We hear a lot about the “do-nothing” Congress. But in fact, legislators have been on a spree of criminalizing previously legal behavior.
JOHN KIRIAKOU: Actually, Congress is Overdoing It
Afghanistan, Foreign Policy, Intelligence, International, Iran, Middle East, The Bush-43 Administration, Trump Administration, Until This Day--Historical Perspectives on the News, WikiLeaks
The Revelations of WikiLeaks: No. 6 — US Diplomatic Cables Spark ‘Arab Spring,’ Expose Spying at UN & Elsewhere
WikiLeaks’ publication of “Cablegate” in late 2010 dwarfed previous releases in both size and impact and helped cause what one news outlet called a political meltdown for United States foreign policy.
‘Iran Must Begin Acting Like a Normal Nation,’ Says Totally Normal Nation
Caitlin Johnston mulls what Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s vision for Iran might really mean.
Campaign 2016, Campaign 2020, Commentary, Film, International, Politics, Russia, Russiagate, Trump Administration, U.S., Ukraine
New Documentary Sheds Light on Ukrainegate
A new documentary by Olivier Berruyer, editor of the website les-crises.fr, released in conjunction with Consortium News, sorts out the complicated scandal and the role Joe Biden played in it.
Afghanistan, Commentary, Foreign Policy, Trump Administration, U.S., Until This Day--Historical Perspectives on the News
The Not-So-Great ‘Great Game’
Michael Brenner considers the latest round of disputes over the latest presidential elections in Afghanistan.
Whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling, Who Went Through Kafkaesque Trial, Wins 2020 Sam Adams Award
Ray McGovern reviews the case of CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling, who spent more than two years in jail, and the decision to award him the 2020 Sam Adams award.
Latest Episode in Juan Guaidó’s Venezuela Regime-Change Reality Show
Leonardo Flores reports on a farcical scene that was just the latest chapter in an absurdly bungled coup attempt.
Democrats Outraged at Republican Accusations of Foreign Loyalty
Caitlin Johnstone lambastes Democrats’ hypocrisy after their relentless accusations of Kremlin loyalty against political opponents.
Afghanistan, Commentary, Media, Obama Administration, Trump Administration, U.S., Until This Day--Historical Perspectives on the News
The War in Afghanistan Is a Fraud (and Now We Have Proof)
The Establishment has stopped talking about the Afghanistan Papers, but Lee Camp’s searing humor isn’t letting go.
Full-Scale War Avoided & Trump Goes Right Back to Warmongering
It is impossible for the U.S. and Iran to de-escalate as long as the U.S. is deliberately attacking Iran’s economy with the goal of igniting a civil war, writes Caitlin Johnstone.
Commentary, Foreign Policy, International, Iran, Iraq, Legal, Propaganda, Saudi Arabia, Trump Administration, U.S.
Lies, the Bethlehem Doctrine & the Illegal Murder of Soleimani
Assassination and International Law
In an era of death by drone, grand-scale invasions or tank-to-tank warfare have been replaced by single-shot missions against top leaders, writes Dave Inder Comar.
Trump Hints NATO Should Take US Place in Middle East; Lies About Iran and Slaps on More Humiliating Sanctions
UPDATED: Trump will not escalate the crisis with Iran but talked tough, while inviting NATO to take over at least part of U.S. role in the region.
Column, Commentary, Foreign Policy, Gulf States, Intelligence, International, Iran, Iraq, Middle East
PEPE ESCOBAR: Trump to De-Escalate: Intel Source
“It is most unlikely Trump will escalate at this point, and this could provide him with the opportunity to leave the Middle East except for the Gulf States. Trump wants to get out,” a U.S. intelligence source says.
Trump’s Twitter Threat to Destroy Iran’s Cultural Sites is a Historic Mistake
By threatening Iran’s cultural heritage, Trump puts himself in history’s club of barbarians, writes David J. Wasserstein.
Commentary, Foreign Policy, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, Propaganda, Trump Administration, U.S., Until This Day--Historical Perspectives on the News
US Empire’s Passion for Iraqi Democracy Magically Disappears
This is, of course, because the invasion of Iraq had nothing whatsoever to do with democracy, writes Caitlin Johnstone.
China, Commentary, Environment, International News Analysis, Saudi Arabia, Until This Day--Historical Perspectives on the News
Misreading Victory: US After the Cold War
Andrew Bacevich highlights some of the world-shaping developments that Washington policy elites overlooked back in 1989, when the U.S. was intoxicated by a belief in its own omnipotence.
THE ANGRY ARAB: The NGO Invasion of the Arab World
Over the past 20 years the outbreak of “civil-society” groups has changed the political culture in ways that serve Western colonial interests, writes As`ad AbuKhalil.
Commentary, Foreign Policy, Israel, Middle East, Palestine, Trump Administration, U.S., United Nations
ICC Should Not Delay Investigating Israeli War Crimes
Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has established an unnecessary condition that slows down the process, writes Marjorie Cohn.
Esper Denies US Troops are Leaving Iraq; Rules Out Hitting Iranian Cultural Targets
UPDATED: Pentagon contradicts U.S. commander of forces in Iraq, saying the roughly 5,000 troops aren’t going anywhere.
Commentary, Foreign Policy, International News Analysis, Iran, Middle East, Middle East, Trump Administration, U.S.
The Economic Risks of Trump’s Reckless Assassination
If Tehran ever decided to shut down the Strait of Hormuz it would trigger a global depression, writes Pepe Escobar.
PATRICK LAWRENCE: The Iranian General’s Intent
Given the gravity of last week’s drone assassination, the State and Defense Departments must prove their claims against Qassem Soleimani.
The Assassination of Qassem Soleimani: What Would Crassus Say?
Human Rights, Lost History, Media, Obama Administration, Right Wing, The Bush-43 Administration, WikiLeaks
The Human Cost of War on Iran
Left out of the frame of U.S. military strategists is the certainty of mass human suffering, a reality forgotten since the days of the Vietnam War, wrote former U.S. intelligence analyst Elizabeth Murray back in Aug. 2012.