both Bosnia and Kosovo. Periodically thereafter, the United States has succumbed to the temptation to interfere diplomatically...
As Iran Forges Ahead With Its Nuclear Program the Trump Administration’s Criminal Incompetence Does Not Justify War
Hardline Islamists have taken control in Iran, nuclear negotiations with Tehran have stalled, the Saudis and Israelis are restless, and talk of military action against Iran is rising. Such is the price the world is paying for the Trump administration’s criminal...
Dissecting North Korea’s Missile Tests
North Korea is carrying out one missile test after another lately, at the same time indicating (or is it?) interest in talks with South Korea about reducing tensions. Late last month North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles from railways over the Sea of...
Iraq Daily Roundup: Two Killed
Iraq Daily Roundup: 17 Killed
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...


