Tag: military-industrial complex

Iraq Switches Allegiance to US Weapons Systems

As the United States withdraws the last of its 50,000 troops after a nearly nine-year military occupation of Iraq, visiting Iraqi President Nouri al-Maliki had one final request: billions of dollars’ worth of U.S. weapons for his ragtag armed forces. A longstanding Soviet and later Russian ally, Iraq under former president Saddam Hussein never had … Continue reading “Iraq Switches Allegiance to US Weapons Systems”

Defending Bloated Military Spending

The Association of the United States Army packed hundreds of exhibitors into two halls the size of football fields at its annual convention. Companies from around the world came to the event, recently held at the Washington Convention Center, to sell the Army everything from mammoth tanks to micro-thin wires. Corporations such as Raytheon and … Continue reading “Defending Bloated Military Spending”

Meet the Empire Watchdogs

This is the first profile in an occasional series about individuals taking on the Goliaths of war from inside the belly of the beast — Washington, D.C. In Washington, there are those who rattle the sabers, and then there are those who use them. The Project on Government Oversight, or POGO, does both, and according … Continue reading “Meet the Empire Watchdogs”

Who Says Obama’s Bad for Business?

President Obama’s critics like to say he’s anti-business, and that he doesn’t understand, nor even like, the military. He is a Democrat, after all, so how could he? Well, we can say that’s fundamentally not true with only two words: Blackwater Worldwide. If Blackwater, the private security services company now known as Xe Services, which … Continue reading “Who Says Obama’s Bad for Business?”

Where Have All the Missiles Gone?

Where have all the soldiers gone? Long time passing Where have all the soldiers gone? Long time ago Where have all the soldiers gone? Gone to graveyards every one When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn? – Pete Seeger Most Americans think the federal government better reduce its $14 trillion debt or … Continue reading “Where Have All the Missiles Gone?”

Obama and the Mideast Arms Trade

Say it ain’t so, Osama! His take-down was the story that grabbed almost 69 percent of the American “news hole” the week it happened, and from a media point of view it turns out to be the gift that never stops giving. Small wonder, since it’s got just about everything: multiple wives, lost high-tech stealth … Continue reading “Obama and the Mideast Arms Trade”

Murder in Bahrain

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has been one busy official of late. Last week, on a surprise visit to Afghanistan, he managed to apologize for U.S. helicopters killing nine boys collecting wood on a hillside in Kunar Province, even as he announced that a negotiating team would soon be dispatched from Washington to work out … Continue reading “Murder in Bahrain”

Dear Congress: Study War Some More

Dear 112th Congress: You are surely as inspired by events in Cairo, Tunis, and Benghazi as the rest of us. And you are surely as distressed by events in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan as your fellow Americans. Now is as good a time as any to face a grim fact: you and your recent predecessors … Continue reading “Dear Congress: Study War Some More”