The road map to the Afghan endgame Pepe Escobar Once upon a time they favoured Dubai – their smuggling Mecca. Now the Taliban go-to destination of choice will be Doha. So the Taliban will open a political office in Qatar to be engaged in negotiations “with the international community”, according to Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid. […]
Preventing War by the United Sates against Iran Francis Boyle Article 2 (3) of the United Nations Charter requires the pacific settlement of the international dispute between the United States and Iran. To the same effect is article 33 and the entirety of Chapter VI of the United Nations Charter that mandate and set up […]
Monopoly Media Manipulation Michael Parenti In a capitalist “democracy” like the United States, the corporate news media faithfully reflect the dominant class ideology both in their reportage and commentary. At the same time, these media leave the impression that they are free and independent, capable of balanced coverage and objective commentary. How they achieve these […]
US-Israeli Spring Will Bring Deployment of Thousands of US Soldiers Eileen Fleming This spring, Israel and US will showcase the largest ever missile defense exercise and establish US command posts in Israel and Israeli Forces will occupy EUCOM headquarters in Germany. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Lt.Gen. Frank Gorenc, commander of the US’s Third Air Force […]
Just Another Israeli War on the Way Gilad Atzmon We learned today that Britain sends its best warships to the Gulf.Britain’s newest warship is heading to the Gulf for its first mission at a time of tensions over Iran’s threat to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key transport route for oil. The Royal […]
Libyan Violence and Instability Stephen Lendman NATO’s killing machine ravaged a nonbelligerent country posing no threat. Tyranny replaced Jamahiriya government. Violence followed stability. On January 3, Middle East Online contributor Jay Deshnukh headlined, “Ex-rebels’ war for money, power: Fierce clashes erupt in Tripoli,” saying: In central Tripoli, fighting claimed two lives as “former rebels from […]
In sixth place: “The civilian closure has been lifted and only security restrictions remain”. Gaza is not as isolated from the rest of the world as it was a few years ago, but it is still cut off from the West Bank and it’s hard to find convincing security reasons why. For example, Israel prohibits […]
Bahrain’s revolutionaries Toby C. Jones, Ala’a Shehabi Bahrain’s February 14th movement has become a symbol of resistance and fortitude…and the most powerful political force in Bahrain today. This confederation of loosely organized networks, named after the date of the beginning of Bahrain’s revolution, is faceless, secretive, and anonymous. Its tens of thousands of supporters have […]
U.S. and Israel Preparing for ‘Biggest Defense Drill Ever’ Elad Benari IDF and U.S. forces will team up soon for a major missile defense exercise, “the biggest one ever” according to military sources. The Israeli military is gearing up together with U.S. forces for a major missile defense exercise, the IDF announced Thursday. The Associated […]
Faking It: How the Media Manipulates the World into War grtv As the US and Iranian governments escalate tensions in the already volatile Straits of Hormuz, and China and Russia begin openly questioning Washington’s interference in their internal politics, the world remains on a knife-edge of military tension. Far from being a dispassionate observer of […]
Bahrain: Calls for UN inquiry as regime intensifies human rights abuses Bahrain Freedom Movement As the repression continues so does the people’s unrelenting revolution. As more martyrs were killed, thousands others have joined the caravan of dignity and freedom. The latest martyr is Mrs Fakhriyya Al Sakran, 55, who had been gassed heavily causing her […]
Obama Avoids Alignment With Israel Against Iran Analysis Gareth Porter WASHINGTON, Jan 3 (IPS) – President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are engaged in intense maneuvering over Netanyahu’s aim of entangling the United States in an Israeli war against Iran. Netanyahu is exploiting the extraordinary influence his right-wing Likud Party exercises over […]
The Drone That Fell From the Sky What a Busted Robot Airplane Tells Us About the American Empire in 2012 and Beyond Nick Nurse The drone had been in the air for close to five hours before its mission crew realized that something was wrong. The oil temperature in the plane’s turbocharger, they noticed, had […]
Remembering the Best and Worst of 2011 Richard Falk 3 Jan 2012 2011 was an exciting and pivotal year in many respects, although its main outcomes will remain inconclusive for years to come. We will learn in 2012 whether we are moving closer to fulfilling our hopes, dreams, and goals or are trying to interpret […]
American Decline: Causes and Consequences Noam Chomsky In the 2011 summer issue of the journal of the American Academy of Political Science, we read that it is “a common theme” that the United States, which “only a few years ago was hailed to stride the world as a colossus with unparalleled power and unmatched appeal […]