We often hear the Russia-haters accuse Vladimir Putin of murdering journalists: when Oliver Stone recently challenged the veracity of that unproved charge, he was booed by Stephen Colbert’s audience of trained seals hand-raisers. Yet we hear almost nothing about the...
The Saudi War Against Qatar
What in the name of Allah is going on with the spat between Qatar, on one side, and the Saudis, the United Arab Emirates, and most of the rest of the Arab states on the other? Accusations that Qatar is the fulcrum of “terrorism” in the region, emanating from Riyadh...
A Thank You Note
Antiwar.com’s Spring fundraising drive has crossed the finish line – thank to you, our readers and supporters. Every fundraising drive makes me nervous, and this one was no exception. With all the uncertainty that characterizes our present situation, I thought this...
Beyond ‘Blowback’: Islam and Terror
The latest attack in London – the third to hit Britain within seventy-five days – is once again provoking a debate about the relationship between Islam and terrorism. On one side we have those who say Islam is inherently violent, and is incompatible with the basic...
Haven’t We Had Enough of Afghanistan?
Will there ever be an end to the war in Afghanistan? Apparently not if our generals have anything to say about it – and they do. President Trump has turned over the prosecution of our perpetual “war on terrorism” to the Pentagon, claiming that they’ve been held back...
Angela Merkel’s Tears
Empires are continually confronted with the prospect of rebellions: that is one of the occupational hazards of imperialism. The Romans had to contend with those contentious Judeans, whose revolt arguably gave rise to one of the word’s great religions. The British lost...
Abolish Memorial Day
Author’s note: I had actually started to write a Memorial Day column when I looked up this piece from 2012, which says almost precisely what I intended to say. When you’ve been writing a column covering foreign affairs for over twenty years, as I have, repetition is...
Deep Six the Deep State
You won’t read about this in what passes for the “mainstream” media, but newly declassified documents reveal that the Obama administration was violating its own rules and spying on Americans with such frequency that even the normally compliant FISA court scolded them:...
The ‘War On Terrorism’ Isn’t Working
If insanity is doing the same thing over and over in the expectation of a different result, then our foreign policy surely qualifies as madness. Since 2001, in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks, the United States has been in a state of constant warfare:...
Donald of Arabia: A Disgusting Spectacle
Has there been a more disgusting spectacle during the four months of this presidency than the sight of Donald Trump slobbering all over the barbarous Saudi monarch and his murderous family of petty princelings? It’s enough to make any normal American retch, especially...


