Georgia: Another Dangerous, Loose-Cannon US Client

Ukraine is Washington’s most worrisome security client in Europe. U.S. leaders are incurring grave risks to America in support of a country that is notoriously corrupt and increasingly authoritarian. Worse, Kiev engages in abrasive conduct toward its much larger, more powerful Russian neighbor, apparently assuming that Washington has Ukraine’s back. However, Ukraine is not the … Continue reading “Georgia: Another Dangerous, Loose-Cannon US Client”

Time for Washington To Stop Sanctioning the World: US Arrogance Leaves Trail of Innocent Victims Behind

The "Lift Sanctions, Save Lives" network is lobbying Congress to do what it should have done years ago: assess the impact of economic sanctions now routinely applied to ally as well as adversary. Such a review is long overdue. Economic sanctions have become a new global battlefield. In July Beijing targeted several organizations and individuals, … Continue reading “Time for Washington To Stop Sanctioning the World: US Arrogance Leaves Trail of Innocent Victims Behind”

‘No First Use’: An Empty Gesture That Would Cost Nothing

“Debate on ‘no first use’ of nukes mushrooms in Washington,” Joe Gould reports at Defense News. “Five years after President Barack Obama turned back from declaring a ‘no first use’ as US policy for nuclear weapons,” Gould writes, “opponents say the Biden administration is considering it too, and warn that it risks alienating allies.” Is … Continue reading “‘No First Use’: An Empty Gesture That Would Cost Nothing”

Against Intervention and Regime Change: A Debate with Bill Kristol

The following essay is adapted from Antiwar.com editorial director Scott Horton’s statement in his October 4, 2021 Soho Forum debate with William Kristol, director of the Foreign Policy Initiative and editor of the Bulwark. The resolution was, "A willingness to intervene, and seek regime change, is key to an American foreign policy that benefits America." … Continue reading “Against Intervention and Regime Change: A Debate with Bill Kristol”

The Defense Budget Should Shrink In Response to the End of the War, But We Are Seeing an Increase Instead

On October 5th, Robert Reich tweeted out "We just ended the longest war in U.S. history, yet we’re still increasing the Pentagon budget. Could there be any clearer sign that congress is in the pockets of the defense industry?" It is not often that I find myself agreeing with Robert Reich, but I must admit … Continue reading “The Defense Budget Should Shrink In Response to the End of the War, But We Are Seeing an Increase Instead”

Racial Justice vs. The Israel Lobby: When Being Pro-Palestine Becomes the New Normal

There is an unmistakable shift in American politics regarding Palestine and Israel, a change that is inspired by the way in which many Americans, especially the youth, view the Palestinian struggle and the Israeli occupation. While this shift is yet to translate into tangibly diminishing Israel’s stronghold over the US Congress, it promises to be … Continue reading “Racial Justice vs. The Israel Lobby: When Being Pro-Palestine Becomes the New Normal”

Washington Demands Acquiescence in Afghanistan

War and conflict rarely benefit the lives of ordinary people. Indeed, the very nature of war is destructive. In the case of Afghanistan, once the US war and occupation ended, any delusive stability or vitality in the nation’s economy collapsed too. Numbers and statistics only go so far in describing the human condition of postwar-Afghanistan. … Continue reading “Washington Demands Acquiescence in Afghanistan”

No Accountability and No Apologies

Originally posted at TomDispatch. Just in case you didn’t realize it, the lost war in Afghanistan was their fault, not ours. If we had any fault at all, as Secretary of Defense and former Iraq War commander Lloyd Austin pointed out at a Senate hearing last week, it was not fully grasping how bad our … Continue reading “No Accountability and No Apologies”