In 2003, George W. Bush took us to war to liberate Iraq from the despotism of Saddam Hussein and convert that nation into a beacon of freedom and prosperity in the Middle East. Tuesday, Mike Pompeo flew clandestinely into Baghdad, met with the prime minister and flew...
Suicide Bomber Strikes in Sadr City; 18 Killed in Iraq
A Bloody Start to Ramadan in Afghanistan
The US backed Afghan president Ashraf Ghani called for a Ramadan truce with the Taliban this year, but the Taliban rejected it, continuing attacks against Afghan government forces. The Taliban insisted there will not be any ceasefires or peace until foreign troops...
The Two Narratives of Palestine: The People Are United, the Factions Are Not
The International Conference on Palestine held in Istanbul between April 27-29 brought together many speakers and hundreds of academics, journalists, activists and students from Turkey and all over the world. The Conference was a rare opportunity aimed at articulating...
Baghdadi Is Alive – and So Is the ISIS Narrative
On April 29, the so-called caliph of Islamic State (ISIS or IS), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, appeared in an 18-minute propaganda video published by Al Furqan media network. In his first public appearance since the summer of 2014, Baghdadi covered a host of issues, including...
Casualties in Attack on Home; Four Killed in Iraq
Fallujah Forgotten
I don’t know if most people in the United States ever knew what Fallujah meant. It’s hard to believe the U.S. military would still exist if they did. But certainly it has been largely forgotten – a problem that could be remedied if everyone picks up...
Mueller Stoked Trump-Russia Alarmism, Despite Finding No Collusion
The Mueller report did not find evidence that contacts between Trump campaign advisers and staff and Russians during the 2016 election campaign constitute “collusion” or “conspiracy” with a Russian effort to elect Donald Trump. Nevertheless,...
A Dollar-by-Dollar Tour of the National Security State
Originally posted at TomDispatch. In its latest budget request, the Trump administration is asking for a near-record $750 billion for the Pentagon and related defense activities, an astonishing figure by any measure. If passed by Congress, it will, in fact, be one of...


