(2018-03-17). Bush Is Gone, but the Neocons Are Back. AlterNet.org Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signals a coming confrontation with Iran. | Once upon a time there were hopes that Donald Trump as president might pursue a different kind of American foreign policy; call it non-interventionist, or isolationist, or transactional. He certainly broke with conventional Washington discourse. When the foreign policy establishment of Washington almost unanimously urged President Obama in September 2013 to punish the Syrian government for a chemical gas attack, Trump tweeted, "Do not attack Syria" three times in two days. Trump denounced previous administrations, Democratic and Republican, for casting America as the "policeman of the world. " He criticized President George W. Bush even more harshly than many liberal critics did. "Bush murdered thousands of r troops & wasted trillions $ in a needless & senseless war-Iraq. TRUE! " Trump tweeted during the campaign. The New Republic's Jeet Heer jested
(2018-03-16). South Korean Report on Summit Discredits U.S. Elites' Assumption. Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists Kim Jong Un has agreed to present Donald Trump with a plan for full denuclearization and normalization of relations between the U.S. and North Korea. | The post South Korean Report on Summit Discredits U.S. Elites' Assumption appeared first on Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists.
(2018-03-16). U.S.-Russia Nuclear Arms Racing: Still Crazy After All These Years. Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists President Vladimir Putin's major address on March 1 to Russia's Federal Assembly was candid about the economic and social challenges facing Russians. What attracted attention in the United States, however, was a detailed description, complete with video animations, of an array of new nuclear weapons delivery systems, including a nuclear-powered cruise missile and an underwater drone. | A month earlier, on Feb. 2, the Trump administration released its Nuclear Posture Review. The review's assessment of prospects for U.S.-Russian nuclear arms control is grim. It proposes two new capabilities, both aimed at Russia, a low-yield warhead deployed on submarine-launched missiles, and a sea-based, nuclear-armed cruise missile. It also endorses existing plans to sustain and upgrade existing nuclear forces and infrastructure to the tune of well over a trillion dollars over the next three decades. | While not as sensational as the weapons…
(2018-03-16). 'Trump may kill Iran deal, and that would be bad…for America'. RT US News Donald Trump, a fierce critic of Iranian nuclear deal, has so far made no moves to withdraw the US from it. But a continued assault may lead to consequences that would be surprisingly bad for America, analysts warn.
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(2018-03-16). The Myth of a Neo-Imperial China. counterpunch.org The geopolitical focus of the still young 21st century spans the Indian Ocean from the Persian Gulf all the way to the South China Sea alongside the spectrum from Southwest Asia to Central Asia and China. That happens to configure the prime playing ground, overland and maritime, of the New Silk Roads, a.k.a. Belt and More
(2018-03-16). Be Prepared, Iran, Because They Want to Destroy You. counterpunch.org The long-overdue exit of Tillerson isn't going to have any positive effect on US policy towards Iran which is, quite simply, to destroy it. He declared, apparently seriously and with irony, that "Iran is the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism and is responsible for intensifying multiple conflicts," ignoring the fact that over the past seventeen More
(2018-03-16). Good Enemies Are Hard To Find: Therefore Worry. counterpunch.org Why is the American political class so intent on reviving the Cold War? Why does Israel have it in for Iran? These are complicated questions; many factors are involved. But there is "a fact of life," as it were, that bears on the answers to both questions: that to keep their regimes — their distinctive More
(2018-03-15). U.S. Says Russia Hacks Energy Grid, Critical Infrastructure. Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists The U.S. government has helped the energy, nuclear, commercial, water, aviation and manufacturing sectors kick out the Russians from all systems currently known to have been penetrated, but efforts continue. | The post U.S. Says Russia Hacks Energy Grid, Critical Infrastructure appeared first on Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists.
(2018-03-15). The Terror of a New Cold War. Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists There can be no winner in a nuclear conflict, and the refusal of the United States to negotiate with Russia increases the likelihood of such a cataclysm. | The post The Terror of a New Cold War appeared first on Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists.
(2018-03-15). #MAGA Staffing Solutions (Video). Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists Now that Rex Tillerson is out of the way, it looks like the scary fun is really going to begin. While Tillerson was happily gutting the State Department, his relationship with President Trump was deteriorating for a variety of reasons. Chief among them seemed to be that Ol' Oilhound Rex wasn't sufficiently "America First." | Trump found his man for State in Mike Pompeo, a guy who is the number one all-time top recipient of Koch funding, has called for Edward Snowden to be put to death and has talked about how easy it would be to bomb Iran into oblivion. Pompeo a Tea Partier, who had been heading the CIA, seems like a perfect match for the insanity of Trump administration "diplomacy." | Tuesday was a busy day: Tillerson was out, Pompeo was…
(2018-03-15). Iran: Crackdown on Dervish Minority. Human Rights Watch News (Beirut) — Iranian authorities arrested over 300 members of the minority Dervish Muslim community in late February 2018 after police forcibly tried to break up a protest. The events in February stemmed from what appears to be an intensified crackdown on the Dervish minority, including likely ramped-up surveillance of the group's leader. Police Forces at the scene of the clashes, Tehran, Iran February 19,2018. | © 2018 Majzooban-e-Noor | The ensuing clashes left dozens of people injured and at least three police officers and one Basij member dead. One arrested protester died in custody in unexplained circumstances. The Iranian authorities should immediately release those held or charge them with a recognizable crime. The authorities should also allow for an independent investigation into possible use of excessive force during the clashes. | "Iranian judicial…
(2018-03-14). A Nuclear Travelogue: From North Korea to Saudi Arabia. counterpunch.org Photo by Francisco Anzola | CC BY 2.0 | As one nuclear crisis winds down in Asia (maybe) is President Donald Trump laying the foundations for a new nuclear crisis in the Middle East? | On Thursday, March 8, came the surprise news that President Donald Trump had accepted an invitation to meet with Kim Jong-un of North Korea. South Korean National Security Advisor Chung Eui-Yong made the announcement at the White House following a meeting with President Trump. Kim had delivered the invitation to a visiting group of South Korean officials, including Chung. Chung passed Kim's invitation along to President Trump during their meeting on Thursday. The South Koreans had been in Pyongyang to arrange a summit between the two Koreas which is now set to be held in April. | In his statement Thursday, Chung said that Trump would…
(2018-03-14). Trump's firing of Tillerson signals further shift toward global war. World Socialist Web Site Tillerson's replacement by CIA Director Mike Pompeo is bound up with a turn toward upending the nuclear agreement with Iran and a more aggressive militarist policy.
(2018-03-14). Russia "Threatens" UK: "One Does Not Give 24Hrs Notice to a Nuclear Power" Global Research On the heels of UK PM May's red hot rhetoric and ultimatum yesterday and Germany's pressure this morning, Russia has cranked up their response to '11' on the Spinal Tap amplifier of global armageddon. | Having made clear this morning that: …
(2018-03-14). Russia's Hypersonic Missiles Didn't Surprise America But They Awed the World. Global Research President Putin unveiled Russia's hypersonic response to the US' so-called "missile defense shield" and restored the strategic nuclear balance between the two Great Powers. | This dramatic announcement came during his annual State of the Nation address which this time included …
(2018-03-14). Does Pompeo at State Mean War on Iran? The Real News Network President Trump's ouster of Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State in favor of Mike Pompeo is a step closer to US war on Iran, says national security reporter Marcy Wheeler…
(2018-03-13). Wilkerson: Trump Won't Make Peace with North Korea. The Real News Network It is possible to make a peace deal that would denuclearize North Korea, but don't expect Donald Trump to deliver it, says Col. Lawrence Wilkerson…
(2018-03-13). 'Bomb Iran & execute Snowden': Brief history of Pompeo's foreign policy rhetoric. RT US News Newly-installed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo doesn't have a huge amount of experience as a diplomat so what can we expect from the former Kansas congressman now that he is heading US foreign policy?
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(2018-03-13). Who's next? Pompeo-Tillerson shake-up sparks Twitter speculation on Trump firings. RT US News As news of the latest Trump administration cull spreads, social media is alight with reactions and speculation. Former CIA Director Mike Pompeo will replace Rex Tillerson as secretary of state, while Gina Haspel will lead the CIA.
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(2018-03-13). Iran: End persecution of families seeking truth and justice for detainees who have died in detention. Amnesty International The Iranian authorities should end their cruel campaign of harassment and intimidation against the families of detainees who have died in detention under suspicious circumstances, Amnesty International, the Centre for Human Rights in Iran, Human Rights Watch and Justice for Iran said today. The human rights organizations expressed concerns that bereaved families are facing reprisals for seeking truth and justice and renewed their calls on the authorities to establish an independent commission of inquiry and invite the UN Special Rapporteurs on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions to visit.
(2018-03-13). Iran: End persecution of families seeking truth and justice for detainees who have died in detention (Joint Public Statement). Amnesty International The Iranian authorities should end their cruel campaign of harassment and intimidation against the families of detainees who have died in detention under suspicious circumstances, Amnesty International, the Centre for Human Rights in Iran, Human Rights Watch and Justice for Iran said today. The human rights organizations expressed concerns that bereaved families are facing reprisals for seeking truth and justice and renewed their calls on the authorities to establish an independent commission of inquiry and invite the UN Special Rapporteurs on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions to visit.
(2018-03-13). Mike Pompeo on North Korea, Iran, and Pakistan. counterpunch.org
(2018-03-13). Iran: Stop Persecuting Families of People Who Died in Jail. Human Rights Watch News | (Beirut, March 13, 2018) — The Iranian authorities should end their cruel campaign of harassment and intimidation against the families of detainees who have died in detention under suspicious circumstances, Amnesty International, the Centre for Human Rights in Iran, Human Rights Watch, and Justice for Iran said today. | The human rights organizations expressed concerns that the bereaved families are facing reprisals for seeking truth and justice and renewed their calls on the authorities to establish an independent commission of inquiry and invite the UN special rapporteurs on torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment and on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions to visit. The authorities should ensure that if there is sufficient evidence of unlawful deaths in detention, those responsible will be prosecuted and punished. | The authorities should also immediately lift the travel…
(2018-03-12). 'Modernization': Media's Favorite Euphemism for Military Buildup. FAIR Reuters ( 2/12/18) | One of the most effective rhetorical tools in normalizing massive military budgets is to treat spending billions—and sometimes trillions—of dollars as something one has to do in order to be "modern." "Modernization" is, after all, a normative label; who doesn't want to be modern? Here are just a handful of examples over the past month: | "The Department of Energy said the money was needed to modernize and restore the country's nuclear weapons complex." (Reuters, 2/12/18) | Pentagon Budget Seeks Billions for Modernizing Nuclear Arsenal, Missile Defense (The Hill, 2/12/18) | "The United States Army will receive increased funding in the president's fiscal year 2019 budget proposal as the service struggles to modernize while simultaneously fighting wars in current conflicts." (National Interest, 2/19/18) | "US nuclear policy is aimed at deterring Russia through the modernization…
(2018-03-12). Will Trump Help Saudi Arabia Build a Nuclear Program? The Real News Network Media reports say the U.S. is considering selling nuclear reactors to Saudi Arabia. Analyst Ali al-Ahmed is skeptical, and says Trump has just removed the fig leaf of concern for human rights abuses by the Gulf dictatorship…
(2018-03-12). Overthrow: 100 Years of U.S. Meddling & Regime Change, from Iran to Nicaragua to Hawaii to Cuba. Democracy Now! As special counsel Robert Mueller continues his probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, we take a look back at Washington's record of meddling in elections across the globe. By one count, the United States has interfered in more than 80 foreign elections between 1946 and 2000. And that doesn't count U.S.-backed coups and invasions. We speak to former New York Times reporter Stephen Kinzer, author of "Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq."
(2018-03-11). US Misses Putin's Nuclear Message (2/2). The Real News Network As Vladimir Putin unveils new weaponry, MIT Professor Theodore Postol says that the US withdrawal from a key arms control treaty, an increased killing capacity, and Trump's "dangerous and uninformed" strategy has compounded the nuclear threat…
(2018-03-09). Can Trump, Kim, and Moon Make Peace in Korea? (1/2). The Real News Network After months of bellicose rhetoric and fears of nuclear war, President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have agreed to historic face-to-face talks. Independent journalist Tim Shorrock and Christine Ahn of Women Cross DMZ discuss the prospects for an agreement and the overlooked role of South Korea in getting both sides to the table…
(2018-03-09). Trump agrees to meet Kim but says 'sanctions will remain' until denuclearization deal is reached. RT US News Donald Trump has accepted a personal invitation from the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to discuss the possible denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, but also has vowed to keep sanctions in place until a firm deal is reached.
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(2018-03-08). Pentagon 'disappointed' by Putin's revelation of new Russian nuclear deterrent. RT US News Top Pentagon officials have told US lawmakers that they were "disappointed" by Putin's public announcement of Russia's unmatched missile capability, lamenting that he will use it to further "intimidate" the US and its allies.
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(2018-03-07). For NYT, a Trillion Dollars' Worth of A-Bombs Is 'Little' Response to Russia. FAIR "Russia has ramped up its arsenals," and "US has done little in response"—except ramp up its own arsenal by more than the size of the entire Russian arsenal (New York Times, ( 3/5/18). | For the New York Times, the US is always lagging behind the Russian menace. Previously, the Times has told us how America was losing the "scramble for the Arctic" ( 8/30/15) and falling behind in election-meddling ( 3/4/18). Now it's in the realms of cyber and nuclear war that the Times sees dangerous gaps. | In "A Russian Threat on Two Fronts Meets an American Strategic Void" ( 3/5/18), reporters David Sanger and William Broad passed along the worries of Washington—as expressed by a few military higher-ups, some guy from the arms industry mouthpiece known as the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and…
(2018-03-06). Headlines for March 6, 2018. Democracy Now! North Korea Would Stop Nuclear Tests to Hold Talks with United States, Syria: Monitors Say 70 Killed in 24 Hours Amid Ongoing Gov't Assault on Eastern Ghouta, Trump Says He's Not Backing Down from Tariffs Plan, Ex-Trump Campaign Aide Sam Nunberg Says He Won't Cooperate with Mueller Probe, NYT: State Dept. Spent None of $120 Million to Counter Russian Election Meddling, Embattled at Home, Netanyahu Receives Warm Welcome at Trump's White House, 87 Muslim Leaders & Immigration Activists Arrested in D.C. Protesting End of DACA, Trump Taps Dow Lawyer to Head EPA Unit; Data Shows Coal Ash Polluting Groundwater, NYT: Sen. Hatch's Emails Show Oil Was Central in Decision to Shrink Bears Ears, Kashmir: Tens of Thousands Protest Killing of Civilians by Indian Soldiers, DRC: Dozens Killed & Hundreds Displaced in Recent Days Amid Fighting in Ituri Province, Trump Name Pried Off Panama…
(2018-03-02). Headlines for March 2, 2018. Democracy Now! After Oval Office Meeting with NRA, Trump Backpedals on Gun Control, Georgia Will Punish Delta After the Airline Distances Itself from NRA, President Trump Imposes Tariffs on Steel, Aluminum, Russian President Putin Touts New "Invincible" Nuclear Weapons, Syria: 674 Civilians Reportedly Dead in Latest Eastern Ghouta Assault, FBI Scrutinizes Ivanka Trump over Vancouver High-Rise Project, President Trump Says Drug Dealers Should Receive Death Penalty, Civil Rights Progress Elusive 50 Years After Kerner Commission, Louisiana Agency Spied on Activists Opposing Bayou Bridge Pipeline, Billy Graham to Be Buried After Lying in Honor at U.S. Capitol, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin Blocks Video Showing Protests at UCLA Talk…
(2018-03-02). Mother of Accused NSA Leaker Reality Winner: My Daughter Wasn't Read Her Miranda Rights. Democracy Now! On Tuesday, former U.S. intelligence contractor Reality Leigh Winner appeared in court in Augusta, Georgia, where her lawyers asked the judge to exclude her statements to FBI agents on the day she was arrested, arguing she was denied her Miranda rights. Winner is a former National Security Agency contractor who has pleaded not guilty to charges she leaked a top-secret document to The Intercept about Russian interference in the 2016 election. She is facing up to 10 years in prison on charges she violated the Espionage Act. For more, we speak with two guests. In Chicago, we're joined by Kevin Gosztola, a journalist and managing editor of Shadowproof Press. He was in the courtroom in Augusta on Tuesday, and his recent article is titled "In Reality Winner's Case, Defense Seizes Upon FBI Testimony to Bolster Motion to Suppress Statements." And in Augusta, Georgia, we speak with by Reality Winner's mother, Billie Winner-Davis. She's joining us from her daughter's house, where Reality Winner was questioned and arrested by FBI agents on June 3.