Genocide in Gaza as an Opportunity: What Ben-Gvir Wants in the West Bank

If what is currently happening in the occupied Palestinian West Bank took place before October 7, our attention would have been completely fixated on that region in Palestine. The ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza, however, has devalued the important, if not earth-shattering events underway in the West Bank, which is now a stage for the … Continue reading “Genocide in Gaza as an Opportunity: What Ben-Gvir Wants in the West Bank”

Nancy Pelosi’s New Adventures in McCarthyism

Over the weekend, noting the ongoing opposition to the far-right Israeli regime’s war on the civilians of Gaza, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi charged that: …For them to call for a cease-fire is Putin’s message, Mr. Putin’s message. Make no mistake, this is directly connected to what he would like to see. Same thing with Ukraine. It’s … Continue reading “Nancy Pelosi’s New Adventures in McCarthyism”

Without the State, Who’d Drag Us Into Other People’s Wars?

This article was posted shortly before the International Court of Justice ruled provisionally that Israel’s Gaza military operation can plausibly be described as acts outlawed by the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The ICJ ordered Israel to take all actions possible to prevent the acts forbidden by the … Continue reading “Without the State, Who’d Drag Us Into Other People’s Wars?”

US-China Policy Is Not Going According to Plan

On January 13, the Taiwanese returned the Democratic Progressive Party and its new leader, Lai Ching-te, to power. Lai’s winning campaign had a platform of promoting a separate identity for Taiwan and rejecting China’s territorial claims. However, the election may not reflect the simple mandate the West projects onto Taiwan, of turning away from China … Continue reading “US-China Policy Is Not Going According to Plan”

Biden Must Choose Between a Ceasefire in Gaza and a Regional War

In the topsy-turvy world of corporate media reporting on U.S. foreign policy, we have been led to believe that U.S. air strikes on Yemen, Iraq and Syria are legitimate and responsible efforts to contain the expanding war over Israel’s genocide in Gaza, while the actions of the Houthi government in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and … Continue reading “Biden Must Choose Between a Ceasefire in Gaza and a Regional War”

Neocon Freak-Out as Biden Contemplates Iraq/Syria Withdrawal

Neocon heads like the Middle East Institute’s Charles Lister’s are exploding with the news today that the Biden Administration may be considering withdrawing from its illegal occupations in both Syria and Iraq. First on Syria. As Lister opines in Foreign Policy: …four sources within the Defense and State departments said the White House is no … Continue reading “Neocon Freak-Out as Biden Contemplates Iraq/Syria Withdrawal”

Americans Are Paying a Massive Price To Maintain the Empire

Two press reports stood out to me this morning: the release of the names of two US Navy SEALs who drowned two weeks ago in the Arabian Sea and the Air Force’s production authorization for the B21 Raider bomber. Both stories symbolize an imperial inertia that defines American national security policies, an inertia that is … Continue reading “Americans Are Paying a Massive Price To Maintain the Empire”

Yemen Is Experiencing the True Cost of Bernie Sanders’s Cowardice

It was the evening of December 13th, 2022, when tense conversations were had in the office of Senator Bernie Sanders (I–VT) who was preparing to take a vote on the war in Yemen to the floor the following morning. After years of hard lobbying by peace advocates like the Friends Committee for National Legislature, a … Continue reading “Yemen Is Experiencing the True Cost of Bernie Sanders’s Cowardice”

Who Are the Houthis, and Why Are We Hearing From Them Now?

In 2011, as the Arab Spring dawned across the region, the people of Yemen rose up. On March 18, over 100,000 protesters gathered in the streets of the capital, Sanaa, demanding the resignation President Ali Abdullah Saleh. When Saleh resigned only to see Saudi Arabia, backed by the United States, slip in a reasonable facsimile, … Continue reading “Who Are the Houthis, and Why Are We Hearing From Them Now?”

US Troops in Iraq Are a Tripwire for War With Iran

The New York Times Monday noted the increasing likelihood that U.S. troops will be killed by mortars or rocket fire from Shi’ite militias in Iraq or Syria as they have been attacked and wounded repeatedly in the past three months as locals take revenge for Israel’s violence in Gaza. (AQI/ISIS sure have motive to attack … Continue reading “US Troops in Iraq Are a Tripwire for War With Iran”