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.

Maliki Stalls US Plan to Frame Iran

Early this month, the George W. Bush administration’s plan to create a new crescendo of accusations against Iran for allegedly smuggling arms to Shiite militias in Iraq encountered not just one but two setbacks. The government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki refused to endorse US charges of Iranian involvement in arms smuggling to the Mahdi … Continue reading “Maliki Stalls US Plan to Frame Iran”

Pentagon Targeted Iran for Regime Change After 9/11

Three weeks after the 9/11 terror attacks, former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld established an official military objective of not only removing the Saddam Hussein regime by force but overturning the regimes in Iran, Syria, and four other countries in the Middle East, according to a document quoted extensively in then Undersecretary of Defense for … Continue reading “Pentagon Targeted Iran for Regime Change After 9/11”

Petraeus Promotion Frees Cheney to Threaten Iran

The nomination of Gen. David Petraeus to be the new head of the Central Command not only ensures that he will be available to defend the George W. Bush administration’s policies toward Iran and Iraq at least through the end of Bush’s term and possibly even beyond. It also gives Vice President Dick Cheney greater … Continue reading “Petraeus Promotion Frees Cheney to Threaten Iran”

Petraeus Hid Maliki Resistance to US Troops in Basra

In testimony before Congressional committees last week, Gen. David Petraeus portrayed Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s late March offensive in Basra as a poorly planned effort that departed from what US officials had expected. What Petraeus did not reveal is that al-Maliki was deliberately upsetting a Petraeus plan to put US and British forces into … Continue reading “Petraeus Hid Maliki Resistance to US Troops in Basra”

Petraeus Testimony to Defend False ‘Proxy War’ Line

A key objective of the congressional testimony by Gen. David Petraeus this week will be to defend the George W. Bush administration’s strategic political line that it is fighting an Iranian "proxy war" in Iraq. Based on preliminary indications of his spin on the surprisingly effective armed resistance to the joint U.S.-Iraqi Operation Knights Assault … Continue reading “Petraeus Testimony to Defend False ‘Proxy War’ Line”

Embarrassed US Starts to Disown Basra Operation

As it became clear last week that the Operation Knights Assault in Basra was in serious trouble, the George W. Bush administration began to claim in off-the-record statements to journalists that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had launched the operation without consulting Washington. The effort to disclaim U.S. responsibility for the operation is an indication that … Continue reading “Embarrassed US Starts to Disown Basra Operation”

Sadr Offensive Shows Failure of Petraeus Strategy

The escalation of fighting between Mahdi Army militiamen and their Shi’ite rivals, which could mark the end of Moqtada al-Sadr’s self-imposed cease-fire, also exposes Gen. David Petraeus’ strategy for controlling Sadr’s forces as a failure. Petraeus reacted immediately to Sunday’s rocket attacks on the Green Zone by blaming them on Iran. He told the BBC … Continue reading “Sadr Offensive Shows Failure of Petraeus Strategy”

McCain’s Gaffes Reflect Bush’s Iran-al-Qaeda Myth

Sen. John McCain’s confusion in recent allegations of Iranian training of al-Qaeda fighters in Iraq is the result of a drumbeat of official propaganda about close Iran-al-Qaeda ties that the George W. Bush administration and neoconservatives have promoted ever since early 2002. McCain, the Republican nominee for the presidency, was confusing the Bush administration’s charges … Continue reading “McCain’s Gaffes Reflect Bush’s Iran-al-Qaeda Myth”

My Lai Probe Hid Policy that Led to Massacre

For decades, it has been generally accepted that the My Lai massacre of as many as 400 Vietnamese civilians by U.S. Army troops on Mar. 16, 1968 was a violation of official policy directives on the treatment of civilians in South Vietnam. That was the conclusion reached in the most definitive official account of why … Continue reading “My Lai Probe Hid Policy that Led to Massacre”

Dissenting Views Made Fallon’s Fall Inevitable

Adm. William Fallon’s request to quit his position as head of the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) and to retire from the military was apparently the result of a George W. Bush administration decision to pressure him to resign. Announcing the resignation, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he believed it was "the right thing to … Continue reading “Dissenting Views Made Fallon’s Fall Inevitable”