Tag: Paul R. Pillar

Justifying Israel’s Slaughter in Gaza

Mainstream U.S. politicians and press are engaged in their usual tolerance of Israel’s slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza, hitting the usual talking points by condemning Hamas as “terrorist” and accepting the mass killings of civilians and children with a shrug,…

Postponing Costs for Bad Decisions

Politicians from Washington to Beijing to Tel Aviv like to put off the negative consequences of their decisions as long as possible, but that often adds to the eventual costs to their people and the world, writes ex-CIA analyst Paul…

Netanyahu’s Bloody Calculations

As the Israeli killing of Palestinians spreads from Gaza to the West Bank, Prime Minister Netanyahu weighs his pursuit of military objectives against growing world outrage. But his trump card remains the fear of U.S. politicians to voice any criticism…

Obama and Fast-Moving Global Crises

The three big international crises Ukraine/Russia, Israel/Gaza and Iran/nuclear mark a choice for President Obama, stick with Israel and the old alignments or shift toward more cooperation with Russia and Iran. But the pieces on this global chessboard are fast moving, says…

Hyping the Iranian ‘Breakout’ Threat

A danger from propaganda is that its disseminators can come to believe their own exaggerations and thus damage their own interests, a situation that now exists with U.S. hardliners seeking to sabotage an Iran nuclear deal that would make everyone safer, as ex-CIA analyst Paul…

The Imbalanced Slaughter in Gaza

Much of the world is horrified at Israel’s latest slaughter of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip but the continued power of the Israeli Lobby over Official Washington has silenced any protests against the imbalanced infliction of death, as ex-CIA analyst Paul R.…

Losing Faith in Democracy

When Republicans engage in voter suppression against likely Democratic voters, they may feel their moves are very clever, ensuring their continued power. But the trust undergirding a democratic culture can be fragile, as the current Afghan voting standoff shows, writes ex-CIA analyst Paul…

Renewed Violence Boosts Netanyahu

The day-in-day-out goal of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu seems to be how to prevent the compromise and reconciliation needed to achieve a comprehensive peace. In that sense, the latest rounds of violence and hatred are serving his interests well, as…

The Cost of Iraq War Immunity

If Official Washington were not the corrupt and dangerous place that it is, the architects and apologists for the Iraq War would have faced stern accountability. Instead, they are still around holding down influential jobs, making excuses and guiding the…

A Band-Aid Approach to Fixing the V.A.

Despite promises from the Bush-43 administration that the Iraq War would pay for itself, the price tag keeps soaring with the predictable impact on V.A. hospitals struggling to care for wounded warriors. But the political solution has been to make…