Gareth Porter

Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist specializing in U.S. national security policy. The paperback edition of his latest book, Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam, was published in 2006.

Pullout Demand Signals Final Bush Defeat in Iraq

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s demand for a timetable for complete US military withdrawal from Iraq, confirmed Tuesday by his national security adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie, has signaled the almost certain defeat of the George W. Bush administration’s aim of establishing a long-term military presence in the country. The official Iraqi demand for US withdrawal confirms what … Continue reading “Pullout Demand Signals Final Bush Defeat in Iraq”

Did IAEA Revive Uranium Paper Issue Under Pressure?

A 15-page paper on the process requirements for casting and machining of uranium metal into hemispherical forms – said to useful only for making the core of a nuclear weapon – has been raised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in recent months as evidence of an alleged Iranian intention to built nuclear weapons. … Continue reading “Did IAEA Revive Uranium Paper Issue Under Pressure?”

Official Says Iran Accepts P5+1 Talks Proposal

A senior Iranian official reportedly told members of the Iranian parliament Monday that Iran has agreed to freeze its enrichment program for six weeks and begin negotiations with the P5+1 group of states as early as next week, according to reports of that decision by the Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) and by a Farsi-language … Continue reading “Official Says Iran Accepts P5+1 Talks Proposal”

Anti-Iran Arguments Belie Fearmongering

New arguments by analysts close to Israeli thinking in favor of U.S. strikes against Iran cite evidence of Iranian military weakness in relation to the U.S. and Israel and even raise doubts that Iran is rushing to obtain such weapons at all. The new arguments contradict Israel’s official argument that it faces an "existential threat" … Continue reading “Anti-Iran Arguments Belie Fearmongering”

Fear of US-Sunni Ties Undercut Security Talks

The threat by the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki earlier this month to reject the U.S.-Iraq status of forces and strategic framework agreements was prompted in part by U.S. demands for access to bases that were unacceptable to a highly nationalistic Iraqi population. But an equally important factor in the apparent rejection of … Continue reading “Fear of US-Sunni Ties Undercut Security Talks”

Coercive Diplomacy Disputed at Centrist Meet

The assumption that the US should exploit its military dominance to exert pressure on adversaries has long dominated the thinking of the US national security and political elite in the past. But this central tenet of conventional security doctrine was sharply rejected this week by a senior practitioner of crisis diplomacy at the debut of … Continue reading “Coercive Diplomacy Disputed at Centrist Meet”

Bush Pledges on Iraq Bases Pact Were a Ruse

Two key pledges made by the George W. Bush administration on military bases in its negotiations with the government of Iraq have now been revealed as carefully-worded ruses aimed at concealing US negotiating aims from both US citizens and Iraqis who would object to them if they were made clear. Recent statements by Iraqis familiar … Continue reading “Bush Pledges on Iraq Bases Pact Were a Ruse”

Fearing Escalation, Pentagon Fought Cheney Iran Plan

Pentagon officials firmly opposed a proposal by Vice President Dick Cheney last summer for air strikes against Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) bases by insisting that the administration would have to make clear decisions about how far the United States would go in escalating the conflict with Iran, according to a former George W. Bush … Continue reading “Fearing Escalation, Pentagon Fought Cheney Iran Plan”

How Cheney Outfoxed His Foes on Iran and EFPs

For many months, the propaganda line that explosively formed projectiles (EFPs) that could penetrate U.S. armored vehicles were coming straight from Iran has been embraced publicly by the entire George W. Bush administration. But when that argument was proposed internally by military officials in January 2007, it was attacked by key administration officials as unsupported … Continue reading “How Cheney Outfoxed His Foes on Iran and EFPs”

Where Are Those Iranian Weapons in Iraq?

The US military command in Iraq continues to talk about an alleged pipeline of Iranian weapons to Iraqi Shiites opposing the US occupation, implying that they have become dependent on Iran for indirect-fire weapons and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). But US officials have failed thus far to provide evidence that would support that claim, and a … Continue reading “Where Are Those Iranian Weapons in Iraq?”