Trump and Putin are Ready to Talk. What’s Different?

On August 6, U.S. President Donald Trump posted that special envoy Steve Witkoff had just returned from “a highly productive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.” Trump said that “Great progress was made!” During that meeting, Russian President Vladimir...

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U.S. Pressure is Firming Up a Multipolar World

U.S. tariffs wear the cloak of financial policy to address trade imbalances, but they mask deeper geopolitical ambitions. That strategy may backfire. The pressure of U.S. tariffs is firming up the multipolar world it is meant to prevent.  Pressure from sanctions has...

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An Ailing, Flailing, Failing Empire Lashes Out

Originally appeared at TomDispatch. As a retired U.S. Air Force officer, I firmly believe in civilian control of our military. This country should be a nation of laws — not of special interests, oligarchs, or kings. Before committing our forces to battle, Congress...

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No, Nuking Cities Did Not Save Lives

Reprinted From World Beyond War It’s oddly encouraging that the New York Post had to bring up its kookiest rightwing propagandist on Friday to argue that nuking Hiroshima and Nagasaki saved lives. It’s almost as if the New York Times’ kookiest rightwing...

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Eighty Years of Nuclear Terror

Ever since the atomic bombings of Japanese cities in August 1945, the world has been living on borrowed time. The indications, then and since, that the development of nuclear weapons did not bode well for human survival, were clear enough. The two small atomic bombs...

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Creating a Cover for Genocide

Originally appeared at TomDispatch. In July 2025, the Massachusetts legislature’s Judiciary Committee heard testimony on a bill to make it the 38th state to follow the federal government, 45 other countries (almost all of them in the global North), and more than 50...

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