Blog Archives

Thirty Years of Middle East Lies Just Keep Coming Back to Haunt Us

1/31/2025

Jonathan Cook
January 31, 2025

Bill Clinton, Yitzhak Rabin, Yasser Arafat at the White House 1993-09-13. Vince Musi / The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The story: Did you believe it 30 years ago when they told you that the Oslo Accords would bring peace to the Middle East? That Israel would finally withdraw from the Palestinian territories it had illegally occupied for decades, end its brutal repression of the Palestinian people, and allow a Palestinian state to be created there? That the longest runing sore for the Arab and Muslim worlds would finally be brought to an end?

The reality: In fact, during the Oslo period, Israel stole more Palestinian land and expanded the building of illegal Jewish settlements at the fastest rate ever. Israel became even more repressive, building prison walls around Gaza and the West Bank while continuing to aggressively occupy both. Ehud Barak, Israeli prime minister of the time, “blew up” – in the words of one of his own main advisers – the US-backed negotiations at Camp David in 2000.

Weeks later, with the occupied Palestinian territories seething, opposition leader Ariel Sharon, backed by 1,000 armed Israeli troops, invaded occupied Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque – one of the holiest places for Muslims in the world. It was the final straw, triggering an uprising by Palestinians that Israel would crush with devastating military force and thereby tip the scales of popular support from the secular Fatah leadership to the Islamic resistance group Hamas.

Further afield, Israel’s ever-more abusive treatment of the Palestinians and its gradual takeover of al-Aqsa – backed by the West – served only to further radicalise the jihadist group al-Qaeda, providing the public rationale for attacking New York’s Twin Towers in 2001.

The story: Did you believe it in 2001, after the 9/11 attack, when they told you that the only way to stop the Taliban harbouring al-Qaeda in Afghanistan would be for the US and UK to invade and “smoke them out” of their caves? And that in the process the West would save Afghanistan’s girls and women from oppression?

The reality: As soon as the first US bombs fell, the Taliban expressed readiness to surrender power to the US puppet Hamid Karzai, stay out of Afghan politics and hand Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda’s leader, over to an agreed third country.
The US invaded anyway, occupying Afghanistan for 20 years, killing at least 240,000 Afghans, most of them civilians, and spending some $2 trillion on propping up its detested occupation there. The Taliban grew stronger than ever, and in 2021 forced the US army out.

Continue reading on Scheerpost.

Russia vs. Ukraine & the West: Who Has a Firmer Grip on Reality?

1/30/2025

John J. Mearsheimer
Jan 30, 2025

On 29 January 2025, Lt. Col (ret.) Danny Davis and I talked on his podcast “Deep Dive” about how the Russians think about the war in Ukraine compared to how the Ukrainians and the West think about that conflict. We were especially interested in how the thinking on each side influences the chances of getting a meaningful peace agreement. Unsurprisingly, we both believe that the Russians have a much firmer grip on reality, which does not bode well for achieving a peaceful resolution of the war.

The Kucinich Report: Statement of Support for Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard’s Nomination to Director of National Intelligence

1/29/2025

Dennis Kucinich
January 28, 2025

During my sixteen years in Congress, I fought consistently for peace, accountability, and the protection of our nation’s core values. I understand the gravity of the position of Director of National Intelligence (DNI)—a role essential to the security of our nation, where the person in charge must evaluate and interpret military intelligence that informs decisions affecting the lives of millions. That is why I fully support Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination as Director of National Intelligence (DNI) in the Trump administration.

This critical position requires a person who understands the urgency of truth and the severe consequences of sending America’s sons and daughters into battle based on false or manipulated intelligence.

Congresswoman Gabbard is uniquely qualified for this role. As a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, she has served our nation with distinction since 2002, earning Top Secret clearance through the trust of the Department of Defense, her executive officers, and peers.

Her service as a military officer is complemented by an exemplary Congressional career. During her eight years in Congress, Tulsi served on committees relevant to her appointment, including Armed Services, Intelligence and Special Operations, Foreign Affairs, Homeland Security, and Financial Services. These roles gave her a front-row seat to pressing national security challenges and shaped her ability to evaluate intelligence with the discernment and objectivity that the DNI position demands.

There are few individuals as prepared, as experienced, and as committed to the national interest as Lt. Col. Tulsi Gabbard. Her leadership has consistently demonstrated sound judgment, ethical standards, and an unwavering commitment to the Constitution of the United States. She has always put the interests of the American people above partisan politics or the agendas of the military contractors.

In Washington, no one, no matter how dedicated to America and our people, can be spared political smears. Tulsi Gabbard is under attack by an anonymous individual who stole a confidential ethics file and then leaked it to the media, with the obvious intention to attempt to damage her nomination. The theft of a confidential ethics file is a blatant violation of House rules, compounded by leaking it to the media. This is a violation so serious that it could result in criminal prosecution, civil suits, and even expulsion from Congress.

It is vital to understand that the Ethics Committee’s review of Congresswoman Gabbard’s travel was thorough and that her travel was fully lawful and ethical. Her travel was conducted in strict adherence to her responsibilities under Article I, Section 6 of the U.S. Constitution, which protects the rights of Members of Congress to carry out their duties without interference from the executive or judicial branches.

The release of her confidential Ethics Committee file is not just an attack on her; it is an attack on the constitutional rights of all Members of Congress.

The real purpose behind the theft and leaking of an ethics file is clear: to politicize and distort the process of vetting a highly qualified candidate for a critical national security position.

Congresswoman Gabbard has faced this kind of baseless attack throughout her career, but she has never wavered in her commitment to the American people. The truth is simple: The Ethics Committee cleared her and any attempt to manipulate or distort this fact is just noise.

Now, more than ever, we must move beyond the endless political battles and focus on what truly matters: The security of our nation and the future of the American people. The position of DNI is one of immense responsibility—entrusted with overseeing 18 intelligence agencies and ensuring the flow of accurate, impartial intelligence. Congresswoman Gabbard has the integrity, the experience, and the moral clarity to lead our intelligence community with honesty and transparency.

Her leadership will restore accountability to our intelligence agencies, ensuring that they serve the interests of the American people—not political factions or military-industrial interests. The challenges of the 21st century demand leaders who prioritize the security of our nation above all else, and Congresswoman Gabbard has demonstrated time and again that she is that leader.

The creation of the DNI position in 2004 was a direct response to the intelligence failures that led to 9/11 and the subsequent Iraq War—a war that was driven by political manipulation of intelligence, costing the lives of over 4,400 American soldiers and causing the deaths of more than a million innocent Iraqis.

This tragic chapter in our history was not caused by a lack of information, but by the conscious distortion of intelligence to justify a predetermined political agenda. We cannot afford to repeat these mistakes. We need a Director of National Intelligence who will prioritize truth above politics—who will ensure that our intelligence community is both transparent and accountable.

I urge the Senate to act swiftly and decisively in confirming Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence. This is not just an opportunity to strengthen our national security—it is an opportunity to correct the failures of the past and ensure that our intelligence community operates in the service of the American people, with the truth at its core.

Dennis Kucinich
Former Member of Congress (1997–2013)

Trump's Failures, America's Failures

1/27/2025

Patrick Lawrence
January 27, 2025

Well, we now have a president who says what he means, and this is an advance beyond the four years Americans spent listening to a lifelong, compulsive liar who more than occasionally said the opposite of what he meant. It is always best to know someone means what he or she says, even if this is foolish, or impractical, or somewhere on the way to dangerous.

This is the thing with Donald Trump: We can be certain he means what he says, but so much of what he says is foolish, or impractical, or somewhere on the way to dangerous. “For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World,” Trump declared just before Christmas, “the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.” He made this statement as he announced Ken Howery, a venture capitalist turned diplomat, as his ambassador to Copenhagen.

O.K., a case in point. You have to believe Trump means it when he says these kinds of things, even if you cannot for a moment believe they are true or of any worth.

Trump also wants to annex Canada as America’s 51st state. He wants to reclaim sovereignty over the Panama Canal, too. And rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. “The United States will once again consider itself a growing nation,” he said in his Inaugural Address, “one that increases our wealth, expands our territory.” This is a man with plans, truly. We can count on this these next four years.

Continue reading in Scheerpost.

Say You Want an Evolution

1/23/2025

By Mr. Fish / Original to ScheerPost

The American Cult of Bombing

1/22/2025

Which Country Will Be Bombed First by the New Trump Administration?

Bill Astore
January 22, 2025

Back in August of 2014, I wrote a piece for TomDispatch on the American cult of bombing. The Air Force’s new stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider, was still on the drawing board a decade ago. The Air Force wanted 100 of them at a projected cost of $55 billion to acquire them.

The projected cost of the B-21, you won’t be surprised to learn, has now climbed to roughly $750 million per plane, or $75 billion to acquire 100 of them. Of course, the total program cost will easily exceed $200 billion over 30 years, the Air Force admitted in 2022. (I’m old enough to remember when the entire Pentagon budget was less than $200 billion a year.)

By the way, the Air Force is now talking about buying 200 B-21s, which I think is my old service’s latest ploy to prevent cuts to the initial ask of 100. Cheaper by the hundreds!

America’s belief in the efficacy of bombing is truly incredible. We could end poverty in America and house all the homeless for $200 billion over 30 years, but surely we need bombers more than that.

And I dreamed I saw the bombers
Riding shotgun in the sky
And they were turning into butterflies
Above our nation.

It was just a dream, Joni.

Continue reading on Substack.

Counting on Who?

1/21/2025

Comic Dave Chappelle broad-brushes American support for Donald Trump on Inauguration Eve Eve

Gene Marx
January 21, 2025

When comedian Dave Chappelle took the stage last weekend for Saturday Night Live I expected nothing short of brilliance, sure, racially irreverent, controversial, even politically incorrect, but also laugh out loud brilliant. An acquired taste for most centrists, for sure, while virtue signalling, woke interventionists squirm with each punch line.

Saturday Night Live January 18, 2025

An equal opportunity Richard Pryor/George Carlin hybrid, Chappelle has deliberately ambushed transphobia, antisemitism, whiteness, Blackness, rich, poor, you name it, but he is not mean spirited. His unfiltered Netflix swipes at cancel culture can be just as insensitive, yet unabashedly humorous, with a viewership in the millions. In short, I am not being mean-spirited either when I say he is funny as hell.

Despite a career laced with wide-ranging accolades and crafted controversies, Dave Chappelle misfired with his opening monologue on SNL by broad-brushing American expectations, then closing with an inaugural admonition for Donald J. Trump that raised eyebrows, my own included.

Continue reading on Substack.

America's Merchants of Death Are Making A Killing

1/16/2025

The U.S. Version of "War & Peace" Is Simply "War"

Bill Astore
Jan 16, 2025

Yesterday, the Merchants of Death Tribunal concluded with a verdict of “guilty” for all those U.S. dealers and exporters of weapons globally. Yes, the merchants of death are guilty as sin, even as they account for 40% of the global trade in deadly weaponry. Who says nothing is made in America today? We make plenty of things that go “bang.”

In our culture today, it's considered "patriotic" to make loads of money, especially by selling guns. Just look at the National Rifle Association (NRA) and its enablers in Congress and all the gun companies domestically.

Assault weapons are highly profitable, much more so than pistols, and isn't it all about making money? Thoughts and prayers to those innocents caught in the crossfire, of course. No worries--more "good guys with guns" will save us from the bad guys with guns.

If we Americans embrace (or, refuse to stop) the sale of firearms, especially dangerous assault weapons, domestically, indeed, if we fetishize it with ideas of potency and manliness, is it any surprise we brag of weapons sales overseas and our dominance of that trade? If we don't care (or care enough) about the safety of our own children, why should we care about dead kids in Gaza?

Our culture is violent and sick, and until we reform it, there's little hope of meaningful change.

That said, it’s encouraging to hear of a ceasefire in Gaza. Perhaps the Trump administration can achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine as well. The problem is there always seems to be another war or wars looming on the horizon for the U.S., more conflicts that America’s merchants of death can make a killing on.

If there’s an American Leo Tolstoy out there, he couldn’t write a book on this epoch with the title of War and Peace. Today’s version for America has a single-word title: War.

Peace is rarely if ever mentioned in mainstream political discourse and culture. That’s not surprising. Roughly 60% of U.S. federal discretionary spending goes to the Pentagon, Homeland Security, nuclear weapons, and weapons shipments to places like Israel and Ukraine. President Biden once said: Show me your budget and I’ll tell you what you value. Looks like America values war very highly indeed.

Until we stop valuing and valorizing war and start embracing peace, the merchants of death will continue to thrive. Sure, they’re guilty, but so are we all if we keep feeding them our money and keep looking to them for “safety” and “security.”

Chris Hedges: Fire Weather

1/14/2025

Chris Hedges
January 14, 2025

Welcome to the age of the “Pyrocene” where cities burn and water does not come out of the hydrants.

A Final Toast by Mr. Fish

The apocalyptic wildfires that have erupted in the boreal forest in Siberia, the Russian Far East and Canada, climate scientists repeatedly warned, would inevitably move southwards as rising global temperatures created hotter, more fire-prone landscapes.

Now they have. The failures in California, where Los Angeles has had no significant rainfall in eight months, are not only failures of preparedness — the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, decreased funds for the fire department by $17 million — but a failure globally to halt the extraction of fossil fuel.

The only surprise is that we are surprised. Welcome to the age of the “Pyrocene” where cities burn and water does not come out of the hydrants.

The boreal forest is the largest forest system on earth. It circumnavigates the Northern Hemisphere. It stretches across Canada and Alaska. It travels through Russia where it is known as “the taiga.”

It reaches into Scandinavia, picks up again in Iceland and Newfoundland, and moves westward across Canada, completing the circle. The boreal forest has more sources of freshwater than any other biome, including the Amazon Rainforest.

It is the lungs of the Earth, able to store 208 billion tons of carbon, or 11 percent of the world’s total. Yet it has been steadily degraded, assaulted by deforestation and the extraction of the tar sands in Alberta, Canada — which produces 58 percent of Canada’s oil and is the U.S.’s largest source of imported oil — man-made drought and rising temperatures from carbon emissions.

Almost two million acres of boreal forest have been destroyed by extraction industries and timber companies. They have scraped away the topsoil and left behind poisoned wastelands. The production and consumption of one barrel of tar sands crude oil releases between 17 and 21 percent more carbon dioxide than the production and consumption of a standard barrel of oil.

The oil is transported thousands of miles to refineries as far away as Houston, through pipelines and in tractor-trailer trucks or railroad cars.

This vast assault, perhaps the largest such project in the world, has accelerated the release of carbon emissions that, unchecked, will render the planet uninhabitable for humans and most other species. There is a direct line from the destruction of the boreal forest and the raging wildfires in California.

The boreal forest system has, for over a decade, seen some of the planet’s worst wildfires, including the 2016 Wood Buffalo (aka Fort McMurray) wildfire, which consumed nearly 1.5 million acres and which was not fully extinguished for 15 months.

The monster wildfire, which was, according to journalist John Vaillant, about 950 degrees Fahrenheit — hotter than Venus — destroyed thousands of homes and forced the evacuation of 88,000 people.

The fire ripped into Fort McMurray with such ferocity and speed that residents barely escaped in their cars as buildings and houses were instantly vaporized.

Flames shot 300 feet into the air. Fireballs rolled up into the smoke column for another 1,000 feet. It was a harbinger of the new normal.

Highway 63 South during the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire in Alberta, Canada. Wikimedia Commons

Continue reading in Consortium News.

Washington's Attempts to Bully China Will Only Backfire

1/13/2025

Mike Whitney
January 11, 2025

Can we have a serious conversation about China?

unz.com

China is rapidly overtaking the United States in a number of areas that threaten to undermine America’s position in the world. Naturally, US leaders and their billionaire backers are concerned about this and have taken steps to remedy the situation. Regrettably, none of these steps include an honest appraisal of the western economic model that allows the ‘privileged few’ to skim-off too much of their company’s profits leaving insufficient capital to reinvest in productive activity, critical infrastructure or societal improvement. Chinese policymakers have taken a different approach to this issue and the results speak for themselves. Standards of living have risen sharply, poverty has been eradicated, health care is universal, critical infrastructure is top-notch, and China is getting stronger by the day.

Don’t take my word for it. Read the economic data yourself. Or, better still, Google “Chinese cities” or “Chinese high-speed rail” or “Chinese ports” or “Chinese bridges” etc. See for yourself the miracle that is taking place in China today.

This is not merely a story about China’s meteoric economic rise. It’s a story about a culture and a civilization that has shaken off a century of imperial humiliation and exploded onto the world stage like no other civilization in human history. China is not only a beacon of light in a world that is experiencing paroxysms of violence and genocide on an scale not seen since the second World War, it also serves as blueprint for a future of peaceful coexistence through shared prosperity, economic integration and a vast infrastructure plan for connecting the continents via a new Silk Road. (Belt and Road Initiative) China’s leaders believe that commerce and connectivity can draw the world closer together ending the vicious cycle of wars that threaten to annihilate all of humanity. In short, China is pointing the way out of five centuries of colonial exploitation to a brighter future where nations and people use free markets to work together and ‘lift all boats.’

Did we mention that the Chinese miracle does not require 800 military bases scattered across the planet, or bloody interventions in Iraq, Libya, Syria etc, or countless coups in foreign capitals, or black ops, dirty wars and endless psyops aimed at the American people. (Russiagate, Covid-19, January 6, George Floyd etc) No, China achieved its objectives the old-fashion way, through hard work, initiative, innovation and the support of a government that directs capital to projects that promote the collective interests of the Chinese people. Imagine a government that boldly articulates its vision for the future and then assists the workers and industries that make that dream a reality. That’s what China has done, and that’s what China is doing today.

Continue reading in The Unz Review.