On Tuesday, journalist and political commentator Tucker Carlson announced an interview with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, after having previously interviewed Russian President Vladimir Putin. Carlson noted the lack of official communication between the United States and Russian governments, despite an apparent escalation of the conflict by the outgoing Biden administration. “We felt there must … Continue reading “Is Tucker Carlson America’s Top Diplomat?”
The West’s Lies About Ukraine Are Refuted by Their Own Words
The strategy of constructing a narrative of lies to justify going to war is certainly nothing new. There is a long history in the U.S. that appeared to reach its apogee with the lie that Iraq had a stockpile of weapons of mass destruction. That false narrative was reused with various faces with chemical weapons … Continue reading “The West’s Lies About Ukraine Are Refuted by Their Own Words”
Was Yoon’s Martial Law Gambit an Unexpected Gift for Korean Peace?
Tuesday night, while the vast majority of South Koreans slept blissfully unaware, President Yoon Seok-yeol declared martial law. Though shocking, it was ultimately a hapless scheme that may end his political career and quite possibly lift the wet blanket smothering the dormant Korean peace process. With plummeting approval ratings and embattled by scandal after scandal, … Continue reading “Was Yoon’s Martial Law Gambit an Unexpected Gift for Korean Peace?”
Neocons Try Again in Syria
This originally appeared at Consortium News. A day after Israel agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon last week the long dormant war in Syria reignited as jihadist forces seized the city of Aleppo and advanced virtually unhindered in its quest to overthrow the Syrian government until finally meeting resistance from the Syrian Army backed up … Continue reading “Neocons Try Again in Syria”
Truce in Lebanon: Can Diplomacy Rise From the Ruins?
On November 26th, Israel and Lebanon signed an agreement for a 60-day truce, during which Israel and Hezbollah are both supposed to withdraw from the area of Lebanon south of the Litani River. The agreement is based on the terms of UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the previous Israeli assault on Lebanon in … Continue reading “Truce in Lebanon: Can Diplomacy Rise From the Ruins?”
No, Kim Jong Un Did Not Close the Door to Diplomacy With the US
On November 22, DPRK leader Kim Jong Un gave a speech at the opening ceremony of a military hardware exhibition called “Defense Development -2024.” The New Republic’s spin on this speech went so far as to claim that “North Korea’s Kim Jong Un tells Trump to screw off – The North Korean leader has no … Continue reading “No, Kim Jong Un Did Not Close the Door to Diplomacy With the US”
Biden’s Parting Shot at America
The interim between a US presidential election and the swearing in of a new Administration has for most of our history been a non-eventful period where the outgoing Administration winds down operations and the incoming Administration ramps up new personnel before the inauguration. The 20th Amendment to our Constitution was enacted in 1933 to reduce … Continue reading “Biden’s Parting Shot at America”
Iraq Monthly Roundup: 70 Killed in November
The Cynical Selling of the War in Ukraine
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the U.S. poured military aid into Ukraine in defense of the “core principles” of sovereignty, territorial integrity and the “sovereign right” every country has “to determine for itself with whom it will choose to associate in terms of its alliances.” As Western support for military aid became harder … Continue reading “The Cynical Selling of the War in Ukraine”
Trump’s Senseless Economic Wars
The incoming Trump administration seems determined to wage as many economic wars as it can. The president-elect reportedly plans to pursue another “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran with the goal of “bankrupting” the country. Now he is threatening new trade wars with Mexico, Canada, and China at the beginning of his second term. Trump has … Continue reading “Trump’s Senseless Economic Wars”