Stand-up comic Louis CK recently did this bit where he characterized America as “the world’s worst girlfriend”: “America is like a terrible girlfriend to the rest of the world. If someone hurts America, she remembers it forever. But if she does anything bad, she’s like: ‘Whaaatt? I didn’t do anything!’ America, why do you keep bombing those … Continue reading “Imperial Human Sacrifice in Yemen”
Tag: yemen
Political Decentralization Might Help in Conflict-Ridden Countries
What do Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan have in common? Although it’s true that the United States has conducted recent military interventions in all of them, the more fundamental answer is that they are all artificial countries. That is, they are each made up of feuding ethno-sectarian groups or tribes. And perhaps the instability … Continue reading “Political Decentralization Might Help in Conflict-Ridden Countries”
Drone Strikes Do Fuel Blowback in Yemen
Slate columnist Fred Kaplan recently attempted to defend President Obama’s increasing reliance on drones. While he partially concedes that drones could be "morally iffy," Kaplan argues that this "kill list" of extrajudicial assassination could be "assuring": "Not only are people—trained, authorized personnel—very much in control of what the drones do; in the most sensitive cases, the ultimate decision is … Continue reading “Drone Strikes Do Fuel Blowback in Yemen”
The Real Blowback Fallacy
Writing in Foreign Affairs, Christopher Swift attempts to show that cause-and-effect is not a concept applicable to foreign policy in “The Drone Blowback Fallacy.” What he ends up doing only reinforces the idea that a government can’t continue butchering children and not expect the parents to one day retaliate. It should be noted that blowback … Continue reading “The Real Blowback Fallacy”
US Escalating Drone War in Yemen
Even as President Barack Obama touts his progress in extracting the U.S. from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, his administration appears to be deepening its covert and military involvement in strife-torn Yemen. Washington is worried about recent advances by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), particularly in the southern part of the country. Since … Continue reading “US Escalating Drone War in Yemen”
Have You Heard the One About the Drone Strikes?
Adam Bates on Washington’s tortured drone logic
Obama Waives Aid Curbs on Militaries Using Child Soldiers
For the second year in a row, U.S. President Barack Obama has waived a congressionally mandated ban on military aid for four countries that use child soldiers. The four countries that will continue to receive military assistance despite the use of child soldiers in their armed forces include Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), … Continue reading “Obama Waives Aid Curbs on Militaries Using Child Soldiers”
Yemen: Living With an Endless Revolution
SANA’A — It was during moments on our rooftop earlier this week — seeing flashes in the air and hearing the heavy pounding of gun fire — when we realized that Yemen’s capital city Sana’a was no longer as safe as we had hoped. Violent killings were spreading fast and bloodshed was no longer contained … Continue reading “Yemen: Living With an Endless Revolution”
Hueys Over Yemen
US aid crushes Yemen’s freedom struggle, says Nick Turse
Obama’s Child Soldiers
“When they came to my village, they asked my older brother whether he was ready to join the militia. “He was just 17 and he said no; they shot him in the head. “Then they asked me if I was ready to sign, so what could I do—I didn’t want to die.” This is the … Continue reading “Obama’s Child Soldiers”