Category: Campaign 2016

US Game-Playing Means Hot Syrian Summer

As Iran and Russia sense they’ve been “had” by President Obama over the Syrian “cease-fire” — and other U.S. deceptions — the prospects rise for a climactic battle in Syria, writes ex-British diplomat Alastair Crooke from Beirut.

Orlando Massacre as Anti-Gay Hate Crime

The Orlando massacre was primarily a hate crime against gays, aided by lax gun laws, rather than a terror strike by an ISIS acolyte — and thus the media/political analysis is wide of the mark, writes Lawrence Davidson.

Trump as the ‘Relative Peace Candidate’

Hillary Clinton has shown no real remorse over her support for neocon “regime changes,” aggressive wars and belligerence toward Russia, leaving the oft-obnoxious Donald Trump as the relative peace candidate, says John V. Walsh.

How Roy Cohn Helped Rupert Murdoch

From the Archive: The Washington Post’s takeout on Donald Trump’s ties to notorious McCarthyite Roy Cohn mentioned Cohn’s links to Ronald Reagan and Rupert Murdoch, but there is much more to that, reported Robert Parry in 2015.

Gen. Breedlove, Strangelove-ian War Hawk

Ex-NATO Commander Breedlove was so bellicose toward Russia that the Germans objected to his dangerous provocations, but he is now strutting his stuff in hopes of landing a job in a Clinton-45 administration, says Gilbert Doctorow.

Who’s the Bigger Danger — Clinton or Trump?

Donald Trump has offered some unnerving ideas about foreign policy, including a cavalier attitude toward nuclear proliferation, but Hillary Clinton’s hawkishness may represent a bigger danger of nuclear war, as Ivan Eland explains.

The State Department’s Collective Madness

Exclusive: More than 50 U.S. State Department “diplomats” sent a “dissent” memo urging President Obama to launch military strikes against the Syrian army, another sign that Foggy Bottom has collectively gone nuts, writes Robert Parry.

The War Risk of Hillary Clinton

Hawkish State Department officials and Official Washington’s neocons are eager for a Hillary Clinton presidency, counting on a freer hand to use U.S. military force around the world, but that future is not so clear, says Michael Brenner.

The Roots of Trump’s Cruel Populism

Donald Trump’s angry and ugly populism has roots going back to Jim Crow-era race-baiters and Cold War-era red-baiters, including Joe McCarthy’s adviser Roy Cohn and his disciples, write Bill Moyers and Michael Winship.

Trump’s Blatantly Racist Campaign

For half a century, Republicans – such as Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush – used the race card to win over Southern whites, but Donald Trump took the tactic to a new level, says ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar.