Eight Reasons Why Marco Rubio Would Be a Disastrous Secretary of State

Of all Trump’s choices for his foreign policy team, Marco Rubio is the least controversial to the neoconservative foreign policy establishment in Washington, and the most certain to provide continuity with all that is wrong with U.S. foreign policy, from Cuba to the Middle East to China. The only area where there might be some … Continue reading “Eight Reasons Why Marco Rubio Would Be a Disastrous Secretary of State”

A Common Thread Runs Through Trump Appointments: Look Out Iran!

Former President and President-elect Donald Trump has been tarred, inconsistently with his actual record, with the charge of being soft on Russia. He has never been charged with being soft on Iran. Trump unilaterally and illegally pulled out of the JCPOA nuclear agreement with Iran. He imposed devastating sanctions on Iran. He ordered the assassination … Continue reading “A Common Thread Runs Through Trump Appointments: Look Out Iran!”

Will Gabbard Be Able To Direct the Intelligence ‘Community’?

This originally appeared at Consortium News. President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence (DNI) will cause shockwaves in and among the 18 fiefdoms that now comprise the U.S. intelligence community. Gabbard will be fighting an uphill battle if she tries to herd those 18 cats into a cohesive whole … Continue reading “Will Gabbard Be Able To Direct the Intelligence ‘Community’?”

Trump’s Hegseth Caper and the Delusion of ‘Peace Through Strength’

Well, you can say this much about the Donald’s off-the-wall pick of Fox’s weekend news commentator, Pete Hegseth, for Secretary of Defense: At least it wasn’t a hard-core neocon like House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala), Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) or the horrid Senator Tom Cott0n of Arkansas. Better a cheerleader for patriotism and … Continue reading “Trump’s Hegseth Caper and the Delusion of ‘Peace Through Strength’”

Voting Against Genocide – How Gaza Defeated the Democratic Establishment

Arab and Muslim American voters did not remove Democrats from office, nor did they cost Kamala Harris the Oval Office. They merely sent a strong message that Palestine matters, not only to Arabs and Muslims but to many Americans as well. The ones who cost the Democrats the elections are the Democrats themselves. Their humiliating … Continue reading “Voting Against Genocide – How Gaza Defeated the Democratic Establishment”

Will Trump End or Escalate Biden’s Wars?

When Donald Trump takes office on January 20th, all his campaign promises to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours and almost as quickly end Israel’s war on its neighbors will be put to the test. The choices he has made for his incoming administration so far, from Marco Rubio as Secretary of State … Continue reading “Will Trump End or Escalate Biden’s Wars?”

Thawing Russia-US Relations?

This originally appeared at Consortium News. A former and future U.S. president talked with Vladimir Putin last Thursday! At least that is what The Washington Post reported today. In a highly detailed account, the Post wrote: “During the call, which Trump took from his resort in Florida, he advised the Russian president not to escalate … Continue reading “Thawing Russia-US Relations?”

The Political Price Being Paid for Being in the West

The concept of “the West” is a complex and difficult one. At times it excludes countries in the geographical west, like Cuba and Venezuela and sometimes Brazil. At times it includes countries not in the geographical west, like Japan and Australia. As Richard Sakwa has explained, the West can refer to a 500 year old … Continue reading “The Political Price Being Paid for Being in the West”